Rom. 7; 8 (Concluded)
It is, our privilege as saints to know that “there is now no condemnation for them who are in Christ Jesus.” For “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death.” But we must not stop simply here. There must be the going on to know what we are as “sons of God,” heirs of God, and “joint-heirs with Christ,” the Spirit bearing witness to us of it. God “hath established us in Christ,” “anointed us,” and “given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” Having thus the fullest knowledge that God has thought about us in love, and predestinated us to be conformed to the image of Jesus, and to share His glory, understanding what His love is now about in His dealings with us, and not being yet in the glory but still in the body, and in the midst of evil and “groaning” all around, we shall therefore “groan.” “Ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” The very reason of our “groaning” is because of our “having the first-fruits of the Spirit,” not at all because of a bad conscience; it is the Spirit of Christ groaning in us.
Hence this “groaning” is always accompanied by confidence in God. As with Jesus when, “groaning in spirit and troubled” at the grave of Lazarus, He said, “I know that thou hearest me always;” so is it given to the saint to have the like confidence (see 1 John 5:14, 1514And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (1 John 5:14‑15)). Nor should this confidence even fail when we “know not what to pray for as we ought;” for it is added, “but we know that all things work together for good.” I may see evil in myself—in another saint—in the church, and seek to pray about it; wherein, not having sufficient intelligence to know what would remedy it, the Spirit will “help my infirmity,” and “groan within me.” God does not regard my ignorance, but answers according to “the mind of the Spirit,” who always “maketh intercession for the saints according to God.”
I ought to be so confident of God's directing “all things,” as to be able to say, “I am certain all things work together for good.” Is a soul in this state? Come what may—trouble, sorrow, disappointment, grief, whatever it be, all is peace; for it is resting upon God, and not (as in chap. 7) looking at itself.
Our very griefs then flow from the knowledge of God's immense love, and from the consciousness of all that belongs to us in Christ. Jesus fully knew, as none other, what the presence of God, what the enjoyment of His favor, was, and “groaned,” because, coming from the presence of God, He found man out of it. The life which I now have identifies me, not with responsibility as “under the law,” but with Christ, who has borne the judgment of a broken law for me. Instead of being wretched and miserable because looking at myself as under law, I enjoy the consciousness of redemption, rest in grace, and “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” But the moment we get a glimpse of the glory of Christ as ours, this world becomes to us a scene of misery and bondage.
This “groaning” on account of evil always associates itself with love. If for instance I see a saint sin, it leads me at once to the love and grace he is sinning against. It is the consciousness of divine favor which I have toward that saint which makes me anxious about him; and while I grieve at his sin, I have joy in God in the midst of my sorrow.
Well, beloved friends, if these things be so, if this be the place in which grace sets us, let me ask, Is it so with you? If God be pure love, nothing else than love to us; if there be no mixed feelings in Him, then if you have not full joy, if there is any hesitation in your souls as to your standing before Him, you cannot be simply resting in His grace.
Is there distrust and distress in your minds 9 See if it be not because you are still saying “I,” “I,” and losing sight of God's grace.
You may indeed have faith, but you want simplicity of heart in looking at God's grace.
It is better to be thinking of what God is than of what we are. This looking at ourselves is at the bottom really pride, a want of the thorough consciousness that we are good for nothing. Till we see this, we never look quite away from self to God. Sometimes perhaps the looking at our evil may be a partial instrument in teaching us it; but still even this is not all that is needed. In looking to Christ it is our privilege to forget ourselves. True humility does not so much consist in thinking badly of ourselves as in not thinking of ourselves at all. I am too bad to be worth thinking about. What I want is to forget myself, and to look at God who is indeed worth all my thoughts. Is there need of being humbled about ourselves? We may be quite sure that will do it.
Beloved, if we can say (as in chap. 7) that “in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing,” we have thought quite long enough about ourselves. Let us then think about Him who thought about us with “thoughts of good and not of evil” long before we had thought of ourselves at all. Let us see what His thoughts of grace about us are, and take up the words of faith, “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
J. N. D.
Courtesy of BibleTruthPublishers.com. Most likely this text has not been proofread. Any suggestions for spelling or punctuation corrections would be warmly received. Please email them to: BTPmail@bibletruthpublishers.com.