…Trust in Christ is the abiding motive and principle of the person in Christ. It is the very opposite of mere worldly prudence. The children of this world walk by sight, not by faith. To them the visible possession of a smaller gain, is better than the possible acquisition of a larger. But the Christian’s treasures are all unseen. He has nothing in visible possession. The earnest of his promised inheritance is the renewing and love-working faith, which the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon him, and maintains within him. And his whole walk, his uniform course of character, is a life of faith,–not faith in man, which is mere imagination, and is doomed with a curse,–but faith in God,–in the word of God; in the feeling and mind of God towards himself; and in the purposes and plans of God in relation to him. This is the view which I desire to take now of the person in Christ.–He walks by faith. [2 Cor. 5:7]
It is faith in the divine provisions for the pardon of the past. There is nothing in past life which awakens anxiety, or which need inspire concern, but sin. The troubles which have been encountered, and the sorrows which have been endured, have passed away, and are readily forgotten. But sin invariably leaves a sting, which harasses the mind, disturbs the conscience, and sooner or later awakens the deepest and most distressing grief. Unless this be pardoned, man is without hope forever. Unless man has some intelligence or knowledge of its forgiveness, it is impossible for him to be at peace. The fear of punishment, and the confidence in pardon, are necessary alternatives in an awakened and considerate mind. Nor can a person rest, until he has some good reason to believe that God is really reconciled to him, and willing to receive and bless him. [Heb. 10:28-31]
For the evidence of this important fact, the person in Christ rests upon the certainty of the divine word. God has provided and revealed a full atonement for sin in the offering of His Son. He has received Him as manifested in the flesh, a sufficient substitute and surety for guilty people. The Father has accepted His offering once for all, when the iniquities of men were laid upon Him, and He bore them in His own body upon the cross,–being made a ransom for them, a sacrifice instead of them. There is in this amazing provision of divine mercy and grace, a perfect sufficiency for guilty man. [1 Pet.2:24; Heb. 10:10]
It is unquestionable that the blood of Jesus Christ,–God manifest in the flesh,–is able to cleanse him from all sin. There is a dignity, and worth, and power, in His mediation, in this peculiar attitude, as an offering for man, which furnishes the clearest and most sufficient ground for hope. Upon this, the person in Christ rests his confidence of pardon. He believes the testimony which proclaims this work of divine love; and commits himself, as a consciously condemned sinner, to its all-sufficient worth as a means of divine forgiveness for him. [1 Tim. 1:13-16]
There is in this system of grace, not only sufficiency, but adaptation also to his wants and condition. It is a plan which is perfectly suited to his case; which precisely meet the demands of his soul. What the law could not do through the weakness of the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, has perfectly finished. And while the Christian contemplates this suffering, mighty Saviour, as actually bearing the burden of man’s condemnation, and putting away sin by the sacrifice of himself; he perceives it to be a plan, which precisely meets every need of his soul. It furnishes everything in which he is deficient, and in just the way, most, suited to his necessities, and most adapted to relieve and comfort him. [Rom. 8:3; Heb. 9:26]
Upon the certainty of this provision, as made and proclaimed by the God of Truth, he rests himself in humble faith. It is all that he wants. He casts his burden of conscious guilt upon this suffering Lord, and is at peace. His evidence, his reason for believing, is the truth and certainty of the word of God, who cannot lie. The object upon which his faith rests, is this revealed Redeemer, Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. In the view and plans which this faith forms and acknowledges, Christ is all. To entrust himself to this all-sufficient Saviour, he does not wait for evidences within himself–the fruits and effects of faith upon himself. He does not make his own state of mind and feeling, the reason for his confidence in Christ. This would be confidence in himself, not in Christ. [Titus 1:2; Heb. 13:8]
There are many blessed results of faith, in the comforting and upholding of the soul, which are subsequent proofs that the Christian does really believe, not reasons why he should believe; and which can only come when he has actually committed himself entirely in simple faith to Christ. And it is an ensnaring temptation, which often leads people to seek for these effects of faith, as a ground of confidence and hope, rather than the mere truth and fidelity of God. The person in Christ lives and walks by faith, not by the fruits of faith. He comes as an ungodly man, a sinner against God; without seeing anything in himself but sin; neither feeling nor finding anything in his own heart and [fallen] nature, but hardness, deadness, ignorance, and rebellion; and casts his soul for time and for eternity, on the revealed and sole sufficiency of an offered Saviour, on the free grace of God in Him, having and desiring to have, no other ground of confidence, than the covenant faithfulness of God, the indubitable certainty of His word. [Titus 3:4-7]
This never-failing faithfulness of God proves a strong consolation–an anchor to his soul, both sure and steadfast,–whatever difficulties and storms may arise to overturn his hope. Confiding in this, he looks upon God, as a pardoning God; and staggers not in unbelief; in approaching Him and resting upon him, as thus passing by his transgressions, and multiplying His pardons upon him, for the Saviour’s sake. He finds himself saved in this resting of his soul upon God, and. obtains increased strength in this quietness and confidence in Him. Thus he walks by faith in the divine provisions of grace for the pardon of his sin, and the acceptance of his soul with God. Being justified by faith, he has peace with God, through Jesus Christ the Lord. [Isaiah 30:15; Heb. 6:19]
Part 1 of 3. From In Christ, chapter 9
This was published in 1849 in New York. The book is provided courtesy of www.peterwade.com/
Some generic use of “man” has been replaced, and some archaic words have been updated Bracketed biblical references added.- JBW