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"IF
THOU SHALT BELIEVE IN THINE HEART"
This
experience is to me, and will be to any one who reflects upon it, very wonderful
and impressive. I had no notion at all that intellectual difficulties and
questionings could be removed in any way except by being answered, one
by one, to the intellectual satisfaction of the person in whose mind they existed.
But my doubts and difficulties were not met in that way. They were
simply removed when I believed on the Crucified One, and accepted Him
as the Christ of God, and as my personal Savior.
The
explanation of this is that the seat of unbelief is not in the head, but in the
heart Romans 10:9. It is the will that is wrong; and the bristling array
of doubts and difficulties which spring up in the mind are mere disguises
and pretexts supplied by the enemy of souls, behind which the unbelieving
heart tries to shelter itself and to justify its unbelief.
This
is the explanation of those words of our Lord, who knew what was in man, "Ye
will not come to Me that ye might have life" John 5:40. It
is man’s unbroken and unyielded
will that prevents him from coming to the Fountain of eternal life and
receiving that unspeakable gift of God. And this, too, is why it is written, "For
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness" Romans
10:9.
The
natural mind is the congenial breeding place of doubts and questionings,
and (as it deems these to be of great importance) it supposes that
these must be dealt with seriatim. The natural man knows nothing about
being "transformed by the renewing of the mind" Romans 12:2, arid
he "receives not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness
unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned" 1 Corinthians 2:14. But when the heart, the center
of man’s being, that inmost
place to which God alone has access, is persuaded, the whole man is changed, and
the mind likewise renewed and purged of its pestilential brood of doubts and
reasonings.
Therefore,
what had previously held me back from accepting the salvation that
is freely offered through Christ Jesus was not the brood of doubts and reasonings
with which my head teemed. In supposing that the difficulty lay there
I was miserably deceived, as are myriads of others "in
whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe
not, lest the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is
the image of God, should dawn upon them" 2 Corinthians 4:4,
R. V.
God
took no notice at all of the questionings of my puny mind, which seemed
to me very formidable and worthy of the most respectful consideration.
He dealt with them according to His own sovereign will and removed
them in a moment. This was not difficult at all to Him who "taketh
up the isles as a very little thing." Hence the stupendous change, whereby one
dead in trespasses and sins is quickened together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5,
is not accomplished through any process of reasoning, nor is it the
outcome of any process of development. It is the immediate and mighty work
of God — "the working of His mighty power
which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him at
His own right hand
in the heavenly places" Ephesians 1:19,20; and it is a work which
is done instantly in them that believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ.
I
should, of course, be wholly at a loss to interpret this experience but for the
Scriptures; and thereby the Divine authorship of these is further confirmed.
In the light of the Scriptures it is easy to see that what had occurred
was an inwrought conviction produced by the Holy Spirit, the One
now ministering in the world, testifying of a risen, ascended and glorified
Christ, at the right hand of God, and convicting of sin, of righteousness
and of judgment.
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is
stayed on Thee;
because he trusteth in Thee" Isaiah 26:3.
Another
marked result of believing "the witness of God which He hath testified
of His Son" 1 John 5:9 has been the complete deliverance from
the spells of mental depression, which were rapidly developing into a state
of settled melancholia, or what is called "nervous prostration," from which
so many are suffering in these times of high pressure, and concerning the
cause of which they are totally ignorant. The mind cannot be kept in perfect
peace that is "stayed" upon material and perishing things. It is manifestly
a satisfactory and sufficient explanation of peace of mind that it is
"stayed" upon the unchangeable God. This deliverance from mental depression
was not immediate, for I did not learn at once to stay my mind on
Him; but the change began immediately and progressed until settled peace
became the normal mental condition.
I
have learned, in a word, that the redemption that is in Christ Jesus covers and
meets all the consequences of sin whether manifested in soul, or mind, or
body. Our salvation is of the Lord and is for the whole man, "spirit, soul and
body." "Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy house"
Acts 16:31.
Within
two months from the event related above (which, by the way, through
timidity and fear of comment and ridicule I tried to keep as much as
possible to myself) I was put in a position where I was compelled to open
my lips to a beloved member of my own family, suffering as I could plainly
see, from what had formerly oppressed me, and to preach Christ for the
first time. What effort the delivery of this sermon cost me cannot be described.
It consisted of these words: "What you need is the Lord Jesus Christ;"
and after their utterance the preacher had not another word to say, and
the only visible result was a very awkward and constrained silence. Yet this
simple, clumsily-given testimony, together with some verses of Scripture
read at random, were used by the Spirit of God to quicken another
dead soul. There were yet two more of the household to be brought
to a knowledge of Christ, but it was not long before these likewise,
and without any pressure from us, accepted Christ, and were translated
out of darkness into His marvelous light.
"The
path of the righteous is as the dawning light, that shineth more and
more unto the perfect day" Proverbs 4:18, R. V.
It
was a great and wonderful surprise to us to find that there was such a thing
as an assurance of salvation, with immediate and unmistakable blessings
given to believers as an earnest and first-fruits of the inheritance of
the saints. All our previous theological instruction had been to the effect that
if one lived "a good Christian life" (which many deluded souls are trying
to do before they have got it) he might possibly be saved hereafter, but
that there was no certainty for anybody until the "day of judgment."
But
even greater surprises awaited us. Blessed as it is to know upon the evidence
of Christ’s own statement,
prefaced by His "Verily, verily, I say unto you," that He who hears His
Word and believes on Him who sent Him has everlasting life and shall not
come into judgment, but is passed from death unto life John 5:24, there was
much more to follow. God’s goodness
toward us did not stop at revealing the truth as to our acceptance in
Christ and our consequent eternal security. He led us to see that it was our
duty and privilege to take at once the place of rejection with Christ, who
has been cast out of this age and all of its affairs and enterprises, the rulers
(or leaders) of this age having crucified the Lord of Glory 1 Corinthians
2:8. He showed us that Christ had given Himself for our sins for
the express purpose "that He might deliver us from this present evil age"
Galatians 1:4 and that His will for the redeemed of this age is that
they should go forth "unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach"
Hebrews 13:13.
The
camp is, superficially at least, an attractive place, full of gaiety and revelry,
with every possible device to delight the eye and gratify the mind of
the flesh. By keeping the bright things as much as possible in evidence, and
pushing the wretchedness, suffering and misery into the background, the
camp manages to keep up appearances, particularly as its occupants are quite
willing to be deceived, and are pretty well agreed that it is the duty of every
dweller therein to be an "optimist." Having led the Christ of God outside
the gate, and put Him to death, the leaders of this "present evil age"
have devoted their great talents and energies, under the superb direction
and management of the "god of this age," to the one object of making
such "progress," and developing such a glorious
"civilization," as will demonstrate that the world has no need of
Christ. In carrying out this great undertaking the "leaders of this
age" are sufficiently astute to provide a place inside the camp even for those
"who profess and call themselves Christians," making them welcome in
the world, and even giving them positions of prominence therein, upon the single
easy condition that they will accept the age’s
gospel of progress, and subscribe heartily to the doctrine that
"the world is getting better every day." This condition the aforesaid
"Christians" are for the greater part quite ready, not only to accept,
but even to make it an article of religion, changing the Scriptures so
far as necessary to that end.
"YE
ARE COMPLETE IN HIM" COLOSSIANS 2:10
The
Lord has further shown us that, so far from finding it a deprivation to withdraw
ourselves from the pursuits and amusements of the camp and from
its godless mirth, which is as the crackling of dry thorns under a pot, we
have in fact gained unspeakably thereby. The new interests which now occupy
us (having to do with Him in whose presence is fullness of joy, and at
whose right hand are pleasures for evermore,) are far more satisfying, and
contribute far more real gratification than all the things in which, for want
of knowledge of something better, we used to be interested, and in the
pursuit of which we spent our time and money. It seems, humanly speaking,
impossible to make our friends and associates in the old life understand
that we have not suffered any deprivations whatever. "Having the
understanding darkened," they can only see the worthless things which we
have cast aside, and can take no cognizance of the riches of grace and glory
which the believer in Christ has, "in whom it hath pleased the Father
that all fulness should dwell" Colossians 1:19.
It
is as if a beggar were given, through kingly munificence, a suit of rich apparel,
and should hasten to put it on, joyfully casting aside the rags with which
he was previously clad, and some onlookers, likewise clad in dingy garments,
should be able to see only the discarded rags, and should thereupon
hasten away clasping their own rags tightly around them for fear a
like experience might befall them.
"IF
I GO, I WILL COME AGAIN" JOHN 14:3
The
Lord has also enabled us to look beyond "this present evil age," of which
Satan is the god, to the age that is soon to come, in which Christ will
return to earth, and all His redeemed with Him, as prophesied since Enoch’s
time Jude 14; Revelation 19:11-16; etc., and "to the times of restitution of all
things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the
world began"
Acts 3:21.
But,
more than that, we have been led to look, not for earthly happiness or for
bliss after death, but for that event, which is nearer still, and which it is the
Privilege of the believer to expect at any moment, when the Lord Himself
shall call upon His own to meet Him in the air 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17; 1
Corinthians 15:51,52. And so the grace of God, which brings
salvation, hath appeared, "teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this
present world; looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing
of our great God
and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us" Titus
2:11-14.
This
is not the teaching of the wisdom of this age, nor of the leaders of this age;
nor is it the teaching of those professed ministers of Christ who have accepted
the gospel of this age — the gospel of its
progress and betterment;
but it is the teaching of "the grace of God" and of the Word of God,
and we have accepted and rejoice in it.
"Yea,
and all that would live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
It
would not be a truthful representation of the matter to make it appear that
there have been no unpleasant experiences attending and resulting from
this departure from our old ways and entering upon "the one true and living
way." There has been, of course, much adverse comment, much irritation,
much hostility aroused, we have heard many references to
"selfrighteousness," "fanaticism," and the like. To desert
the ways of the world is, of course, to condemn those ways; and they
who are walking in them cannot be expected to take it kindly. They turn
away exclaiming, "‘Are not Abana
and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all
the waters of Israel?’
2 Kings 5:12. Then why this narrow-mindedness and bigotry?" And, as
might also be expected, the greatest resentment of our conduct
has been aroused in those who, while professing to belong to Christ,
are casting their lot indiscriminately with them who openly reject Him.
This,
of course, we can endure patiently, because He said, "If
the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you"
John 15:18; and
the more so, because we know that those who cherish and display such feelings
do it in ignorance of the truth. We remember that we were, and not
so very long ago, in precisely the same darkness, and that it required the
power and grace of God to let the light into our darkened minds. We know,
too, that we can help these precious souls for whom Christ died, only
by maintaining our separated path, and by praying that the scales may fall
from their eyes also, that they may see what is the true "course of this world"
Ephesians 2:2, of which its leaders are so boastful, and where it
will inevitably carry them who pursue it to the end; and above all may see that
there is eternal life only in Christ and through faith in His atoning sacrifice
and in His resurrection from among the dead Romans 10:9; Acts
17:3; Romans 4:24,25; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 and 13,19, etc.
"He
that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth
not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth
on him" John 3:36.
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