“Great and glorious promises indeed,” some may say, “but who can boast of possessing and realizing them?” Dear reader, all these promises have been accomplished long since by and in Him, in whom all the promises of God are “yea” and “amen” for the glory of God by us. Those glorious things mentioned above, for the possession and realization of which many an upright soul, in ignorance of the full truth of the gospel, has longed and sighed with prayers and tears, are the sure and present portion of every believer, who in childlike faith accepts the testimony of God's word, as to the perfect person of His Son Jesus Christ, and the eternal redemption accomplished by Him. It is thus he appropriates these precions truths.
The real impediment to such an appropriation by simple faith exists, I need scarcely say, not on the part of God and of His unchangeable word. It lies solely on our (i.e., the human) side; for we are so inclined to look at our own poor hearts and their constantly changing deceiving feelings, or to trust our unreliable experiences and our poor foolish understanding, instead of confiding in God and His word, as the sole, eternal and immoveable foundation of truth. If we look at the human side (i.e., our feelings, our experiences, or our understanding of the truth), where are we to find peace, light, hope, or joy? We might just as well look for peace in the midst of a battle, or for sunshine by night, or talk of hope in a shipwreck, when the ship is sinking and no shore nor lifeboat near, or of joy at a funeral. In looking at the human side, i.e., ourselves, all is uncertain, fluctuating, and dark. But if we look at the divine side, i.e., at God and His Son Jesus Christ the only true and possible Mediator between God and men, and simply believe the testimony of His word as to the value and virtue of His perfect atoning sacrifice and redemption work, all is sure, clear, and settled.
For the sake of such as have not been able hitherto to enjoy true solid peace with God and the blessings resulting therefrom, as mentioned at the head of this paper, I offer a few remarks, which, under God's grace, may be blessed to them.
First of all it appears necessary to be fully clear as to the true meaning of the term, “Peace with God.”
What does it mean, to have “peace with God”? To be clear about this question, let us first ask what is the meaning of the word “peace”? This word is used pretty much in the same sense in the spiritual as in the natural way.
The word “peace” has a three-fold meaning. It signifies—
1. The opposite of trouble;
2. The opposite of enmity and war, and
3. The opposite of wrath, punishment, or judgment (“Thy sins are forgiven. Go in peace.” Luke 7:5050And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. (Luke 7:50)).
Through sin man has lost peace in all these three aspects. Sin has robbed him of his inward peace, and given him instead of it a troubled guilty conscience and a restless, never-satisfied heart. Sin has robbed him also of his outward peace. Our first parents before the fall had enjoyed that outward and inward peace in the paradise in a life without care and trouble. But Adam fell, and the lord of the earth, reduced to the stooping posture of a laboring bondman, had to wrest, in the sweat of his face, his food from the earth, which yielded him not only herbs for nourishment, but also thistles and thorns, as the rods of chastisement and constant mementos of his fall.
But sin has not only deprived man of his inward and outward peace, in the first of the three meanings of that word, as mentioned above. It has filled his heart with distrust and enmity against God, and thus made him an enemy of God. That enmity, which in the world is now ripening fast towards its full development to culminate, at a not very distant time, in a general war of rebellion against the “Lord of Lords,” and “King of kings” (Revelation 19), we find immediately after the fall at work in Adam’s heart (Gen. 3:1212And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. (Genesis 3:12)), who lays his sin, so to speak, at God's door. Thus man fallen not only became a sinner but an enemy of God (Rom. 5:8, 108But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. (Romans 5:10)), and “the way of peace he has not known” (Rom. 3:1717And the way of peace have they not known: (Romans 3:17)).
God, who is “Holy, Holy, Holy,” could not leave sin unpunished. A bit of clay wanted to be like God. The creature had rebelled against His majesty, and dared to doubt His love and truth, in believing the arch-enemy and liar, who essayed to instill suspicion against God. The sentence of death, announced to man in case of disobedience, was now pronounced over Adam and Eve; and they were banished forever from the paradise of earthly happiness, the access to which and to the tree of life was henceforth barred by the flaming sword of the Cherubim. The Damocles-sword of death was suspended over man. The peace and safety of the paradise had vanished forever.
But God be praised! no sooner has He pronounced over fallen man the penalty for sin, when immediately after, in His judgment upon the serpent, within hearing of our fallen parents though not speaking to them—for God cannot make light of sin, as the cross of His dear Son proves—He announces the way of salvation in His Son, “the woman's Seed,” who was to bruise the serpent's head, abolish death, and bring to light life and incorruption by the gospel. And when Adam's first-born had become the murderer of his brother, and the earth soon began to fill with violence and corruption, and after the deluge, with idolatry; and when, after the lapse of four thousand years, man's probation terminated in the rejection, expulsion, and crucifixion of the last Adam, even the Son of God, and Satan the prince and god of this world appeared to triumph: it was then and there we know, that the promise, given in paradise, was fulfilled, and Satan's defeat accomplished. The same precious, blood of the Son of God which was the proof of man's complete guilt and irreparable ruin, was according to God's wondrous counsels of grace, the means of putting away all guilt and sin for everyone who believes in that precious blood, which “cleanseth front all sin.” But at the same time the cross, where Satan appeared to triumph, was the means of his complete defeat. For he who through Adam's fall had acquired the power of death, was brought to naught through death, by Him who being “the woman's Seed” triumphed on the cross over Satan, that old serpent, “spoiling principalities and powers, and making a shew of them openly” (Col. 2:1515And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. (Colossians 2:15)).
But the cross of Jesus Christ, as it procured and was the blessed accomplishment of the promise given in paradise, at the same time filled up the measure of man's sins, Therefore “the last Adam,” who is “the Lord from heaven,” before He became obedient unto the death of the cross, repeated the sentence pronounced upon the first Adam in paradise, though increased and intensified by those solemn words.: “Now is the judgment of this world.” But—blessed be His name—He did not fail, even then to add the promise of redeeming grace and love. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” And later on the Holy Ghost repeats the sentence of death pronounced in paradise, though with a terribly solemn addition, saying, “And as it is appointed unto men, once to die, but after this the judgment.” Jesus, before He was crucified, had announced the judgment upon this world, to be settled in that terrific series of judgments recorded in the closing book of Holy writ. But the same book of Revelation instructs us as to the meaning of the Spirit when adding the solemn words, “but after this the judgment” (Rev. 20:11 -1511And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11‑15)). We there find that these words, “but after this the judgment,” mean nothing less than “the second death,” which is “the lake of fire,” “where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched.”
Yet even there (Heb. 9:27, 2827And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: 28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:27‑28)) the wondrous grace of God does not only say, “And as it is appointed unto men, once to die, but after this the judgment,” but the Holy Spirit adds: “So Christ, once offered to bear the sins of many, shall appear the second time without sin for salvation to those that look for him.”
The first part of that announcement of divine grace for penitent sinners, so closely following upon the pronouncing of the sentence of divine justice, we find in the closing verse of ch. 4 of our Epistle, (Romans), as having been accomplished by the work of Christ, “Who has been delivered for our offenses and has been raised for our justification.”
Mark, believing reader. It is not said here, “Who has been delivered for our sins,” but for our “offenses.” We know that Christ died for our sins. Why then does the Spirit of God say here “for our offenses”? God intends to give us in this blessed portion of His word the clear and full assurance that the sacrifice of His Son is so precious and fully availing in His sight, that even if we look at sin in its worst aspect of “offense” or “transgression” of God's distinct and express commandments (i.e., of insubordination against His will, and rebellion against His majesty), the redemption work of His Son Jesus “Christ, whose blood cleanses from all sin, is so fully availing before His holy eye, that it has effected a full atonement and perfect clearance as to all and every debt of sin, for every one who believes.”
Let us take a case from common life. It is always wrong for children to run about in bad company in the streets at night. But suppose some careless parents had not forbidden their boy to do so, his act, wrong as it might be in itself, would not be regarded as open disobedience, or transgression of a positive commandment, and consequently contempt of parental authority. But if the boy in spite of the express prohibition of his father had been running about in the streets, at night, his act wrong and improper in itself would assume the aggravated character of positive disobedience and rebellion against the will and authority of his father. This then appears to me to be the reason why the Holy Spirit in Rom. 4:2525Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Romans 4:25) does not use the word “sins” but “offenses.” It is to give to the sinner repentant but believing the happy assurance, removing the last shadow of fear, that God in all the just and righteous claims of His majesty, so shamefully outraged by us, and of His holiness, righteousness, and truth, against all of which we had sinned so grievously, has been so fully met and satisfied by the death of His Son who was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, that on that cross “mercy and truth are met together,” and “righteousness and peace have kissed each other” (Psa. 85:1010Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. (Psalm 85:10)). Therefore the father could “kiss” his returning prodigal son. Reader, have you felt that “kiss of peace” of the Father? You receive it in the fifth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. In ch. 8 we get the “best garment” and the “ring” and the “shoes.”
One word more before we enter upon the fifth chap. In the last verse of ch. 4 the apostle continues, “and has been raised for our justification.” Why is it not said, “for the forgiveness of our sins”? We know that “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7)), and that if Christ was not raised, we are stall in our sins (1 Cor. 15). Why then, do we find in this verse nothing of sins, but only “offenses"? and why “justification"?
The first part of this question, why “offenses” instead of sins? we have just answered. But why does the Spirit of God speak here of “justification” instead of “forgiveness of sins?” Simply for the same reason that “offenses” was said instead of “sins.” The work of Jesus Christ is so precious in the sight of God, and has so fully met and satisfied all His righteous claims, that it has not only wrought a full atonement for our sins, even when looked at in their worst aspect, but absolutely cleared away the debt of the debtor, so that he through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ is considered justified, as if he had never been a guilty sinner or a debtor! The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the proof of it. He is not only the “First-born from among the dead,” but also the “Firstborn of many brethren.” How infinitely richer and greater than human grace is the grace of God! If a criminal of this world has spent some years in prison and commended himself by a penitent spirit and good conduct to the prison authorities, he is permitted in some countries to return home before the term of his penalty has expired. He then receives a “ticket of leave,” and goes to his home “on leave,” where he for the remainder of the time of his penalty is under the surveillance of the police, with the brand of shame as a “ticket-of-leave man” upon him. And should his conduct not satisfy the expectations of the authorities, he is liable to be sent back to prison. Is this the way that God pardons sinners and criminals? (and what criminals!) Does He send them into the world with Cain's mark of shame upon them? Chap. 20 of St. John's Gospel (ver. 19-21) and the fifth chapter of our precious Epistle furnish us with the answer.
Let us now pass from the last verse of chap. 4 the threshold as it were of the fifth chapter, to a closer meditation on the latter.