"I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live
for ever; and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world,"
etc. (John 6:51-58).

Combining this passage with other scriptures, we see that we are to feed upon Christ in three
characters:as the Passover Lamb, as the Manna, and as the Old Com of the land; it need scarcely
be said that all these things are types of Christ. In the scripture cited from John’s Gospel, we have
Christ especially as the Manna (verses 32,33, 48-50), with a reference also to Him as the Passover
Lamb (compare verses 4 and 53). But we shall have to turn to the Epistles to find Him in the
character which answers to the Old Corn of the land (Joshua 5:11).

Christ as the Passover Lamb

If we go back to the history of Israel, we shall find that they kept the passover in Egypt (Exod.
12), in the wilderness (Num. 9), and in the land (Josh. 5). The question then arises, When do we
feed, upon Christ as the Passover Lamb? It is sometimes said that we only do this at the outset
when, convicted of sin, we fear the approach of God as a Judge; and that as soon as we have
deliverance, we thereafter cease to feed upon Him in this character. If this be so, why does Israel
keep the passover both in the wilderness and in the land? I think, therefore, that it will be seen that
we never cease to keep the passover; and, moreover, that the place in which we thus feed upon
Christ depends upon our state of soul.

Every believer knows what it is to feed upon the roast lamb in Egypt. Awakened by the Spirit of
God, alarmed by the impending judgment, brought under the shelter of the precious blood, how
eagerly we fed upon the Lamb that had passed through the fires of God’s holiness when bearing
our sins on the tree! True, it was with bitter herbs that we ate it, for we then had a sight of our
sins. And it was with girded loins, and shoes on our feet, and our staff in our hand, for already
Egypt had become morally a desert, and we were only waiting for the word of the Lord to
commence our pilgrim journey. It was a time much to be remembered, for it was the beginning
of months_the first month of the year of our spiritual life.

Passing now from Egypt, the next place in which Israel kept the passover was the wilderness
(Num. 9:1-5). The wilderness is the place of every believer when viewed as a pilgrim. The world
has become a desert to him, and he is passing through (as not of) it, because he is waiting for the
return of his Lord. How then does he feed upon Christ as the slain Lamb in the wilderness? It is
participation by grace in the power of the death and resurrection of Christ, by which we have been
brought out of the enemy’s territory _delivered from the power of Satan and redeemed unto God.
In the wilderness we feed upon the passover as the memorial of our deliverance from Egypt; and
in it we see Christ going down into death, and not only bearing all the judgment that was our
due_going through and exhausting it, but also as meeting and conquering all the power of the
enemy_destroying him that had the power of death, and thereby bringing us out from the house
of bondage, and setting us free as the children, and for the service, of God.

In the land the passover assumed another character still, and one, too, which should also find its
correspondence with the believer now. It is very evident that to the Israelite it would have a much
fuller significance when he was across the Jordan than when he was in the desert. It would be to
him now the memorial, not simply of deliverance from Egypt and Egypt’s thralldom and power,
but of accomplished salvation.

So now, for we have a position which agrees entirely with being in the land. Not only have we
been quickened together with Christ, but we are also raised up together, and made to sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6). This is the place before God of every believer; but
whether we are occupying it depends upon whether we know death and resurrection with, as well
as in and through, Christ; whether we have crossed the Jordan as well as the Red Sea. It is our
privilege to do so; indeed, we ought never to be content until, by the grace of God, we do know
what it is to be seated in spirit in the heavenly places. But if we are there, we cannot dispense with
the passover. Rather, the more fully we apprehend the character of the place into which we are
brought, the more the riches of the grace of God are unfolded to us, the more delightedly, and
with enlarged understanding, we shall look back to the cross and feast upon the death of Him
whose precious blood alone has made our place in the heavenlies possible for us. But our feeding
upon Him now will partake more of the character of communion with God in the death of His
Son. Our eyes will then be opened to discover, not so much the blessings which have thereby been
secured to us, but more the fact that God in every attribute of His character has been fully
glorified in that death. We shall thus feast with God when we keep the passover in the heavenly
places; and the effect on our souls will be adoration and praise. In a word, worship of the highest
character will be the result of our feeding upon the slain Lamb when we are seated in the
heavenlies.

Christ as the Manna

The manna differs from the roast lamb in that it was confined to the wilderness. It was not until
Israel had been brought through the Red Sea that the manna was given (see Exod. 16); and it
"ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children
of Israel manna anymore; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year" (Josh.
5:12). It was, therefore, the wilderness food of Israel; and in like manner Christ, as the Manna,
is the wilderness food for the believer.

What, then, is the Manna for the believer? It is Christ in incarnation_a humbled Christ. We see
in John 6 that Christ is the Manna in all that He was in the flesh_in the expression of what He
was both as the revealer of the Father and as the perfect man. His grace, compassion, sympathy,
tenderness, and love; His meekness and lowliness of heart; His patience, forbearance, and long-
suffering; His example _all these things are found in the Manna which God has given to us for
food during our sojourn in the wilderness.

Christ is continually presented to us in the Manna-character in those epistles which especially deal
with the desert path of the saint. We are exhorted to feed upon Christ as the Manna to sustain us
amid the trials, difficulties, and persecutions incident to the desert (see Heb. 12:1-3). In like
manner Peter continually leads us to Christ in this aspect. "What glory is it, if when ye be buffeted

for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it
patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also
suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps," etc. (1 Peter 2:20-24;
see also chap. 3:17,18). The apostle Paul, too, feeds the saints with manna. For example, we have
in Philippians 2:5-9 manna of the most precious character. "Being found in fashion as a man, He
humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." But it is in the
gospels that the manna lies gleaming round us on every side, and where it is to be gathered for
use as the needs of each day may require. For there it is that we have the unfoldings of that
wondrous life_the life of Him who was the Perfect Man, and, at the same time, God manifest in
flesh.

A remark must be made as to the collecting and use of the manna, namely, that it cannot be stored
for use. Every one must gather it every day according to his eating (Exod. 16:16); and if he gather
more_unless it be for the Sabbath it will surely become corrupt. Beloved friends, there must be
the constant feeding upon Christ, day by day, and hour by hour; and we can never receive more
than our need for the time requires. Thereby we are kept in continual dependence, and our eyes
are ever directed to Christ.

Christ as the Old Corn of the Land

In the passage already referred to (Josh. 5:10-12), we have the passover, the manna, and the old
corn mentioned together, and this fact makes the interpretation the more manifest. If therefore the
manna is Christ in incarnation, the old corn, inasmuch as the land typifies the heavenly places,
of necessity points to Christ in glory. And we shall find that He is so presented to us in the epistles
as the sustenance and strength of our souls, and so presented as our proper nourishment, even
though believers may be regarded in the epistles not, as in the Ephesians, as seated in the
heavenlies in Christ, but, as in Colossians and Philippians (and indeed in 2 Corinthians), as down
here upon the earth; for though still down here, they are united to Him where He is.

Take Colossians first. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where
Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection [have your mind] on things above, not
on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:1-3).
Here it is true we have "the things which are above"; but it is evident that by this term is meant
the whole sphere of blessing, of which Christ in glory is the center_the spiritual blessings in
heavenly places into the possession of which we are brought. These therefore are "the old corn
of the land," "the fruit of the land of Canaan," the proper food and sustenance for those who have
died and are risen with Christ.

In Philippians 3 we have the same truth brought before us. For what have we there but a glorified
Christ as filling the vision of the apostle’s soul, and as the satisfying portion of his heart? Thus
if we have the manna in chapter 2, we most surely have the old corn of the land in chapter 3. One
more instance may be cited:"We all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18).
Hence, too, the value of the constant expectation of Christ. It attracts us to the person of the
glorified Christ, engages our hearts with Him, and fills our souls with longing desires for that time
when we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

All these passages, and many more of a kindred character, direct us to Christ in glory as the Old
Corn of the land; but this is food with which we cannot dispense:no other will so nourish or
impart such strength to the saint. It is heavenly food for heavenly people; and it is only when we
are feeding upon it that we can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might; that we can
make war with the enemy for the possession of our inheritance; that we are made willing to
undergo anything and everything_having fellowship with the sufferings of Christ, being made
conformable unto His death, if in any way we may arrive at the resurrection from among the dead
(Phil. 3).

It is thus by occupation with, feeding upon, contemplating Christ, that we are brought, in the
power of the Spirit, into fellowship with God, enabled to enter into His own thoughts
concerning_and even to share His own affections for_that blessed One who is now seated at His
own right hand. Surely here is the source of all growth, strength, and blessing! Satan knows this,
and hence he is incessantly engaged in seeking to occupy us with other things, to turn us aside to
earthly sources and objects. It behooves us, therefore, to be watchful, to maintain exercised hearts
and consciences, that we may at once detect, and unsparingly judge, everything which would

decoy our souls from the contemplation of Christ.

(From Unsearchable Riches.)

"They shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread" (Exod. 12:8).
Leaven is invariably used throughout Scripture as a type of evil. Neither in the Old nor in the New
Testament is it ever used to set forth anything pure, holy, or good. Thus, in this chapter, "the feast
of unleavened bread" is the type of that practical separation from evil which is the proper result
of being washed from our sins in the blood of the Lamb, and the proper accompaniment of
communion with His sufferings. Nothing but unleavened bread could at all comport with a roasted
lamb. A single particle of that which was the marked type of evil would have destroyed the moral
character of the entire ordinance. How could we connect any kind of evil with our fellowship with
a suffering Christ? Impossible. All who enter, by the power of the Holy Spirit, into the meaning
of the cross will assuredly, by the same power, put away leaven from all their borders. "For even
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither
with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"
(1 Cor. 5:7-8). The feast spoken of in this passage is that which, in the life and conduct of the
Church, corresponds with the feast of unleavened bread. This latter lasted "seven days"; and the
Church collectively, and the believer individually, are called to walk in practical holiness during
the seven days, or entire period, of their course here below. And this is the direct result of being
washed in the blood and having communion with the sufferings of Christ.

The Israelite did not put away leaven in order to be saved, but because he was saved. If he failed
to put away leaven, it did not raise the question of security through the blood, but simply of
fellowship with the assembly. "Seven days shall there be no leaven found in your houses:for
whosoever eateth that which is leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of
Israel, whether he be a stranger, or born in the land" (Exod. 12:19). The cutting off of an Israelite
from the congregation answers precisely to the suspension of a Christian’s fellowship if he be
indulging in that which is contrary to the holiness of the divine presence. God cannot tolerate evil.
A single unholy thought will interrupt the soul’s communion; and until the soil contracted by any
such thought is got rid of by confession, founded on the advocacy of Christ, the communion
cannot possibly be restored (see 1 John 1:5-10). The true-hearted Christian rejoices in this. He can
ever give thanks at the remembrance of God’s holiness. He would not, if he could, lower the
standard a single hair’s breadth. It is his exceeding joy to walk in company with One who will not
go on, for a moment, with a single jot or tittle of "leaven."

Blessed be God, we know that nothing can ever snap asunder the link which binds the true
believer to Him. We are saved in the Lord, not with a temporary or conditional, but with an
everlasting salvation. But then salvation and communion are not the same thing. Many are saved
who do not know it; and many, also, who do not enjoy it. It is quite impossible that I can enjoy
a bloodstained lintel if I have leavened borders. Practical holiness, though not the basis of our
salvation, is intimately connected with our enjoyment thereof. An Israelite was not saved by
unleavened bread, but by the blood; and yet leaven would have cut him off from communion. And
as to the Christian, he is not saved by his practical holiness, but by the blood; but if he indulges
in evil, in thought, word, or deed, he will have no true enjoyment of salvation and no true
communion with the Person of the Lamb.

This, I cannot doubt, is the secret of much of the spiritual barrenness and lack of settled peace
which one finds among the children of God. They are not cultivating holiness; they are not
keeping "the feast of unleavened bread." The very fact of being delivered by the blood of the
passover lamb rendered Israel responsible to put away leaven from all their quarters. They could
not say, in the frightful language of the antinomian, Now that we are delivered, we may conduct
ourselves as we please. By no means. If they were saved by grace, they were saved to holiness.

Grace not only saves the soul with an everlasting salvation, but also imparts a nature which
delights in everything that belongs to God, because it is divine. We are made partakers of the
divine nature, which cannot sin because it is born of God. To walk in the energy of this nature is,
in reality, to keep the feast of unleavened bread.

(From Notes on the Book of Exodus.)

"These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth. Whatsoever
parteth the hoof, and is cloven footed, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat"
(Lev. 11:2,3).

In this chapter of Leviticus we find Jehovah entering, in most marvelous detail, into a description
of beasts, birds, fishes, and reptiles, and furnishing His people with various marks by which they
were to know what was clean_and thus edible_and what was unclean. With regard to beasts, two
things were essential to render them clean_they should chew the cud and divide the hoof. Either
of these marks would, of itself, have been wholly insufficient to constitute ceremonial cleanness:
the two should go together. Now, while these two marks were quite sufficient for the guidance
of an Israelite as to the cleanness or uncleanness of an animal, without any reference as to why
or wherefore such marks were given or what they meant, yet the Christian is permitted to inquire
into the spiritual truth wrapped up in these ceremonial enactments.

What, then, are we to learn from these two features in a clean animal? The chewing of the cud
expresses the natural process of inwardly digesting that which one eats, while the divided hoof sets
forth the character of one’s outward walk. There is, as we know, an intimate connection between
the two in the Christian Me. The one who feeds upon the green pastures of the Word of God, and
inwardly digests what he takes in_the one who is enabled to combine calm meditation with
prayerful study_will, without doubt, manifest that character of outward walk which is to the
praise of Him who has graciously given us His Word to form our habits and govern our ways.

It is to be feared that many who read the Bible do not digest the Word. One may read chapter after
chapter, book after book, and not digest so much as a single line. We may read the Bible as part
of a dull and profitless routine, but, through lack of the ruminating powers_the digestive organs
_we derive no profit whatsoever. This should be carefully looked into. The cattle that browse on
the green may teach us a wholesome lesson. They first diligently gather up the refreshing pasture,
and then calmly lie down to chew the cud. Striking and beautiful picture of a Christian feeding
upon and inwardly digesting the precious contents of the volume of inspiration! If there were more
of this among us we should assuredly be in a more vigorous and healthy condition. Let us beware
of reading the Bible as a dead form, a cold duty, a piece of religious routine.

The same caution is needful in reference to the public exposition of the Word. Let those who
expound Scripture to their fellows first feed and digest for themselves; let them read and ruminate
in private, not merely for others, but for themselves. It is a poor thing for a man to be continually
occupied in procuring food for other people, and he himself dying of starvation. Also, let those
who attend the public ministry of the Word see that they are not doing so mechanically, as by the
force of mere religious habit, but with an earnest desire to "read, mark, learn, and inwardly
digest" what they hear. Then will both teachers and taught be well-conditioned, the spiritual life
nourished and sustained, and the true character of outward walk exhibited.

But be it remembered that the chewing of the cud must never be separated from the divided hoof.
If one but partially acquainted with the priest’s guidebook happened to see an animal chewing the

cud, he might hastily pronounce him clean. This would have been a serious error. A more careful
reference to the divine directory would at once show that he must mark the animal’s walk, that
he must note the impression made by each movement, that he must look for the result of the
divided hoof. "Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that
divide the hoof:as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean
unto you," etc. (verses 4-6).

In like manner the divided hoof was insufficient if not accompanied by the chewing of the cud:
"The swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is
unclean to you" (verse 7). In a word, then, the two things were inseparable in the case of every
clean animal; and as to the spiritual application, it is of the very highest importance in a practical
point of view. The inward life and the outward walk must go together. A man may profess to love
and feed upon_to study and ruminate over the Word of God_the pasture of the soul; but if his
footprints along the pathway of life are not such as the Word requires, he is not clean. And on the
other hand, a man may seem to walk with pharisaic blamelessness; but if his walk be not the result
of the hidden life, it is worse than worthless. There must be the divine principle within which
feeds upon and digests the rich pasture of God’s Word; otherwise the impression of the footstep
will be of no avail. The value of each depends upon its inseparable connection with the other.

(From Notes on Leviticus.)

"Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance; for they disfigure their
faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But
thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to
fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward
thee openly" (Matt. 6:16-18).

The Lord here does not so much enjoin fasting as bring it, like prayer, under the Christian
principle of having to do with our Father in secret. It falls under the individual life of faith. Yet
He undoubtedly sanctions and approves of it when so practiced; and this independently of the
more open and united aim such as we find in Acts 13:2,3 and 14:23. He also intimates its value
for spiritual power. Pious men have ever felt and must feel its appropriateness in chastening the
soul before God, where public or private need called for humiliation. The apostle Paul speaks (in
2 Cor. 6:5 and 11:27) simply and piously of "fastings" and "fastings often" in his service, to the
rebuke of that levity which the Corinthian assembly betrayed, and which characterizes modern
Christianity.

In Matt. 9:14,15 the Lord shows the true place and time of fasting in answer to the disciples of
John who asked, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but Thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said
unto them, Can the children of the bride-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?
but the days will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast."
Those who were only disciples of John had no real appreciation of the Bridegroom’s presence.
Still less did the Pharisees who were filled with forms and self-righteousness. However, it was joy
to the believing disciples of Jesus. Feeble as they were, they had left their all for Him, and they
tasted a divine bliss in Him wholly unknown to the others. The joy of Messiah’s presence made
fasting altogether inappropriate. Those who tasted none of this bliss were blind to Him whom
God’s grace had given and sent. Greater still would be their darkness when the Bridegroom should
be taken away. Then those that believed and loved Him would fast, both spiritually and literally.

Fasting among Christians is all the more striking because of the peace, joy, and boundless delight
they have in the love of Christ, and fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. Still
if loyal to Christ we cannot but have the constant sense of His rejection, and of the judgment ever
impending and certain to fall on the guilty world, and all the more because it pays Him the
hollowest of lip homage. Yes, days have come when the Bridegroom thus ignominiously taken
away is still absent, and fasting lends itself to mourners, whatever may be their enhanced joy in
being united to Him as members of His body, and the joy of grace in the revelation and active
working of a Saviour God to lost sinners, both Jew and Gentile.

(From "Fasting", in Bible Treasury, Vol. 5N.)

In the Lord’s answer to the inquiry of His disciples as to their failure to cast the demon out of an
only son, we are brought face to face with existing causes for the weakness and failure among us
today. The distraught father had come to the Lord Jesus with his disappointment, and Jesus
intervened on his behalf to free the child. "Why could not we cast him out?" the disciples queried,
to which the Lord Jesus produced three reasons as the cause.

The fact that they asked the reason is in itself a favorable sign on their part, as well as an
encouraging example to us. Whenever there is soul-exercise as to loss of power with a turning to
God to seek His face concerning it, the reason is certain to be pointed out, and the remedy readily
given.

"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief; for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith
as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and
it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by
prayer and fasting" (Matt. 17:20,21).

Reason One:Lack of Faith

When faith is lacking, communication with the God of power is broken, and hence there is no
manifestation of the power of God. Faith is the connecting link between the soul and God. When
this link is missing, we cannot expect God to display Himself because, in the first place, Lack of
faith robs Him of His pleasure. In Hebrews 11:6 we read, "Without faith it is impossible to please
Him." In the second place, Lack of faith jails to comprehend His presence. The same Scripture
continues, "He that cometh to God must believe that HE IS." And in the third place, Lack of faith
sets aside the fact of His goodness, as Hebrews 11:6 concludes, "He is a Rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him." Certainly we can see that when this principle of faith which pleases and
honors Him is lacking, we cannot expect Him to work in power among us. …

Reason Two:Lack of Prayer

Prayer acknowledges one’s own weakness and lays hold upon God’s strength. It is the expression
of absolute helplessness on the one hand, but the confession of God’s infinite ability on the other.
Without prayer there is the ever-destroying spirit of self-confidence, with the corresponding lack
of God-consciousness which dishonors Him. As "power belongeth unto God" (Psalm 62:11), what
dishonors Him must necessarily, in His holiness, short-circuit the manifestation of His power.

Our God delights to give in response to our requests. "Ask and it shall be given" is a divine
promise; and "Men ought always to pray" is divine wisdom. When His Word is kept, He ever
honors the obedience with divine power. . . .

Reason Three:Lack of Fasting

If there is to be power for God, it must be the power of God, and not the energy of man that is

in operation. Hence it is imperative that the flesh be kept in the place of death. . . . Unless it is
continually judged and abstained from, it will act to our shame and to the Lord’s discredit. Now
fasting is suggestive of this self-judgment and abstinence from selfish motives, of aims and acts
which would keep the flesh in its proper place of nothingness. Walking in the Spirit will allow the
divine nature to characterize us, and permit the power of God through His Holy Spirit to operate
unhinderedly in effectual service for Him.

Fasting suggests the living of a life of self-denial. It may at times be a denial of food, especially
during periods of deep exercise of soul, but far more does it imply the selflessness that should
permeate and characterize every sphere of our life’s activity. How essential this is if one is to be
a faithful servant whose object is the will of his master, for we can readily see that a selfish person
would never be a useful servant. … A person given to self-denial for Christ’s sake will be* found
"watching" and "occupying" until He comes. His time, his money, his comforts_yea, all he has
and is are regarded and held not for himself but for Christ and for others. . . .

In what particular feature of self-denial the disciples failed we are not told, but Jesus knew and
laid it to their charge as another reason for their power failure. The same One knows our
particular lack. Are we willing to accept the challenge of having Him point it out to us? With the
Psalmist, are we ready to pray, "Search ME, O God"?

Does the lack of power in ministry in our assemblies exercise us? Are we appalled by the
prevalent weakness and the state of apathy on every hand? Are we discouraged by the dearth of
praise in our gatherings for worship, along with a dozen or more symptoms of power failure?
Surely the Lord’s diagnosis of the disciples’ failure should speak forcibly to each of us, for we are
all a part of the ruin today. Let it bring us low in confession before Him, but at the same time let
us remember that HIS POWER is the same, for He and His Word can never change.

Let us, by His grace, practically combine the three remedies of Faith, Prayer and Fasting,
individually and collectively! Shall we not then soon experience more of God’s ways in power
among us in worship and service? It cannot be otherwise, for He cannot deny Himself.

(From Power Failure_Why?)

The concluding part of this chapter opens with a practical exhortation founded upon the great
judicial transaction of our being dead with Christ and alive unto God. Let us meditate upon its full
significance in the light of the preceding verses:"Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed
unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (verse 11).

We have seen previously that the apostle speaks of the manner in which the believer is delivered
from the power of sin as a principle of action, and the whole question of his conduct was seen to
rest on Christ Jesus and His work. We have to look to Him for the solution of all the problems
of practical moment that arise day by day in our lives, and one of our most difficult problems is
how to regard the uprising of the evil nature in our hearts. This nature asserts itself in spite of the
sense of God’s love within us. We may have cherished the vain hope of growing out of such
tendencies, and year by year of approaching nearer a state of holiness and perfection.

If so, honesty must compel us to admit that so far as our hearts are concerned, little or no real
progress is made toward the extinction of inward evil. This chapter, however, sheds light on this
problem. It shows that the evil nature whose presence and action we mourn received its utter
condemnation in the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sin itself (speaking now not of sinful acts but
of that which is the origin of them) was judged at the cross when He who knew no sin was made
sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). And we learn that in the mind of God we are associated with the Lord
Jesus Christ in His death, and thus, as descendants of the first Adam, we have passed into non-
existence, but have also partaken of the risen life of Christ beyond the judicial death.

Reckoning Ourselves Dead to Sin

The apostle had spoken of the death of the Lord Jesus, and that He now lives to God in a state
altogether apart from sin. The Lord passed through this evil world uncontaminated by sin within
and without. He went to the cross absolutely pure, but was there made vicariously the abhorrent
thing, and was judged on account of it. But rising from the dead and being exalted by the right
hand of God, a new state of things ensued_a new creation_of which Christ is the Head. And in
this newness of life sin is a past thing. The apostle therefore directs believers to regard themselves
as having already passed from death to life where Christ is:"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves
to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

The verb "reckon" carries us back to the fourth chapter of this epistle, where we read of God
reckoning Abraham righteous because of his faith. The patriarch believed God in a matter which
seemed in itself most improbable. For in the ordinary course of nature it seemed an incredible
thing that blessing should flow to the earth through the unborn seed of an old man and woman.
But Abraham believed the Lord and His promises, and this was counted to him for righteousness
(Gen. 15:6). God looking down from heaven regarded Abraham as a righteous man. His faith was
in connection with the seed which was to come, that is, Christ; and indeed this confidence was
true also of all the Old Testament saints. There might be and was failure, as there were faults; but
wheresoever there was faith in the Coming One it was reckoned for righteousness.

Here we are exhorted to reckon ourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God. It must
be carefully observed that this is an exercise of faith. If we consider ourselves conscientiously we
shall find ourselves capable of sinning, if not actually sinning. We fail to find inward or subjective
evidence that we are dead to sin. But faith accepts the testimony of the Word of God that I am
associated with Christ in both death and resurrection. Hence I am dead to the dominant power of
sin and alive heavenward. This status I must accept if I believe God rather than self.

To God or to Self?

We must broaden our views of what sin really means. Taken comprehensively it includes all that
lacks due reference to God. Actions precisely similar in outward appearance may nevertheless
differ in essential quality and value according as they are done to self or to God.

An instance of this is recorded in the Gospels. It occurred in the temple courts at the time when
the offerings were being placed in the treasury chest. Here was an opportunity of making a
sacrifice to God by depositing a sum of money for the use of the temple service. Many rich and
influential persons gave substantial amounts, doing so in an ostentatious manner to attract the
attention and admiration of their neighbors. Thus the offering became to them a means of self-
advertisement, and they gained as their reward the notice of their fellows. But the Lord observed
among the offerers a person of another order. There was a poor widowed heart in the company
overwhelmed with gratitude and praise to God. Something had happened in her experience which
caused her to be full of thanksgiving to God who had granted her some special fulness of blessing.
She was therefore impelled to offer some sacrifice of her goods to His service (Luke 21:1-4).

What should she render to the Lord for all His benefits? Two mites constituted her sole livelihood.
Under such circumstances should she not divide the small pittance, giving a part and reserving a
part? From the point of view of what is called practical economics this course would seem the
more reasonable. But the widow did not regard the matter from the standpoint of her own present
or future needs, for she was full of a sense of the great kindness of Jehovah to her. She resolved
she would not hold back anything, being a contrast with Ananias and Sapphira of a later day. She
placed her all in the box_her two mites. Her gift was to God. She gained the victory over self,
and everything having been offered to God, the gift was appraised by the heavenly standard. Her
motives gave the sacrifice of her goods a value above that of all the rest.

Another example of this truth is to be gathered from the Epistle to the Philippians. Paul, by
reference to himself, shows how worthless, though moral in themselves, acts become when the
will of God is contravened. In the third chapter he speaks of himself and of what he was before
he knew the Lord. He enumerates the privileges he possessed at that time only to pronounce them
to be not only valueless but even offensive. His circumcision and law-keeping were quite proper
matters for satisfaction until he learned the super-excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

The qualities he names are not such as are sinful in themselves, but such as might reasonably give
him confidence in the flesh. And the flesh is not necessarily the evil principle. It is the natural way
of doing things, that is, always acting from the individual’s own standpoint, without looking above
and seeking the will of God.

Saul of Tarsus before his conversion had a position of pre-eminence. If any one might have
confidence in the flesh, he most surely might have done so. Did he not contend zealously for the
law? Was he not desirous of keeping it to its most minute particular? Yet at the very time during
which he supposed he was doing God service he was persecuting the Church of God.

Touching the righteousness of the law, he was blameless. Can you imagine anything more
desirable in a man? In outward demeanor he was perfect and upright so far as the eye could see.
But having learned the truth of the person of the Christ in glory, he counted the whole of his own
attainments in this respect as nothing and worse than that.

He wrote then quietly in prison, looking back upon his past life in the light he had received
through advancing years, without a warped imagination and without self-deception, and he
describes his early days as blameless. The statement is a remarkable one; but whatever gain this
unblemished character might have been to him he counted it but loss for Christ. He reckoned
himself to be dead indeed to those things and alive to God through Jesus Christ the Lord. The
things he mentions had no more effect upon him than upon a dead person.

This piece of autobiography is an illustration of our text. What Paul wrote by way of doctrine in
Romans, he exemplified from his own life in Philippians. In the earlier epistle he spoke of being
alive to God through Christ Jesus the Lord. In the later we see the activities of that life expressing
themselves in intensity of desire and earnestness of effort.

There was therefore a continuity in the life of the apostle. He did not depart from the self-
renunciation of his early days. His enthusiasm did not wane as trials and persecutions multiplied.
Neither did self assume a Christian garb. Christ was the dominating object before him, as the
Epistle to the Philippians reveals. In practice he was still reckoning himself dead to sin, but alive
to God.

(Note:This subject will be concluded in the issue after next (March-April 1977), Lord willing,
with a discussion of our yielding ourselves to God and yielding our members as instruments of
righteousness unto God.)

"Blessed is the man … in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old
through my roaring all the day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; my
moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine
iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest
the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee in a time when
Thou mayest be found; surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about
with songs of deliverance. Selah." (Psalm 32:2-7).

A man in whose spirit there is no guile is not a sinless person. There are no sinless people on
earth. There was one and that was our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, but since the fall of Adam there
has never been another. "All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23).
There is not a just man that doeth good and sinneth not. "In many things we offend all." This is
true of believers as well as of unbelievers. Even believers offend in many things but the man in
whose spirit there is no guile is the man who is not trying to cover up and hide. He has owned up
that he is just what God says he is. As long as a man is covering his sin, there is guile there. When
David kept on covering his sin there was guile; but when David came out frankly and
acknowledged it and said, "I have sinned against the Lord," there was no more guile. . . .

In the next three verses David tells how he got to know this. He first tells of the time he did not
know it. "When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long." If there
is anything on earth that will make you feel like an old man it is unconfessed sin, trying to be so
nice outside while inside there is such a roaring going on. "For day and night Thy hand was heavy
upon me; my moisture is turned into the drought of summer." All his joy was gone; he was
desolate, and he could not stand it any longer, and so he says, "I acknowledged my sin unto Thee,
and mine iniquity have I not hid." He had been hiding it, but it brought him nothing but sorrow.

"I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord." And the very next thing is a free pardon,
"And Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin." Have you been there? "If we confess our sins, He
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
Now everything is different. Now he is on praying ground. David says, as it were, "I could not
pray in those old days, but I can now." "For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee in
a time when Thou mayest be found; surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh
unto him." Because he knows what it is to be forgiven, because he knows what it is to be without
guile, he can pray with glad, happy assurance and know that the Lord will protect him in every
time of trial.

See how beautifully he expresses himself in verse 7:"Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt
preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance." In verses 3
and 4, David was hiding from God, but in verse 7, he is hiding in God. Which are you doing? It
makes such a difference. Some of us remember when we were hiding from God and were very
miserable and unhappy; and then instead of hiding from Him we turned about-face and went
directly to Him to find our hiding place in Him.

"Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Cleanse me from its guilt and power."

(From Studies on the Psalms.)

When you feel convicted of sin in your life, what do you do?

Do you confess? Or do you try to explain?

Do you acknowledge your sin and accept God’s forgiveness according to His clear promise in the
Bible?

Or do you attempt to vindicate yourself by making excuses?

Recognition and confession of sin is evidence of spiritual maturity. Trying to explain away sin by
making excuses is a sure sign of spiritual adolescence.

Confession opens a door! Excuses slam the door and bolt it in God’s face!

Confession opens the heart to God’s healing grace, mercy, and love. Excuses barricade the soul
against the Divine initiative.

Someone has said, "The blood of Christ cannot cleanse excuses … it only cleanses sin!"

God sent His Son into the world to solve the sin problem. Christ offered His life on the cross as
the solution. His resurrection demonstrated the adequacy of His offer.

There is no need for further sacrifice. There was a once-for-allness about Christ’s crucifixion …
a never-to-be-repeatedness about His sacrifice for sin!

All that remains necessary is for man to acknowledge his sin_confess it to God_and receive the
forgiveness Christ died to provide. (Of course you can’t explain it, but you can experience it!)

This does not make it easy to sin. The man who has experienced the forgiveness of God has a
growing repugnance to sin which is one of the fruits of forgiveness.

The man who handles forgiveness carelessly_takes a shallow view of sin_does not know the first
meaning of God’s grace. He does not comprehend the awful price the Son of God paid.

On the other hand the man who takes sin seriously, hates it, resists it, will find an easy (not cheap)
forgiveness with God by virtue of Christ’s sacrifice.

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1
John 1:8,9).

"Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that Thou canst do everything, and that no thought
can be withheld from Thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I
uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech
Thee, and I will speak; I will demand of Thee, and declare Thou unto me. I have heard of Thee
by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in
dust and ashes" (Job 42:1-6).

Here, then, was the turning point in Job’s life. All his previous statements as to God and His ways
are now pronounced to be "words without knowledge." What a confession! What a moment in
man’s history when he discovers that he has been all wrong! What a thorough breakdown! What
profound humiliation! It reminds us of Jacob getting the hollow of his thigh touched, and thus
learning his utter weakness and nothingness. These are weighty moments in the history of
souls_great epochs, which leave an indelible impress on the whole moral being and character.
To get right thoughts about God is to begin to get right about everything. If I am wrong about
God, I am wrong about myself, wrong about my fellows, wrong about all.

Thus it was with Job. His new thoughts as to God were immediately connected with new thoughts
of himself; and hence we find that the elaborate self-vindication, the impassioned egotism, the
vehement self-gratulation, the lengthened arguments in self-defense_all is laid aside; all is
displaced by one short sentence of three words, "I am vile" (Job 40:4). And what is to be done
with this vile self? Talk about it? Set it up? Be occupied with it? Take counsel for it? Make
provision for it? No, "I abhor it."

This is the true moral ground for every one of us. Job took a long time to reach it, and so do we.
Many of us imagine that we have reached the end of self when we have given a nominal assent
to the doctrine of human depravity, or judged some of those sprouts which have appeared above
the surface of our practical life. But, alas! it is to be feared that very few of us indeed really know
the full truth about ourselves. It is one thing to say, "We are all vile," and quite another to feel,
deep down in the heart, that "I am vile." This latter can only be known and habitually realized in
the immediate presence of God. The two things must ever go together:"Mine eye seeth Thee,"
and "Wherefore I abhor myself." It is as the light of what God is shines in upon what I am that I
abhor myself. And then my self-abhorrence is a real thing. It is not in word, neither in tongue,
but in deed and in truth. It will be seen in a life of self-abnegation, a humble spirit, a lowly mind,
a gracious carriage in the midst of the scenes through which I am called to pass. It is of little use
to profess very low thoughts of self while, at the same time, we are quick to resent any injury
done to us, any fancied insult, slight, or disparagement. The true secret of a broken and contrite
heart is to abide ever in the divine presence, and then we are able to carry ourselves right toward
those with whom we have to do.

"Thus we find that when Job got right as to God and himself, he soon got right as to his friends,
for he learned to pray for them. Yes, he could pray for the "miserable comforters," the
"physicians of no value," the very men with whom he had so long, so stoutly, and so vehemently
contended! "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends" (42:10).

This is morally beautiful. It is perfect. It is the rare and exquisite fruit of divine workmanship.
Nothing can be more touching than to see Job’s three friends exchanging their experience, their
tradition, and their legality for the precious "burnt-offering"; and to see our dear patriarch
exchanging his bitter invectives for the sweet prayer of charity. In short, it is a most soul-subduing
scene altogether. The combatants are in the dust before God and in each other’s arms. The strife
is ended; the war of words is closed; and instead thereof, we have the tears of repentance, the
sweet odor of the burnt-offering, the embrace of love.

(From "Job and His Friends" in Miscellaneous Writings, Vol. 1.)

In this series of articles dating back to the May-June 1974 issue we have considered each of the
nine types or aspects of spiritual fruit mentioned in Galatians 5:22,23. We have attempted, through
God’s help, to discover what each of these types of fruit really means and how they are (or should
be) manifested in our daily lives. Let us review one or two important lessons which we have
learned in connection with each type of fruit of the Spirit.

1. Love. The proper standard of our love to others is Christ’s love for us, manifested in giving
Himself for us (Eph. 5:2,25). Love is the opposite to seeking our own interests, reputation,
wealth, or honor (1 Cor. 13:5).

2. Joy. The Christian who is walking in the Spirit, feeding upon Christ, communing with the
Father, is able to have a deep, abiding, peaceful joy and gladness in the Lord, whatever the
surrounding circumstances might be. Sorrow and trial only serve to enlarge the capacity for joy
in the believer (Matt. 5:12; 2 Cor. 7:4; 2 Cor. 8:2; Col. 1:24; James 1:2,3; 1 Peter 4:13).

3. Peace. We are enjoined to be anxious for nothing, but to allow the peace of God, which passes
all understanding, to keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:6,7). Many things
in our lives irritate, anger, or worry us. We need to realize that God is at peace about these
matters_He knows how they are going to turn out and that they will be for our ultimate blessing
(Rom. 8:28)_ and He offers to share His peace with us.

4. Longsuffering. This is the ability to bear without loss of temper or retaliation the offenses,
provocations, and antagonism of other persons. Again, the Lord is our standard (2 Peter 3:9; 1
Peter 2:23).

5. Gentleness. We need continually to be reminded of the kindness and gentleness of Christ toward
us (Eph. 2:7; Titus 3:4) so that we may cultivate this same grace in our dealings with
others_particularly within our own families.

6. Goodness. This goes beyond righteousness. For example, we may have a perfect right to
complain about poor service or workmanship, bad behavior or habits, or whatever. But we will
find that by seeking to give words of encouragement and compliments we will be of greater help
to the person as well as having a better opportunity for effective gospel witness. (Handing a
waitress a tract and then complaining about her service goes a long way toward nullifying the
message of the tract.)

7. Faith. This is not simply the faith which we place in Christ for salvation, but the trust we place
in Him for every smallest detail of our lives. God often tries our faith (James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6,7)
to show us whether we are trusting Him for everything, or whether we are relying in any degree
upon our own abilities, wisdom, knowledge, or strength.

8. Meekness. This is the attitude in a person which receives reproof or insult or injury without
defending self and without retaliating or avenging the offense. But more than this, it is an attitude

of heart which goes out to the person who may have been the offender and seeks to draw that
person to the Lord.

9. Temperance. This refers to the control we should have over all our desires, habits, appetites,
thoughts, words, and deeds. With regard to the problem which most of us have with the tongue,
we need to make it a habit to pray with regard to every word we speak in every situation.

Now one may ask, "How can I manifest the fruit of the Spirit in my life?" First of all, you have
to be saved; that is, you must come to the Lord, owning your sinfulness and need of salvation, and
accepting the free gift of salvation made available through the work of Christ who died for our
sins. If you are truly saved, the Holy Spirit of God indwells you and is seeking, through the Word
of God, to "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13) and to lead you in following and imitating
Christ.

However, the Spirit does not automatically produce fruit in the believer’s life. Only if He is
allowed to fill or have full control of our lives (Eph. 5:18) will that fruit be manifested. If we
grieve the Holy Spirit by allowing unjudged sin in our lives (Eph. 4:30), He will be diverted from
His proper work of teaching us all truth and producing fruit in our lives, to a work necessary for
our deliverance from the sin and restoration to full communion with the Father.

Thus there is a great need in our lives for sensitivity and tender consciences with regard to
sin_especially our own sin. We need often to ask God to "Search me . . . and know my heart;
try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way
everlasting" (Psalm 139:23,24). Along with this there is great need for confession of all known
sin (however insignificant we may regard any particular sin), and of self-judgment, that is, taking
the side of a holy God against ourselves and our sin. As we become increasingly aware that certain
attitudes, habits, and activities in our lives are not the fruit of the Spirit but rather the works of
the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21,26), let us be careful to name these things as God names them_SIN_and
confess them and seek God’s help to turn away from them. Only then will the positive fruit of the
Spirit begin really to appear in our lives.

There may be a danger with some believers of seeking, in their own strength, to produce
imitations of the Spirit’s fruit. Having read this series of articles one may, for example, set the
goal for himself of (a) controlling his temper the next time one provokes him, (b) complimenting
the waitress, (c) not worrying when things do not go according to plan, and (d) cutting down his
coffee consumption to two cups a day. Even if he succeeds in achieving this goal it may have been
accomplished through the flesh and not the Spirit. Let us avoid setting up for ourselves a rule of
life (see J. N. Darby’s Collected Writings, Vol. 10, pp. 27-29; also Words of Truth, Vol. 14, pp.
106-108). Such a thing will often lead to pride, self-complacency, and even condemnation of
others if we are successful in adhering to these rules; or it may lead to depression and doubts if
we fail to live up to the goals set for ourselves. Rather, let us seek to reckon ourselves dead to sin
and self and alive to God (Rom. 6:11). And may we truly desire that God, through the Holy Spirit
acting upon His Word, should make us grow unto a full-grown man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ (Eph. 4:13). What spiritual fruit will be produced in our lives if
this be so!

What is to be done if a Christian sins? The Apostle John gives the answer:"If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John
1:9). Confession is the means by which the conscience is to be kept clear.

God has been perfectly satisfied as to all the believer’s sins in the cross of Christ. Our sins can
never come into God’s presence inasmuch as Christ, who bore them all and put them away, is
there instead. But if we sin, the conscience will feel it, for the Holy Spirit will make us feel it. He
cannot allow so much as a single foolish thought to pass unjudged. Our sin cannot affect God’s
thoughts about us, but it can, and does, affect our thoughts about Him. It cannot hide the Advocate
from God’s view, but it can hide Him from ours. It cannot affect our relationship with God, but
it can very seriously affect our enjoyment thereof. God has already judged our sins in the Person
of Christ, and in the act of confession, we judge ourselves. This is essential to divine forgiveness
and restoration. The very smallest unconfessed, unjudged sin on the conscience will entirely mar
our communion with God. By confession the conscience is cleared, our communion is restored,
and our thoughts concerning God and our relationship to Him are set straight.

There is a great difference between confession and praying for forgiveness. It is much easier to
ask in a general way for the forgiveness of our sins, than to confess those sins. Confession
involves self-judgment; asking for forgiveness may not, and in itself does not. By merely asking
for forgiveness, we tend to lessen the sense of the evil; we may be thinking we are not completely
to blame. Or we may be motivated by a desire to escape the consequences of the sin, rather than
by an abhorrence of the sin itself. God wants us not only to dread the consequences of sin, but to
hate the thing itself, because of its hatefulness in His sight. If it were possible for us, when we
commit sin, to be forgiven merely for the asking, our sense of sin, and our shrinking from it,
would not be nearly so intense; and as a consequence, our estimate of the fellowship with which
we are blessed would not be nearly so high. The effect of all this upon our spiritual condition, and
also upon our whole character and practical career, must be obvious to every experienced
Christian.

(From "Sin in the Flesh and Sin on the Conscience" in Miscellaneous Writings, Vol. 2.)

Until there is confession of sin, and not merely of a sin, there is no forgiveness. We find David
in Psalm 51, when he was confessing his sin, saying, "Behold I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin
did my mother conceive me." Not merely does he say that he has done this particular evil, but he
also recognizes the root and principle of sin. When our hearts are brought to recognize God’s
hand, it is not merely, then, a question of what particular sin may need forgiveness; God has
brought down the soul, through the working of His Spirit on it, to detect the principle of sin, and
so there is confession of that, and not merely of a particular sin. There is then positive restoration
of soul.

Now this is a much deeper thing in its practical consequences, and the Lord’s dealings thereon,
than we are apt to suppose. Freed from the bondage of things which hinder its intercourse with
God, the soul learns to lean upon God, instead of upon those things which had taken the place of
God. "Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me
with songs of deliverance" (Psalm 32:7). This is the confidence of the soul that is leaning upon
God.

We are often like the horse or the mule because our souls have not been plowed up. When there
is anything in which the will of man is at work, the Lord deals with us, as with the horse or the
mule, holding us in (Psalm 32:9). When every part of the heart is in contact with Himself, He
guides us with His "eye" (verse 8). "The light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is
single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of
darkness" (Luke 11:34). When there is anything wherein the eye is not single, so long as this is
the case, there is not the free intercourse in heart and affections with God; and the consequence
is, our will not being subdued, we are not led simply of God. When the heart is in a right state,
the whole body is "full of light," and there is the quick perception of the will of God. He just
teaches us by His "eye" all He wishes, and produces in us quickness of understanding in His fear
(Isa. 11:3). This is our portion, as having the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, "quick of understanding
in the fear of Jehovah," hearts without any object except the will and glory of God.

(From "Confession and Forgiveness", in Bible Treasury, Vol.7N.)

We often hear people say, "I don’t believe God would send anyone to hell, at least not forever";
or, "I believe that if people do wrong, they are punished in this life for it, and God forgives
everybody after they die"; or, "Everybody will have a second chance after they die." Now we
know from Scripture that none of these statements is true, but the history of Absalom shows us
why God cannot simply forgive everyone.

Absalom was a handsome young man and he had a beautiful sister, Tamar. Their half brother
Amnon mistreated Tamar and Absalom hated him for it. When David heard of Amnon’s sin, he
became very angry but did nothing about it; so Absalom had Amnon murdered. Absalom went
into exile for three years. David wanted to bring back Absalom even though Absalom had sinned
(2 Sam. 13:39).

Finally, David allowed Absalom to return to Jerusalem, but refused to see him. Absalom found
this situation intolerable, and after two years in Jerusalem he forced Joab to speak to David. David
then called Absalom into his presence and kissed him. Absalom was thus restored to his position
as a son of the king.

Chapters 15 through 20 of 2 Samuel record some of the saddest events in the Old Testament.
Absalom stirred up a rebellion against David, David was forced to flee Jerusalem, and Absalom
established himself there. Absalom was eventually killed, but there was more bloodshed before
the rebellion was completely put down.

David forgave Absalom even though Absalom did not repent or express any sorrow for his sin.
Absalom’s desire to see the king was not motivated by love for David but because he wanted to
be in a position to gather support for his own cause. Absalom had usurped David’s authority when
he murdered Amnon and later he wanted all of David’s power and authority for himself.

Unregenerate sinners are rebels against God (Rom. 8:7,8). Their primary motivation is to please
themselves, not God. If they are religious sinners, they may talk about serving and worshiping
God; but they are determined to do these things their own way, not God’s. How can God just
forgive unrepentant sinners? Absalom felt no love or gratitude toward David in response to
David’s forgiveness. The unsaved would likewise feel no love or gratitude toward God if He
forgave them in their unrepentant state. Their rebellion would break out in heaven itself if God
were to allow them there, just as Absalom rebelled against his father after his return to Jerusalem.

No, sinners must repent and be regenerated (born again)before God can forgive them. And they
must repent in this present life; there will be no repentance in hell, because the Holy Spirit, who
brings about repentance in the heart, will not be working there. "God . . . now commandeth all
men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). We need more than to be forgiven (spared the penalty
of our sin); we need to be freed from the power of sin, to be loosed from our sins and to be given
a new nature which desires to love and obey God. Only then can we be fit for God’s presence and
to dwell with Him forever.

It is noticeable that, in divine wisdom, the injunctions of the early part of this chapter have a wide
application. It is right for "every soul" to "be subject to the authorities that are above him." The
believer finds himself in the sphere where divine government is set up, and he has to respect it,
but "every soul" is called upon to recognize that authority. is from God. This epistle does not
leave out of its view any of the relations that subsist between God and men, and one of those
relations is that He has set up authorities and rulers. The institution of government after the flood
(Gen. 9) was one of the greatest mercies that God has shown to men. Authority may be abused,
and often has been in the hands of man as a fallen creature, but its character is to be a terror to
what is evil and to favor what is good. The Christian is to recognize that all authority is from God.
This delivers him from the lawless spirit which despises authority. We have the personal testimony
of the Lord in this matter, as declaring that Pilate’s authority was given to him from above (John
19:11).

"For there is no authority except from God; and those that exist are set up by God" (v. 1 JND).
If one government was overturned, and another set up in its place, faith’s estimate of it would be
that it was the act of God. God’s ways in government are retributive. If governments cease to
praise what is good, or to be a terror to evil, they no longer serve the purpose for which they were
set up, and God’s retributive ways may act in setting them aside. There are moral reasons for what
God does in this way. He may scourge a nation by setting up an oppressive rule, or He may use
other nations to check wickedness or ambition. And, behind all, God ever has in view His own
work and testimony, though often His government works out in unexpected ways. For example,
Paul was imprisoned by the authorities, though he was no evildoer, but he tells us that it turned
out rather to the furtherance of the glad tidings. The Lord took a remarkable way to bring out "the
most of the brethren" in a fearless and abundant speaking of the Word of God. He put the chief
preacher in prison! I suppose the courage and confidence of Paul_even as an imprisoned
man_stirred up the brethren to be more bold than they otherwise would have been (Phil. 1:12-
14). The action of the authorities was really subservient to the designs of grace. Even persecution
has often furthered the testimony of God, so that it came to be a saying that "the blood of the
martyrs is the seed of the church." God has used the cruelties of persecution to bring about a
revulsion of feeling in the minds of men, and to secure in that way greater liberty for His people.
God has used things, severe and terrible in themselves, to further His testimony.

The authorities which exist are not viewed in Scripture as having intelligence of a spiritual order.
They are represented as "beasts" (Daniel 7); they do not generally perceive what God is doing by
their means, though Nebuchadnezzar, and particularly Cyrus, may have been personally conscious
that they were directly raised up to do certain things. Cyrus was a very remarkable person,
mentioned by name by the prophet Isaiah generations before he was raised up (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1).
God would set up a government favorable to what He had in His mind with regard to Jerusalem
and the temple. It is of much interest to note that the four empires of Daniel 7_the Babylonish,
the Medo-Persian, the Greek, and the Roman_have covered that part of the earth where God’s
people have been chiefly found, whether the Jews from the time of the captivity, or the Gentiles
as visited by grace later. All authority has to be owned as being of God, but the authorities which
have a distinct place in prophecy, as seen in Daniel 7, are those which exist in the area where

God’s people and testimony are chiefly found. The Greek empire followed the Medo-Persian, and
prepared the way by the diffusion of the Greek language over a wide area, for that extension of
the divine testimony which was intimated by Greek being the chosen language of inspiration for
the New Testament. Then God had in mind to spread His testimony westward, and He allowed
the Greek empire to be succeeded by the Roman. The special sphere of His action in government
has corresponded with the special sphere of His actings in grace. All has had in view what God
was doing, or going to do, in relation to His testimony. God has ordained these things. "So that
he that sets himself in opposition to the authority resists the ordinance of God" (v. 2 JND).

Government is God’s minister to every one of us for good if we practice what is good, but if we
practice evil it will make us suffer. So that with all right-minded persons it is not merely on
account of wrath that they are subject-that is, as being afraid of the consequences of insubjection
_but on account of conscience (verse 5). Their consciences approve of the objects which
government has in view.

So we pay tribute as to God’s officers. In the light of this it is not becoming for a Christian to
grumble_as other men often do_about tolls and taxes, or put off until the last minute paying what
is due. The Christian would not, surely, be among the last to render what is due to those whom
he has been taught to regard as God’s officers! Indeed he is to "render to all their dues." This is
one great feature of practical righteousness. There is, indeed, one debt which can never be so
discharged that we are free from its claim, but all other debts are to be paid as they fall due! "Owe
no one anything, unless to love one another" (verse 8 JND). This is to mark those who are in
subjection to God. God is much dishonored, and His way evil spoken of by men, when these
things are neglected. If a brother or sister has had to incur expenses of illness, or the like, and is
not able to pay, it is a fine opportunity for verse 13 of the previous chapter ("distributing to the
necessity of saints") to be acted on by the brethren! God does not exempt His people from
misfortunes, and sometimes believers may get involved, through no fault of their own, in liabilities
which they cannot meet. I have known believers who fail in business, but turn to God in real
exercise, and get His help so that they have been able to pay all their creditors in full. It is clear
from this chapter that God regards His people as competent to render all that is due, and faith
would be concerned to answer to this.

It is important to observe that there are no instructions to believers as to how they should exercise
authority in the world. Their place is to submit themselves to authorities which exist. They have
nothing to do with establishing the authorities; they recognize them as set up by God. We are
exhorted to subject ourselves to the authorities, and to pray for them (1 Timothy 2), but we have
no instructions to vote for them. To vote is to take the place of deciding what the powers shall be;
it is really to join with others in ruling the world. But the Christian is here to confess that all the
rights of rule pertain to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to wait in patience for Him to come and take
up His rights. And in the meantime we are to be in subjection to the powers that exist in the
ordering of God, and to honor them as God’s ministers.

(From An Outline of the Epistle to the Romans.)

"Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the Lord, and He shall save thee" (Proverbs
20:22).

No lesson is harder for some of us to learn than that’ of confiding all our affairs to the hands of
the Lord, especially when we feel we have been wronged and ill-treated. Yet it is plain from
Scripture that the saint can make no greater mistake than to take charge of his own affairs in such
a case. Nothing could be clearer than the injunction, "Recompense to no man evil for evil. . . .
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written,
Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Rom. 12:17,19). To set about meting out evil
for evil in the face of words like these is to act in direct disobedience to God, and we need not
wonder if we make a terrible botch of it all. He who, owning that all has been allowed by the Lord
for his good, bows his head and bends before the blast, will find God ever ready to interfere at
the needed moment. To look away from the human instrument of our grief, however vindictive
he may be, and to see, behind it all, the purposes of our Father working out, gives rest and
comfort to the sorely tried soul.

It was this that sustained David when Shimei cursed and stoned him (see 2 Sam. 16:5-12). It is
doubtful if, in all David’s spiritual history, he ever reached a higher height of holy confidence in
God than at this time of deep, deep trial. Shimei’s spiteful cursing in so public a manner, and at
so sorrowful a time, must have deeply lacerated his already wounded spirit. But he bows his head
in submission; and instead of executing vengeance on Shimei, and instead of seeking self-
vindication from the charges made, in submissive confidence and taking all from the Lord
Himself, he says, "Let him curse."

Shimei was but an instrument, inspired by Satan, yet really permitted of the Lord, for David’s
chastening and discipline. As such David views Shimei, and looks not at second causes but at the
great First Cause Himself. Would that every tried saint could follow his example!

The day came that Shimei was a cringing suppliant at the feet of the man he had cursed, publicly
owning that he had acted perversely, and confessing "thy servant doth know that I have sinned"
(2 Sam. 19:16-23). David’s royal clemency was extended in forgiveness_a far greater victory
than vengeance would have been. Afterwards, in God’s righteous government, he was put to death
for the treachery that ever characterized him. "He that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong
which he hath done; and there is no respect of persons" (Col. 3:25). With judgment I have not to
interfere. Be it mine to bow in submission to all God’s ways, owning His hand in everything that
would otherwise disquiet me.

(From Notes on Proverbs.)

FRAGMENT. A traveling salesman was telling a friend the story of die treatment received in a
certain business house at the hands of the members of the establishment with whom he had come
in contact. The rudeness and injustice recited stirred the listener to protest:"And you did nothing

about it afterwards? You let it go too easily. A fellow like that deserves to be taught a lesson."
"Yes, but I am not here to avenge personal wrongs, you know; I am on business for the firm,"
answered the salesman.

Is it right that a believer should be a politician? This is the question before us. And, to treat the
matter clearly, let me state some points which belong to such a character, if they are not the very
conception of it.

What I understand by a politician, is one who takes a considerable and constant interest in the civil
government of his own country, and of the world at large. He praises the rulers when he thinks
they deserve it, and condemns them when, as he believes, they govern amiss. He Hits up his voice
against injustice, fraud, deception, corruption, restraints on liberty. He will resist what is evil as
far as he may by law. He exercises every civil privilege to which he is entitled to influence the
government of his country. If opportunity were offered, he would take office and power in the
world, and exercise it for his fellow-citizens’ benefit.

I. How, then, can we tell whether this is right in a believer or not? By looking to Jesus as our
pattern. His life is recorded to this end_"Leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps"
(1 Peter 2:21). Everything He did was pleasing to His Father. "I do always those things that please
Him" (John 8:29; Matt. 17:5); and, since every perfection was found in Jesus, whatever He did
not do or sanction is not pleasing to God.

Was Jesus, then, a politician? Did He take any interest in the political government of His country?
Did He pass judgment on the persons or measures of the civil rulers of Palestine? Did He stand
up for the politically oppressed, and rebuke the political oppressor? Did He exercise authority of
any kind in civil matters?

1. His conduct is the very reverse of the politician’s. Had He been one, His political feelings must
have been peculiarly drawn out by the circumstances of the day. In His days the last shadow of
Jewish liberty departed, and His country was oppressed beneath the iron gauntlet of Rome. Such
a state of things would have greatly aroused the independent citizen, the lover of liberty. In the
gospels we only deduce the political changes of the land from the most distant hints of the
narrative.

2. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, is slain through the desire of an adulterous princess
and by the orders of an ungodly king. How does Jesus meet the event? Does He lift up His voice
against the oppressor and the murder? No. John is imprisoned, but Jesus speaks not of the
injustice; he is murdered, but He utters no cry against the cruelty or tyranny of Herod. John’s
"disciples came and took up the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard
of it, He departed thence by ship into a desert place apart" (Matt. 14:10-13). He was silent. The
Saviour was no politician.

3. Take another incident. "There were present at that season some that told Him of the Galileans,
whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices" (Luke 13:1). A politician would have been
on fire at this national outrage. Religious antipathies met with political. Here was a field whereon
to inveigh against Roman cruelty, and to rouse the Jews against a tyranny that trampled on the true
religion. A pagan profaning with bloody hands the worship of the true God! What would the

politicians of our day have said had a party of government troops fired into a chapel while people
were at worship, and shot some dead while on their knees? Would not the politician account it
almost treason to be calm?

What is Jesus’ reply? "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." The politics of the question
are wholly passed by; the moral and spiritual view of the matter is alone regarded. This is a most
decisive case. Doubtless it made the blood of every native Jew boil with rage. But Jesus drops no
word of indignation against the governor’s crime, nor applauds the Galileans as martyrs for their
country. Jesus, then, was no politician.

4. A question is raised by His countrymen and referred for His decision_whether it was lawful
to pay tribute to the Roman emperor or not. This critical question must have drawn out the
politician. Involved in it lay the right of the Romans to rule Judea, and impose taxes at their will.
The oppressions of the governor were before His eyes. The Caesar that swayed the scepter was
profligate, cruel, a murderer. Yet Jesus bids the Jews pay tribute even to an idolater, and though
the emperor might apply the money to the support of idolatry.

Jesus, then, was not a politician. Am I a disciple of His? Then neither am I to be a politician. "It
is enough for the disciple that he be as his Master." If Jesus did not intermeddle in civil
government, it is because such conduct would not be pleasing to God. Jesus neither acted
politically Himself, nor sanctioned it in others. To be engaged in politics, therefore, either as an
actor or speaker, is no part of my duty as a Christian. His perfection is my pattern; and therefore
it becomes me to refuse, as pointedly as He did, to mingle in politics; for this is my calling, to be
not of the world, even as Jesus was not of the world (John 17:14).

II. But did not Paul plead his Roman citizenship when they were about to scourge him? Did he
not, when his life was in danger, appeal unto Caesar? True, and the Christian is permitted,
therefore, when on his trial, to plead the provisions afforded by the law to save himself from death
or injurious treatment. But neither of these points form part of the character of a politician, such
as we have described him.

Take the strongest case. Paul and Silas are dragged by interested men before the rulers of Philippi.
The magistrates, without any form of trial, scourge them and thrust them into prison (Acts 16:19-
24). What would a politician have done in such a case? Would he not have thought it due to his
Roman citizenship to carry the cause to Rome, and to make an example of these tyrannical
magistrates, that all throughout the empire might know that the rights of a citizen were not to be
trampled on? Does Paul do so? No. He requires, indeed, that the magistrates should not dismiss
them privately, but come themselves and set them free. But he exacts no apology; he lays no
information against them. This would have been to act the politician, and this he does not do.

III. Many of the principles put forth in the epistles decide the present question.

1. What is the Christian’s position? He is a "stranger and pilgrim upon earth" (Heb. 11:13-16;
1 Peter 2:11). Then he has no inclination, right, or title to political power. By profession he
surrenders it. Who may take part in the government of a country? Natives only, not strangers.
What has an Englishman, living in France, to do with the government of France? The Christian
is, moreover, a pilgrim, and has less reason still. If a stranger may not interfere in the policy of
a foreign country, much less one who is not even residing in it, but merely passing through it on
his way to another land. To meddle with politics, then, is to put off our character as strangers and
pilgrims.

2. To take up the politician’s character blinds the Christian as to his true place before God, and
mars the testimony which he ought to give to the world. The witness of the Holy Spirit to the
world (which, therefore, the believer is to take up and manifest by his word and life) is that the
world is sinful because it believes not on Jesus, and that it is under condemnation, together with

its prince, only spared from day to day by the patience of a longsuffering God (John 16). The
Christian is to testify that the Lord Jesus is coming to execute upon it the due vengeance for its
iniquity, and that it becomes all to flee from the midst of it to Christ. All who do thus flee to
Christ become part of His Church which is not of the world but gathered out from it.

3. But if the Christian may not rightfully use his political privileges as the private citizen, much
less may he take office in the world. But it is said, What! are not Christians the fittest persons to
hold power? No, they are of all the most unfit. For they have a Master to serve whose laws are
quite opposed in principle to those of the world. And the magistrate must execute the world’s
laws, as being the world’s servant. The law of the world, when at its highest perfection, is strict
justice. But Christ has to His disciples repealed this, and taught us mercy as our rule (Matt. 5:38-
48). Could any worldly government act out the Sermon on the Mount? When one of its citizens
had been assaulted and robbed, could it dismiss the convicted robber because the Saviour
commands us not to resist, or to avenge evil? Its principle is, "Punish according to the offense,"
and by that it abides. If so, the Christian (if he understands his place) cannot be a judge or wield
the power of the world’s law.

4. The Epistles show how the Christian is to conduct himself as a father, a master, a subject. But
no rules are given to him as a magistrate or citizen. What must we infer, then? That God does not
recognize Christians as acting for Him in either of these two conditions. The politician rebukes
the real or supposed misgovernors of his country. The Christian is to "speak evil of no man; to
be no brawler, but gentle." He is not to despise government, or speak evil of dignities, or to bring
against them railing accusations (2 Peter 2:10,11; Jude). He is to "show all meekness unto all
men."

5. To the extent that the Christian is a politician, his heart is engaged with the things of the world.
A new thorn is planted in his breast to choke the good seed and make it unfruitful. A new weight
is hung about his neck to hinder him in his race. He is a soldier of Christ, who, contrary to his
Captain’s will and pleasure, is entangling "himself with the affairs of this life" (2 Tim. 2:3,4). He
has descended to the world’s level, and has drunk into its spirit.

Let me exhort the believer, then, to surrender all interference in politics. Your concern is the
kingdom of God, your city the one to come, your citizenship in heaven. Refrain from the world’s
politics, for Jesus was no politician. Refrain, else you mar your witness to the world that it is evil
and lying under judgment. Are you not a stranger and pilgrim? Then meddle not with that world
which you have left.

The world is ripening for judgment, and all your efforts cannot improve it in God’s sight. Gather
out from its doomed streets as many as you can, but leave the city alone. Lot cannot mend Sodom,
but Sodom can, indeed, will corrupt Lot.

How We Are Delivered

Now we are taught in this chapter that by the death of the Lord Jesus Christ we are delivered from
that bondage to sin wherein we were held. This redemption from slavery is as definite as the
deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. They were under the power of a despot in a
strange land where it was impossible for them to serve God. But the nation was first of all
preserved by blood shedding in the hour of judgment, and then rescued from slavery. Jehovah
brought them miraculously through the Red Sea, and they were able to look back and see the dead
bodies of their oppressors upon the seashore. They thus became Jehovah’s freedmen.

Now the freedmen of grace are those to whom this chapter is addressed. Sin is represented under
the figure of a tyrannical master who carries away the heart and motives in pursuit of passionate
desires, whether purely carnal or mental. Under the rule of sin these desires or delights are
characterized by an absence of regard for the will of God in the matter. The delight may be in
poetry or philosophy or pure science, but the natural heart only finds satisfaction in these things
so far as the will of God is excluded from consideration. But the apostle declares that the believer
is delivered by death from this order of things. He argues, "How shall we that are dead to sin, live
any longer therein?" (verse 2).

Death With Christ

It is important to observe that there is here no injunction to put oneself to death. The fact is
announced that the members of the family of faith have died to sin. This is a judicial
pronouncement with regard to the whole question. And we learn that the act whereby we become
dead to sin was perfected in the death of Christ.

The apprehension of this fact is a matter of faith in the declaration of the Word of God. It could
not be otherwise. Just as we learn that God laid our sins upon Jesus our Substitute, and believing,
we rejoice in the knowledge of this mercy, so it is necessary to believe in order to know that we
were associated with Christ in His death for our deliverance from sin. The apostle says, "Know
ye not that so many of us as were baptized unto Jesus Christ were baptized unto His death (verse
3).

Burial With Christ

In these terms a judicial association with Christ is predicated of all believers. We are regarded as
having gone down with Him into death, leaving thus the place of bondage to emerge into the place
of life and liberty. For this identification applies to the burial as well as to the death of Christ:
"Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death:that, like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (verse 4).

An illustration of this passage of the believer through death may be found in the Old Testament.
I refer now to the crossing of the Jordan by the children of Israel. The general analogy of this

historical incident is no doubt more with the aspect of truth revealed in Colossians and Ephesians
than with that in Romans; but I make the reference now solely to the manner in which the tribes
passed the barrier to their goal.

By divine direction the ark of God was borne to the edge of the swiftly flowing river, and when
the feet of the priests touched the waters, the current stayed. The priests went forward, bearing
the ark, until they stood in the midst of the river bed. There they remained upon dry ground, and
the Israelites were enabled to make their way across the stream upon dry ground. The ark
maintained its position until the last person had crossed over, then upon its removal the waters
resumed their normal course.

Thus, the supernatural power associated with the ark prevented the floods of Jordan from
overwhelming the people of God. So we learn in the New Testament that Christ Himself went
down into death, and while we went through it with Him, He as it were held back its waters from
us, and we passed through "dry-shod" with Him. He died and rose again in the power of an
endless life, and because of our intimate association with Christ we are now called to walk in
"newness of life."

What are we to understand by these things? The facts are here stated in order that we may see how
to gain the victory and how to live and walk in communion with the Lord after a new fashion of
holiness. This result is not to be attained by any personal determination to overcome all the inward
and outward forces which oppose holiness. The divine method is not to do, but to accept what has
been done for us_not to conquer self by pure effort, but to live in the new, the Christ-life
bestowed upon each believer.

The Old Man Crucified

We find from this scripture that the believer is taught to find that in the death of the Lord Jesus
Christ there is for him not only deliverance from the guilt of sins but also deliverance from the
power of sin. We died with Christ, but are also alive again, even as He is. We have passed
through what is here regarded as the judicial extinction of ourselves as sinful persons with
irremediably sinful natures. The apostle, speaking of the child of God in his natural condition,
declares that the "old man" was crucified with Christ:"Knowing this, that our old man was
crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve
sin" (verse 6). There are many forms of death, but crucifixion is a form associated with shame
and ignominy, and under the Mosaic law with curse. And the "old man" because of its evil
propensities was, in the language of the text, worthy not only of death but of the death of the
cross. It was man’s injustice and malignity that assigned the Son of man to the death of
crucifixion, but it was the justice and grace of God that sentenced our "old man" to be crucified
with Christ. The purpose of this judicial act is declared to have been that the body of sin might
be destroyed or annulled.

But it may be asked how this deliverance is effected. And nothing can be added to the words of
this text. The illustration employed is a most forcible one. What can be a more complete
deliverance from slavery than death? If an Israelite died in Egypt he was thereby most effectually

delivered from bondage to Pharaoh. The whip of the taskmaster at once became unavailing. In like
manner the believer is rescued from his slavish service to sin by death. Only he has, unlike the
Israelite, died unto sin in the person of Another. He is, moreover, alive to a new order of things
entirely.

It follows therefore that the attempt to eradicate the evil principle of sin by pure self-discipline is
a virtual denial of the truth before us which asserts that the believer has already died to sin in the
death of Christ. Much confusion sometimes arises in this connection from not observing that the
Scripture does not say that sin is dead, but that we are dead to it. The two statements are totally
different. Some finding evil rampant in inward activity argue from this fact against the plain
declaration of God’s Word. But the latter can never be wrong. The Word of God is truth, and no
lie is of the truth.

A believer is bound to believe that we died with Christ, and moreover that we also "live with
Him," and that we live to God. Further, by His death we are freed from bondage to sin, for
according to Scripture this is an accomplished fact.

(Note:This subject will be continued in the next issue, Lord willing, with a discussion of our
reckoning ourselves dead unto sin and alive unto God.)

The verses which I have now read in Romans 6 give us instruction with regard to our manner of
life as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. It will at once be noticed that this instruction is not set
out in the form of a detailed code which we are required to observe. There is no list here
specifying the various conditions of our conduct. Indeed we shall look in vain in the New
Testament for such particulars.

This feature of the New Testament is in contrast with the Old Testament where we find the duties
of life specified perfectly and precisely; the Jew could with comparatively little difficulty discover
what religious ordinances he was required to observe. But for believers today, the will of God is
expressed differently. The duties of a believer are not now furnished to him in definitely
prescribed formulas. In other words, he is not, like the Israelite in regard to his sacrifices,
commanded to do this in the morning, that in the afternoon, and something else in the evening.

The followers of Christ are now provided with principles of action in lieu of precise rules. These
principles enter more deeply into the marrow of our lives than the Mosaic regime did. They are
matters of consideration for the heart and for the conscience, and they make it necessary that we
should pay careful heed to our ways if we desire, as we surely ought to do, to comport ourselves
in a manner well-pleasing to God.

Indwelling Sin

Here in this sixth chapter of Romans we have one particular principle with regard to the life of
the believer and with regard to that part of the sincere believer which sooner or later causes him
serious anxiety by its undesirable activity. The fact which underlies this portion of the epistle is
the continuous presence of sin within the believer. It is but a foolish dream which supposes that
the child of God may in this world arrive at a state of "no sin." It is merely a baseless notion to
imagine that there are some persons who live in this world as if they were in heaven, and who are
altogether unaffected by any evil influences from without or from within. Any persons who
assume to be in such a condition of perfection grossly deceive themselves (1 John 1:8-10).

The subject of this chapter therefore comprehends a great practical question, and one which for
its vital importance should be fully faced. The apostle brings forward the evil principle of sin
within the believer under the figure of a tyrant who seeks to exercise supreme control over the
person in antagonism to righteousness and divine holiness. Alongside the description of the
tendencies of this opposing power, the truth of the mastership and authority of God is developed.

For help in the exposition of this section we may conveniently entitle this chapter, "The Two
Masters," just as a suitable title for the latter part of the previous chapter would be, "The Two
Heads." There we have set out, in the way of contrast, that which, as to origin, is Christ’s and
also that which is Adam’s. From our first parents we derive our sinful nature as an inalienable
inheritance. This is the first family, the family of human nature; but there is another family, of
which Christ is the head; and as a matter of actual experience the honest and enlightened believer
discovers that in spite of his new position in the second family, sin itself as an active force is still

present within him.

Sin and Sins

In the former part of this epistle (Rom. 1-5:11) the effects of sin in debasing the human family and
the divine means of justification for the guilty are described in great detail. This portion deals with
sinful deeds, overt actions, the specific acts which are offensive before a holy God; and from such
offenses none are exempt. But peace with God is shown to be the possession of the believer since
the Lord Jesus Christ has secured justification for those who believe God_those who "believe on
Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was
raised again for our justification" (4:24,25).

But in the sixth chapter the subject of offenses, the evil things done, is not treated, but rather the
question of how these things arise in the history and experience of the child of God. Why are there
evil tendencies present in the heart of an earnest Christian? How is it that sin springs up contrary
to desire within such a person?

That such distressing anomalies do occur is the practical experience of every person who follows
Christ, devotedly follows Him perhaps through persecution and tribulation. In spite of our sorrow
that such things should arise, and of our earnest desire to be preserved therefrom, evil obtrudes
itself even into our most solemn occupations. We find that unholy thoughts spring up, uninvited
and unwelcome, apart from any conscious influence around us. They arise from within, from
indwelling sin.

How strange this condition of things appears in a person who has tasted of the grace of God and
who is persuaded that Christ died for his sins, and who has confessed His name before the world!
Many Christians are confronted with this difficulty in their own experience to their own
consternation and grief. Often the person fails to find a satisfactory solution to this problem. He
seeks perhaps an explanation in the literature and philosophies of the world, or in the wisdom and
experience of his friends, but he is unable to discover any clue to the mystery why he finds
himself perpetually doing what he hates to do.

It seems only natural and right to assume that if a person loves the Lord, he will also love to do
His will. And in seeking to do that will, if he does not at first succeed, he will by perseverance
improve on the second and third attempts, and so eventually overcome the susceptibilities of his
heart to evil.

But such is not the experience of those who are faithful before Him who searches the hearts, as
to the results of their efforts at self-conquest. The light of God manifests themselves to themselves.
Even in their prayers and in their praises the inward evil intrudes. Some thereupon resort to stern
measures to eradicate these unholy tendencies; they seek to choke them, to overcome them, to live
them down. But in this self-imposed contest with the sinful nature they find themselves defeated
again and again.

Such struggles with self therefore will in practice prove to be in vain. If there should seem

sometimes to be a victory it is only a momentary one. The root of sin has not been exterminated
nor even weakened. And all efforts to destroy it by fasting or by rigorous torture of the body also
fail. Seclusion within four walls and regular series of protracted devotional exercises are likewise
ineffectual to expel the inward evil.

Indifference to Sin

Such an experience of failure, sometimes, when the doctrine of Scripture on this subject is
ignored, leads to a reaction_to a dangerous acquiescence in this state of things as if it were both
inevitable and unavoidable. It is then assumed that the presence and activity of sin is not to be
regarded as a serious matter. A man argues thus:"If I cannot rid myself of the sin within me, it
cannot be helped and I need not be anxious. God is gracious; His love is infinite; the sacrifice of
Christ is efficacious for all things; my conduct as a believer is not a subject of grave concern;
everything will be righted in the end."

Now this epistle utterly condemns such a spirit of license, and at the same time affords the real
solution of this practical problem of Christian life. Here it is declared that where sin abounded so
profusely there grace exceeded in abundance:"Where sin abounded there did grace much more
abound, that even as sin reigned unto death, even so grace reigned through righteousness unto
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." So that inasmuch as sin overwhelms man in direst
disaster, grace more than meets this condition of abject servitude, since it exceeds all the sum of
evil in the whole world. We are to believe therefore that God’s grace is superior to all sinful
influences that assail the believer, and must therefore lead to triumph. Only the practical victory
may not be gained except by warfare on lines approved by Scripture.

The fact, however, is made clear that this eventual triumph of grace must not be abused to
condone present license. The apostle asks the question:"Shall we continue in sin that grace may
abound? Let it not be. How shall we that are dead to sin continue any longer therein?" (vers. 1,2).
The habitual practice of sin by a believer is an utter denial of the delivering power of God. The
concurrent reign of sin and grace is incompatible with the divine nature. And the fact that a man
cannot deliver himself from the power of indwelling sin is no evidence that God will not deliver
him.

The apostle here condemns the evil suggestion that would seek in the abounding grace of God an
excuse for sinful indulgence. Such a thought is unholy, and it is sufficient to state it to expose its
self-condemnation. Can grace reigning through righteousness permit a sinful course to be pursued?
And this evil thought to which we are subject is held up before us that we may see how wretched
and unworthy it is and flee from it.

Self

But it is needful to be aware of the diverse forms of sin; and perhaps no form of it is more
common or more subtle than that of pleasing oneself. Continuing in sin may not necessarily imply
walking in forbidden paths of flagrant unholiness, but simply living for self without any reference
to God and His will.

This subtle character of evil was manifested from the beginning. The first sin was not one that at
first sight appeared loathsome in its nature, as some offenses do. To have eaten of desirable fruit
would not be regarded as an abominable crime, if judged from a human code of ethics. But Eve
consulted her own interest or inclination or pleasure, in complete disregard and even defiance of
God’s express prohibition. In short, she pleased herself. And such a selfish motive is the essence
of sin. The description of the sinless Man is that He pleased not Himself (Rom. 15:3). And the
believer is called to imitate the life not of the first but of the Second Man, by living not for self
but for the praise and glory of God.

(Note:This subject will be continued in the next issue, Lord willing, with a discussion of how we
are delivered, and of our death and burial with Christ.)

We are not to please ourselves, but each one of us is to "please his neighbor for his good to
edification" (Rom. 15:2). To apply this principle in our practical relations with one another would
greatly help us. Sometimes the assurance that we are right makes us hard, and on that line we may
get altogether away from the spirit of grace, and be really pleasing ourselves.

Hence it is important to give heed to this touching reference to Christ:"For even Christ pleased
not Himself." An allusion to what Christ was personally is always very appealing to those who
love Him. He surely moved in perfect liberty, and if He had pleased Himself it would always have
been to do what was absolutely right. If ever any one was entitled to please himself it was He. But
He did not live on that principle. There is nothing more marvelous than that He should say, "For
I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him that sent Me" (John
6:38). His own will would have been absolutely right and perfect, but He did not come on the
principle of doing His own will at all. We sometimes justify our own will because we feel sure
that we will what is right; but Christ was not here on the line of His will at all, but to do the will
of the Father. Then, in the scripture before us, He "pleased not Himself." Are we really in that
spirit in our relations with the brethren? Alas! God’s portion is largely diminished by the lack of
it. Everything that comes up tests our spirits. We sometimes think we are standing for doctrines
or divine principles, when the truth is that we are being tested as to the spirit we are of. The spirit
and inwardness of Christ was not to do His own will, or to please Himself. It is marvelous_and
truly humbling_to consider Him!

"Christ pleased not Himself." He was here to represent God to men so faithfully that all that men
had to say against God fell on Him. "The reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell on Me."
He would be before men identified with all that God was, and bear the reproach of it. The
reproach that lay on God in the eye of the Jew was His grace. In Luke 4 they "wondered at the
gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth"; but when He showed divine grace in concrete
expression in the blessing of a Sidonian widow or a Syrian leper they took Him to the top of the
hill to cast Him down. The reproach which attached to Him was that He expressed God in grace;
He made nothing of the self-righteous pretensions of men; He was a Friend of publicans and
sinners. He did not please Himself; He expressed God in grace, and He bore reproach. Such is
to be the path of the saint! We are to be identified with the principles on which God is moving in
grace; they are to characterize us in all our relations with our brethren. This would secure happy
relations between all the saints, even if they have different measures of light and faith, and there
would be no hindrance to our "with one mind and one mouth" glorifying "God, even the Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 15:6). I think there is an intimation in this of saints being
together as in assembly. The assembly is not formally mentioned; we must go to 1 Corinthians for
that; but for saints with one accord and one mouth to glorify God is an assembly character of
things. The mutual relations of the saints, and the attitude of their spirits one toward another, are
to be so adjusted according to the spirit of Christ that there is nothing to hinder their united praise
to God. It all has in view, not merely the peace and unity of the brethren, but what God will get
in their united service of praise.

(From An Outline of the Epistle to the Romans.)

One thing impressed my own mind most peculiarly when the Lord was first opening my eyes_I
never found Christ doing a single thing for Himself. Here is an immense principle! There was not
one act in all Christ’s life done to serve or to please Himself. An unbroken stream of blessed,
perfect, unfailing love flowed from Him, no matter what the contradiction of sinners_one
amazing and unwavering testimony of love and sympathy and help; but it was ever others, and not
Himself, that were comforted. Now the world’s whole principle is self, doing well for itself (Psa.
49:18). Men know that it is upon the energy of selfishness they have to depend. Every one that
knows anything at all of the world knows this. Without it the world could not go on. What is the
world’s honor? Self. What its wealth? Self. What is advancement in the world? Self. They are but
so many forms of the same thing; the principle that animates the individual man in each is the
spirit of self-seeking. The business of the world is the seeking of self, and the pleasures of the
world are selfish pleasures. They are troublesome pleasures too, for we cannot escape from a
world where God has said, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the
ground." Toil for self is irksome; but suppose a man finds out at length that the busy seeking of
self is trouble and weariness, and having procured the means of living without it, gives it up; what
then? He just adopts another form of the same spirit of self, and turns to selfish ease.

I am not now speaking of vice and gross sin (of course every one will allow that to be opposite
to the spirit of Christ), but of the whole course of the world. Take the world’s decent moral man:
is he an "epistle of Christ"? Is there in him a single motive like Christ’s? He may do the same
things; he may be a carpenter as Christ was (Mark 6:3); but he has not one thought in common
with Christ. As to the outside the world goes on with its religion and its philanthropy; it does
good, builds its hospitals, feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, and the like; but its inward springs
of action are not Christ’s. Every motive that governed Christ all the way along is not that which
governs men; and the motives which keep the world going are not those which were found in
Christ at all.

(From Collected Writings, Vol. 12.)

While the word "temperance" sometimes conveys the thought of moderation and abstinence from
drinking alcoholic beverages, the Scriptural thought goes far beyond this. The word in the Greek
literally means "self-control" and covers all aspects of our daily lives. The apostle Paul uses this
word in 1 Cor. 7:8,9:"I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they
abide even as I. But if they cannot contain [or do not have self-control], let them marry; for it is
better to marry than to burn." In the same epistle the word is used also in the context of training
for an athletic contest:"Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate [or controls himself]
in all things" (1 Cor. 9:25). The lack of self-control is a characteristic of the last days:"Men shall
be … without natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent [or without self-
control], fierce, despisers of those that are good" (2 Tim. 3:1-3).

To have self-control means that we are not slaves to any habit_whether it be drugs, alcohol,
tobacco, excessive eating, or whatever. The person who is not temperate has cravings for certain
natural pleasures; and he either continually yields to these cravings, or else, if deprived of the
pleasures, becomes edgy or grouchy. While we might tend to think particularly of alcohol,
tobacco, and other naturally addicting substances in this regard, there are other things, not
physiologically addicting, for which people, including Christians who are not controlled by the
Holy Spirit, may develop cravings. These may include such things as chocolates or other sweets,
coffee, watching television, listening to the ball game, playing games, reading unprofitable books,
or simply desiring relaxation.

Many of us may have problems with regard to pushing ourselves away from the table on which
is often spread enough food for twice the number of people present. Do I desire to use my body
for the Lord, realizing it is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Then I should not want to do anything
to my body which will tend to degrade my health or to reduce my mental alertness. Perhaps a
common example of lack of self-control is found in our partaking of the traditionally large Sunday
noon dinner, and then_because we have eaten more than is prudent_spending the afternoon
sleeping it off. Thus, precious hours which could have been used in service for the Lord,
discussion of the Scriptures, or prayer and meditation are lost forever.

Do we know what it is to be on the heavenly race course? (Phil. 3:10-14; Heb. 12:1,2). This is
the course in which we lay hold of heavenly blessings and possessions, and gain more intimate
knowledge of Christ Himself. We will come to know very little of these things apart from self-
discipline and self-control_the ability to say an emphatic "NO" to the natural desires of the flesh.

Perhaps the largest problem with respect to self-control in the Christian’s life has to do not so
much with fleshly appetites but with the control of that "little member"_the tongue. Listen to
what the Scriptures say about it:"In many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word,
the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the
horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships,
which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a
very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and
boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire,

a world of iniquity; so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and
setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of
birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind; but
the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:2-8).

Do we have problems with things "popping out" which we later regret_sarcastic words, jesting
or foolishness, arguing, striving about inconsequential matters, backbiting, telling tales about
others, and the like? God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can give us control over this
member as well as over our fleshly appetites. But in order for this to happen, we must recognize
it as sin and must confess, repent, and ask God for strength to say "NO" whenever such thoughts
pop into our heads. If we diligently judge ourselves with regard to each outbreak of this "tongue-
disease," soon it will become a habit to think twice before saying anything. Eventually we should
learn to accompany each conversation with prayer for wisdom and God’s direction in what we
say. We may more quickly learn to do this when speaking to an unsaved soul about the way of
salvation or when seeking to counsel a fellow Christian who is seeking help. But let us, through
diligent, rigorous training, learn to make it a habit to pray with regard to every word we speak in
every situation. This includes the words we speak in our homes_to our wives, husbands, parents,
and children_as much as to anyone. Thus will the fruit of self-control with regard to our tongues
soon become manifest to all, and our words will become a sweet savor to God.

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord,
my strength, and my redeemer" (Psalm 19:14).

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that
is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith" (Heb. 12:1,2).

These verses connect closely with the previous chapter. The great cloud of witnesses are those
spoken of there:witnesses, not in the sense of being spectators (though in a certain sense we are
running our race under the eyes of all who have gone before), but the record of their lives bearing
witness to the truth and reality of all that God has promised and of His sustaining grace in the
midst of every circumstance. The effect of this upon us should be to stimulate us to run in the
same path. The apostle here, as in Philippians, uses the familiar illustration of the racecourse; only
here he dwells more particularly upon what would hinder the saints.

We are to lay aside first the weights, and then the sin which so easily besets us. The weight is not
necessarily a sin in itself, but that which hinders one in making progress. We often hear, alas, the
question:What is the harm or the sin in my doing this or that thing; engaging in this business, or
indulging in that pleasure? The question is answered here. Is the thing a weight, or is it a wing?
Is it that which speeds you on your course or does it hold you back? If it is a weight, it will lead
inevitably to that which follows after.

Here Lot gives us a sad example. Morally speaking, Lot was separate from the wickedness by
which he was surrounded; he vexed his righteous soul about it. But his business interests, the
facilities for heaping up wealth, outweighed his pilgrim desire. What do you find as a result?
Follow him a little further, and see him in that mountain cave all tarnished with unspeakable sin
and corruption. There you see the sin which easily besets those who are held down by weights.

If a child of God is to be a racer, he has to lay aside what will hinder him in his race. Suppose a
man has a real desire to run a race and one should offer him an attractive garment to put on, or
something pleasant to eat or drink as he was about to start, or a bag of gold to carry with him. If
he desires to win the race, everything of that sort will be laid aside_not because it is inherently
evil, but because it is injurious to him as a racer.

These weights are not necessarily external:they are first of all in the heart. We all have our duties
in this Me to fulfill, yet these are never weights. But the moment a thing gets a place in my heart
and mind which is not in God’s mind for me, it becomes a weight, no matter what it is; and the
effect is soon manifest.

To illustrate further from Israel’s history, in the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the people
of what Amalek did to them when they came out of Egypt. The host was being led forward by the
pillar of cloud and of fire. But there were some who lagged behind; they were the stragglers, the
camp followers_doubtless some of that mixture that had come out of Egypt. Amalek fell upon
the rear-such attacks are always upon the rear_involving the whole of the children of Israel in a
conflict which would have been unnecessary had all been pressing forward diligently.

This is an important spiritual lesson. Our heavenly Guide is leading us on. If, as the apostle says,
we are "forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are
before, [we] press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling" (Phil. 3:13,14), Amalek (the
lusts of the flesh) will not overtake us. We may struggle against fleshly lusts; we may conquer,
by the grace of God through Christ’s intercession; but why should there be such a conflict? Does
not the very fact of such conflict point unmistakably to the fact that we are lingering behind?

There is also a conflict in front, but it is not with the flesh and its lusts, dragging us back to Egypt.
The enemy in front is the spiritual wickedness in heavenly places who would hinder us from
entering fully into our inheritance. To fight that enemy is the mark of genuine spiritual growth _a
very different thing from struggling with the lusts of the flesh which war against the soul. The
apostle Peter says, "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims" (that is, those who
are running this race), abstain from those things which are behind_fleshly lusts which assail you
if you linger. If your eye and heart are in the world, if you linger there, the first thing you know
you are engaged in a rear conflict that brings nothing to your credit.

The sin "easily" besets us. Let us never forget that, nor think for a moment that we can get in a
position in which sin will not be natural to the flesh, or where we do not need to be on our guard.
Sin is as natural to the flesh as it is for an animal to breathe. And the moment the eye is taken off
Christ, you have the certainty of the sin besetting you. It follows after, and we can only run away
from it by pressing on in the race. Then you will distance fleshly lusts like wolves in the distance;
as you speed on your way the shouts grow fainter, with less likelihood of your being overtaken.

We are to run this race with patience, or endurance. The Galatians began to run well. Their faith
was so bright, it was as though everything was enacted before their eyes; and their love so fervent
that they would have plucked out their own eyes and given them to the apostle. But look how they
began to falter. Questions came in as to the law-teachers subverted them from the gospel of
Christ_and those who were running so well were hindered. It is not enough that we have run up
to the present time; until we reach the goal we are to press on. Where Christ is, is our goal; and
until we are there with Him, we will never have finished our race.

It is an appointed race. Every step of this course has been marked out for us. We know not how
long it is, but God knows every step that each of us has to take. It is one race that all the people
of God have to run_from the cross up to the glory. You begin at the cross when, as a poor sinner
with nothing in your hands but your sin, you come to Christ. The goal is where He is, at the right
hand of God.

Those are the general marks of the racecourse, but each of us has a specially appointed race
answering to his life down here. Some of us live longer, some a short length of time. Some have
passed through outward persecution, others have had very little of that; whatever the course may
be, it is the race set before us. Our blessed Lord has gone the whole way before us; He has
marked out the appointed course for His people. We are never called upon to take a single step
where we do not find His footprints ahead of us to show us the way.

Thus in running the race set before us, it is ‘looking unto Jesus" (or rather, looking off unto

Him_for that is the force of the word). It is looking off first from the weights and the sin, on to
Jesus; for that which gives power to discard the weights is to catch the eye of the One on high.
We will then drop everything that is not consistent with the perfect will of that blessed Master.

But there is more even than that, I think. We have had a whole chapter of witnesses, from Abel
onward. We can look at them and thank God for them; but in the race we are to look away even
from them. We are not to be entirely occupied by any of the examples of faith, whether past or
present, but to look off from them all unto Him who is the Leader and the Perfecter of faith.

(From Lectures on the Epistle to the Hebrews.)

We are truly thankful for the awakening that appears in many quarters concerning the subject of
repentance and faith and we hope this will produce fruitful and glorious results for eternity. We
have suffered great loss, we are persuaded, because there has been lack of wisdom and exercise
in giving repentance its right place; and the wonder now is that so many of us have in measure
neglected it, when the Word of truth gives it so prominent a place, and leaves us in no uncertainty
as to the order of proclaiming it.

Whether in the past or present dispensations (before law, under law, or now under grace), ever
since the fall of man (Gen. 3), men have become a prey to sin. All like sheep have followed their
own way, but God’s call has been loud and long to men on every hand. The light of His Word,
wherever it penetrates, leads distinctly, and with no uncertain sound it cries, "Repent, repent!"
This was the voice of the Spirit in the prophets of old; it was the special mission of John the
Baptist; and when the Saviour Himself appeared, His call to men was, "Repent ye, and believe
the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Later on when He sent out the twelve, they went out and preached that
men should repent (Mark 6:12); and His answer to those who spoke to Him concerning the
dreadful end of the Galileans was, "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:1-5).

Now let us note the order in which the Holy Spirit presents that truth to us. "Repent ye, and
believe the gospel" was the divine order in which the Lord Himself presented it; and if Scripture
is closely followed, this is the divine order always. At the beginning of this subject let us state,
however, that repentance is not the gospel. We need to distinguish with care, yet not separate, the
two themes. We truly believe that this is where mistakes have been made; the deep, searching,
penetrating effect of the Word of God has been hindered and clouded by not rightly understanding
and giving repentance its true place in preaching.

The message of repentance is the loud and faithful call of a righteous God to His disobedient and
sinful creatures _responsible creatures. He has entrusted the preaching of it to the evangelist as
he goes forth among the masses of mankind. It is a message sent to sinners:"I am not come to call
the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Matt. 9:13). This is where God’s work begins in souls;
just as the plow prepares the ground for the seed, it is the breakdown of the sinner which prepares
the heart and the conscience to receive the gospel. The same hand that holds the plow also sows
the precious seed which produces new life with its golden harvest. The plow and the seed basket
are not one and the same thing. They are to be rightly distinguished, but not separated. To use one
without the other would be fatal; there would be no harvest. The plowman keeps the sowing in
view; the sower, the harvest.

As is God’s order in nature, so, we believe, is also His order in spiritual things. Repentance
comes first; in order that the work be solid and abiding, and that souls be not deceived or led into
too free a way of confessing Christ, the conscience must be plowed. We have often heard the
expression, "I believe in the Lord," and with yet no apparent conscience about sin. Of this danger
we would be warned, and seek also to warn others. We would warn everyone who preaches the
Word, as well as Sunday school teachers and parents:Look for exercise of heart and conscience
in every case of professed conversion, because it is written, "God . . . commandeth all men

everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30).

Repentance, let us repeat, is the work of the Holy Spirit in sinners. It may be deeper with some
than with others; it will grow deeper in all as they go on with God. But let us not accept a
profession of salvation as genuine apart from manifest repentance.

But what is repentance? We have already quoted from the words of the Lord Himself that it is
sinners who are called to it, hence it is a work of the Spirit of God with sinners. It is the
breakdown of the responsible man before God, and the confession of what he is, as very strikingly
illustrated in the case of the publican in the temple (Luke 18:13). When man is brought into God’s
presence by the Spirit of God, and gets a right view of himself and his sins, there will be
conviction, and confession too_the soul gives in and is conquered. This is repentance; and now
is seen the great struggle with the enemy of souls who ever seeks to hinder men from it. It is the
time when the preacher needs to be especially alive, needs to be of a specially prayerful spirit.
When the cry is heard, "I have sinned," the answer is readily given, "Deliver him from going
down to the pit; I have found a ransom" (Job 33:24). New birth now introduces the soul into a
new relationship with God; the man is no more a sinner, but a child of God; forgiveness of sins
and salvation are his. God, who is sovereign in all His works, may use various means to produce
this_to reach the conscience and heart of man_but whatever means He uses, all can be said to
be His goodness, for it is "the goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance." It may be an
earnest warning of the judgment to come, an appeal as from God’s love, the holding up of the
cross and the work wrought there by the Son of God, the second coming of the Lord, or any other
part of the truth, to subdue man’s spirit. Whatever it may be, the Spirit uses it as He wills, but all
to get at the heart and conscience of man, and lead him to repentance.

The soul is thus made ready for the good seed of the gospel; and when this gospel message is
received by faith into the heart, life_new life_and salvation follow. Hence the Scripture order
is repentance first, and remission of sins second (Luke 24:47); repentance and conversion (Acts
3:19); repentance unto life (Acts 11:18); repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord
Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21); and repentance to salvation (2 Cor. 7:10). Repentance is a divine work,
and must not be confounded with divine life. Repentance is connected with the conviction of sin,
divine life with new birth. One is the closing up of the old life and history; the other, the
beginning of the new.

Oh that we were everywhere alive to the necessity of such work as this! A servant of Christ
remarked sometime ago, after this truth of repentance had been preached, "I see my mistake. I
have preached the gospel, but it has been like sowing seed upon the unbroken soil of the prairie.
I have not been using the plow, and there has been no breaking up_hence no fruit." Let these
words carry weight. Let us, in all our service, be definite and more decided in our appeals to men.
Let us yearn over sinners, plead with them, and warn them. Let the compassions of Christ fill our
hearts. Let His tears run from our eyes, His love constrain us, and remember in this earnest work
that preaching is not teaching, nor mere expositions of Scripture, but, with the Scriptures in hand,
a heart-to-heart contact with men. When souls are broken down it is an easy matter to unfold the
gospel; the heart is ready then, the soil is prepared, and the precious seed of the gospel has but
to be sown to produce readily new birth and new life.

There may be many Christians who believe that the proper sphere for evangelism_the
proclamation of the good news of God’s grace to sinners_is in the church pulpit, on the street
corner, in the hospitals, prisons, and rescue missions, and in faraway lands. But I wish to draw
our attention to, and have us consider prayerfully, the place evangelism should have in our homes.
Surely the home has for centuries been the sphere where Christian parents have faithfully
presented the gospel to their own children. But what beyond that? Let us consider a number of
aspects of evangelism in the home.

Neighborhood Children

If there are school-age children in the household, almost certainly there will be friends of the
children over to play from time to time. Let us always have a supply of children’s gospel tracts
and recent Sunday school papers on hand for the visiting children to take home with them.

And how about having friends over to spend the night? Some may regard this as a
nuisance_something done only to please our children. But we can turn such occasions into
wonderful opportunities to present the gospel to these neighbor children. This can be done in a
very natural way, provided the family is in the habit of getting together after supper for Bible
reading, singing, and prayer. It might be appropriate to read a special chapter that night, one like
Luke 15, John 3 or 4, Acts 16, etc. from which a clear gospel message can be brought out.

But what; if the family is not in such a habit of spending time together with the Lord each day?
The solution is straightforward, though not necessarily easy if there has been long neglect of this
vitally important family activity:Father and mother should confess to God and to their family their
past failure, and then ask God for the strength and purpose of heart to begin and maintain a
schedule of daily Bible reading and prayer with the family.

As a further suggestion for using the home as a center for evangelism, every Christian family
should earnestly seek God’s guidance and will concerning the possibility of having the
neighborhood children over regularly_say, once a week after school_for a Bible class. If this is
God’s will for you, He will open up the way for the children to come.

Adult Acquaintances

We may often have occasion to have our neighbors, friends, co-workers, and relatives over for
dinner. Is our purpose in this simply to enjoy the company of the guests, or to fulfill social
obligations? Or do we, having in mind the shortness of time (1 Cor. 7:29, Eph. 5:16), view each
occasion as a potential opportunity to present the gospel? Again, with the habit of a daily family
Bible reading there is a natural means of getting into the Word and the gospel. Some guests will
not appreciate it, but others will, surprisingly, be quite open to discussing the Bible. Let us always
remember to prepare the way for such occasions with much prayer that the Holy Spirit will work
conviction and a positive response to the gospel in the hearts of the guests.

Difficulties

A major difficulty of home evangelism is that in the setting of the home people see us as we really
are. And very often what they see is a picture not at all unlike themselves. We may claim to be
saved, to have eternal life and peace with God, and to be living for the world to come. But the
appearance that comes through to others is that we have the same interests (that is, enjoy the same
games and sports, listen to the same music, go to the same concerts, read the same magazines,
watch the same television shows, etc.); we are just as irritable and impatient when things do not
go quite right; we complain just as much about the inequities in the world and about our lot in Me
in general; we engage in as much jesting and frivolity; and we seem to be as conscious of status
symbols as they. So when we come along and tell them that we are saved and that God has
changed our lives, they will not understand a thing we tell them about the way of salvation because
our way of life_except perhaps for reading the Bible and going to church more
frequently_appears to be no different from theirs.

All this is not to suggest that we should put on a false front in order to win others to Christ. Nor
does it mean that we should make a great attempt to be different from our neighbor, just for the
sake of being different. Rather, we should seek to make sure that we are truly growing, maturing
Christians who are, more and more, gaining the victory over the old nature, and finding that the
pleasures and activities of the world which we formerly enjoyed are losing their attractiveness as
we become more heavenly-minded (Col. 3:1,2) and as our lives become more Christ-centered.
As we thus grow and mature spiritually, the change in our language, our habits, our attitudes, and
our interests will become increasingly apparent to those about us. "When I was a child, I spake
as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away
childish things" (1 Cor. 13:11).

God grant that we may have a greater concern for the souls about us who are on the broad way
to destruction (Matt. 7:13), and that we may seek to use our homes more as centers for evangelism
in our neighborhoods.

"To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you" (2 Cor. 10:16). These words, while they set
forth the largeheartedness of the self-denying and devoted apostle, do also furnish a fine model
for the evangelist in every age. The gospel is a traveler, and the preacher of the gospel must be
a traveler likewise. The divinely-qualified and divinely-sent evangelist will fix his eye upon "the
world." From house to house, from street to street, from city to city, from province to province,
from kingdom to kingdom, from continent to continent, from pole to pole_such is the range of
the "good news" and the publisher thereof. "The regions beyond" must ever be the grand gospel
motto. No sooner has the gospel lamp cast its cheering beams over a district than the bearer of that
lamp must think of the regions beyond. Thus the work goes on. Thus the mighty tide of grace
rolls, in enlightening and saving power, over a dark world which lies in "the valley of the shadow
of death."

Christian reader, are you thinking of "the regions beyond you"? This expression may, in your
case, mean the next house, the next street, the next village, the next city, the next country, or the
next continent. The application is for your own heart to ponder. Now I am not saying that you
should abandon your present post, at least not until you are fully persuaded that your work at the
post is done. But remember, the gospel plow should never stand still. "Onward? is the motto of
every true evangelist. Let the shepherds abide by the flocks; but let the evangelists go here and
there to gather the sheep. This is the design of the gospel. This should be the object of the
evangelist as he sighs after "the regions beyond." When Caesar beheld, from the coast of Gaul,
the white cliffs of Britain, he earnestly longed to carry his arms there. The evangelist, on the other
hand, as he casts his eye over the map of the world, longs to carry the gospel of peace into regions
which have heretofore been wrapped in midnight gloom, covered with the dark mantle of
superstition, or blasted beneath the withering influences of "a form of godliness without the
power."

It would be a profitable question for many of us to put to ourselves, how far are we discharging
our holy responsibilities to "the regions beyond." I believe the Christian who is not cultivating and
manifesting an evangelistic spirit is in a truly deplorable condition. I believe, too, that the
assembly which is not cultivating and manifesting an evangelistic spirit is in a dead state. One of
the truest marks of spiritual growth and prosperity, whether in an individual or in an assembly,
is earnest anxiety after the conversion of souls. It is hard to believe that "the word of Christ" is
"dwelling richly" in any one who is not making some effort to impart that word to his fellow-
sinners. It matters not what may be the amount of the effort; it may be to drop a few words in the
ear of a friend, to give a tract, to pen a note, to breathe a prayer. But one thing is certain, namely,
that a healthy, vigorous Christian will be an evangelistic Christian_a teller of good news_one
whose sympathies, desires, and energies are ever going forth toward "the regions beyond." "I
must preach the gospel to other cities also, for therefore am I sent." Such was the language of the
true Evangelist.

It is very doubtful whether many of the servants of Christ have not erred in allowing themselves,
through one influence or another, to become too much localized_too much tied in one place.
They have dropped into routine work_into a round of stated preaching in the same place_ and,

in many cases, have paralyzed themselves and paralyzed their hearers also. I speak not now of the
labors of the pastor, the elder, or the teacher which must, of course, be carried on in the midst
of those who are the proper subjects of such labors. I refer more particularly to the evangelist.
Such an one should never allow himself to be localized. The world is his sphere; "the regions
beyond," his motto; to gather out God’s elect, his object; the current of the Spirit, his line of
direction. If the reader should be one whom God has called and fitted to be an evangelist, let him
remember these four things_the sphere, the motto, the object, and the line of direction_which
all must adopt if they would prove fruitful laborers in the gospel field.

Finally, whether the reader be an evangelist or not, I would earnestly entreat him to examine how
far he is seeking to further the gospel of Christ. We must not stand idle. Time is short! Eternity
is rapidly approaching! The Master is most worthy! Souls are most precious! The season for work
will soon close! Let us, then, in the name of the Lord, be up and doing. And when we have done
what we can in the regions around, let us carry the precious seed into "the regions beyond."

(From Papers on Evangelization.)

FRAGMENT. A dying saint was heard to lament:"I was always waiting for the time when I
should have leisure to serve the Lord. I have been saved for thirty-five years, but the leisure time
has never come."

"And He gave some . . . evangelists" (Eph. 4:11). The gift of the evangelist is a most precious
one. I know perfectly well it is thought to be simple, and is sometimes looked down upon for that
reason. Still it is remarkable that here, where it is a question of the Lord giving that which is for
the blessing and good of the assembly, evangelists are spoken of, because if you had no
evangelists the assembly would not grow. The evangelist is full of the gospel; and what is the
gospel? It is the revelation of the heart of God, and what can be higher than that? It is the
unfolding of the testimony about His Son, and the object of the evangelist is to bring souls to Him,
and thus, as a consequence, into the assembly. The evangelist is a man who busies himself with
souls. He has a burning love for them and an unquenchable thirst for their salvation. His object
is by all means to win the soul for Christ; yet, mark you, he is, if laboring rightly, working out
from the bosom of the assembly. He is of the assembly. His work, therefore, though in no ways
in, yet goes out from the assembly; thus the soul that is led to Jesus becomes a member of His
Body, and ideally is gathered with other members of the Body. The evangelist should be like a
pair of compasses with one leg fixed and the other sweeping all around as far as it can reach. If
his work is to be successful not only in conversion but really in edifying the body, he must have
a fixed leg; that is, he must remember he is of the assembly, and works out from and returns to
it.

Too many evangelists look upon their work as a sort of guerrilla warfare. They are spiritual
sharpshooters, freelances, delighting in being "unattached." In all such, the will is working. They
are like a man who brings out a lot of stones from a quarry, and having got them out, has no
building to fit them into. You would surely say of all such that they are careless workmen. I ought
to have a definite object before me in preaching the gospel:first, to bring the soul to Christ, and
secondly, to put it into its right niche in God’s assembly on earth.

Now, what should the evangelist do when he gets the soul converted? He should introduce him
to the assembly, though not necessarily bring him into it. Others should do that. It is well to let
others judge of the reality and soundness of God’s work in the soul. They are responsible to do
so. Perhaps you say the evangelist should now teach him. No, the teacher should teach him. I
quite admit that, owing to the ruin of the Church, the evangelist often has to seek to do the
teaching as well, but it is not his work. Owing to the ruin and failure of the Church, practically
speaking, many of the gifted servants of God do not do the part for which they are fitted. The
reason is this. Many of those who possess spiritual gifts are buried under the ruins of
Christendom. Hampered, hindered, and restrained by ecclesiastical systems which prevent the
exercise and development of gift, they are not exercising the gift the Lord has given them. They
have been dislocated from their true functions by the purely human organizations with which
Christendom abounds; in these organizations the free activity of the Holy Spirit in the gifted
members of Christ’s Body is hindered by that which man calls "the ministry," but which, in
principle, is opposed to the direct and plain commandment of God’s Word.

Returning to our main theme, we see how beautiful is the divine order in God’s assembly. First,
the evangelist reaches the soul and brings him to the gateway of the assembly. Then those in the
assembly test him as to the reality and soundness of God’s work in his soul, preparatory to

receiving him. And it cannot be too strongly asserted that it is the assembly as a whole that
receives. Each and all composing it are responsible_not only the laborers or those who may
commend souls that seek admission. When the young convert, judged to be born of God and
indwelt of the Spirit, is admitted, he is to be instructed. Let us beware of keeping souls out of the
assembly until they have as much intelligence as those within. Such a thought is very common,
and some saints have the idea that all such should be kept outside until they have got a certain
amount of intelligence. That shows how little intelligence they possess who would act on such
lines, and how little they really know the mind of the Lord, because, you see, when a child is born
it needs a great deal of nursing, attention, and care. Now the assembly, if walking rightly, is just
the place to find all this, and is the spot to which the new-born soul is rightly led by the evangelist,
in the expectation that there, if anywhere, will be found plenty of nurses glad to foster and help
the infant life given of God. Would that we saw more of this.

(From Another Comforter.)

FRAGMENT
Oh, ye saints, arouse, be earnest;
Up and work, while yet ’tis day,
Ere the night of death o’ertakes you;
Work for Christ while yet you may.

There are very few references to fishing or fishermen in the Old Testament. Presumably fishing
was not an important occupation during this time. It seemed to be rather important in Egypt,
however (Isa. 19:8,10).

In the New Testament we meet at least four full-time fishermen_Peter, Andrew, James, and John.
Perhaps more of the men of Israel had turned to fishing at this time because foreign invaders had
taken over much of the good farming land.

We are all familiar with the Lord Jesus’ command to these fishermen which focuses our thoughts
on the concept of spiritual fishing:"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matt. 4:19).
Spiritual fishermen are evidently evangelists who draw men and women out of the deep waters
of sin and introduce them to the Saviour.

Are there qualities needed by literal fishermen which are also needed by spiritual fishermen or
evangelists? One quality needed by both is patience. Peter alluded to this when he said, "Master,
we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing" (Luke 5:5). A literal fisherman must often
work and wait a long time before catching anything. The spiritual fisherman must often spend
much time in prayer and waiting on the Lord before he sees results in his ministry. People cannot
be rushed into making the decision to repent and accept Christ as Lord and Saviour.

A good fisherman will try to conceal his presence from the fish. He will be as quiet as possible
and not make a disturbance. The spiritual fisherman should not try to attract attention to himself,
but should want to direct people’s attention to Christ.

The good fisherman going out for literal fish will study the habits of the fish he wishes to
catch_where they live, what bait will attract them, what is the best time of day to catch them. The
spiritual fisherman must be in constant communion with God so as to know the exact message to
give to any individual or group. He should have a good knowledge of Scripture so the Holy Spirit
can bring to his mind just the right passage at the right time.

The literal fisherman is dependent upon God for his catch, whether he realizes it or not. The
spiritual fisherman is, of course, also completely dependent upon God, although he may
sometimes forget that fact. The completeness of the dependence is illustrated by the miracle which
preceded the Lord’s command to Peter, James, and John to follow Him. They had toiled all night
in their own strength and had caught nothing. When the Lord gave the command, however, the
nets were filled to breaking and the catch was so large as to threaten the sinking of two ships
(Luke 5:6,7). This is a striking object lesson of Christ’s statement, "Without Me, ye can do
nothing" (John 15:5).

The spiritual fisherman must be obedient to his Master if he desires results. Peter was puzzled by
the timing of the Lord’s command to begin fishing, but his reply is instructive:"Nevertheless at
Thy word I will let down the net" (Luke 5:5). Has Christ told us to do a certain thing? Then we
must do it whether we think it is a good idea or not. His wisdom and love are infinite and we can

safely entrust the results to Him. He "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or
think" (Eph. 3:20).

When I was in Melbourne, Australia, I kept hearing stories about a woman, a cripple, and I never
believed them. I did not think the stories could be true. I went one day to offer comfort to her,
but before I had been in the room ten minutes I found it was I who was receiving instruction,
broken down, and dissolved in a flood of emotion. When she was eighteen she came down with
a dreadful disease which ultimately led to the complete amputation of both arms and both legs.
When I saw that woman, all that remained of her was a trunk, nothing more than a trunk. For
fifteen years she had been there in that condition. I went to offer comfort, but I did not know how
to speak to her, or what to say. I found a room the walls of which were covered with Scripture
texts, all of them radiating, speaking of joy, and peace, and power.

As she had lain in bed one day she asked what she_a dismembered woman without a joint in her
body_could do. Then an inspiration came to her and she got a friend who was a carpenter to
come. He fitted a pad to her shoulder and to that a fountain pen. She began to write letters with
it; and as there was no joint, she wrote with the whole of her body. And I will venture to say that
there is no person with handwriting half so beautiful as the writing of that woman. But most
impressive of all, she had received over 1,500 letters from people who had been brought to Christ
through the letters she had written in that way from that room. I asked her, "How do you do it?"
And she smiled and replied, "Well, you know Jesus said that they who believe in Him out of them
shall flow rivers of living water. I believed in Him, and that is all."

If one in such an absolutely helpless condition as this Christian woman could by the help of God
accomplish such amazing results in winning souls, who is there of us after this who need despair?
Who is there so crippled in body or circumstances that cannot in some way be made a blessing to
others? God seems to glory in doing the impossible. He still takes "the weak things of the world
to confound the things which are mighty" (1 Cor. 1:27). Nothing is too hard for Him.

FRAGMENT
No service in itself is small,
None great, though earth it fill;
But that is small that seeks its own,
And great that seeks God’s will.

Then hold my hand most gracious Lord,
Guide all my doings still;
And let this be my life’s one aim,
To do, or bear Thy will.

"Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit
of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1).

Suppose a person goes wrong and is surprised into what is plainly evil, what then? The Holy Spirit
presses that the spiritual should "restore such an one in the spirit of meekness." This is a very
weighty word indeed. It is the obligation of all in a general way to desire that person’s restoration.
But who are those that the Holy Spirit urges to deal with such a case? "Ye which are spiritual."
Now it does not follow that he who is born of God is spiritual. To "live in the Spirit" is a very
different thing from being "spiritual." A spiritual person not only lives, but walks in the Spirit.
Of course, he has the infirmities of other men, and may at times show his old nature; but in an
obvious way, taken as a whole, through the grace of God, he has learned to judge, not to spare,
self; to detect, especially in himself, departure from the Lord; and to own it frankly and humbly
before God. In consequence of this habitual self-judgment, there will be far greater tenderness in
dealing with sin in others. In cases where the sin is so serious as to make one think that the person
could not be a Christian at all, the spiritual person, knowing more of the subtlety of the flesh as
well as of the grace of God, is able to count upon His goodness and is the very person to deal with
the evil and to restore that soul. You will always find in cases that call for gracious handling, it
is for the spiritual, not those that are the most prone themselves to trip, nor those that are apt to
indulge the flesh and depart from the Lord. These men some might think the most likely to deal
pitifully with such as stumble; but on the contrary, those are called for who walk circumspectly
and in self-judgment, as a general rule, and who are thus kept from slipping through habitual
leaning on a faithful Lord. The very power that preserves them from going astray is what gives
them to understand the grace of God and to use that grace for others. Accordingly these are told
to "restore such an one in the spirit of meekness."

The apostle adds further, "Considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted." This would justly be
before the mind’s eye of a spiritual man. He has the deepest sense of his own weakness; and hence
would he most readily esteem others better than himself. How is that? Not of course that he who
has made progress in the ways of God is to count a babe’s knowledge greater than his own. Not
that there are not, on the one hand, those who are least esteemed in the Church, and on the other
hand, men of tried and spiritual judgment. Not that we are to suppose all alike wise, strong, and
honorable. This would be not faith, but fanaticism, and contrary to every right thought. In what
sense then are we to esteem "others better than ourselves"? When a soul that is in any measure
spiritual thinks of himself, what he feels is his immense falling short of Christ. He has habitually
before him how greatly he fails, even of that which he desires in his ways before God. But when
he looks at his brother in Christ and sees him as a beloved one of Christ, in full acceptance in, and
the object of, the Father’s tender affections, this draws out both love and self-loathing. Thus, if
grace is at work, what is Christ-like in another saint rises at once before the heart, and what is
unlike Christ in himself. So that it is not a question of striving to cultivate high feelings about
one’s neighbors and to think them what they are not, but really believing what is true about them,
and feeling rightly about ourselves too. If one thinks of what a saint is in Christ and to Christ, and
what he will be through Christ, then one’s heart takes in the wonder of His love, and how much
the Lord makes of him; but when the eye is turned to oneself, all the unworthy ways and feelings

and shortcomings come up in humiliating remembrance. So, in considering "thyself, lest thou also
be tempted," it is not so much looking at what we have been as at what we have to fear and watch
against.

(From Lectures on Galatians.)

The quality of meekness, the eighth in the list of the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22,23, is
closely allied with several other spiritual qualities. In 1 Cor. 4:21 it is joined with love; in 2 Cor.
10:1 with gentleness; in Eph. 4:2 with humility, longsuffering, and love; in Col. 3:12 with
gentleness, humility, longsuffering, love, and peace; in 1 Tim. 6:11 with faith, love, and patience;
in 2 Tim. 2:25 with gentleness and patience; and in Titus 3:2 with gentleness.

Meekness is commonly_both in Scripture and in present day usage_linked with humility. The
Lord Jesus describes himself thus:"I am meek and lowly [or humble] in heart" (Matt. 11:29).
Humility is thinking low thoughts of oneself. It is not, as suggested by some, making ourselves
small when we are great; but rather it is esteeming ourselves small, inasmuch as we truly are
small. J. N. Darby goes even further and suggests that humility is "not thinking of ourselves at
all" (Collected Writings 12:197). This definition effectively deflates the Uriah Keeps who proudly
go about proclaiming their humility. Humility or lowliness, then, is the opposite of pride or having
high thoughts of self.

Meekness, while similar to humility, has more to do with our response and attitude toward God
and man rather than our thoughts about self. Meekness is the attitude which receives reproof or
insult or injury without defending self and without retaliating or avenging the offense. But more
than this, it is an attitude of heart which goes out to the person who may have been the offender
and seeks to draw that person back to the Lord. Meekness is the attitude implicit in the fulfilling
of Matt. 5:44 and Rom. 12:14-20:"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." "Bless
them which persecute you; bless, and curse not. . . . Recompense to no man evil for evil. . . .
Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I
will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink;
for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head."

The meekness of David is seen in his attitude toward Shimei when he cursed and threw stones at
the king (2 Sam. 16:5-13). David took this offense quietly as chastening permitted by the Lord,
and thus left it to the Lord to avenge him. Moses was declared to be a meek man (Num. 12:3),
the only one in Scripture besides Christ so labeled. This quality particularly shone out in the
instance of Miriam’s and Aaron’s complaint against him. It is beautiful to see how he not only left
it to the Lord to vindicate him before his sister and brother, but he also interceded for Miriam,
"Heal her now, O God, I beseech Thee" (Num. 12:13), when the Lord smote her with leprosy for
her sin. And the Lord Jesus Himself is no doubt the supreme Example, giving ample illustration
in His life of one who was truly "meek and lowly." For instance, "When He was reviled, [He]
reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that
judgeth righteously" (1 Peter 2:23).

When a Christian is overtaken in a fault, his spiritual brethren are exhorted to restore him in a
spirit of meekness, considering that they are liable to fall into the same, if not a worse sin (Gal.
6:1). It is only the truly meek man or woman who can effectively carry out the instruction in Matt.
18:15:"If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him

alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother." In many cases, sadly, the person
offended or trespassed against completely messes up his opportunity to gain his brother by
responding to the offense in an equally offensive and sinful way.

In a similar manner, the servant of the Lord is exhorted to instruct in meekness those who oppose
the truth (2 Tim. 2:25); that is, not using techniques of ridicule, irritation, anger, or threatenings
in trying to convince the opposer.

In Titus 3:2 meekness is linked with speaking evil of no man. This is a guard against merely
putting on a proper front of longsuffering and gentleness when offended, while all the time
inwardly seething, and plotting revenge, and subsequently freely speaking evil of the offender to
all who will listen. The truly meek person will be slow to anger, quick to forgive the offender,
and anxious to seek the spiritual recovery of his brother.

Finally, there is a word to the Christian woman who is seeking to win her husband to the Lord.
"Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that if any obey not the word, they
also may, without the word, be won by the conversation [or behavior] of the wives. . . . Whose
adorning … let it be … a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price" (1
Peter 3:1-4). No amount of gospel literature left conspicuously lying around the house, or radio
preaching (with volume turned up), or "chance" meetings between the husband and Christian
acquaintances, or verbal persuasion by the wife will have the effect of drawing the husband to
Christ as will a meek, quiet, loving, loyal, submissive, uncriticizing spirit on the part of the wife.

The Lord grant that the "spirit of meekness" be that which characterizes all of His own.

Oh, patient, spotless One!
Our hearts with meekness train,
To bear Thy yoke, and learn of Thee,
That we may rest obtain.

O fix our earnest gaze
So wholly, Lord, on Thee,
That, with Thy beauty occupied,
We elsewhere none may see.