The Recompense and Its Power

The Recompense and Its Power. In his Bible lesson, Ken Millspaugh spoke to a pressing need of the time. The text was Colossians 3:24-25, in which it was stressed that the recompense for wrongdoing is applicable to saints as well as to aliens. Hence, "we must not separate the privileges of the gospel from its responsibilities," he remarked. 

The principal emphasis made concerned Paul's accent in the text and context, in which he specifies some of the particulars involved in putting on the characteristics of God's elect (v. 12). Contrary to today's popular insistence, the Apostle's emphasis was not on the temporal benefits to be received, such as good domestic and job relations. Rather, it was on "the reward of the inheritance" reserved in heaven for the faithful (v. 24; cf. I Pet. 1:4; II Pet. 1:11). All the efforts essential to doing what Colossians 3:12—4:1 requires are to be expended "as to the Lord" (v. 23), and with a view primarily to "the recompense of the reward" to be received therefor at the last day (Heb. 11:26). 

That state of the case undercuts the carnal appeal to present rewards for godliness as the principal consideration in religious life, and entails the possession and constant use of genuine faith, which is anchored to "that within the veil" (Heb. 19), it was observed. Such is the drift of the whole of new covenant Scripture, and the situation is placed beyond all controversy by the blessed Jesus' example (Heb. 12:1-2). The secret of victory over the present evil world is to have heaven singly in one's eye, as says Paul in another place (Gal. 5:16). 

On the kingdom's enabling and compensative principle which operates in this area, a highly pertinent point was made. Although much personal discipline is required in donning the identifying traits of God's election in Christ, including steadfast denial of ungodliness and worldly lusts, heaven's ineffably great reward makes it all far more than worth while (Rom. 8:17-18). In addition, current operation of "the law of the Spirit of life in Chnst" (v. 2) renders the process and experience delightsome. Thus, as John recognizes, the life of faith is "not grievous" at all, as they that are after the flesh suppose it to be (I Jn. 5:3). God's Companionship (II Cor. 6:17-18) in it is responsible for that blessed circumstance.

The Life That Is by Faith

The Life That Is by Faith. "The just shall live by faith," declared the Prophet Habakkuk (Hab. 2:4). Paul picked up this assertion and three tunes over applied it to the means of life Godward under the new covenant (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). The meaning is, He that is reckoned by God to be just shall live by his faith in the basis upon which that reckoning is made, i.e., the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in his behalf. So the Apostle's declaration, "I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Hunself for me" (Gal. 2:20, RSV; cf 3:10-12).

The sense of Habakkuk's expression, as operative under Christ, is, The justified shall live by his faith. The idea of the just living by his faith, unless understood as we have indicated, would be self-contradictory. If a person were himself just, he would have no need of faith in order to life. He could live unto God by his own merit—that of his justness, or righteousness. Since, however, all have sinned, and are guilty before God (or unjust), if anyone is to live Godward, he must do so on the basis of the propitiation for his sins which Christ has made. In other words, he must live by, through faith, relying on that disposition of his sms (Rom. 3:21-26). That is to live by faith, as the just, or justified, are said to do; it is to live vicariously, as it were, in and through the Person and work of Another. This is done in full recognition of the wretched fact that, of himself, the believer is unrighteous-not just—and so is wholly dependent upon God's grace, given him through the Son, for His acceptance with and life unto the Father.

The Fruit of Trust in God’s Love, Part 2

Trust Yields Divine Fellowship and Confidence

 

The Fruit of Trust in God’s Love

Part 2 (Conclusion)

By Fred O. Blakely

“And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him. Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, even so are we in this world. There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love” (I Jn. 4:16-18, ASV).

The Boldness before God. The ultimate outcome of such reliance upon, and fellowship with, God in the era of grace has its setting in the world to come, says the Apostle. “Herein is love made perfect with us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, even so are we in this world. There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear.” The firstfruits of this reliant boldness before God is experienced by the believer while yet in the flesh. Through faith and trust in the record which God has given of Himself and His Son, he comes “boldly unto the throne of grace,” entering without fear “into the holiest by the blood of Jesus” (Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19-22). At the great judgment seat of Christ, before which “we must all appear” (II Cor. 5:10), he will but continue in “this grace” wherein he now stands, relying wholly upon His acceptance with God “in the Beloved” (Rom. 5:5-11; Eph. 1:6).

The unspeakable glory of this deliverance from fear of “judgment to come” needs to be emphasized, that we may the more appreciate the greatness of our salvation in Christ (Acts 24:25).  “What countless fears agitate the hearts of those who are not in sympathy with God! Some men are dreading poverty; others, painful and lingering illness; others, death; others, judgment; others, God Himself. Such fears agitate and distress souls; they have torment. Perfect love will expel each and all these tormentors. It clothes our life and its experiences in new aspects, by enabling us to regard them in a different spirit. This love is of God; it proceeds from and returns to Him. It cannot dread Him and His appointments in relation to us. In this way it banishes from the heart the dread of death and of the judgment. Since God is what He is—‘Love’ (v. 16) and ‘Light’ (ch. 1:5)—we can do no other than trust Him. Hence, even now we look forward with confidence to the day of judgment. Perfect love not only expels servile fear, but inspires victorious trust in God.” “The confidence which we shall have ‘in that day,’ and which we have even now by anticipation of it, is the perfection of our love grounded on the consideration which follows, ‘Because as He is, even so are we in this world.’”

The final fruitage of our abiding in the divine love, like the “good wine” which the Lord made at the wedding feast (Jn. 2:10), is the best. “It will give us peace and satisfaction of spirit in the day when it will be most needed, or when it will be the greatest pleasure and blessing imaginable. There must be a day of universal judgment. Happy (are) they who shall have holy fiducial boldness before the Judge at that day, who shall be able to lift up their heads and look Him in the face, knowing He is their Friend and Advocate!

Happy (are) they who have holy boldness and assurance in the prospect of that day, who look and wait for it, and for the Judge’s appearance! So do, and so may do, the lovers of God. Their love to God assures them of God’s love to them (I Jn. 4:19), and consequently of the friendship of the Son of God. As God is good and loving, and faithful to His promises, so we can easily be persuaded of His love, and the happy fruits of His love, when we can say, Thou that knowest all things knowest that we love Thee (Jn. 21:17). ‘And hope maketh not ashamed.’ Our hope, conceived by the consideration of God’s love, will not disappoint us, ‘because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.’”

“The fear which is inconsistent with perfect love is the fear of the slave dreading the lash, or the culprit dreading the verdict. But if the love of God is within us, sweetly subduing us with its tenderness, and if through that love sin is pardoned and destroyed, why, there is not lash to dread, there is not adverse verdict to fear (Jn. 5:24, ASV); for in such a case, to see the Judge upon the throne will be to look upon the face of an infinite Vindicator and Friend, in whose love we have lived here, and the enjoyment of whose love is the highest heaven for ever! And so far as the judgment will bear on others, the man of love will be more than content with the decisions of the Son of God and Son of man, and will desire nothing more than that the entire race should be dealt with by Christ as He sees fit. Evidently, if this be not our state of mind, there must be a deficiency in love in exactly the same degree as there is any restless fear.”

Our expectancy of boldness in the day of judgment is also rooted in our present conformity to Christ, John declares. “Because as He is, even so are we in this world” (v. 17). In what sense is this to be taken? Primarily, of course, we are judicially reckoned by God to be so, in that we are joined to Christ—one Spirit with Him, “members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones” (I Cor. 6:17; Eph. 5:30). In addition, we are experientially identified with our Lord.  We have God as our Father, as does He, “for which cause He is not ashamed” to recognize us as brethren (Heb. 2:11-13). We are also “separate from sinners” and the world, and “alive unto God, as He is (Rom. 6:11; Heb. 7:26). We have been raised up, as was Christ, and been made to “sit with Him in the heavenly places” (Eph. 2:6).

Hence, as He was “received up into glory” (I Tim. 3:16), so have we also been (Eph. 1:6; Heb. 10:19-22).  In our reconciliation to the objectives of the Father in the Son, and the work which He is executing through Him, we are also Christ-like. “We are looking forward to the day of judgment as the consummation of our hope, and the Redeemer is working in the world with a view to that day as the consummation of His mediatorial reign (I Cor. 15:24-28; Heb. 10:12-13). ‘This world’ (I Jn. 4:17; cf. Gal. 1:4), as distinguished from ‘the world,’ emphasizes the idea of transitoriness. Just so, Christ, in His redeeming work, and we in our believing hope, are working with the same goal in view— ‘the day of judgment.’ This world is but a passing phase of things. This is the day in which our Lord Jesus is carrying on His saving work in the world, and His educating process in the church; and all with a view to ‘the great day.’ Believers, too, are only in the preliminary period of their training, and hence they, too, believe and hope and love with a view to ‘that day.’ As their Lord is, so are they in this passing world, looking to and preparing for what lies above and beyond it.” Hence such passages of Scripture as these: Mt. 25; Mk. 13:35-37; Lk. 12:35-40; 21:34-36; Rom. 14:9-12; I Cor. 4:5; II Cor. 5:10; Phil. 1:6, 10; Col. 1:28-29; I Th. 5:23; II Tim. 1:12.

Conclusion. Since the fruit of trustfully abiding in God’s love is so precious, the work of the believer clearly is cut out for him. It is, as the Savior requested, to “continue in My love” (Jn. 15:9-10).  Or, as expressed by Jude, to “keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 21). Or, by Paul to Timothy, “That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in us” (II Tim. 1:14).

As the embattled saint wages the warfare of abiding in God and permitting God to abide in him, the assurances of Scripture encourage and sustain his heart. “The anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you,” wrote John earlier in his first epistle, “and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is true, and is no lie, and as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him” (I Jn. 2:27). In his second letter, the Apostle voiced like assurance. The “elect lady,” to whom it is addressed, he loved “for the truth’s sake,” he said.

Which truth, he continued, “abideth in us, and shall be with us for ever” (II Jn. 1-2).  With full confidence in God, let us therefore determine to heed the apostolic exhortation: “And now, little children, abide in Him; that, when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming” (I Jn. 2:28). So shall we claim the beatitude of our Lord, proclaimed from Heaven: “Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame” (Rev. 16:15). 

The Divorce between Faith and Conscience

The divorce between faith and conscience . . . cannot but be calamitous. "The heretic handles the things of God as matters for mere intellectual contests, apart from reverence and godly fear. He disputes about God and Christ, and thinks it unimportant whether his own heart is pure or impure. He walks in open disobedience to God's commandments, and yet thinks himself competent to judge of God's Nature and attributes. He darkens his own soul by sin, and yet dares to approach the mystery of godliness [cf. Ezek. 14:1-8]. --Source of quotation uncertain

The Glory of the New Covenant

It Is the Keeping Power of the Gospel! The Glory of the New Covenant By Michael P. Blakely ". . . Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (I Pet. 1:5). We who are Christ's know that we serve the only true God, and that ours is the only true religion, the popularity and apparent success of other religions notwithstanding. Yet, Christianity seems to be the least successful of the major religions of the world, as measured by man's standards of growth. We can't seem to reach enough new people to add to our number, and of the few who are added, too many remain spiritual infants, are persistent in living ungodly, or just drop out altogether.   The wisdom of men has been employed to remedy the situation in the form of legions of growth programs, recruiting formulae, and the like, all the while neglecting the greatest remedy of all. The very gospel that has been cast aside by wise men has been ordained to be the wisdom and power of God to salvation.   Instruction Not the Answer. "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD" (Jer. 31:34; Heb. 8:11).   The power of the gospel that has been hidden from wise men is in its proclamation, not in instruction. The qualities of the new creatures in Christ are those of new affections, renewed minds, an affinity for God, and hatred for sin and worldliness. These are the things which cannot be produced by instruction. More people should be alarmed that there is such a lack of devoted people in the churches at a time when there is unprecedented teachings, methods, and formulae for devotion!   We cannot cause people to love God by telling them that they ought to love God. We cannot cause people to get excited about going to heaven by teaching them how to be excited about going to heaven. Worshippers cannot be taught nor coerced into worship. The changing, transforming power of the gospel that causes men to be true worshippers, anxiously anticipating their beloved Lord's soon return, comes from preaching it--proclaiming it--and believing it!   Transforming power. God has ordained the preaching of the gospel to remedy the contrariness of the carnal nature. The power of the gospel is that which can bring about a complete change in men pronounced dead by the law--which law, coincidentally, was a body of instructions. (One would think that that example would be sufficient to prove the fruitlessness of instructions on how to please God).   The change that the gospel effects in the believer is not only a change in relationship to God--that is, a removal of the stains of sin and the terrible wrath and judgment of God, and the appropriation of His love and grace--but it also effects a change in the man himself. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (II Cor. 5:17). To further expound the point, the transformation that takes place in the believer is not merely an improvement of the old man. The entire corrupt, old man is rejected and God creates a new man in Christ.   New Devotion. Paul wrote to the Corinthian brethren that, "the love of Christ constraineth us" (II Cor. 5:14). The context of that passage is telling us that Paul gave himself in undying devotion to God and the work of spreading the gospel because of Christ's love for him, and his love for Christ. That was apparently a powerfully motivating factor, as anyone who knows even a little about the life of the Apostle Paul can see.   It is the love of God and Christ that draws us to the Father, and that initiates the heart's reaction of gratitude and contrition. The knowledge and belief of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ will produce that devotion that is so lacking today. The preaching of Christ's sufferings and great sacrifice will cause the hard heart to become tender toward God.    How can we envision His sufferings for our sins and not be compelled to draw closer? How can we survey that great glory that He left behind in order to save us and not listen to His words? We carefully examine his great love for us as He prayed in agony in the garden, and as He freely laid down His life on the cross, and we know we must embrace this Savior.   In the Scriptures many responded with the simple question, "What must I do to be saved?" as if to say, "How can I honor Him? I do not want to be guilty of rejecting this great salvation. What does my loving, merciful, and gracious God require of His unworthy servant? I will do it because I see that I can trust Him. I see that He bore all of the punishment that I deserved and I will come to Him in faith, trusting that goodness and mercy which I now so plainly see."   The gospel necessitates a humble response from the believer. It will produce that sense of great obligation and undying gratitude in the heart when it is preached. But this is merely the beginning point of our transformation. The Christian life is one marked by continual spiritual growth and godly change.   Devotion alone is not enough to satisfy the whole man and to keep him on the straight and narrow way. There must be some long-term expectations, some other-worldly power to keep the carnal nature at bay, and to satisfy the hungry soul. That power which continues our transformation is provided also in the new covenant.   The Glorious Incentives. One of the hallmarks of the new covenant which distinguishes it from the old is that it provides glorious incentives to man. Anyone who has studied the nature of man at all can attest to the changing power that incentive can have on one's living. The incentive of the new covenant is glory for those who are partakers in it! "For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him" (Isa. 64:4; I Cor. 2:9). Just what the intricate details of that glory are we cannot possibly precisely conceive, but the Scriptures do give us insight into what the glorious final product will be, which end the divine transformation has now begun in us.   That end is to be glorified with the very One who gave Himself for us: "but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is" (I Jn. 3:2). That great truth has yet to dawn upon the average churchman of our day, and yet the Holy Spirit gives the promise living, transforming, power in the lives of believers. To those who are looking for the transforming power of the gospel the word of truth rings clear, "we shall be like Him!"   We are Changed by Believing. The bane of neglecting to preach the gospel is faithless, powerless, stagnant--if not dead--people. O that more men would believe that He has made us "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ: if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:17,18)!   We do not transform ourselves into something that is pleasing to God by obedience, rather, God begins the transformation in us when we believe the gospel, and continues that transformation by our continued faith. It is our faith which appropriates His blessings, not our compliance with code. Our Creator well knows that if we will only believe what He has done for us in Jesus Christ, and His wonderful promises, that will be sufficient to cause a change in us.   "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not us" (II Cor. 4:7,8). That "knowledge" in "the face of Jesus Christ" is the knowledge of what we are becoming--the change that our transformation is affecting. If one wants to know how God has made us new, we bid them look at Christ!   One, with God and Christ. This is what Jesus earnestly prayed for, "And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine; and I am glorified in them." "And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are One" (Jn. 17:10,22). To become like our Savior! That is the glory of the new covenant!   Whatever can be said about Jesus Christ can be said about all of God's sons and daughters by faith. He is God's Son, and we have been made God's many sons. The glorious situation of redeemed man under the new covenant is just this, that God "hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6). By faith, we are being "changed into the same image" of His glorious Son, to the end that we will also be triumphant, reigning, blessed sons, as He is (II Cor. 3:18).   Christ is thus described as the "forerunner" (Heb. 6:20), the "firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29), and the "firstborn from the dead" (Col. 1:18). "First" signifying that there will be many others who will follow in His glorious footsteps. By God's grace and our faith, we are those "many sons!" God help us to grasp the great salvation in Jesus Christ! The transforming, sanctifying, power of the gospel is in preaching it, and believing it. The sacred conclusion then, is that by faith, "every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure" (I Jn. 3:3).

 

It is of Faith, that it might be by Grace

It is of Faith, that it might be by Grace
By Al Stoner

"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all" (Rom. 4:16).

The Identification of "It". The "it" of reference (it is of faith) pertains to the manner in which the "blessedness", of which David spoke (Ps. 32:1-2; Rom. 4:6-10), comes upon men, who were once associated with sinful defilements. It has reference to the way that righteousness is able to be imputed unto men (Rom. 4:5). It answers the question regarding how that the holy God is able to justify the ungodly (cf. Rom. 4:5). To the unthinking mind, these matters might appear to be insignificant and inconsequential. But not so. It required the most thorough exercise of the Divine wisdom to devise means so that God's banished be not expelled from Him (cf. II Sam. 14:14). And expelled, or cast away, they would have to be, unless suitable and adequate means had been devised of Him.

Present-day religionists are very assuming, and have not even come up to the level of Bildad the Shuhite, who queried, "How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?" (Job 25:4). And hear Job himself as he asks a similar question, "I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?" (Job 9:2). It is not until men have been perplexed by questions such as these that they will be enabled to receive with gladness the blessed provision for the putting away of sins in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the means, so far as men are concerned, is by faith.

It is of Faith. Therefore it is of faith, (which is to say), It's not by the means of keeping the law or by the doing of the works of the law. It is not by the means of vain attempts to measure up to God's standard, or God's righteousness, or God's glory. Nor is it by the means of doing the best that one can, as some are heard to speak. And it is not by the means of using resources received from Adam, from the natural man, or from tradition. Those possessing this faith and living by faith are those who are "born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (Jn. 1:13).

Rather, it is of faith, it is by the receiving and belief of Divine testimony. "He that hath received His testimony hath set to His seal that God (who cannot lie) is true" (Jn. 3:33; cf. Tit. 1:1). It is by believing God. It is by believing the record which God has given of His Son. Oh, to see more clearly ourselves, and be able to persuade men more effectively of the gravity that is associated with believing this record, as well as the grave consequences of not believing it! This is a matter about which God is most sensitive. He has put His very Person and Character "on the line" (cf. Gen. 22:16-18; Ps. 110:4; Heb. 6:13-20), as it were, in the commitments and promises which He has made regarding "the gospel of His Son" (Rom. 1:9).

It is of faith. That is, it is by taking hold of those things that are revealed in the Scriptures and which have become substantive to our inward perception because of faith. It is by justifying God by the possession of evidence of things that are not seen, only for the reason that He has testified of them. It is by the means of an inward persuasion of things that are revealed of God in His Word, and yet not seen. Such things as these are not perceptible with the resources of the natural man. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God" (I Cor. 2:14).

It is of faith. It is by the means of God working all of His salvational works in and through men, and yet the possessors of this faith are involved in that work every step of the way. "But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God" (Jn. 3:21). These are the words of the King, and they are good words! Consider that which was spoken by Isaiah: "Thou also hast wrought all our works in us" (Isa. 26:12). "This people have I formed for Myself; they shall shew forth My praise" (Isa. 43:12). And again, Paul declared, "we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

All of these things mentioned above are of faith; they absolutely involve the exercise of the faith, of which the Lord Jesus Christ is both the Author and Finisher (Heb. 12:1-2). Again, Paul affirmed, it is given unto men to believe on Christ (cf. Phil. 1:29). And yet that faith is to be diligently maintained by the ones possessing it (cf. Jn. 6:27-29). This is the fundamental "assignment" that God gives to "every man" (Jn.6:45) that would come to Jesus, and continue in Him (cf. I Jn. 2:24). "This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him (Christ) whom He (God the Father) hath sent" (Jn. 6:29). This is a lifetime assignment, and it is an all-encompassing one.

That it might be by grace. It is of faith, in order that God's grace may be brought into the forefront of consideration, both to men and to heavenly intelligences. It is of faith, in order that that good thing which Noah "had" (Gen. 6:8) may not only be the benefit of eight souls (cf. I Pet. 3:20), but, much more than this, may be magnified and multiplied in a vast multitude which shall be as "the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable" (Heb. 11:12) "world without end" (Eph. 3:21). It shall be "a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues" (Rev. 7:9). Such is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is of faith, so that the contrition and repentance expressed by David after sinning with Bathsheba (Ps. 51), may become the mind of all who are turning away from their sins, and believing on the Name of the only begotten Son of God.

It is of faith, so that God's thoughts may become the thoughts of redeemed personalities. As the Psalmist, transcending the covenant of his time, expressed the mind of all of the partakers of the salvation which is in Christ, "How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!" (Ps. 139:17). It is of faith, so that men may fellowship with God, even in the matter of the putting away of their sins by the Lord Jesus Christ. Such fellowship is experienced in the possession of a purged conscience, a conscience purged from dead works to serve the living God.

It is of faith, in order that of all the glory that God revealed unto Moses, "merciful and gracious" may now, in these last days, become the most prominent and glorious of them all through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. Moses had to be hid in "a clift of the rock" (Exod. 33:22) in order that he might behold somewhat of God's glory. But in the world to come, because sins have been effectually put away by Christ, redeemed personalities eternally shall bask with exceeding great delight in the glory of God, because "the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1, 3) shall be there. "The throne of God and of the Lamb", even in the present time, speaks a marvelous cordial to all those who are now engaged in the warfare of faith, striving against sin, and drawing nigh unto God with a true heart, in full assurance of faith.

It is of faith because Christ has abolished death, and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (II Tim. 1:8-10). The blessed abolition of death, eternal life, and immortality are things which are perceptible, yea, they may be handled, in a very real sense, by those who are living by faith. It is of faith, because Christ has tasted death for every man (cf. Heb. 2:9). It is of faith, because Christ has once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God (I Pet. 3:17).

It is of faith, because God Himself is inclined to be being gracious. It is of faith, because mercy and truth have now met together, and righteousness and peace have kissed each other (cf.Ps. 85:10) in the purging of sins by Christ. It is of faith, so that God may be unrestricted in the display of His love, mercy, grace, and kindness to believing men, namely, to those who are in Christ Jesus.The fact being stated, this is not to cast any reflection on the Character of God. The law was "added because of transgressions, till the Seed (that is, Christ) should come to whom the promise was made" (Gal. 3:19).

To the End that the Promise might be Sure to all the Seed. The temporal blessings promised under the law, because of their dependence on perfect obedience on the part of the doers, were actually not sure to any of the seed under "the first covenant" (Heb. 9:1) . As James declared, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (Jas. 2:10; cf. Deut. 27:26; Gal. 3:10).

But in Christ, and in the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory (II Tim. 2:10), there is a diametrically different modus operendi. It is that of faith, so that God may be gracious, so that His beloved Son and the salvation which is in HIm may become accessible to "whosoever will" (Rev. 22:17), to honest and good hearts (cf. Lk. 8:15), to those who are given to mourn because of their sin (cf. Mt. 5:4), to those who hunger and thirst after righteousness (Mt. 5:6), to those whom God teaches to greatly value His Son (cf. Jn. 6:45) and who thus receive Him (Jn. 1:12) and continue in Him (I Jn. 2:24).

The promise is sure to all the seed, because fulfillment of the promise depends entirely upon God, and upon Christ. As it is written, "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy" (Rom. 9:16). By virtue of this situation, men are thrust entirely upon "God, who cannot lie" (Tit. 1:1), and upon Christ, who is "the faithful Witness" (Rev. 1:5), for both the accomplishment and full realization of "the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus" (II Tim. 1:1). "And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life" (I Jn. 2:25). Jesus said, "Ye believe in God, believe also in Me" (Jn. 14:1).

It is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed. --editor@banner.org