Free Grace

2005-05-31T02:47:00.000-07:00

Salvation ~ A Free Gift by Charles C. Bing

The Gospel ~ Not Repentance by Harry Ironside

The Truth About Grace ~ Charles C. Cook

Salvation ~ A Free Gift

2004-06-15T02:47:00.000-07:00

If we have told someone that salvation is a free gift, then we must be consistent and not demand any action as a condition.

--Charles C. Bing
How to Share the Gospel Clearly
Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society -- Spring 1994

The Gospel ~ Not Repentance

2004-05-15T02:47:00.000-07:00

What Is the Gospel?
Not Repentance

The gospel is not a call to repentance, or to amendment of one's ways, to make restitution for his past sins, or to promise to do better in the future. These things are all perfectly right and perfectly proper in their place, but they do not constitute the gospel; for the gospel is not good advice to be obeyed, it is good news to be believed. Do not make the mistake then of thinking that the gospel is a call to duty or a call to reformation, a call to better your condition, to behave yourself in a more perfect way than you have been doing in the past.

-- Harry A. Ironside
God's Unspeakable Gift

The Truth About Grace

2004-04-15T02:47:00.000-07:00

The Truth About Grace -- Charles C. Cook
Published by:
THE BIBLE INSTITUTE COLPORTAGE ASS'N
826 North La Salle Street
Chicago

Copyright, 1908, by
CHARLES. C. COOK

In May 2005 my correspondence with MOODY PUBLISHERS
determined that this book is now in the PUBLIC DOMAIN;
I am therefore posting it here in good faith that this is so;
please let me know if you have reason to believe otherwise.
--Dean Cunningham June 1, 2005

Contents:

Grace Defined

Grace and Its Enemies

Grace and Discipline

Grace and Fruit-bearing

Grace and Its Laws

Grace Defined

2004-03-15T02:47:00.000-08:00

Chapter 1—Grace Defined—

Everyone freely accepts the higher definition of Grace, as being “God’s love and favor to the undeserving,” but how many after accepting the definition think straight concerning it? Nearly all paths leading from this simple acknowledgment become tortuous and involved. Law, works, human excellence, and human efforts all tend to deflect reasoning, so that it is not long before all straight, logical lines are obliterated, or bent and twisted to the hopeless confusion of the subject. This confusion is connected with Grace not only in its initial stage of blessing, when it operates in salvation, but also all along the way of its relationship with the believer.
It is not so hard for men to believe that they are saved by Grace, as to believe that they are saved by Grace alone, and yet it is just this that is emphatically stated in the Word. Titus 3:6, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” Romans 11:6, “And if by grace then it is no more of works.” Eph. 2:8-9, “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.” Now we know that a gift loses its character if anything is given back in payment by the recipient; therefore if the sinner, who has positively nothing that he can give in payment for salvation, receives it at all, it is a gift concerning his possession of which he will never be able to boast. Were it otherwise there would be discord in glory, for there the redeemed sing but one song, and that a song of praise to Him alone who saved them. Rev. 5:9, “And they sung a new song saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people and nation.” From these considerations it is clearly to be seen that the sinner is saved by Grace alone.
“But was not Abraham justified by works when he offered Isaac in sacrifice?” asks one. “And is this not contradictory to the statement just made?” Well, if so, it contradicts the plain passage we have already quoted “not of works,” and that the Bible contradicts itself is unthinkable. For an understanding of James’ argument we need go no further than Jamieson, Fausset & Brown’s Commentary, which has the following conclusive note on James 2: 21, where Abraham is named as having been justified by works, “Evidentially and before men. The offering of Isaac at that time formed no part of the ground of his justification, for he was justified previously on his simply believing in the promise of spiritual heirs. He was then justified, but that justification was showed or manifested by his offering of Isaac forty years after. That work of faith demonstrated but did not contribute to his justification. The tree shows its life by its fruit, but it was alive before either fruit or even leaves appeared.” In corroboration of which there is James’ own statement 2:23, “Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness.” If it is proper to use James 2:21 against Eph. 2:8 (“for by grace are ye saved,”), it would also be proper to use against it Romans 8:24, where we read, “we are saved by hope,” though here too the context will show that there is no contradiction, but a reference to the final stage of our salvation; even that of the resurrection of the body, which is of necessity still future, and therefore covered by hope.
But taking for granted that our reasoning thus far is all-convincing, we meet a harder problem in seeking to give Grace its rightful place in Christian experience. That the Christian is ever the recipient of grace, ever sustained by grace, will be readily granted, but pressing in on all sides are human claims and conclusions that obscure the symmetry of grace, and mar its beauty.
Repeating again our definition, that Grace is God’s loving favor to the undeserving, we must conclude by the simplest logical deduction that those with whom grace is operative are always undeserving, for if they ever cease to be so and become deserving, then to call anything they receive grace would be a misnomer. Grace would be no more grace. Such persons would earn or purchase all their blessings by a fair exchange of superior goodness. This may harmonize with Romanism, with its teachings on penance, human merit, etc., etc., but surely when found among professed Bible Christians, only marks the distance they have departed from God’s way of Truth.
Does anyone say that our position implies the conclusion that believers being always undeserving, would also always be imperfect, and on that account always in dire need of grace? The answer is, Assuredly Yes, for certainly the perfect man would require no Grace. What could he do with it? What advantage would it be to him? Clearly none at all. But would not this be placing a premium upon imperfection, and encourage sin? By no means, sin and disobedience are always condemned, and the believer forever admonished to shun them, and to strive for perfection, but that he will ever cease sinning in some form while in the body, or that in the body he will ever be perfect, is denied on nearly every page of the Word. In seeking to controvert this position some may quote the admonitions, “Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,” Matt. 5:48, and “Be ye holy: for I am holy,” I Peter 1:16. In reply we would ask, How could God consistently set before us an imperfect example, or urge us to any effort short of the highest? We set a perfect copper-plate or steel engraved copy before our children in their writing exercises, not that we expect them to equal it, but as an incentive to their emulation. Furthermore, we would rejoin in all kindness to an objector, “Are you perfect, as the Father in heaven is perfect?” or “Are you holy as God is holy?” Surely no human being would dare answer in the affirmative, and no encouragement is given to any such profession in the Word. For while it is blessedly true that in his “standing”, every believer is perfect and holy by reason of the imputed righteousness of Christ, as we read in 2 Cor. 5: 21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him,” yet as to his “state” the saintliest Christian may well accept for himself the many admonitions found in the Epistles which bid him to overcome his tendencies toward evil.
This dual truth is written large, for while “by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified,” yet on the other hand we are told to leave the principles of the doctrines of Christ and to go on unto perfection.It is certainly true that we are not to sin that Grace may abound. To such a proposal all will join with the Apostle in ejaculating “God forbid!” Yet it is just as certainly true that when we sin Grace does abound in forgiveness and restoration.
Whether we begin with the types and offerings, or end with the oft-repeated warnings, chidings and admonitions of the Epistles, the evidence is the same. The Trespass Offering tells its own story of ever recurring need, while constant admonitions in the New Testament to those who are even acknowledged saints, together with that all embracing promise, “If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,” leave no room for dispute. Christ is our High Priest, now offering his atonement in our behalf and interceding for us. When his High Priestly office ceases we will know that we then no longer require his mediation, and not before, but that will not be until we are caught up to meet him in the air, for it is written, “We know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is,” John 3:2.
And it should also be stated in this connection, that the highest standard of Christian attainment is not that which designates transgressions as mere infirmities or weaknesses, as many “professors” are so prone to do, but rather is willing to call all shortcomings and sins by their true names, and is ever ready to judge self as unsparingly as does He in whose sight the heavens are not clean, and who cannot look upon sin with any allowance.
The “perfect” Christian must not look for Grace, for it is God’s love and favor to the undeserving—the needy, and by his own profession he has passed out of that category. And by the same token, he must be reminded that he is not now included in the intercessory work of the great High Priest, for his perfect life makes all such intercession needless. But will he be willing to cut himself off thus? The imperfect Christian is not troubled here; he may be, should be, and is, concerned about his failures, shortcomings and sins (if not, a striking interrogation point should be placed after his profession), but beyond his grief for failure, he consoles himself by reflecting upon the wondrous power of Divine grace, for it is this that supplements all his deficiencies. No matter how far short he falls of the mark, Grace makes it up; for Grace is God’s love and favor to the undeserving.
It is here that the strong contrast is seen between Law and Grace. Law knows nothing about making up deficiencies. This do and live! But the doing! ah, who is equal to that? For the slightest infraction or breach means the loss of all. James 2:10, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” The Nazarite might keep his vow to the last hour of the time set apart, but should there then be even an unconscious, involuntary infraction, all his past devotion counted as naught—he must begin his observances all over.
How different from all this is the state of him who has been brought by the School-master—the Law—to Christ! He is now in the school of a gracious Teacher, who gives lessons of a higher order, but with a love so compelling and a grace so free, as to win his pupil to a loving effort. He teaches not with the rod but with tender looks and gentle manners that never show a lack of patience, or a spirit of vindictiveness. He never thrusts out a pupil be he ever so dull and stupid. Nor is this spirit at all inconsistent with the exercise of discipline, that proper attendant of the school and the family, as will be shown in another chapter.
But will not the attitude, that we are describing, on the part of the Teacher lead to presumption by the scholar? No, rather to gratitude! Remember it is only the child of God who enters the school of Grace, and, being a child of God, he has within him the Spirit of God as a witness, as it is written, “The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit,” and again, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of His.” The possession of this Spirit will lead him to love his teacher, while instead of condoning his sins, and making light of his shortcomings, he will deprecate them, grieve over them, and become more and more enamored of his gracious Instructor, whom he will strive more and more to emulate.
It is just here that men dishonor God by limiting the operations of Grace. They fail to remember that this is just what Grace is for, to supplement their failure, that it is ever God’s love and favor to the undeserving. They fail to reflect that if God saves a vile sinner by Grace, he will surely much more by Grace forgive, cherish, instruct, and guide His own child in spite of all shortcomings.
My children have often displeased me by disobedience and wrong doing, but as a father I have had to bear with them, and to seek ever to develop in them the higher principles of love and devotion. They are very imperfect, and have required the exercise of patience and wisdom in large measure, but this exercise has been a good investment, and the joy of reciprocal family love, and affectionate intercourse, and the evidences of progress have infinitely more than repaid for all outlays of paternal care. Whatever the offence they have ever been my children, and I have no choice but to supplement their deficiencies with a father’s grace. No day’s experience ever even suggested ordering them from the house out into the night, and locking the door against their return.
Does this teaching seem like thin ice that may crack and land him who essays to walk upon it into disaster? Nay, beloved, it is the enduring love and favor of a gracious God.

Grace Effective

I am not now what once I was,Nor am I what I ought to be;But what I am, I am by grace,And when I see Him face to face,I shall be like Him perfectly.I once was dead and thought I lived:But now I live, yet dead I am,I live in Him with whom I died;I, to the world, am crucified—My life, my song, is Calvary’s Lamb.
—SELECTED.

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Grace and Its Enemies

2004-02-15T02:47:00.000-08:00

The Truth About Grace by Charles C. Cook
Chapter 2

—Grace and its Enemies—

Probably nothing so much shows human perversity as man’s attitude toward God’s Grace, for Grace being “God’s loving favor to the undeserving” should surely be the one thing to receive a glad welcome, and be allowed to work out its own beneficent purposes. But this is not by any means the case, nothing being so much misunderstood and misapplied.
In showing more fully the unwarranted treatment to which Grace is subjected it will be seen that “Grace and its enemies” becomes quite an appropriate phrase. They may all be covered by the three principal names of Law, Works and Character. It may be freely conceded that all three of these are in themselves and in their proper spheres excellent things, but when wrongly placed and especially in their relationship with Grace there is no limit to their deadly nature. Just as a railroad train is usually a most useful and convenient thing, but if on the wrong track and going in the wrong direction it means only confusion, collision and horrible disaster. Or as a neighbor may be quite acceptable in his proper relationship, yet if he camps on my plot, eats my fruit, plucks my flowers, and then enters my house, and orders my domestic affairs, he becomes an insufferable intruder; so with Law, Works and Character, when occupying a position which God never intended for them, they become trespassers and disturbers.
Taking up LAW first, we would say in defining it, that it is distinctly the Law of Moses that is meant: the Decalogue and all else found in the Pentateuch in the way of Law, given for the regulation of God’s chosen people, Israel. Now in its proper place this Law is highly to be commended, as says the Apostle in writing to I Timothy 1:8,9, “But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully”; “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for man-slayers,” etc. From this it will be seen that the use of the law for the believer has passed away, its claim on him was annulled by the Cross, which is further proven by Gal. 3:19-26, “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid; for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Are we then to conclude that believers have nothing to do with the Law? The answer is absolutely nothing, if we are sons and daughters in the family of God. The law was the schoolmaster (not the teacher, as the word is now used, but the servant who controlled the children and conducted them to school), who led us unto Christ, and having done this his service and responsibility for us are ended, as well as our relationship to him. This is all distinctly stated in Gal. 4: 1-11, “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all: But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage? Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.”
Think now how foolish it would be for sons, sitting at the feet of their teacher, and learning lessons of maturity, to allow themselves to be intimidated by the old schoolmaster (servant) under whose rod they had been brought to school, and who now through the window is seeking to attract their attention to certain placards bearing such inscriptions as “You must keep the Sabbath,” “You must tithe your income,” “You must abstain from certain kinds of food,” etc., etc. The enlightened believer sitting now at Jesus’ feet pays no attention to any such commands coming from any such source. He has long ago passed from under such jurisdiction, and rejoices now in the liberty with which Christ has set him free.
The leading representatives of Law doctrine in these days are the “Seventh Day Keepers,” who have made the observance of the Jewish Sabbath the one great criterion of acceptance with God. How pitiable it is to see the hard, lifeless, mechanical existence to which it has led them. Truly they know little of the joyous life of sonship. And also sorrowful is it to see many others among the various denominations who are still held by the grave-clothes of the Law. They are not nearly so logical as the class to which reference has been made, but in some vague, indefinite way still allow themselves to be influenced by the shreds of the old legal requirements. They do not really keep the Sabbath, and yet speak of “Sabbath observance,” and regard “tithing” as the high-water mark of Christian life and service. Now all such things represent bondage to legalism, and bring the believer into a miserably narrow and perverted attitude toward Christ, to whom all the believer’s days belong, as well as all his income, and his possessions of whatever nature. The pious flesh is satisfied to give a portion, and highly commends itself for so doing, in fact, it exalts its doing into a religion that pleases it well.
But Grace does not assent to any such arrangement. It requires all the heart’s love, and all the life’s possessions, and in seeking these it leads the soul away from a contemplation of the commandments written upon stone, to obedience to those written by the finger of love upon the fleshly tables of the heart. It is by these that the believer is to regulate his conduct. Thus controlled he will not be subject to any Sabbath law given to the Jews, but will make every day a holy day, though on the first day, which commemorates the resurrection of his Lord, he will joyfully embrace the privilege afforded for worship with fellow-believers, and for the opportunities presented for active, energetic service in spreading the influence of the Gospel; and instead of resorting to the comparatively easy method of tithing his income, or to some other artificial way, such as setting the fruits of certain trees in his orchard, or the eggs laid by certain hens, etc., he will see that his Lord,—the source of all the grace that has so wonderfully blessed him,—has the supreme right to direct what he shall do with every dollar that comes into his hands, as well as with all his fruit, hens, eggs, and all else.
To those who have learned this simple lesson “Christ” is truly “the end of the law for righteousness “(Rom. 10:4), while “love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:10); in short to him the law is fulfilled in one word “Love” (Gal. 5:14), and illuminated by this he needs no argument to convince him that “by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight” (Rom. 3:20).
WORKS represent another good thing that often becomes a deadly opponent to Grace. This enemy stands for activity in the Christian life as well as for everything that is subject to religious display, and therefore includes not only all forms of service, but also of worship, ritual, architecture, music, contributions, sacrifices, etc., etc. But how can such good things ever be wrong? They are desperately wrong, and actually corrupt in God’s sight, when vainly used to help toward the soul’s salvation, or in any way to secure merit, or a standing before God. Christ has once and forever done this! and anything that man does toward accomplishing the same end only detracts from Christ’s work. To place anything, however good, on a level with the Cross, or to seek to supplement the crimson drops of Calvary by human deeds, becomes a flagrant offence and a shameful sin.
Rome is the great exponent of deadly works. With her they stand out so boldly in priestly offices, forms of worship, churchly adornments, etc., etc., as to require no special mention, all is “works” from her erroneous form of baptism to her extreme unction for the dying, from the offices of her lowest deacon to those of her highest Pope. But alas, that among many who call themselves Protestants the same corruptible doctrine should be found! It seems to be the most widespread heresy in the world, this placing improper emphasis on human effort. Ask the first man you meet how he expects to reach heaven, and he will answer in effect “by being good.” When the fact is that no one ever has or will get to heaven by being or by doing good. That is not the way at all. The way is by the Cross where flowed the blood. Nor can the believer who has been washed in the blood add aught to his acceptability in the sight of God by being or by doing good. His standing in God’s sight has been settled by an entirely different process, even in the offering up of the only perfect or good life this world has ever seen, that of the spotless Lamb of God. There is positively no room or need for any auxiliary force that can be presented. And no one in glory will be able to say, “I am here, because of the Cross and—”, Neither are even the believer’s “holding out” or his progress in “holiness” in any way essential, or even secondary; for plainly it is written “not of works lest any man should boast.” It is against the possibility of human boasting that God has effectively guarded. “Not by deeds of righteousness, but by His mercy he saved us.” Our righteousness before we are saved is as filthy rags in his sight; our righteousness after we are saved, if we ever speak of it in self-commendation, or look upon it with complacent satisfaction is corruption. In Luke 17:10 is laid down the principle that applies, “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.” No one should conclude that all this in any way contradicts the Christian’s obligation to labor for his Master, or that he will be duly rewarded for his labor, for admonitions to self-denying service, and promises of reward for service are found everywhere in the Word. But these are entirely another matter, and in themselves only afford another illustration of the wonders of God’s grace, for, freely choosing us as His own, He saves us from the guilt and power of sin wholly by His own effort, bestows upon us bountifully all needed capital in the spiritual life, aids us in using it, allows us to retain all profits, and finally gives us a premium for faithfulness in our endeavors, and thus makes all redound to His greater glory.
CHARACTER.—The word is of course used in the better sense, and may be said to stand for the sum of all good and commendable human qualities. A person of character therefore is one in whom these qualities abound. But even this good thing called character may become a great enemy to Grace. It is always so when substituted for the latter, or when made to appear like it. It will at once be seen how opposite they are. Grace is God’s loving favor to the undeserving, while character is the sum of human excellence. This will more fully appear when some of the figures or object lessons under which Grace is presented in the Scriptures are noticed. The Psalmist, using himself as an object of Grace’s effective operation says Psalm 113:7-8, “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.” The Saviour gives us, in the person of the penitent praying Publican, a picture of Grace’s method that will never fade. While the dying thief will be to all time the most vivid illustration upon which man can ever gaze of the true state of every sinner and the life-giving power of Grace.
That man in himself has no real character whatever is abundantly shown in the Word. Language could not be more clearly used than in Romans 3:10, 11, 19, 23, “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” There is therefore not the narrowest possible ledge remaining upon which character may rest—“None righteous,” “none that understandeth,” “every mouth stopped,” “all the world guilty,” “all have sinned,” these are the unequivocal words of condemnation passed upon the natural man whatever his appearance, conduct or attainments. And in the glare of this search-light from God’s word, the most beautiful character becomes only a grinning skeleton,—an object of loathing and disgust.
Unitarianism is the prominent representative of this enemy of Grace. This charge is easily sustained, for if Christ is only a man, all other men are akin to him, even though he is acknowledged to be of more beautiful character than all the rest, nevertheless there is no distinction, except in degree of excellence, between him and all others, some of whom approximate closely to his attainments. So then Christ being dethroned from his position in the Godhead and made only man, man must of necessity be elevated to occupy the same level, even though he admittedly does not adorn it so beautifully. We are therefore not surprised to hear Unitarianism speaking of deity being possessed by every man; that God is innate in the natural man, and that all that is required of man is that he develop the good that is already in him. Also that if man fell at all, he fell upward, and that by the principle of evolution he is constantly improving. This to be sure necessitates making a myth or an allegory of the sad record in Genesis Third Chapter, but that is a small difficulty to Unitarianism,—the religion of character. It just as easily disposes of the Cross and its sufferer, by saying that he was a good man, even the best man that ever lived, dying as a martyr for his principles, and thus holds up his death as an example for other men to follow, that is, they are to live beautiful lives as Jesus did, and then if occasion offers die a hero’s death in order to save other men by their example. Substitution, Atonement by the shedding of blood, and kindred terms are logically hateful words to such teachers, and as so many passages of Scripture contain them, and clearly teach the “religion of blood,” they adopt the effective tactic of never preaching from them, but rather resorting to the adages of human philosophy,—Greek and modern,—and of dwelling upon ethics, sociology, and the qualities of honesty, courtesy, etc., etc.
So rabid are they in their opposition to the saving work of the Cross, that they call the doctrine of the Vicarious Atonement an “immoral” doctrine. It was this very word that was used by a famous United States Senator from Massachusetts, now deceased, in an address, when he boldly stated, “It is immoral to say that any man is saved by the death of another, no; every man is saved by his own character.” Poor blind man, he had not even a glimpse of the beauty of divine Grace in saving the undeserving, by the offering of the spotless Son of God. Surely he could have never read Romans 5: 6, 7, 8, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” It is this character-religion that would have men get “in tune with the infinite,” by some other way than the confession of sin, and the falling for pardon into the outstretched arms of a loving Father, after the pattern of the prodigal son.
It is also the part of office for this enemy of Grace to speak ever of the “Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of man,” an expression which always brands as false any system with which it is found, for the Word of God knows nothing of it; for while all men are God’s creatures, and the objects of his loving solicitude, and united to each other in a blood relationship as the common sons of Adam, in a scriptural sense God is Father only to those who are born into His family by the operation of the Holy Spirit, by whom also alone they are initiated into fellowship with the Elder Brother and his companions—blood-washed sinners.
Christian Science is the logical outgrowth of New England Unitarianism, especially as watered by that great pagan philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose transcendentalism was just vague enough and sufficiently elusive to prepare its admirers for Mrs. Eddy’s vapid hallucinations. Nothing is too absurd or impractical for men to believe if only they will not be obliged to confess that they are repulsive lepers, or undeserving publicans, or dying thieves, who will spend an eternity in perdition unless they confess their sins and gladly accept God’s substitute as the free gift of grace.
It is now common in Unitarian churches to make a study of Comparative Religions, in connection with which one form after another of paganism is presented and discussed on successive Sundays. On one such occasion Zoroastrianism was treated, and was pronounced “a very pretty religion.” Probably if seen at home where it has had the opportunity of centuries to prove its excellence, it would hardly have appeared so “pretty.” But what a term to apply to a religion! Certainly Cain’s religion with its fruit-covered altar seemed much prettier than Abel’s, upon whose altar lay a bleeding lamb—not by any means an attractive object. But the sequel! Cain unaccepted, and unrestrained by his religion, a murderer, while obedient Abel, dying, becomes a type of Him who was slain by wicked hands on Calvary. Character dares to take man and set him boldly before God as worthy of himself of attention and commendation. While guilty Adam with his fig-leaf apron hides in shame from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden, the modern guilty sinner armed only with his own character dares to push forward and to say defiantly to God, “I have done nothing amiss, judge me on my own merits.” In due time the challenge will be met, and the result will be one of horror. Oh, the deadliness of any system which in exalting the natural man, lowers the Cross and denies its meaning!
All teaching must be judged by this principle: if it justifies man it condemns God, while if it condemns man it justifies God. This latter is the true process according to the sweet word that bids us, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt you in due time,” and “if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Let it also be remembered that the Scriptures know nothing of that effort denominated “Character building” to which we are so often enjoined to apply ourselves, for real character is a growth whose roots are found only in the soil of the regenerated life, planted and watered by Grace. These three enemies of Grace that we have now described, viz.: Law as shown distinctly in the rigid Seven Day Keeping systems, Works as presented in dazzling Romanism, and Character as exhibited in self-confident Unitarianism, (outwardly so diverse), with all their modifications, variations, sub-divisions, and ramifications as found here and there in Protestantism, are inseparably linked together with the chain of false profession with which they are being drawn by the giant ERROR to frowning Sinai, with its dark shadows and overhanging clouds, where the lightning strikes to destroy.
If any further reasons are needed for devoting so much attention to these enemies of Grace, they are found in the fact that dependence upon them leads first directly along the path of self-righteousness to that most hateful thing to God in all the universe, Pride, and second often beyond this to Discouragement, for among the many duped ones, there are some who in their soberer moments are too honest to believe that they are really in any way to commend themselves,—keeping the law; or that their works are really worth mentioning, especially when their motives are scrutinized; or that their character is entitled to the graceful lines and charming tints with which it has been painted, and convicted of the sham profession they have been making with its hollow pretenses, they become utterly despairing and go down with sinking hearts to hopeless failure.
A third result is the way in which their influence leads to dishonoring God, by substituting man-made schemes for God’s way of salvation, and thus casting imputations upon His wisdom in devising it, His power in saving by means of it, and His love in giving His Son to accomplish it. In this way man disdainfully does despite to the Cross and seeks to cast it aside as unnecessary.
Is it any wonder that the Apostle in indignation exclaims, Gal. 1:8, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”

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Grace and Discipline

2004-01-15T02:47:00.000-08:00

The Truth About Grace

By Charles C. Cook
Chapter 3

—Grace and Discipline—

With all the beautiful things that may be said about Grace, there must not be omitted another word if there is to be a proper understanding of the subject, viz.: that Grace is perfectly consistent with discipline, for “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Heb. 12:6).
There they are together these two words, “loveth,” “chasteneth,” and the two others “scourgeth,” “son,” and let it be remembered that scourging means drawing blood. What God hath joined together let no man put asunder however contrary it may be to the desires and preconceptions of the human heart.
The bestowment of Grace then does not mean that the children of God are to be pampered and petted, shielded from every rough wind, and gently carried over all the hard places. It is next to criminal to rear children in this way, as thousands of instances in these modern days amply show, resulting as it does in a useless and often a vicious life for them. The heavenly Father will not make that mistake. He loves His sons and daughters and wishes them to be strong, robust and beautiful, but to have them so requires their attendance in the rough school of trial,—the gymnasium of Discipline. Nor is experience here an elective branch of study, but the most important one in the curriculum; in fact it is the basis of all learning in the Christian life, for Discipline includes all trial, suffering and disappointment that comes to the believer, in brief everything that is contrary to his own natural choosing.
The administration of Discipline has for its aim at least three objects. The first of these is—
Correction. The child of God upon whom His favor is lavished is often ungrateful, thoughtless, weak and even sinful, and when these are the conditions the same hand that extended grace will now seize the rod and will appropriately apply it too, according to Hebrews 12:9, “Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” and I Cor. 11:31, 32, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” Here we are informed why we are chastened, it is because we do not judge ourselves. We become lenient and loose with self, and this necessitates the divine judgment and chastening. In the 30th verse the apostle even says that because of their unworthy eating of the Lord’s Supper many among the Corinthians were weak and sickly (ill), and that some slept (had died). Some people have very easy notions concerning sin and seem to have the idea that God thinks as little of their sins as they do. Ah no, sin in the sight of God is a serious thing and will be dealt with in due time, for He is a faithful Father, who will not be held back by any false considerations. In administering correction He is not afraid of offending His children, nor of losing their esteem, a motive that controls many foolish parents, in their failure to punish when it is deserved. On the other hand God’s wisdom guarantees against mistakes in applying the rod, while a heart of love guides His conduct.
But correction does not by any means fulfill the entire purpose of Discipline, the—Purification of the recipients of Grace is another purpose of its administration. Many need to learn this, for their thoughts go no further than the idea that God is punishing them for some transgression, whenever they realize that discipline has come upon them. But this is not the universal key at all. It is rather often found that God is endeavoring to clear the dross from the character of the child whom He has especially selected as an exhibit of spiritual excellence. All Christians have more or less dross that must be refined away, and it seems that the higher the grade of Christian character the more attention does God give to its purification. “The fining pot is for silver, but the furnace (where the fire is even more intense) is for gold.” Those three choice ones Shadrach, Meschech and Abednego, whose lives seemed well nigh blameless, must go into a furnace heated seven times hotter than was wont. That fiery trial was allowed by God in order to test them, as well as to demonstrate their strength and purity. How it pleased God to see them shining for Him in the furnace like refined, burnished gold! This is the explanation of Job’s suffering; it was not penal as his three friends tried to force him to believe with their long platitudinous addresses, but remedial and purifying.
In the shop of some large diamond dealer will be seen great machinery and much power, and all brought to bear on what seems to be but a small piece of glass. One might be sure of the value of that transparent morsel if he would but look around and see what skill, labor and expense are being devoted to it. Let this be remembered when the believer is on God’s wheel that cuts and polishes.
A faithful Christian lay on his dying bed. To his minister he said, “Why do I suffer so? Is this punishment?”
For reply the minister told of a visit he had paid to a great flower show at Mannheim on the upper Rhine, where were displayed millions of flowers in endless profusion of color, fragrance and beauty, and that among them all the gems of beauty, the most highly prized, were the Alpine flowers, the children of winter and the storm, and these were perfected in their beauty by the struggle with stern and savage nature. The dying man took in the thought and grew in submission to the “good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Very applicable is the following selection, which has been of greatest blessing to thousands: “If God has called you to be really like Jesus in all your spirit, He will draw you into a life of crucifixion and humility, and put on you such demands of obedience, that He will not allow you to follow other Christians, and in many ways He will seem to let other good people do things which He will not let you do. Other Christians and ministers who seem very religious and useful, may push themselves, pull wires, and work schemes to carry out their plans, but you cannot do it; and if you attempt it, you will meet with such failure and rebuke from the Lord as to make you sorely penitent. Others can brag on themselves, on their work, on their success, on their writings, but the Holy Spirit will not allow you to do any such thing, and if you begin it, He will lead you into some deep mortification that will make you despise yourself and all your good works. Others will be allowed to succeed in making money, or having a legacy left to them, or in having luxuries, but it is likely God will keep you poor, because He wants you to have something far better than gold, and that is a helpless dependence on Him, that He may have the privilege of supplying your needs day by day out of an unseen treasury. The Lord will let others be honored, and put forward, and keep you hid away in obscurity, because He wants to produce some choice, fragrant fruit for His coming glory, which can only be produced in the shade. He will let others be great, but keep you small. He will let others do a work for Him, and get the credit for it, but he will make you work and toil on without knowing how much you are doing; and then to make your work still more precious, He will let others get the credit for the work which you have done, and this will make your reward ten times greater when Jesus comes. The Holy Spirit will put a strict watch over you, with a jealous love, and will rebuke you for little words and feelings or for wasting your time, which other Christians never seem distressed over. So make up your mind that God is an infinite Sovereign, and has a right to do as He pleases with His own, and He will not explain to you a thousand things which may puzzle your reason in His dealings with you. He will take you at your word; and if you absolutely sell yourself to be His slave, He will wrap you up in a jealous love, and let other people say and do many things that you cannot do or say. Settle it forever, that you are to deal directly with the Holy Spirit, and that He is to have the privilege of tying your tongue, or chaining your hand, or closing your eyes, in ways that He does not deal with others. Now when you are so possessed with the living God that you are, in your secret heart, pleased and delighted over this peculiar, personal, private, jealous guardianship and management of the Holy Spirit over your life, you will have found the vestibule of heaven.”
But how slow we are to see it, that discipline is for our purification, and therefore for our higher success. The Apostle expresses it in these words, “For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men.”
If even an ordinary salesman takes delight in an opportunity to show samples of his goods in order to further the interest of the house he represents, how much more should the Christian desire to do so. His samples are patience, forbearance, sincerity, benevolence, charity, humility, etc., etc.; but none of these can be shown except under trial and discipline.
The Christian then should hail these conditions as opportunities for showing his wares, but alas, how often is he off his guard and instead of showing these attractive qualities and by so doing representing his Master, he is impatient, fretful, mean, proud, resentful and uncharitable. As well might a salesman hope to succeed by taking from his case or trunk to show his customer damaged articles,—a broken vase, a worn out shoe, a battered hat, etc.
The third purpose in the administration of divine Discipline is the—Preparation of the believer for his place in God’s Plan. It is suggested by that illuminating reference to our Lord’s sufferings found in Hebrews 2:10, “For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” This to be sure does not mean that our Lord’s character was made perfect through suffering, for this would mean that he was imperfect or sinful before, which no one entertains for a moment. He has always been perfect in holiness. No, the meaning is that by His sufferings He was wholly fitted to become the Saviour of men. There was a completeness, a filling up of all that was necessary to His work as a Saviour to consummate God’s plan. As has been shown in the paragraphs under Purification, we are made morally better by afflictions if we receive them in the right manner, for we are sinful and need to be purified in the furnace of affliction; Christ was not made better, for He was before perfectly holy, but He was completely endowed for the work which He came to do by his sorrows. He was rendered thus complete because His sufferings, in all the forms that flesh is liable to, made Him an example to all His people who shall pass through trials. They have before them a perfect model to show them how to bear affliction as they move forward to the accomplishment of God’s design for their lives. While in none of our sufferings can we parallel the work of Christ, for we can never make atonement for others as He did, yet there is this for us in His example, that as He through suffering fulfilled the Father’s plan for His life, becoming obedient unto death, so may we by the spirit of thorough submission to God’s will fulfill his thought for us and accomplish his purpose. This is the Royal Road to Divine preferment as is given in Heb. 12:1, 2, “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; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Appropriate also is Phil. 2:5-11, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” In I Peter 5:6 is the principle condensed into two brief sentences: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” and “He giveth grace to the humble.” While in I Peter 5:5 we have the same thought in the following words of strength and beauty. “Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.”

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Grace and Fruit-bearing

2003-12-15T02:47:00.000-08:00

The Truth About Grace
By Charles C. Cook
Chapter 4
—Grace and Fruit-bearing—

All who have ever made a garden, or planted a vineyard or an orchard, know something of the delight of discovering fruit as a result of their labors. When the blade, the stalk and the ear are followed by the full corn in the ear, there is a peculiar sense of elation in the heart of the husbandman. It is fruit that he longs to see above all else, for fruit alone can crown his labors with success. This feeling of the husbandman is but a slight illustration of God’s desire for fruit in the lives of His children. It is the one great desideratum. The fig-tree was cursed because it bore only leaves, and in a parable the Saviour tells of the disappointment of the owner of a vineyard who coming for three years in succession to a certain tree for fruit and finding none gave the command, “Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?”
Israel’s fruitlessness was the cause of God’s great lament and His occasion for exclaiming “Israel is an empty vine,” Hosea 10:1. Also how plaintive is the query found in Isaiah 5:4, “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?” In Galatians 5:22, 23, the fruit that God delights in is named and the manner of its production stated.
Before considering these particulars it is well to note that there is never any fruit found of the flesh, the product of the flesh being rather designated “works.” “Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these,”—and there follows a disheartening catalogue of dark sins. And it should be remembered that there are no qualifications nor modifications, no distinction of good flesh from evil flesh, no difference between the “moral” man and the pronounced sinner (to use the terms of human speech), from which we must conclude, there being no alternative, that even the things produced or performed by the flesh which seem often so attractive and desirable have in them, to the scrutinizing eye of God, the germs or qualities of the corrupting principles that ar named.
Another point of interest lies in the statement that under the law there is no fruit-bearing. Even a conscientious obedience to the law and a correct walk under it are both unproductive of fruit, for in verse 18 we read, “But if ye be led of the Spirit ye are not under the law.” Now if the fruit that God delights in is that of the Spirit, and if the Spirit’s office is to lead away from the law, how can the Spirit’s fruit be produced there (under law)? From which we conclude that in the old dispensation (of law) one might win God’s approval by obedience, but for all that he would not be designated a fruit bearer, though other acknowledgment of his acceptable life would be given appropriate to the dispensation.
Fruit-bearing then comes only through that greatest gift of God’s grace next to Salvation, viz.: the Holy Spirit. His reception is the second great truth concerning the Christian. First, by union with Christ he becomes a son of God, and so is made free from the law,—for this union involves being baptized into Christ, becoming a living part of Him, a member of His body, flesh and bones,—and therefore the believer shares Christ’s position of acceptance with God. Second, the Holy Spirit comes into the believer’s life to control in fulness and with freedom. And now with the life-giving Spirit within and dominating his conduct the believer cannot, but secure (1) victory over the flesh, as is stated in verse 16, “Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh,” (2) freedom from law, verse 18, “But if ye be led of the spirit, ye are not under the law.” With these things settled there begins the development of a character that will truly please God. For be it known that Christian character under the dispensation of the Spirit is indeed a reality. It is not, however, the product of an effort, nor can it be attained by following certain rules (an altogether unscriptural practice); nor even by “the imitation of Christ”; but far better than all these, by the beautiful reproduction of Christ by means of life from within. True Christian character is like the beauty of the lily which comes neither by toiling nor spinning. The tree does not try to produce its luscious fruit, but rather owes its success to right conditions. It bears not “works,” the result of effort, but “fruit,”—a growth.
Attention has been called to the form of the word, that it is not as sometimes quoted “fruits,” but “fruit,” that is, not a variety of products, but one with at least nine distinct qualities, just as a perfect apple has bloom, fragrance, mellowness, juice, sweetness, firmness, form, etc. The presence of the fruit of the Spirit marks the real value of the Christian life. With it in evidence it is unnecessary to discuss degrees of perfection, or attainments in holiness, for it is in itself the proof or witness as no word-of-mouth testimony can ever be; just as truly as the beautiful mellow apple testifies that soil, moisture, sun, dew, wind, rain, pruning and fertilizing all co-operated in proper degree in producing its charm.
Oh, the beauty of the life that is the product of right conditions! It has been shown by others that these nine qualities or expressions of Christian character divide themselves into three groups, each of which has to do with one of the three-fold relationships of man, viz.: Love, Joy, Peace, have to do more directly with the believer’s relationship with God; Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, represent the qualities the believer should exercise in his relationship with his fellow-man; while Faith, Meekness, and Temperance are personal and describe the believer’s inner life or nature.
Against such there is no law. That is, among all the statutes there is no accusation against these. No voice can ever be raised to challenge them; no judgment ever pronounced upon them. Let it be noticed how this statement throws a new light upon the phrase “not under law but under grace,” meaning that if we are indeed under grace let us so embrace its gracious benefits and blessings in practical victory over sin, that the law will be helpless and unable to accuse us. But how is this fruit-bearing experience reached? First, By the crucifixion of the flesh, verse 24, “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” He who shuns the cross and refuses to be “crucified with Christ” will never become a fruit-bearer.
Second, By walking in the Spirit, verse 25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” The walk represents the practical life, and the admonition is to make the Spirit’s presence real, or to paraphrase the verse, “If we are living by the Spirit’s power, let our conduct also be governed by the Spirit’s power.” For He is wise and powerful and willing, able not only to give us victory over temptations from without, but even to change our disposition and temperament so that we may overcome.

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Grace and Its Laws

2003-11-15T02:47:00.000-08:00

The Truth About Grace
By Charles C. Cook
Chapter 5
—Grace and its Laws—

DOES this title seem contradictory to the former positive statements in which the antagonism between Law and Grace was shown? The subject before us is entirely different. The fact is there is no sphere of life or activity in time or in eternity that is not dominated by certain laws peculiar to its own conditions.
In the natural world, for instance, the beaver, with almost human intelligence, always builds his house or dam according to the same identical architectural plan. The eagle flying above him seems to belong to an altogether different world, and knows nothing of producing such ingenious and interesting results by systematic and continuous plodding. He is not building dams nor houses, but notwithstanding that, the laws that control him are none the less definite. His life may seem entirely free from restrictions and limitations, but it is only a seeming, for in his wild flights such things as air-currents and atmospheric conditions will not ignore consideration; and in every detail of his existence, from the moulting of his feathers to the securing of food, the preparation of his nest, the care of his young, certain laws regulate and control.
In like manner the Christian, who escaping from the bondage of legality, dead works and formality to the liberty of the sons of God, finds that the higher spiritual life upon which he enters also makes demands upon him.
He has not by any means passed from law to license, nor yet to chance, chaos or anarchy, but to a new environment in entering which he has merely exchanged one set of laws for another.
The laws that operate in the realm of Grace are presented in the New Testament Epistles with great frequency in one relationship or another, but nowhere perhaps do we have them in such close connection and regular sequence as in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, ninth chapter, and from the 19th to the 27th verses. Here we find first—
The Law of Liberty, with the Apostle Paul himself as an illustration, “For though I be free from all men, I make myself servant unto all.” The Christian is elsewhere admonished to call no man master, which is only another way of stating that God alone is to order the principles of his life, and to rule his conscience. Within this sphere of control he may be, as to temporal condition, a slave in Nero’s household, and yet possess a spirit that knows no bonds and that has no master. Ah, the Will of God is a boundless universe to the soul that knows and acknowledges Him!
They who taunt the Christian with having narrow conceptions that bar him from the so-called pleasures and excitements of this world’s life, show that they have no knowledge of things divine and spiritual, and that they are sadly deficient in appreciation of the delights of the true soul-liberty of the sons of God. The child of God has his conversation (citizenship, i. e., the whole economy of his life) in heaven and there all his needs are fully met. He is too free from carnal desires to take any pleasure, for instance, in the vanity, lightness, extravagance and sin of the world’s play-houses, and its other popular amusements; too much filled with the Spirit to have any longing for the wine in which is excess, and realizes so clearly that he is a member of the body of Christ and of the great multitude that will bye and bye give acclaim of praise to the Lamb whose blood has washed them white, that he is not influenced by the excitement of great popular movements, whether of a political nature, or those celebrating the proud achievements of men or nations. Imagine an eagle descending to the earth to take on him the life and habits of a duck, a toad or a serpent!
In his proper sphere the Christian may truly say in expression of his liberty, “I can do or be whatever I please,” the emphasis being upon the last two words,—for there is much in this world that does not please him at all, and all that is not in harmony with the Father’s will has for him no attraction.Next comes—
The Law of Service, also in verse 19, “I have made myself the servant unto all, that I might gain the more,”—nor is there any incongruity between Liberty and Service. Indeed, it is his liberty that causes the believer to make free and willing choice of service. In fact, in the spiritual realm, it is only the free man who can become a servant of any real usefulness. The tramp lying idly under the haystack is not concerned with thoughts of aiding others; service of any kind is to him a curse, and he felicitates himself upon his liberty until hunger asserts its claim, or disease attacks him, then does the real nature of his chain of bondage become apparent. To save himself he must stoop to beg a crust at the back door, and plead for charity at the hospital, not to mention the galling sway that filth, cold, vicious companions, loneliness and shame assert over him. Compare such an existence with that of a servant of Christ who freely elects a life of holy ministry. He may be one among the many Christian business men who in church and community life is unselfishly living for others. His days may be crowded with duties and the demands upon his time, money and energy may threaten to consume them, but oh, the joy of such a life—spending and being spent for his Lord.
The Law of Self-denial, (verses 20 to 23) presents another delightful aspect of the life in Christ Jesus. When the believer conforms to this law he gives proof that he has entered into an advanced class in Christian progress. See how the Apostle gave this evidence by becoming all things to all men: race-prejudice, intellectual pride, conscious superiority in morals, are all dismissed as altogether at variance with the principles of his new life. But let us not mistake what he meant by becoming “all things to all men” in his eager desire to win them.
Surely there was no weakening from the maintenance of truth. Ah no, he was too closely allied to his divine Lord to be guilty of such an error. In order to save men our Lord Jesus Christ, prompted by love, would and did shed His last drop of blood and yet would not yield a hairsbreadth of truth, or make the slightest compromise or concession of principle in order to win their following.
Witness His method with the rich young ruler, and with the multitude who followed Him around the lake after He had compassionately fed them in the wilderness. In both cases He seems to have expressed severe conditions, which He knew would impel them from Him rather than draw them to His Service.
Ah, if they or any are to be secured it must be with a full knowledge of His requirements, otherwise their allegiance could not be genuine or enduring. While Love gave its life, Truth would not yield an atom!
How completely has the Saviour’s method been reversed in our dealings with the unsaved. Are we making sacrifices in their behalf, enduring real heart agony on their account, shedding (not to speak of blood) tears of grief over their loss, like our Lord, showing tender compassion and love that counts no price of ease or self-surrender, or strenuous effort too great if haply we may thereby save them?
Rather, alas, is it not true that to win men we make every concession, beginning by toning down the sharp edge of the truth, and ending by making every allowance which the natural heart demands, so that this age witnesses the world admitted, yea, welcomed into the church, and actually dominating it with a bold and careless freedom.
With a cheap sentimentality we sell the truth at any paltry price offered, in order that we may be spared from giving up any treasure that our criminally selfish hearts may value.
The Lord died to save, but would not yield an atom of the truth. We will yield the truth without demur, but will not endure any inconvenience, much less suffer a real sacrifice that others may be saved.
Not so with Paul. He followed his Lord so thoroughly that any sacrifice of ease, comfort or convenience was gladly made, but no compromise of the truth to the slightest degree. Prison cell, a bruised body, hunger, cold, desertions were not considered by his heavenly spirit of self-denial, but to ask him to surrender truth would be met with instant refusal, though such refusal meant a challenge to death itself.
Nor must we ever imagine that his zeal ever led to the use of craft or guile. It is much to be regretted that careless students of the Word have ever misused the passage in II Cor. 12:16-17 to sustain any such contention, and especially as the quotation is usually made in justification of some questionable method or practise. The whole context is against it, as is also the entire course of the Apostle’s life, not to speak of every principle of Christian ethics. Allow it for a moment and Jesuitism is justified. Let craft and guile (which is hypocrisy) be condoned in Christian practice and the gates are open to all kinds of pious frauds. In Weymouth’s Modern Speech New Testament the passage is given as follows: “Be that as it may: I was not a burden to you. But, being by no means scrupulous, I entrapped you, they say! Have I gained any selfish advantage over you through any one of the messengers I have sent unto you?” And in another free translation we read, “You will admit that I was not a burden to you, but you say that I was ‘crafty’ and caught you ‘by a trick’! Do you assert that I took advantage of through any of those whom I have sent unto you?”
He who on a river bank would rescue his drowning fellow may stoop low and reach far, but must above all things maintain his own foothold to make his effort effective. And this is an illustration of the attitude of one who would deny self in order to save his fellows.
The Law of Aspiration is named in verses 24 and 25. An ambitious life truly is that of him who is filled with Grace. His eye is ever on the prize, and impelled by an estimate of real values he seeks strenuously to attain to genuine honor, lasting glory and an unfading crown. Weighing all things on the scales of the sanctuary he easily detects counterfeits. His eyes having been anointed, he is not led aside by false lights whatever their color.
No human plaudits charm his ears, nor temporal rewards fill his vision as he presses on toward the attainment of the best gifts. And lastly is—
The Law of Self-discipline (verses 26, 27). Here the Apostle likens himself to a boxer whose antagonist is none other than himself. “I am a boxer who does not inflict blows on the air, but I hit hard and straight at my own body and lead it off into slavery,” or, “I bruise my body and make it my slave.” And this is what is demanded in the realm of Grace. He who does it may seem a fool to the world, even as an athlete would be considered one who beats his own body black and blue. There was, however, a method in the Apostle’s madness and he states it in the next sentence, the oft-controverted expression, “lest when I have preached to others I myself should be a castaway.” There are some who conclude that the Apostle feared perdition,—the loss of his soul,—but such an unwarranted assumption is disproven by a study of the meaning of the words; they imply simply this: the fear that having been a herald to others he himself might be rejected as a contestant in the race or the match. The word “rejected” being the very word used in connection with the testing of coins. A coin weighed and examined, being found exact, was designated “dokimos” (approved), while one of short weight or with some defect was called “adokimos” (not approved, wanting, rejected). This did not imply that the coin was a counterfeit to be destroyed, but rather because of its being under weight or with some defect it must again be cast into the mould and be recoined.
It was doubtless this thought that filled the Apostle’s mind. He wished to be not only a redeemed sinner, but one whose conformity to the Laws of Grace would win that—to him, and to every believer,—highest conceivable reward, even the smile of his Lord, and His words of gracious approval. He strove to build on the foundation—than which none other can be laid— not a house of wood, hay and stubble, which being consumed by the testing flames would leave him saved, yet so as by fire; but rather a house of gold, silver and precious stones that would abide in beauty even though tried by fire.
What glory could possibly be conceived as being greater than that suggested,—the approval of Christ!—and surely it must have been this which the Apostle held ever before himself, and especially when giving expression to his desire in that eloquent outburst addressed to the Philippians (3:13, 14), “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
And the rapturous attainment of this will be the sequel to the effort of all who conform to the requirements of the Laws of Grace.

Deliverance

by R. P. D. BENNETT

Under the “Law” with its tenfold lash,

Learning, alas, how true—

That the more I tried

The sooner I died,

While the “Law” cried—

“You,” “You,” “You.”

Hopelessly still did the battle rage.

“Oh, wretched man,” my cry—

And deliverance sought

By some penance bought

While my soul cried—“I,” “I,” “I.”

Then came a day when my struggles ceased,

And trembling in every limb,

At the foot of a tree

Where One died for me,

I sobbed out—“Him,’’ “Him,” “Him.”

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