Thy mercy, my God, is the theme
of my song. Those who have been given the
privilege to be the sons of God are so because it has pleased
God to make them such. He has redeemed them with the
precious blood of His own begotten Son, and does in His own time
call them out by His grace. He has seen fit to leave them
in this world for a season, not as a proving ground to find out
which among them are worthy, but rather to manifest His faithfulness
in applying the righteousness of Christ to them, even though
they be in and of themselves worthy of nothing but death.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency
of the power may be of God, and not of us. How can any man ever
take credit for that which is the operation of God's Spirit?
For it is God which worketh in you both the will and to do of
His good pleasure. Or how can a man entertain the
notion that he can somehow become a child of God by some activity
of his own? But as many as received him,
to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them
that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. He makes it clear that
his redemption is in and by Christ. One of the most glorious aspects
of that which Christ has performed is found in a contemplation of
his love for and union with those whose sins he atoned for. He
came as the kinsman-redeemer for all of those whom he loved
from before the foundation of the world. He says to his father,
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me
out of the world. Thine they were, and thou gavest them me.
He is the elder brother of all those who belong to him, and
can no more be separated from them than he can be separated
from his father. Therefore when he suffered, they
suffered. When he died, they died. When he rose again, so
did they. And when he comes back, they
shall be with him. He said, nevertheless I live.
He is saying that he presently is alive in a state totally free
from the condemnation, power, and guilt of sin. He cannot be
brought under its curse any longer, because he is dead to the law
and alive unto Christ. His case has been taken out of
the court of sin and death, and now he dwells under the law of
the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, where there is no condemnation
of any sort that can be leveled against him by either men or
angels. He said, yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me. Lest any man should think that
the power of this life is in any wise his own, or that its
ownership is somehow transferred, or the righteousness thereof
is imparted to him, he makes it clear that all of his righteousness
is that which is his by imputation of Christ's righteousness, and
that any product thereof is that of the Spirit of Christ who dwells
in him. He said, and the life which I
now live in the flesh. Then so that no man should think
that he is describing some out of body or purely spiritual experience,
he plainly declares that the Lord is pleased to operate in
us and through us in these mortal bodies. Some seem to think that
those whom the Lord is pleased to manifest as his children can
live in such a manner as to be totally at odds with the work
of that spirit. Paul entertained no such notion, saying, Nor thieves,
nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners
shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you,
but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
God is pleased to work in those he has called and justified.
A man devoid of the Spirit's presence is not a manifested
child of God. But ye are not in the flesh,
that is, operating under its dominion, but in the Spirit.
If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man
have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. He said, I
live by the faith of the Son of God. He makes it very plain
that even that faith in which we stand by the grace of God
is not ours. That faith which we possess is
of Christ in its origin. He is the giver of faith. No
man can boast either in its presence or in any wise as to the degree
with which it is bestowed upon him. It is the gift of God. It
is the faith of Christ, because all of the hopes and expectations
of the sons of God have their total basis in that which He
has done in their behalf. It is the faith of Christ as
to all of their desires for the future. Then Simon Peter answered
Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal
life, and we believe and are sure that Thou art that Christ,
the Son of the living God. He said, Who loved me and gave
himself for me? What, know ye not that your body
is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you, which ye have
of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price.
Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which
are God's. Are you His? If you would like
a free transcript of this broadcast, email us at forthepoor at windstream.net.