Take His
Faith.
(Excerpt)
'Contrary
to the Truth of the Gospel
A wave of
fear seems to have passed over the Jewish believers, for "the other Jews
dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with
their dissimulation." This in itself was, of course, not walking
"uprightly, according to the truth of the Gospel;" but the mere fact
of dissembling was not the whole of the offense against the truth of the
Gospel. Under the circumstances it was a public denial of Christ, just as much
as that of which Peter had once before, through sudden fear, been guilty. We
have all been too often guilty of the same sin to permit us to sit in judgment;
we can only note the fact and the natural consequence, as a warning to
ourselves. See how the action of Peter
and the others was a virtual, although unintentional, denial of Christ. There
had just been a great controversy over the question of circumcision. It was a
question of justification and salvation,--whether men were saved by faith alone
in Christ, or by outward forms. Clear testimony had been borne that salvation
is by faith alone: and now, while the controversy is still alive, 76 while the
"false brethren" are still propagating their errors, these loyal
brethren suddenly discriminated against the Gentile believers, because they
were uncircumcised, in effect saying to them, Except ye be circumcised, ye can
not be saved. Their actions said, We also are in doubt about the power of faith
in Christ alone to save men; we really believe that salvation depends on
circumcision and the works of the law; faith in Christ is well, but there's
something more to do; it is not in itself sufficient. Such a denial of the truth
of the Gospel Paul could not endure, and he at once struck directly at the root
of the matter.
"Sinners
of the Gentiles," and Sinners of the Jews
Paul said
to Peter, "We . . . are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the
Gentiles." Did he mean that they, being Jews, were, therefore, not
sinners?--By no means, for he immediately adds that they had believed on Jesus
Christ for justification. They were sinners of the Jews, and not sinners of the
Gentiles; but whatever things they had to boast of as Jews, all had to be
counted loss for the sake of Christ. Nothing availed them anything except faith
in Christ; and since this was so, it was evident that the Gentile sinners could
be saved directly by faith in Christ, without going through the dead forms
which had been of no service to the Jews, and which were given largely as the
result of their unbelief. "This is
a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners." 1Tim.1:15. "All have sinned," and
stand alike guilty before God; but all, of whatever 77 race or class, can
accept this saying, "This Man receiveth sinners, and eateth with
them." A circumcised sinner is no better than an uncircumcised one; a
sinner who stands as a church-member, is no better than one who is outside. The
sinner who has gone through the form of baptism is not better than the sinner
who has never made any profession of religion. Sin is sin, and sinners are
sinners, whether in the church or out; but, thank God, Christ is the
propitiation for our sins, as well as for the sins of the whole world. There is
hope for the unfaithful professor of religion, as well as for the sinner who
has never named the name of Christ. The same Gospel that is preached to the
world, must be preached to the church; for there is only one Gospel. It serves
to convert sinners in the world, as well as sinners who stand as
church-members, and at the same time it renews those who are really in
Christ.
"Justified."
"Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law," "we have
believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified," said the apostle.
The meaning of the word "justified" is "made righteous."
This is the exact term that appears in other languages, which are not composed
of foreign terms. The Latin word for righteousness is justitia. To be just is
to be righteous. Then we add the termination fy, from the Latin word, meaning
"to make," and we have the exact equivalent of the simpler term,
"make righteous." In an accommodated sense we use the term
"justified" of a man who has not done wrong in a thing whereof he is
accused. But, strictly speaking, 78 such an one needs no justification, since he
is already just; his righteous deed justified him. He was justified in his deed.
But since all have sinned, there are none just or righteous before God;
therefore they need to be justified, or made righteous, which God does. Now the
law of God is righteousness. See Rom.7:12; 9:30,31; Ps.119:172.
Rom
7:12 Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and
good.
Rom
9:30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after
righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is
of faith.
Rom
9:31 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not
attained to the law of righteousness.
Psa
119:172 My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are
righteousness.
Therefore
Paul did not disparage the law, although he declared that no man could be made
righteous by the law, meaning, of course, the law written on stones or in a
book. No; so highly did he appreciate the law, that he believed in Christ for
the righteousness which the law demands but can not give. "For what the
law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that
the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom.8:3,4. The law, which declares all men to
be sinners, could not justify them except by declaring that sin is not sin; and
that would not be justification, but a self-contradiction in the law.
The Law
Can Not Justify
"By
the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Shall we say, Then we
will do away with the law? That is what every confirmed criminal thinks.
Persistent law-breakers would gladly do away with the law which declares them
guilty and will not say that wrong is right. But the law of God can not be
abolished, for it is the statement of the will of God. Rom.2:18.
Rom
2:18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more
excellent, being instructed out of the law
In very
fact it is the life and character of God. "The law is holy, and the 79
commandment
holy, and just, and good." Rom.7:12. We read the written law, and find in
it our duty made plain. But we have not done it; therefore we are guilty.
"All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." "There is
none that doeth good, no, not one." Rom.3:23,12. Moreover, there is not
one who has strength to do the law, its requirements are so great. Then it is
very evident that no one can be justified by the works of the law, and it is
equally evident that the fault is not in the law, but in the individual. Let
the man get Christ in the heart by faith, and then the righteousness of the law
will be there also, for Christ says, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God;
yea, Thy law is within My heart." Ps.40:8.
He who
would throw away the law because it will not call evil good, would reject God
because He "will by no means clear the guilty." Ex.34:7. But God will
remove the guilt, will make the sinners righteous, that is, in harmony with the
law, and then the law which before condemned them will witness to their
righteousness.
"The
Faith of Christ."
Much is
lost, in reading the Scriptures, by not noting exactly what they say. Here we
have literally, "the faith of Christ," just as in Rev.14:12 we have
"the faith of Jesus." He is the Author and Finisher of faith.
Heb.12:2. God has "dealt to every man the measure of faith"
(Rom.12:3), in giving Christ to every man. "Faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17), and Christ is the Word. All
things are of God. It is He who gives repentance and forgiveness of sins. 80 There is, therefore, no opportunity for
any one to plead that his faith is weak. He may not have accepted and made use
of the gift, but there is no such thing as "weak faith." A man may be
"weak in faith," that is, may be afraid to depend on faith, but faith
itself is as strong as the Word of God. There is no faith but the faith of
Christ; everything else professing to be faith is a spurious article. Christ
alone is righteous; He has overcome the world, and He alone has power to do it;
in Him dwelleth all the fullness of God,
because
the law--God Himself--was in His heart; He alone has kept and can keep the law
to perfection; therefore, only by His faith,-living faith, that is, His life in
us,--can we be made righteous. But this
is sufficient. He is a "tried Stone." The faith which He gives to us
is His own tried and approved faith, and it will not fail us in any contest. We
are not exhorted to try to do as well as He did, or to try to exercise as much
faith as He had, but simply to take His faith, and let it work by love, and
purify the heart. It will do it; take
it!
Believing
Is Receiving
"As
many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on His name." John 1:12. That is, as many as believed on
His name received Him. To believe on His name is to believe that He is the Son
of God; to believe that He is the Son of God, means to believe that He is come
in the flesh, in human flesh, in our flesh, for His name is "God with
us;" so to believe on His name means simply to believe that He 81 dwells
personally in every man,--in all flesh. We do not make it so by believing it; it
is so, whether we believe it or not; we simply accept the fact, which all
nature reveals to us. It follows, then,
as a matter of course that, believing in Christ, we are justified by the faith
of Christ, since we have Him personally dwelling in us, exercising His own
faith. All power in heaven and earth is in His hands, and, recognizing this, we
simply allow Him to exercise His own power in His own way. God does "exceedingly
abundantly," by "the power that worketh in us."
The Glad
Tidings
By E. J.
WAGGONER
(Excerpt- To be continued)
*******
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