"Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love" (Rev. 3:4).

The church in Ephesus was thoroughly orthodox, even ready to fight to the limit for foundation
truth, and refusing to listen to those who would pervert it. But they had left their first love. That
is, in heart they had turned away from occupation with the Lord Himself, They were far more
ready- to contend for doctrine than to be taken up with Christ. This is a snare to which we are all
exposed. It is of great importance that we be sound in the faith. It is even more important that our
hearts are filled with fervent love for Him who has so loved us as to give Himself for us. This
church, too, had labored much. Its members could not be accused of slothful-ness. But work
without love is of little value in the eyes of Him who, moved by His love to the Father and His
love for us, was to go to the cross that He might purchase our redemption.

Shall we not examine our own hearts, and if we find that love is lacking, confess our coldness and
indifference, and seek to repent and do the first works_those which are the result of faith that
worketh by love?

(From The Daily Sacrifice.)

I. The Christian’s Standing (Phil. 3:1-9)

The prominent thought in the first nine verses of this chapter is not that of a guilty sinner
appropriating to himself the blood of Jesus for pardon, but rather of a law-keeper casting aside,
as dross, his own righteousness because he has found a better. We need hardly say that Paul was
a sinner and that, as such, he availed himself of the precious blood of Christ and in that found
pardon, peace, and acceptance with God. This is plainly taught us in many passages of the New
Testament. But the special point here is not a sinner getting his sins pardoned, his guilt cleared,
and his shame covered, but a legalist laying aside his righteousness, a scholar casting away his
laurels, and a man abandoning his vain glory, simply because he had found true glory, unfading
laurels, and an everlasting righteousness in the Person of a victorious and exalted Christ. It was
not merely that Paul, the sinner, needed a righteousness because, in reality, he had none of his
own; but that Paul, the Pharisee, preferred the righteousness which was revealed to him in Christ,
because it was infinitely better and more glorious than any other.

It is not merely that my sins drive me to Christ; but His excellencies draw me to Him. True, I
have sins and therefore I need Christ; but even if I had any righteousness, I should cast it from
me and gladly hide myself "in Him." It would be a positive "loss" to me to have any righteousness
of my own, seeing that God has graciously provided such a glorious righteousness for me in
Christ. Adam was naked, and therefore he made himself an apron; but it would have been a loss
to him to retain the apron after the Lord God had made him a coat. It was surely far better to have
a God-made coat than a man-made apron. So thought Adam, so thought Paul, and so thought all
the saints of God whose names are recorded in Scripture. It is better to stand hi the righteousness
of God which is by faith, than to stand in the righteousness of man which is by the works of law.
It is hot only mercy to get rid of our sins through the remedy which God has provided, but to get
rid of our righteousness and accept, instead, the righteousness which God has revealed.

Thus, then we see that the standing of a Christian is in Christ. It is not partly in Christ and partly
in law; partly in Christ and partly in ordinances. If anyone teaches a standing other than "found
in Him," he is not teaching Christianity at all. To be found in Him is proper Christian standing.
This is the great foundation of true practical Christianity.

II. The Christian’s Object (Phil. 3:10-17)

The Greek philosophers had a motto, "Know thyself.” Christianity has a loftier motto, pointing
to a nobler object. It tells us to know Christ_to make Him our object. This, and this alone, is the
Christian’s object. To have any other object is not Christianity at all. The true Christian’s desire
will be embodied in these words, "That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and
the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death" (verse 10). It is not that
I may get on in the world, make money, attain a high position, or be popular. No, not one of these
is a Christian object. It may be very well for a man who has got nothing better to make such
things his object. But the Christian has Christ. It may be well enough for a man who does not
know Christ as his righteousness to try to work out a righteousness for himself; but to one whose

standing is in a risen Christ, the fairest righteousness that could be produced by human efforts
would be an actual loss. So it is in the matter of an object. The question is not, What harm is there
in this or that? but, Is it a Christian object?

Now Paul’s one object was Christ. Whether he was stationary or traveling, whether he preached
the gospel or gathered sticks, whether he planted churches or made tents, Christ was his object.
At all times and in all places he could say, "One thing I do." This was not merely Paul the apostle
or Paul the raptured saint, but Paul the living, acting, walking Christian_the one who addresses
us, "Brethren, be ye followers together of me." We should never be satisfied with anything less
than this.

We have in Philippians 3 a model of true Christianity; let us ever and only aim thereat. If we find
our hearts going after other things, let us judge them. If we are always occupied with our proper
object, we will have our character formed, for it is the object which forms the character. If money
is my object, my character is covetous; if power, I am ambitious; if books, I am literary; if Christ,
I am a Christian. It is not here a question of life and salvation, but only of practical Christianity.
If we were asked for a simple definition of a Christian, we should say, "A Christian is a man who
has Christ for his object." This is most simple. May we enter into its power, and thus exhibit a
more healthy and vigorous discipleship.

III. The Christian’s Hope (Phil. 3:20,21)

The standing of the Christian is to be found in Christ; the object of the Christian is to know
Christ; and the hope of the Christian is to be like Christ. How beautifully perfect is the connection
between these three things. No sooner do I find myself in Christ as my righteousness than I long
to know Him as my object; and the more I know Him, the more ardently shall I long to be like
Him, which hope can only be realized when I see Him as He is. Having a perfect righteousness
and a perfect object, I just want one thing more, and that is to be done with everything that hinders
my enjoyment of that object.

Now putting all these things together, we get a complete view of true Christianity. We would ask
the reader to pursue this marvelous theme for himself. Let him rise above all the imperfections
and inconsistencies of Christians and gaze upon the moral grandeur of Christianity as exemplified
in the life and character of the model man presented in this chapter. May both the writer and the
reader say, "Let others do as they will, as for me, nothing short of this model man will ever
satisfy my heart. Let me turn my eye from men altogether and fix it intently upon Christ Himself,
and find all my delight in Him as my righteousness, my object, my hope.”
(From Miscellaneous Writings, Vol. 1.)

No believer is likely to be clear on other lines whose mind is in confusion as to the scriptural
distinction between standing and state. If we would carefully consult Paul’s epistles we would see
that the two terms are very different in their application.

Standing refers to our ability to appear before God uncondemned; state has to do with our actual
condition of soul. Standing speaks of privilege and contemplates what God, in His rich grace, has
done for each believer. State is the measure in which one answers to this in his own experience.
Standing is eternal and inviolable. State is variable and depends on how one goes on with God.

Paul is not the first or only Biblical writer to use the term standing. Several examples from other
scriptures may help to make clear its application. "The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment"
(Psa. 1:5). "The foolish shall not stand in Thy sight" (Psa. 5:5). "They told Haman, to see
whether Mordecai’s matters would stand" (Esth. 3:4). "The great day of His wrath is come and
who shall be able to stand!" (Rev. 6:17). To these one might add many more, but enough are
before us to show how the word is used. To stand is practically synonymous with the ability to
face the throne of judgment, proving that there is no condemnation. Now compare with these
verses Rom. 5:1,2:"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ; by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice
in hope of the glory of God." Note also 1 Cor. 15:1:"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the
gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand."

The wicked cannot stand, but every believer has a standing that is unassailable. What is the ground
of this standing? Is it his good experience, his enjoyment of divine things, his energy in service,
his happy state? Not at all! He stands in grace_the grace revealed in the gospel.

Our standing then is a most comprehensive term, embracing all that God has done for us in the
work of His Son. Our forgiveness, our justification, our positional sanctification, our acceptance
in Christ_all these blessings are connected with our standing. We cannot add to, nor take away
from, what God has made us in Christ. Consequently we have for eternity a perfect and
unassailable standing before God. Worlds may be wrecked and the heavens pass away, but the
believer in the Lord Jesus Christ stands in absolute security, free of all condemnation.

Is this then to say that each believer’s state of soul is all that could be desired? Far from it. If it
were where would be the need for all the exhortations to godly living found in the epistles and
other parts of the Word of God? Observe, for instance, the anxiety of the apostle that the state of
his beloved Philippians might in measure answer to their standing. He had no question whatever
as to their standing. That, he knew, could never be altered. So he tells them he is confident that
He who hath begun a good work in them will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ. But he
hoped to send Timothy unto them that he (Paul) might be of good comfort when he knew their
state. Not all professed laborers in word and doctrine would naturally care for their state, but he
knew this pastoral concern was characteristic of Timothy (Phil. 2:19,20).

Were Paul and Timothy concerned as to whether these saints were "keeping saved," to use an

ignorant expression common with some today? No, indeed. They knew God had settled forever
the question of their salvation. But they desired to see fruit for God manifested in the lives of the
saints. They wished to have them going on happily together as a company of redeemed ones
should. And this is what state has reference to. It is experience; but experience and standing are
two very different things. When God addresses believers as "saints," that is, separated or holy
ones, He is speaking of their standing. When He exhorts them to be holy, even as He is holy, He
refers to the state of their souls as manifested in their outward ways.

We might think no one should be called a saint till he becomes perfectly holy in experience. But
that is not God’s way. He calls us saints from the first moment of our faith in Christ, and then bids
us live as saints should live. He calls us His children, anil then exhorts us to be obedient children.
He sanctifies us by the blood of His Son, and then washes us with the Word that we may be
practically sanctified.

He forgives us all our sins and justifies us from all things when we first trust in His Son. We are
then eternally forgiven. This is our standing. Yet as our actual state is often poor, there is a
forgiveness we may have need of every day; that is the Father’s forgiveness as dealing with the
state of His family. The moment you trusted Christ, your responsibility as a sinner having to do
with the God of judgment was ended for ever. From that moment your standing has been perfect.
But at that same instant your responsibility as a child, having to do with your Father, began. If
you fail in this, if your state is low and your Father is dishonored thereby, do not fall back upon
the truth of your standing and say, "I have ho sins to confess," but go at once to your loving
Father and own all the failure, judge the low state, and seek His grace to rise to a higher and
better condition of soul in which He will be glorified by your life. Let it always be your aim to
have your state come up to your standing, that grace may be magnified in all your ways.

(From Sailing with Paul.)

These two Psalms are often said to be an introduction to the entire collection of psalms inasmuch
as they speak of the coming Messiah (the Anointed One), His future rule, and the ultimate blessing
of the righteous and judgment of the wicked, themes found in many of the psalms.

Some commentators have pointed out that in the Hebrew, the first verse of Psalm 1 would read,
"Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of
sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scornful." That is, this man has never done these things. The
only Man who never did these things and who perfectly carried out verse 2 was the Lord Jesus
Christ. Although the Lord Jesus is the only one who perfectly fulfilled the principles of this psalm,
we who have Christ living in us should certainly be characterized by the behavior described in this
psalm.

The psalm promises blessing or happiness to the person who does not take counsel or advice from
the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful. Our source of
counsel should be the Word of God. There are many other sources of counsel available in the
world today_the radio, television, newspapers, books, and the like. These sources promise
happiness if we buy certain things or spend our time doing certain things. "You only live once,"
they proclaim; "you deserve the best; enjoy yourself." This counsel is so pervasive and often
subtle that even Christians may be gradually taken in by it. As we listen to and act upon this
advice we stand in the way of sinners, that is, we find ourselves taking part in pleasures with
sinners and having fellowship with their ideas and points of view. The last step is to become one
of the scornful_one who scorns and opposes those Christians who are not so liberated from the
narrow path of following Christ.

Note the progression (or rather retrogression) in verse 1 from walk to stand to sit. The Christian
life is characterized in the New Testament as a race toward an object (Phil. 3:14; Heb. 12:1). That
object is Christ and our goal is to learn more about and become more like Him. If we allow our
attention to be diverted from this object to the things about us_such as the counsel of the
ungodly_our progress toward that goal will be definitely slowed from running down to walking.
And this, if persisted in, will lead to a complete halt (standing) in our progress and finally to great
difficulty in ever getting back into the race (sitting).

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night" (verse
2). Is God’s will really our delight or is it a burden? Do we obey God’s Word because we feel we
must or because it gives us delight to do so? It is lack of appreciation for" Christ which would
hinder our delight. God’s commands are not given to make life difficult or unhappy. They are
given for our blessing and true happiness.

If we are to meditate in God’s law day and night we must know what meditation involves. We
must first read God’s Word. This reading should be done daily and in a way that will enable us
to remember what we have read. Writing down the main themes, promises, commands, or
principles can be helpful. If we are to meditate day and night, we should memorize Scripture
extensively. Memorized Scripture is always available to think about even if our Bibles are not

available. Memorization puts the Word in our hearts where it can influence our behavior and also
help in witnessing. The words of Scripture itself carry an impact which our own thoughts cannot.
The final step in meditation is to think about the Word of God and apply it to ourselves, asking
ourselves, "What does this passage mean to me, today?" In this way the Scripture becomes a part
of our lives and our lives are changed by it.

The fruitfulness promised in verse 3 reminds us of the fruit of the Spirit described in Gal. 5:22,23.
The Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives as we allow Him to bring the Scriptures to bear on our
consciences and apply the Scriptures to our own life experiences. Joshua 1:8 also promises success
and prosperity for meditating in the law of God and obeying it. What is the nature of the
prosperity promised? It is not material wealth or pleasure as promised by the ungodly counselors,
but the happiness of having Christ as the focus of our lives. Since we will be doing God’s will,
He will prosper what we do. If we undertake projects in dependence upon the Lord and look to
Him to direct our family life, business, school work, or housework, He will cause us to prosper.
The ungodly may seem to have more prosperity in certain ways, but their prosperity always comes
to an abrupt end (Psa. 73:3-20; Luke 12:15-21). Verses 4 to 6 of this psalm describe the ultimate
end of the ungodly.

Psalm 2:1 and 2 describe the united efforts of Jews ("the people") and Gentiles ("the heathen")
against the rule of Christ. The rulers, Herod and Pilate, took counsel together to humiliate and
crucify Christ. The voice of the nations and their rulers is heard in verse 3:"Let us break their
bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us." This cry was expressed at Calvary as, "We
will not have this man to rule over us." The meaning of this part of the psalm is made clear in
Acts 4:25-28. Jews and Gentiles will again rebel against Christ at His second coming, but at that
time they will be put down (verses 4-6,9). God the Father’s voice in verse 6 states His
determination to uphold the rule of His Son, and the Son, in verses 7-9, quotes His Father’s
promises and the necessity of putting down rebellion before establishing a righteous kingdom.

The voice of the Holy Spirit is heard in verses 10-12 exhorting rulers, nations, and individuals to
submit to the Son and trust in Him. The way of salvation is not found in Psalm 1:1 but in Psalm
2:12. First we kiss the Son_cease our rebellion, submit to Him, acknowledge Him as our rightful
Lord and Saviour, We then cease relying on our own works and put our trust in Him. We rely on
Him not only for deliverance from judgment, but for deliverance from the power of sin and for
all our spiritual, emotional, and material needs.

Trusting in the Lord is the beginning of happiness. Our happiness will increase as we look to God
for counsel and as we delight in and walk in His word.

Suppose that Christ sent you word that He would be coming for dinner at your house; how would
you get ready? What guests would you invite? What food would you prepare? How would you
conduct the meal? What would you talk about? Is this not thought provoking? Let us think of some
of the places where the Lord Jesus was found in the days of His goings in and out on earth.

In John 12 we read of Jesus coming to Bethany where they made Him a supper. Martha served
without a murmur. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with Him. Mary, with a full heart
of love and thankfulness poured her box of ointment_"very precious"_upon His feet, and so the
house was filled with the odor of that choice perfume.

At another time the Lord Himself was the Host at an open air meal on the shore of Galilee (John
21). Tired fishermen came ashore and discovered that a meal had been provided for them. How
simple its character! Fish broiling on a fire of coals, and bread. When they had dined, the Lord
Jesus conversed with Peter and commissioned him to care for the lambs and sheep of the flock of
God. Christ was here the perfect Host, as He had been the perfect Guest at Bethany’s lowly home.

Now if Christ came to dinner with us, if He asked Himself as a guest into our home, would
changes be made in the ordering of the house? Would the books and pictures be sorted over and
some of them discarded? Would there be lavish display? Would there be provision for fleshly
indulgence? Would some shame fill our hearts that this or that had been allowed which His
presence would manifest as unfit for us as partakers of a high and holy calling?

Let us be honest with ourselves:would we be free to open every room in our home to Him? And
let us ask ourselves another question:Have we every room in the house of our heart open to Him?
From attic to basement is the door open to each and every part that the Lord may enter? "Know
ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?" (1 Cor. 6:19).

May we seek that our appearance, our manner, our homes, our business may be in accordance
with the desires of our Lord for us in every particular, that every room may be for Him in our
hearts and in our homes.

If Christ invited Himself to dinner in your home, would He be really welcomed today, and to
stay?

"As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of
the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10).

If anything could enhance the value of these lovely words, it would be the fact of their being found
at the close of the Epistle to the Galatians. In the progress of this very remarkable writing, the
inspired apostle cuts out by the roots the entire system of legal righteousness. He proves, in the
most unanswerable way, that the works of the law, of any sort, moral or ceremonial, are of no
value to the Christian in any way whatever, either for life, for justification, or for walk. And He
declares that if we are under law, we must give up Christ; we must give up the Spirit of God; we
must give up faith; we must give up the promises. In short, if we take up legal ground in any
shape whatever, we must give up Christianity and lie under the actual curse of God.

We do not attempt to quote the passages, or to go into this side of the question at all just now. We
merely call the earnest attention of the Christian reader to the golden words which stand at the
head of this article_words which, we cannot but feel, come in with incomparable beauty and
peculiar moral force at the close of an epistle in which all human righteousness is withered up and
flung to the winds. We are all so terribly prone to one-sidedness that it is morally healthful for us
to have our hearts brought under the full action of all truth. It is, alas! possible for grace itself to
be abused; and we may sometimes forget that while we are justified in the sight of God only by
faith, yet our faith must be evidenced by works. We have, all of us, to bear in mind that while law
works are denounced and demolished in the most unqualified manner in many parts of Scripture,
yet "life works" are diligently and constantly maintained and insisted upon! Yes, beloved Christian
reader, we have to bend our attention to this. If we profess to have life, this life must express itself
in something more tangible and forcible than mere words or empty lip profession. It is quite true
that law cannot give life, and hence it cannot produce life works. Not a single cluster of living
fruit ever was, or ever will be, culled from the tree of legality. Law can only produce dead works,
from which we need to have the conscience purged just as much as from wicked works.

All this is most true. It is demonstrated in the pages of inspiration beyond all possibility of
question. There must be life works, or else there is no life. Of what possible use is it to profess
to have eternal life, to talk about faith, to advocate the doctrines of grace, while at the same time
the entire life is marked by selfishness in every shape and form? The apostle John says, "Whoso
hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion
from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" (1 John 3:17). So also the apostle James puts
a very wholesome question to our hearts:"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he
hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute
of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;
notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?"
(James 2:14-16). Here we have life works insisted upon in a way which ought to speak home, in
a most solemn and forcible way to our hearts. There is an appalling amount of empty
profession_shallow, powerless, worthless talk_in our midst.

We have a wonderfully clear gospel; thanks be to God for it! We see very distinctly that salvation

is by grace, through faith, not by works of righteousness, nor by works of law. Blessedly true!
But when people are saved, ought they not to live as such? Ought not the new life come out in
fruits? It must come out if it be in; and if it does not come out, it is not there. Mark what the
apostle Paul says:"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the
gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8,9). Here we have what we may
call the upper side of this great practical question. But there is another side to which every true,
earnest Christian will delight to give his attention. The apostle goes on to say, "We are His
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them." Here we have the whole subject fully and clearly before us. God has
created us to walk in a path of good works, and He has prepared the path of good works for us
to walk in. It is all of God, from first to last; all through grace, and all by faith. Thanks and praise
be to God that it is so! But, let us remember that it is utterly vain to talk about grace and faith and
eternal life if the good works are not forthcoming. It is useless to boast of our high truth, our
deep, varied, and extensive acquaintance with Scripture, our correct position, our having come
out from this, that, and the other, if our feet are not found treading that path of good works which
God hath before prepared for us. God looks for reality. He is not satisfied with mere words of
high profession. He says to us, "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but
in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18). He, blessed be His name, did not love us in word or in
tongue, but in deed and in truth; and he looks for a response from us_a response clear, full, and
distinct, a response coming out in a life of good works, a life yielding mellow clusters of those
"fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Phil. 1:11).

Beloved Christian reader, do you not consider it to be our bounden duty, out of love and
appreciation for our blessed Lord and Saviour, to apply our hearts to this weighty subject? Ought
we not diligently to seek to promote love and good works? And how can this be most effectually
accomplished? Surely by walking in love ourselves and faithfully treading the path of good works
in our own private life. For ourselves, we confess we are thoroughly sick of hollow profession.
High truth on the lips of low practice in daily life is one of the crying evils of this our day. We
talk of grace but fail in common righteousness, fail in the plainest moral duties in our daily private
life. We boast of our "position" and our "standing," but we are deplorably lax as to our
"condition" and "state."

May the Lord, in His infinite goodness, stir up all our hearts to more thorough earnestness in the
pursuit of good works, so that we may more fully adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all
things.

(From Things New and Old, Vol. 21.)

FRAGMENT. "Jesus Christ … gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity,
and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:13,14).