VIII. THE BELIEVER’S POSITION AND CONDITION.

It is important to a correct understanding of Scripture as well as to peace and rest of soul to the child of God, to see clearly the distinction between his position, or righteous standing before God, and his earthly walk. The former is unalterable, unchanging, while the second may be, and alas is, variable.

1. Position, before God, is alone by the finished atoning work of Christ, and from the moment He is appropriated by faith, is permanent and eternal. Faith alone is the means of obtaining this priceless boon of God's grace, and no works of the sinner, or deeds of the believer, can add or aid in any way to obtaining it, or keeping it when once obtained. The title to it is Christ, and it is the free gift of God's grace as fully to the youngest, weakest, most ignorant babe in Christ, as to the oldest, strongest, most learned saint on earth. It is a position of new relationship.

"As many as received Him, to them gave He the power (right, privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name " (John 1:12).

"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26; see also i John 3:2; 5:i). Joint heirship with Christ.

"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17). Royalty and nearness.

"Unto Him that loved (loveth) us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father " (Rev. 1. 5, 6). Complete forgiveness, justification, and peace.

"Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this Man is preached unto you forgiveness of sins; and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38, 39).

" Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ "(Rom. 5:i).

These and many more blessings as to position before God are the unvarying portion of the believer and are dependent upon Christ alone.

See also i John 5:i; i Pet. 1:4, 5; Eph. 1:ii; 2:13; 1:13; 5:30; 1:3; Heb. 10:19; i Cor. 6:19; John 6:47.

2.This position is unchangeable and forever.

Every one of these gracious blessings is the portion of every child of God, the moment such by faith receives, or believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, and is entirely apart from religiousness, character, ordinance, or prayer of the recipient either before or after such faith displayed.
Being then dependent upon Christ's work, they must be the permanent possession of all to whom conferred, for "whatsoever God doeth it shall be forever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it:and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him" (Eccl. 3:14).

Hear the words of the Lord Jesus:

" I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My
hand. My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand " (John 10:28, 29).

" And ye are complete in Him " (Col. 2:10).

"Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost (forevermore, margin) that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25).

"For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14).

"Clean every whit" (John 13:10), "no condemnation" (Rom. 8:i; John 3:18, 36). "Sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30). Thus backsliding Peter could say, " Kept by the power of God" (i Pet. 1:5:see also Jude 24; Eph. 5:25-27 etc.).

3. A believer's condition may be far below his exalted position and yet not affect it.

This is, alas, only too true. The church at Corinth were "sanctified in Christ and called saints" (i Cor. 1:2), and yet it is only necessary to read through the epistle to discover the truth of this.

The apostle writes of them,

"But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the flame of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (i Cor. 6:ii), and yet he speaks of them as "carnal" (3:1-3), "puffed up" (4:18), and resorting to law (6:7). A striking evidence of this is seen in the apostle Peter; compare carefully Matt. 16:17 with ver. 23. And of the same Corinthians even while in the above state it is written, that their body was "the temple of the Holy Ghost" and they were not their own but God's; see i Cor. 6:19 20.

4. The effect of this should be a holy obedient walk.

It should not for a moment be thought that because all this is by the free undeserved favor of God, that a believer has no responsibility consequent upon it, or may walk loosely, or in self-will; far from it, God in grace having placed one in such a position requires he should walk as becometh the dignity of the same.

To the same Corinthians the apostle writes,

"The love of Christ constraineth us" … because "He died for all, that they which live, should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:14, 15).

"Be ye therefore followers (imitators) of God, as dear children," "walk in love," "fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints. Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks. . . . For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord:walk as children of light" (Eph. 5:1-8).

" As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation" (i Pet. 1:14, 15).

" For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries" (i Pet. 4:3).

"Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul" (i Pet. 2:ii).

"Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances" Col. 2:20).

" If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth" (Col. 3:i, 5; see also Eph. 4:17-32; 6:1-9; Phil. 2:3, 12-16; 4:5-9; Col. 3:i; 4:6; i Thess. 5:12-22).

"And the very God of peace, sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (i Thess. 5:23). B. W. J.