,,victorious ,,life ,,studies ,,robert ,c4 ,mc,q,u,i,l,k,i,n ,secretary ,victorious ,life ,testimony ,foreword by ,,charles ,g4 ,,trumbull ,editor of ,the ,sunday ,school ,times ,,revised ,,and ,,enlarged ,,edition ,,christian ,,life ,,literature ,,fund ,headquarters for ,victorious ,life ,literature ,room #fjj ,perry ,building #afth and ,chestnut ,streets ,philadelphia ,the publishers would esteem it a privilege to be informed of blessing definitely received by any reader as a result of the perusal of this book4 ,,oliver ,,richard ,,heinze1 ,director4 ,copyright1 #aiah1 by ,christian ,life ,literature ,fund ,,foreword ,did you ever go with a very dear friend into some foreign land1say one of the islands of the sea1 like ,madeira2 and there you and your friend vie with each other in making new discoveries of things beautiful and fresh to both of you3 new flowers1 fruits1 birds1 vistas in valleys or mountains8 ,if so1 you know something of what it means to explore1 with a friend1 in the land of ,victory in ,christ4 ,it was the new and undiscovered country of the ,victorious ,life that brought us together1 ,bob ,mc,quilkin and me4 7,new and undiscovered to us1 that is1 but as old as the ,day of ,pentecost47 ,we should never have been friends but for ,him2 we entered1 not far apart1 the 8foreign land0 of undreamed riches and delights2 and ever since then we have been joyously telling each other of our discoveries1 comparing notes1 sharing our finds1 and together thanking ,him who alone is the ,promised ,land1 the ,life1 and the ,victory4 ,god has greatly blessed me through the discoveries of my friend1 as our common ,guide1 the ,holy ,spirit1 has led him on and on into always new and clearer visions of what belongs1 in ,christ1 to every ,christian4 ,i am glad that he is now sharing his findings and his convictions with many1 through these studies in the ,victorious ,life4 ,as one reads this book1 let it be remembered that the ,victorious ,life is not optional for the ,christian who wants ,god's whole will4 ,it is a simple duty for every ,christian to 8be filled with the ,spirit0 7,eph4 #e3 #ah72 and being filled with the ,spirit means having ,victory and all that goes with this4 ,we think of the ,new ,testament1 and rightly1 as being ,god's revelation concerning how men may be saved from the wages of sin4 ,they deserved death penalty1 or hell4 ,this is true1 but have we realized1 as a clear-sighted ,bible teacher has pointed out1 that a much greater part of the ,new ,testament is devoted to telling ,christians how to live after they are saved than how to be saved8 ,have we asked ourselves why this is so8 ,have we realized what a sad commentary on the ,gospel is the man who claims that ,christ has saved him completely from the penalty of his sins1 yet in whose life is plainly seen1 and habitually1 the unbroken power of sin8 ,this book tells how to be as free from the power of sin as from its penalty4 ,it gives ,god's own message on present salvation3 salvation from sin now and here4 ,what the ,victorious ,life is2 how to make it one's own in practical experience2 how it may be not only entered into1 but maintained2 how it differs in life-and-death ways from false substitutes for ,victory1these and other questions that are perplexing many a burdened and seeking ,christian are discussed here and answered out of ,god's word4 ,closest fellowship with ,mr4 ,mc,quilkin for five years1 when we were together daily in editorial work1 enables me to know that he has come to his present convictions after exhaustive ,bible study1 frequent conference with mature and trusted ,bible students1 and wide reading in the best works1 new and old1 in this field2 but above all1 after his rich personal experience1 through surrender and faith1 of ,christ's freely offered power and grace to meet all needs in the believer's life4 ,with thanksgiving to the ,captain of our ,salvation1 who never asks us to win victories for ,him1 but ,who has already won all our victories for us1 ,this book is prayerfully commended in ,his ,name4 ,,charles ,,gallaudet ,,trumbull4 ,,contents ,a ,word of ,explanation vii ,preface to ,second ,edition ix ,i4 ,what ,is the ,victorious ,life8 #a ,,ii4 ,out of ,bondage ,into ,liberty #ac ,,iii4 ,god's ,new ,spelling for 8,obey0 #bb ,,iv4 ,when ,temptation ,strikes in the ,victorious ,life #ca ,v4 ,conquest of ,temptation in the ,victorious ,life #ch ,,vi4 ,how ,jesus ,lived the ,victorious ,life #dg ,,vii4 ,serving ,with the 8,mind of ,christ0 #ee ,,viii4 ,the ,second ,coming and the ,victorious ,life #fc ,,ix4 ,christian ,science and the ,victorious ,life #gb ,x4 ,is the ,victorious ,life a ,second ,blessing8 #hb ,,xi4 ,continuing and ,growing in ,victory #id ,,xii4 ,can ,man ,be ,free ,from ,sin8 #ajb ,,xiii4 ,the ,holy ,spirit in the ,victorious ,life #aai ,a ,,word ,,of ,,explanation ,,by ,,the ,,author ,most of these 8studies0 have been published1 or are yet to be published1 as editorials or articles in ,the ,sunday ,school ,times4 ,there has been added an introductory article written particularly for those who may have little acquaintance with the meaning of the ,victorious ,life4 ,each chapter has been prepared as an article complete in itself1 but there are three pairs of articles which form closely connected studies4 ,the chapters entitled1 8,out of ,bondage ,into ,liberty10 and 8,god's ,new ,spelling for #8,obey'0 form one study on the relation of law and grace in the life of the ,christian4 ,the two chapters on temptation form one study4 ,the chapter on 8,how ,jesus ,lived the ,victorious ,life0 and the one which follows on 8,serving with the ,mind of ,christ0 form a connected study on the practical meaning for us of our ,lord's humanity4 ,whenever use has been made of the writings or messages of others ,i have endeavored to give full credit1 but there should be added here a personal word of special acknowledgment4 ,my own entrance into a new experience in ,christ seven years ago came through the message of ,charles ,g4 ,trumbull1 who himself just a year before had found ,christ in the new way that transformed his own life and with it the message of ,the ,sunday ,school ,times4 ,following my new experience and this new friendship there was the rare privilege of five years' fellowship with ,mr4 ,trumbull as ,associate ,editor of ,the ,sunday ,school ,times1 a work that was surrendered at the call of the ,lord to go into foreign missionary service4 ,this being the foundation of these studies on the ,victorious ,life1 it may well be that in addition to the sentences in quotation marks used with or without ,mr4 ,trumbull's name1 there are statements and ways of putting things that have come directly or indirectly from this association4 ,this applies particularly to the first article2 the others embody more definitely suggested applications that have not been touched upon in other articles or editorials in ,the ,sunday ,school ,times4 ,those familiar with 8,the ,life ,that ,wins10 the leaflet that tells ,mr4 ,trumbull's personal experience1 will recall the threefold division of the needs in the ,christian life18fellowship1 freedom from sin1 fruit bearing10which is the division used in the first chapter of these studies4 ,many have been eagerly awaiting ,mr4 ,trumbull's own book on the ,victorious ,life1 which will deal with the subject in a comprehensive and connected way4 ,it is hoped that this booklet may prove a helpful supplement to the later work4 ,special acknowledgment should be made also to another beloved teacher1 ,professor ,melvin ,grove ,kyle1 for his illuminating suggestions on temptation4 ,while this study of temptation and the outline were begun before taking theological work under ,dr4 ,kyle1 its development has been strongly influenced by the rich suggestions that are quoted from ,professor ,kyle4 ,the little book goes out with the prayer that whatever errors of statement or of judgment may be discovered1 these errors may not bulk so large in the mind of the reader as to shut him out from the glorious blessing of victory in ,christ1 or if he has learned that secret to keep him from further riches of ,grace the ,word may have for him4 ,as you read through these chapters will you pray through them also8 ,if you receive a blessing1 will you pray that ,god may use it with other readers1 and that ,he alone may be glorified who is our ,victory4 ,july #bj1 #aiah4 ,,preface ,,to ,,second ,,edition4 ,,by ,,the ,,author4 ,this revised and enlarged edition of ,victorious ,life ,studies should not go forth without grateful acknowledgment for an abundant answer to the prayer that whatever errors of statement or of judgment might be found they should not hinder the blessing that ,god intended from these little 8studies40 ,there is not alone thanksgiving to the ,lord of answered prayer1 but to those who shared in the prayer for blessing1 and it is hoped that the increasing circle of those who are finding new riches of grace in our sufficient ,saviour may continue to ask ,god's guidance and blessing upon all attempts to put into print the message of victory in ,christ4 ,changes have been made here and there which affect the use of certain theological expressions which were not accurately used1 and which would serve to confuse the truth4 ,while none of these corrections1 so far as ,i know1 changes the vital truth that was intended to be expressed1 the further study of terms used in ,scripture1 and terms used theologically that are not in the ,scriptures1 leads to a conviction that it is helpful to avoid the use of any term the meaning of which is not clear to the one who uses it4 ,while these studies were not intended as a comprehensive treatment of the subject1 it was thought well to take advantage of the call for a second edition by adding two studies1 one to consider the relation of the work of the ,holy ,spirit to the life of victory in ,christ1 the other to ask what the ,scriptures mean by freedom from sin4 ,after outlining these studies in preparation for this new edition1 it was my privilege to be associated in ,victorious ,life ,conferences throughout the country with ,dr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,ramsey1 who is now giving his whole time to the work of the ,victorious ,life ,testimony4 ,so far as may be possible in such a word as this ,i wish to acknowledge the great debt of gratitude ,i owe to ,dr4 ,ramsey1 whose masterly expositions of ,romans and ,first ,john1 and other ,scriptures dealing with the sin question1 have served to confirm and clarify the glorious truth of ,god's plan of victory over sin which a direct study of his ,word will disclose to every earnest seeker4 ,with a first-hand knowledge of classical and ,new ,testament ,greek which ranks with the leading teachers of that language1 with an intimate knowledge of the ramifications of all the theological systems as well as the false 8faiths10 ,dr4 ,ramsey for eighteen years has been studying the ,scriptures against the back-ground of an experience of the fulness of the ,holy ,spirit which transformed his own life and ministry4 ,the result is that from all over the land have come insistent calls that he should put into print some of the results of this study which has given a new ,bible to scores of ministers and other ,christian workers where the message has been spoken4 99 99 99 99 99 ,accordingly1 ,dr4 ,ramsey is hoping soon to prepare leaflets that will discuss such questions as 8,what is ,sin80 8,the ,body of ,sin3 ,who has ,it80 8,the ,old ,man3 ,who is ,he80 8,the ,law of ,sin3 ,who ,obeys ,it80 8,the ,carnal ,mind3 ,what ,is ,it80 8,is ,romans ,seven ,christian80 8,is ,first ,john ,one ,eight for ,christians80 ,others will deal with the conflict of 8flesh and ,spirit10 and the question whether a ,christian has two natures1 and it is planned later to issue a brief exposition of ,romans4 ,the studies in this little volume necessarily deal with some of these questions but as far as possible ,i have sought to avoid encroaching upon the distinctive contribution that ,dr4 ,ramsey will bring in the careful exegesis of these ,scriptures1 and the scientific handling of the psychology and ethics that are involved as well as the theology4 ,to ,dr4 ,ramsey ,i am indebted for a number of the changes in phraseology1 but most of all for the glad confirmation that the truths so self evident in the ,scriptures1 but so obscured in the writings of men1 do rest upon an irrefutable theology1 an exegesis of ,scripture that cannot be gainsaid4 ,it is this that has given courage to speak plainly on some vital points that need clearing up4 ,and it is a matter for encouragement to every humble student of the ,word that without the equipment of a specially gifted mind and a scientific training1 it is possible to arrive at both the understanding and experience of the simple plan of salvation from sin4 ,shall we also remember as these pages are read that while the ,holy ,spirit does use human teachers to help us to know ,his truth1 it is our responsibility to make the truth our own by seeing it in the ,word for ourselves4 ,let us have nothing in our experience or our understanding of salvation merely as a result of what any man has said or written regarding the ,word of ,god3 let us have a glad original experience of ,christ through searching for ourselves whether these things are so4 ,june #ai1 #aibj4 ,,victorious ,,life ,,studies ,,what ,,is ,,the ,,victorious ,,life8 ,are you enjoying the ,victorious ,life8 ,the ,victorious ,life is a life of victory over sin4 ,do you have it8 ,the ,victorious ,life is a life of constant fellowship with ,god4 ,do you have it8 ,the ,victorious ,life is a life of fruit-bearing4 ,do you have it8 ,do you have the peace of ,god that passeth all understanding8 ,do you have freedom from worry and discouragement so that you are 8anxious in nothing08 ,do you have the joy of the ,lord1 which is independent of feeling1 and independent of circumstances8 ,are you able in all things to give thanks8 ,have you1 shed abroad in your heart1 the love that suffers long and is kind1 that envies not1 that vaunts not itself1 is not puffed up1 does not behave itself unseemly1 seeks not its own1 is not provoked8 ,do you enjoy in actual experience the fruit of the ,spirit1 in its nine-fold variety3 love1 joy1 peace1 long-suffering1 kindness1 goodness1 faithfulness1 meekness1 self-control8 7,gal4 #e3 #bb1 #bc74 ,is prayer a precious reality to you1 so that you can come to a living1 present ,lord to talk over every question that affects your life8 ,do you know what it is to ask and receive1 to abide in him and have his word abide in you so that whatsoever you ask you receive8 ,do your prayers change things8 ,is the ,bible to you sweeter than honey and the honeycomb1 more to be desired than gold8 ,do you go each day to the ,word and get a direct personal message from the ,master to your own soul1 to meet the very need of that day8 ,if this picture of the ,spirit-filled ,life1 as it is given in the ,word of ,god1 does not describe the experience you are having1 then you do not have the ,victorious ,life4 ,there is something that the ,lord ,jesus offers that you do not have4 ,you may have some of these things at times1 you may have glorious fruit-bearing1 you may know the ,lord in a vital and real way1 but if there is not complete victory over sin1which includes such things as worry1 discouragement1 lack of love1 irritation1 pride1 jealousy1 impatience1 covetousness1 worldliness1 lust1then you do not have the ,victorious ,life1 and there is an experience in ,christ awaiting you which will transform life4 ,your lack in these things does not mean1 necessarily1 that you are not a ,christian1 a born-again child of ,god1 saved by the blood of ,christ3 it does mean that you are not using in experience what the ,lord ,jesus provided for you by his death and resurrection4 ,the ,first ,step ,toward ,victory ,do you believe there is something in the ,christian life that you have not found1 or that you do not possess8 ,and do you want that experience8 ,if you can say yes to these questions1 then give thanks to ,god that he has led you by his ,grace to take the first step toward ,victory4 ,the first step toward the ,victorious ,life is for a ,christian to recognize the need1 to realize that there is an experience that he does not possess4 ,as in the case of an unconverted man who can never understand nor receive the ,gospel message till he comes to the place of seeing himself a sinner1 so a satisfied and defeated ,christian is in no place to receive the ,victorious ,life message4 ,the defeated man described in the seventh chapter of ,romans cries out1 8,o wretched man that ,i am6 who shall deliver me out of the body of this death80 ,the reason some ,christians have never tasted the victory of the eighth chapter of ,romans is because they have never known anything of the struggle that is described in the seventh chapter of ,romans4 ,a ,college ,student's 8,problem0 ,a young college student came to a speaker on the ,victorious ,life for an interview1 but started in by saying that he had no 8problems0 in his ,christian life4 8,do you have complete victory over sin80 8,well1 it depends on what you mean by sin40 8,do you ever have angry thoughts and feelings in your heart toward others80 8,do you mean get #8peeved' at people8 ,sure ,i do40 8,do you ever worry about things80 8,worry about things6 ,i should say ,i do4 ,everybody does40 8,do you ever have impure thoughts and desires in your heart80 8,yes1 ,i do40 8,these things are sins1 aren't they80 8,yes1 ,i suppose they are40 8,these are the things that put the ,lord ,jesus on the ,cross4 ,you have these things in your life1 you do not have victory over them and other like sins1 and yet you tell me you have no #8problem' in your ,christian life40 ,this young college student was led by the ,spirit to see the inner meaning of sin and to confess that he did indeed need something in his ,christian life that he did not have4 ,the sin problem is the problem of all problems4 ,if the sin problem in your life is settled in ,god's way1 you will have the secret of solving all other problems in ,god's way4 ,fellowship with ,god1 peace1 joy1 freedom from anxiety1 power for service1 the right enjoyment and use of ,bible study and prayer1 all of these things and every gift of grace will be open to you when you get the sin question settled4 ,at ,victorious ,life conferences1 ,christians come to the leaders and say that they are not troubled in the matter of getting victory over sin1 but that they do not get results in their ,christian service and they want the ,holy ,spirit for power in service4 ,in every such case it is found that the real difficulty is the sin question3 there is not complete1 ,spirit-given victory over inward sin4 ,when that is settled the power in service and the results follow4 ,when ,god came to choose a name for his ,son1 some one has pointed out1 he went to the heart of the subject and called his name 8,jesus10 because it is he that shall save his people from their sins4 ,it is going to the heart of the ,christian's need1 then1 first to emphasize victory over sin as the road to all other blessings of the ,abundant ,life4 ,what is ,god's way of securing this ,victory8 ,there are two ways of getting money1 or any other thing of valueeither working for it1 or receiving it as a gift4 ,two ,ways to ,seek ,victory ,there are two ways of seeking after salvationworking for it or receiving it as a gift4 ,but there are not two ways of obtaining salvation or eternal life4 ,for when a sinner works1 he works sin2 and the wages of sin is death4 ,life is never earned4 ,death is4 ,life must be given4 ,so the free gift of ,god1 the only author of life1 is eternal life4 ,we are saved by ,grace1 not by works1 for the least particle of 8works0 would make ,grace void4 ,there are two ways of seeking after the ,victorious ,life1 present freedom from the law of sinworking for it1 striving and struggling after it1 or receiving it as a free gift1 without effort4 ,there are not two ways of obtaining ,victory4 ,for when a saved sinner struggles with inward desires toward evil he is under the lawusing his own effortsand not under grace1 and the struggle at some time or other always ends in defeat4 ,the ,victorious ,life is a free gift from ,god4 ,it cannot be earned4 ,it therefore must be accepted on the same terms as salvation from the penalty of sin4 ,it must be received as a gift4 ,to enjoy a gift one has but to take it1 and thank the giver4 8,sin shall not have dominion over you3 for ye are not under law1 but under grace0 7,rom4 #f3ad74 8,my grace is sufficient for thee0 7#b ,cor4 #ab3i74 ,to believe these words of ,god is to enjoy the gift of victory4 8,the law of the ,spirit of life in ,christ ,jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death0 7,rom4 #h3b74 ,to believe this word is to enjoy present freedom from the law of sin4 8,every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin4444 ,if therefore the ,son shall make you free1 ye shall be free indeed0 7,john #h3cd1 #ce74 8,if ye are led by the ,spirit1 ye are not under the law0 7,gal4 #e3ah71 that is1 we are under ,grace4 ,and ,grace means1 ,jesus ,christ is doing it all for us1 winning the victory for us by his indwelling power4 ,the ,much ,more ,salvation ,these ,scriptures show clearly that ,god's way of victory over present sin is by the power of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,that new law1 the law of the ,spirit1 makes us free from the law of sin4 8,if1 while we were enemies1 we were reconciled to ,god through the death of his ,son1 much more1 being reconciled1 shall we be saved by his life0 7,rom4 #e3aj74 ,this is the 8much more salvation10 present salvation by his indwelling life4 ,reconciled saints need to be 8saved10 and the ,victorious ,life is nothing other than salvation by free grace1 in present action1 applied to each temptation and problem4 ,god's plan of salvation from the present power of sin1 therefore1 is exactly the same plan as he has revealed for salvation from the death penalty of sin4 ,both are by free grace without effort on your part4 ,both are to be received and enjoyed by faith4 ,after the remarkable passage in the fifth chapter of ,galatians1 which gives the nine-fold fruit of the ,spirit1 there is this statement3 8,if we live by the ,spirit1 by the ,spirit let us also walk0 7,gal4 #e3be74 ,that is1 since we have been born again by the supernatural power of the ,holy ,spirit1 by that same supernatural ,spirit1 without effort on our part1 let us also live our daily lives1 winning victory over sin by just letting the fruit of the ,spirit be produced1 letting the rivers of living waters flow out 7,john #g3ch74 ,it follows from this that every ,christian really has received the gift of ,victory from ,god1 for it is just the indwelling ,christ through the power of the ,spirit4 ,but how few1 how very few ,christians are enjoying the remarkable results of that gift1 the freedom from the law of sin1 the fruit of the ,spirit4 ,why is this8 ,a generation ago there were very many earnest ,christians who thought it presumptuous to be sure of their salvation4 ,they may have been saved and been blessed with all spiritual blessings in ,christ1 but they were not1 and some ,christians to-day are not1 enjoying assurance of salvation4 ,even so defeated ,christians1 who walk now and then after the flesh and fall into sin1 are not enjoying the freedom that ,christ purchased for them4 ,they are not living up to their privileges in the ,lord4 ,the word of freedom has not been benefiting them1 because it has not been united by faith with them that heard4 8,for indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us1 even as also they3 but the word of hearing did not profit them1 because it was not united by faith with them that heard0 7,heb4 #d3b74 ,the ,two ,simple ,conditions ,the simplicity of entering into this ,new ,life has been a stumbling block to many4 ,for there are but two conditions for victory1 and every ,christian has been given grace to meet these two conditions4 ,the first is surrender4 ,for that resurrection life of ,jesus can only operate when our self effort ceases4 8,yield yourselves unto ,god0 7,rom4 #f3ac74 ,or as ,weymouth translates it3 8,surrender your very selves unto ,god40 ,and this was spoken to ,christians4 ,this surrender of the ,christian to ,god is positive1 not negative4 ,it is not as a surrender of things1 nor of an evil self life1 but a yielding of self with all its powers to ,god1 as alive from the dead4 ,with this positive surrender everything contrary to ,god's will goes out of the life4 ,surrender a ,definite ,matter ,failure frequently comes in the life of ,victory because there has not been a complete surrender4 ,something has been held back4 ,or we have been too superficial in our understanding of what crucifixion of the old self life means4 ,now our ,lord is lovingly ready to meet us when we come eager for full salvation and willing to make full surrender to him4 ,he will show us if we ask him1 and wait for his answer1 whether there is anything that is not wholly surrendered to him4 ,some ,christians say this matter of surrender is very vague1 and they cannot tell whether they have really surrendered completely4 ,as a matter of fact1 the ,holy ,spirit is always very definite when we deal with him earnestly4 ,one woman who said the surrender matter was entirely too vague for her to know whether she had surrendered1 after some questioning remarked3 8,well1 of course1 ,i would not be willing to have my two sons go to ,africa as missionaries40 ,the matter of surrender was very definite for her and until this ,christian mother lays her two boys on the altar for ,christ she will not know complete victory4 ,young people sometimes stumble over surrendering such things as worldly amusements1 the theatre1 dramatic moving pictures1 dancing1 card-playing1 smoking4 ,they argue that they do not regard these things as sins1 though others may believe them to be4 ,but surely if we are facing the question of getting such a great ,gift as ,christ as our ,victory and very ,life1 these things are small matters to yield4 ,but if they are not sins1 are they 8weights0 in the ,christian race8 8,let us 444 lay aside every weight1 and the sin which doth so easily beset us0 7,heb4 #ab3a74 ,when ,a ,christian ,robs ,christ ,but1 it may be objected1 how can a ,christian surrender8 ,does he not already belong to ,christ8 ,ah1 that is the sad tragedy of it4 ,will a man rob ,god8 ,yes1 the ,church of ,christ is largely robbing him to-day of the only offering he cares forourselves as living sacrifices4 ,we are indeed bought with a price1 the precious blood of ,christ1 we are not our own1 we belong to him4 ,have you acknowledged this ownership in every detail1 not with your lips alone1 but with your life1 in its every action8 ,that is the first requirement for ,victory4 ,and ,victory will never be enjoyed until the surrender question is settled4 ,an earnest young ,christian woman was in defeat and distress because there was something she would not yield4 ,she acknowledged it was pride1 but she could not give it up4 8,whom do you belong to80 she was asked4 8,christ40 8,what price did he pay for you80 8,his own life40 8,but you are saying to him there is something you are holding back4 ,what are you doing80 8,i suppose ,i am crucifying him afresh10 she answered1 the tears coming4 8,yes1 you are robbing him40 ,but the struggle went on and she would not yield4 8,will you kneel down and just tell the ,lord that you are robbing him1 and that you intend to keep on robbing him80 ,she shrank from such a thought1 and she kneeled down and told her ,lord that she would yield that one thing she was holding back1 and that there was nothing that she was not willing to do that he wanted4 ,she arose with a radiant face1 and as the days went on it developed that ,god did not want her to do the thing she was shrinking back from doing4 ,a ,christian may be kept out of victory because he says he would not be willing to go to the mission field1 or send his sons to the mission field4 ,god may not want him to go1 but he can never have ,victory as long as there is an unwillingness to do what ,god may want him to do4 ,for this is doubting ,god and his love4 ,more ,needed ,than ,surrender ,but there are multitudes of ,christians who are truly surrendered1 holding nothing back1 who do not have ,victory4 ,for the surrendered life is not necessarily the ,victorious ,life4 ,surrender is our part4 ,the supernatural work of ,victory is ,god's part4 ,god is doing his part as soon as we yield ourselves1 and we get the benefit of it when we believe that fact4 ,this is ,victory by faith4 8,faith does nothing4 ,faith believes that ,god is doing it all40 ,faith is just believing the word of ,god4 ,those marvelous promises1 or rather 8facts0 of ,god's ,grace which have been quoted above can only be received by the ,christian who is holding nothing back from ,god4 ,then all the rest is ,god's work4 ,is he faithful8 ,we have surrendered4 ,is our part then to believe that ,god will give us ,victory8 ,no1 that is not faith4 8,victory's final secret10 as ,mr4 ,trumbull has put it1 is to believe that ,christ is doing his part1 that his ,grace is sufficient1 that we are free from the law of sin1 that we are under ,grace and not under law and that therefore sin is not having dominion over us1 that he is meeting all our needs1 but we are walking in the ,spirit4 ,this is 8letting ,god40 ,will you not 8let go1 and let ,god80 ,now8 ,if you do1 you can say with ,paul1 not only as a truth of your position in ,christ1 but as the blessed truth of your experience3 8,i have been crucified with ,christ2 and it is no longer ,i that live1 but ,christ liveth in me0 7,gal4 #b3bj74 ,what ,it ,is ,not ,the ,victorious ,life is not a life free from temptation1 but a life of victory over temptation4 ,first ,corinthians #aj3ac1 with its 8there is no temptation0 is an absolute guarantee from ,god that victory over all temptations is possible2 for he himself provides the way of escape4 ,jesus1in his resurrection ,life1is the ,way4 ,the ,victorious ,life is not a life free from the possibility of falling into sin4 ,it is always possible at any moment to sin1 and as soon as our eyes get off ,jesus faith slips1 self is in control1 and the result is sin4 ,the ,victorious ,life is not dependent on circumstances4 ,nothing is too hard for ,god1 not even your hard circumstances4 ,and let us always remember that the ,victorious ,life is 8the ,life that is ,christ40 ,he is as able under one circumstance as under another4 ,the ,victorious ,life is not an attainment by growth4 ,true growth in ,grace really begins when we take the ,grace of the ,lord for complete victory over sin4 ,growth in ,grace does not mean gradually getting rid of our sins1 but it does mean growing from one degree of glory to another degree of glory as we behold the ,lord and are changed into his image 7#b ,cor4 #c3ah74 ,the ,victorious ,life gives no cause for boasting of spiritual attainment4 ,grace excludes boasting4 ,it gives us no holiness of our own4 ,the holiness and the victory are ,his1 and the most mature saint in the walk of faith needs the same secret of ,victory as the young ,christian just entering into the ,life4 ,his strength is ever made perfect in weakness4 ,my weakness is never made stronger1 though as ,i learn more of the ,bible teaching of what faith is ,i may get more and more established in acting by faith4 ,continuing in ,victory ,we continue in the ,life of ,victory as we entered it1 by continuing the attitude of surrender and faith1 moment by moment4 ,it is the principle of 8contact02 as long as the trolley keeps on the wire the electric power is supplied to run the car2 as we keep looking unto ,jesus there is ,victory4 ,if a slip of faith comes1 if the trolley gets off the wire1 and sin enters 7which is always possible but never necessary71 do not stop to argue with ,satan about the sin or listen to his suggestion that you never had ,victory3 confess1 receive instant forgiveness 7#a ,john #a3i71 look again in faith just as when you entered into the blessed 8rest of faith40 ,does this message leave you with joy and gladness in your heart1 because you know that this life is yours8 ,have you taken the ,gift8 ,or are you like the young ,christian who told an older woman that she had surrendered and believed a thousand times1 and she was in hopeless darkness about it all4 8,well10 this older ,christian said1 8just stop doing that1 or trying to do anything1 and trust him to do it all40 8,i have done that a hundred times10 was the discouraged answer4 ,she had no will power to do anything1 and she was hungry for ,victory4 8,if you can do nothing else1 just lift up your heart to ,christ40 8,i can't4 ,my heart is too heavy to lift up40 ,it ,is as ,simple as ,this 8,well1 one thing you can do1 for it is just a physical act4 ,you can lift up your eyes4 ,will you do that80 ,the young woman promised that she would do that1 and on the way home she kept her eyes directed upward as unto him4 ,the next day she gave her testimony with a radiant face1 rejoicing in the ,lord3 8,i lifted up my eyes1 and my heart went up with them40 ,the ,victorious ,life is just as gloriously simple as thatjust looking upunto ,jesusand ,,keep ,,on ,,looking4 ,,out ,,of ,,bondage ,,into ,,liberty 8,they do not care a snap of their fingers whether ,abraham was justified by faith or works10 writes a leading ,american preacher in a recent article that seeks to interpret the heart-cry of men to-day for a prophet who can give them 8a spiritual interpretation of the world-rending and home-smashing events that are taking place40 ,yet that very same question which was the all-important thing for ,abraham1 to-day1 nearly four thousand years later1 is still the question that goes to the root of the world's spiritual problem4 ,there is nothing more important for the ,christian to understand than the distinction between law and grace4 ,for to understand that is to have in one's heart the ,gospel message4 ,it is not too much to say that the chief cause of powerlessness in the ,christian church to-day1 a powerlessness that is made the more acutely evident by the world's sore travail1 is that so many thousands of ,christians are still living under law4 ,they have not found the emancipation of grace4 ,they do not walk at liberty1 which was purchased for us by ,christ4 ,they do not stand fast in the freedom wherewith ,christ has set us free4 ,they are not 8free indeed0 with the freedom which the ,son of ,god won for us4 ,this is not an academic question4 ,it is not a discussion of points of law1 nor the making of fine distinctions in the deeper spiritual mysteries4 ,it is a question of sin4 ,when our ,lord was telling the ,jews that if they believed him and followed him they would know the truth1 and the truth would set them free1 they threw back their shoulders in their pride of ancestry and boasted that they were ,abraham's seed1 and were never in bondage to any man4 ,the ,son of ,god did not stop to discuss questions of race1 or of political liberty1 but went to the heart of the matter with one of his tremendous verilies3 8,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin0 7,john #h3cd74 ,christians ,who ,are ,bondslaves ,that ,word of the ,king of kings is the word that needs to be thundered to-day1 or1 what is more effective1 whispered to-day into the souls of men4 ,there is no bondslavery comparable to this4 ,a man may be on the side of righteousness so far as the conflict of nations is concerned to-day1 but what avails that for the solving of his individual problem if he is the bondservant of sin8 ,if1 then1 the question of law and grace is a question of sin1 it is the most vital matter that can concern men to-day4 ,always alongside of sin is another word beginning with ,s8,salvation10that is1 this word is always alongside of sin in this age of ,grace4 ,when our ,lord told the ,jews of this bondslavery1 he did not leave them there1 but added that wondrous word3 8,if therefore the ,son shall make you free1 ye shall be free indeed40 ,there is needed to-day a great challenge to be thrown at an unbelieving world1 a testimony that cannot be answered1,christians walking at liberty1 men and women living in the midst of these awful days of stress with the 8freedom indeed0 which belongs only to sons of ,god4 ,but instead of that an unbelieving world is constantly face to face with the puzzling spectacle of professing ,christians who are bondservants of sin1 who do not know the meaning of liberty4 ,for let us remember the word of the ,master1 and not nullify it with theological explanations to make it fit into the experiences of ,christians3 8,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto you1 ,every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin40 ,and ,christians are bondservants of sin because they are living under law and not under grace4 ,they are not using1 not enjoying1 the freedom that ,jesus ,christ purchased for us4 ,have ,we ,nothing to ,do with ,law8 ,so fundamental is the correct understanding of the ,christian's relation to the law1 that if ,satan is not able to beguile ,christians into staying in bondage under the law he will seek to drive them into an opposite error that is just as deadly to true liberty4 ,this is the notion that a ,christian has nothing to do with the law1 and is under no obligation to have his life conform to it4 ,young ,christians who have seen something of the wonder of their deliverance from the law have jumped to the conclusion that the ,old ,testament books that deal with the dispensation of law have such an indirect bearing upon their lives that they can neglect them4 ,portions of the ,new ,testament are also divided in this fashion from the rest of the ,word1 and even ,christians with a deep spiritual vision have argued that the ,sermon on the ,mount had little in it for them because it was on legal ground1 and we are under grace4 ,their teachers may not have intended this application of their instruction about freedom from the law1 but it illustrates the danger1 and shows the need of clear light from the ,word to avoid the pitfalls on each side4 ,so the ,word of ,god urges on the one hand1 8,for freedom did ,christ set us free3 stand fast therefore1 and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage0 7,gal4 #e3a71 and cautions on the other1 8,for so is the will of ,god1 that by well-doing ye should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men3 as free1 and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness1 but as bondservants of ,god0 7#a ,peter #b3af74 ,and ,paul puts the two messages together in ,galatians #e3ac and #ad3 8,for ye1 brethren1 were called for freedom2 only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh1 but through love be servants one to another4 ,for the whole law is fulfilled in one word1 even in this3 ,thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself40 ,law in the ,new ,testament ,but in what sense are we freed from the law1 if we are still to keep the law8 ,the ,new ,testament takes hold of the law of ,god as revealed in the ,old1 and makes it infinitely higher in its requirements4 ,some men say that their ,gospel is the ,sermon on the ,mount4 ,it is the most hopeless ,gospel a sinner ever struggled with4 ,for in this sermon our ,lord pours the spiritual meanings into the law of ,god4 ,it may have been possible for a man to abstain from the outward act of murder1 but our ,lord takes that command and shows that the inward fact of murder is in a man's heart if he is angry with his brother4 ,so does the ,master lift the command against impurity into a place where the strong moral man1 who does not have the secret of victory1 is convicted of impurity4 ,not only is there this spiritual interpretation of the law1 which makes it the more impossible to keep it1 but there is the new commandment the ,lord gave his disciples1 to love one another as he loved them4 ,and as though this were not enough1 the ,new ,testament epistles1 after the death and resurrection1 when the dispensation of law was fully over1 show us that to break the law of ,god at one point makes us guilty of all3 8,howbeit if ye fulfil the royal law1 according to the scripture1 ,thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself1 ye do well3 but if ye have respect of persons1 ye commit sin1 being convicted by the law as transgressors4 ,for whosoever shall keep the whole law1 and yet stumble in one point1 he is become guilty of all4 ,for he that said1 ,do not commit adultery1 said also1 ,do not kill4 ,now if thou dost not commit adultery1 but killest1 thou art become a transgressor of the law0 7,james #b3h-aa74 ,this startling passage says that if ,christians have respect of personsand has not the ,spirit here put his finger upon one of the most pathetic and abominable sins of ,christian churches of our day8these ,christians are convicted as transgressors of the law1 and are guilty of all4 ,then the ,apostle goes on to speak of the sins of murder and adultery as samples of the kind of thing that a ,christian is guilty of when he shows respect of persons1the awful sin of unlove4 ,law ,never ,abrogated ,this leads us into the truth that the law of ,god is pure and holy and spiritual1 and has never been abrogated4 ,the ,new ,covenant does not take away the law3 it provides a way of fulfilling the law4 ,there are many senses in which the word 8law0 is used in the ,scriptures1 but we are looking now at the righteous law of ,god which must be fulfilled1 and the breaking of which is sin1 for sin is lawlessness1 or the breaking of the law4 ,james tells us that to stumble in one point is to break the whole law1 for the law is a unity4 ,the law is a unity because it is an expression of the character of ,god1 and ,god is one4 ,to break it in one point is to sin against ,god4 ,it is a true revelation of the ,scriptures that 8,god is law10 though these words do not occur4 ,the words 8,god is love0 do occur1 and love is the fulfilling of the law4 ,when ,god gave the perfect law to men ,god knew that men could not keep it apart from the secret of ,grace4 ,but men did not know it4 ,and ,god cannot do anything for a man by grace until man learns that he is a transgressor of the law of ,god1 and that it is impossible for him to keep it4 ,israel said1 8,all that ,jehovah hath spoken we will do40 ,they indeed needed a tutor unto ,christ4 ,the law1 then1 was added to show man what sin is1 to make sin exceeding sinful1 to prove to man that he is a sinner4 ,this work the law did all through the old dispensation4 ,but this work the law must continue to do for every individual before he can enter into the meaning of grace4 ,that ,seventh of ,romans ,struggle ,that is what the struggle of the seventh chapter of ,romans means4 ,that is a struggle under law1 the picture of a man who has been brought under condemnation by the law4 ,the law is a great mirror let down from heaven in which a man may see himself as he is4 ,that is why the law brings condemnation and death4 ,it is a curse1not because the law is not holy1 but because it convicts the man of his unholiness4 ,law does this in the ,new ,testament as well as the ,old1 and with infinitely more searching terribleness because of the high spiritual interpretation of the inner meaning of the outward commands4 ,the law of ,god has done its work in a ,christian when he has seen that it is impossible for him to be good according to ,god's standard4 ,not all have seen this4 ,dr4 ,scofield tells of a gentleman who came to him at the close of a talk on how a ,christian might get out of the struggle of the seventh chapter of ,romans into the victory of the eighth chapter1 and asked him this3 8,doctor1 what was the trouble with ,paul anyway8 ,why did he find it so hard to be good8 ,i don't find it very hard to be good40 8,what do you mean by being good80 the preacher asked4 8,what every one meansliving a clean life1 being honest1 paying your debts1 treating people right1 and if your neighbor gets in trouble put your hand in your pocket and help him out40 8,oh10 ,dr4 ,scofield responded1 8,paul did those things all his life4 ,any gentleman would do those things4 ,paul was not talking of that when he said it was a struggle to be good40 8,well1 what did he mean80 the business man asked1 somewhat taken aback4 8,not ,built ,that ,way60 8,did you ever try to be meek80 was the preacher's next question4 8,what's that80 8,did you ever try to be meek80 8,no1 sir6 ,i don't admire a meek man40 8,don't you8 ,well1 ,god does4 ,his ,son was meek and lowly4 ,but now suppose you started off some morning and determined to be meek all that day1 to love everybody1 no matter what mean things another man might say4 ,would you find it easy80 8,i couldn't do it4 ,that's not in my line4 ,i'm not built that way40 ,just so1 we are not built that way4 ,we need to be built over4 ,a new life needs to come in4 ,and when the law has brought us to that point1 and we cry out with ,paul1 8,wretched man that ,i am60 then the law has done its proper work4 ,the tragic thing is that most ,christians stop right there in their reading of the seventh chapter of ,romans4 ,they do not go on to the glorious word of deliverance4 ,there is a way out4 ,paul has been in bondage under the law of sin4 ,but a new law enters1 and he exclaims1 8,the law of the ,spirit 444 made me free from the law of sin and of death40 ,what is the new power of that law of the ,spirit8 8,life in ,christ ,jesus40 ,what happens when the law of the ,spirit is working1 when we are enjoying the freedom indeed wherewith ,christ hath set us free8 ,the requirement of the law is fulfilled in us4 ,this law of the ,spirit1 of the new ,life in ,christ ,jesus1 hath set us free from the law of sin and death1 in order that we might keep the law of ,god4 ,and it is kept in us just as long as we walk in the ,spirit4 ,god's plan is that we should walk in the ,spirit all the time2 that is 8abiding in ,christ40 ,the struggle of the seventh of ,romans is a struggle under the law1 it is human effort apart from grace4 ,it is not given as the normal ,christian experience1 but a parenthesis between two passages of glorious liberty1 placed there to show what bearing the keeping of the law has upon the ,christian's experience4 ,the normal ,christian experience is freedom from the dominion of sin4 ,what ,grace ,says 8,sin shall not have dominion over you3 for ye are not under law but under grace40 ,the secret of victory1 therefore1 is to keep under grace1 which is walking in the ,spirit4 ,how is this to be done8 ,all ,christians who have real assurance of salvation see clearly that we are saved by grace4 ,law has condemned them4 ,law says 8,do10 and we cannot do4 ,grace says1 8,jesus ,christ has done it for me40 8,how much in the matter of my salvation has he done80 8,all of it40 8,how much is there left for me to do80 ,nothing4 8,faith does nothing02 faith believes that ,jesus has done it all4 ,now this is exactly the case with ,christian living1 and the keeping of the law of ,god4 ,whenever a ,christian sins1 sin is having dominion over him1 and that means that he is living under law where he does not belong1 and needs to get under grace4 ,here1 just as in salvation from the penalty of sin1 grace means that ,jesus ,christ is doing it all4 ,what is left for me then in the matter of winning victory over sin8 ,nothing4 ,faith believes that ,jesus is doing it all4 ,that is grace1 and nothing else is4 ,for if my effort enters1 it is not of grace1 but partly by the work of the law4 ,that is making void the grace of ,god1 8for if righteousness is through the law1 then ,christ died for nought0 7,gal4 #b3ba74 ,christian liberty is changing the bondslavery of sin for the bondslavery of ,christ2 it is freedom from the law in order that the law may be kept in us by ,another2 it is changing the law that 8made nothing perfect0 for 8the perfect law1 the law of liberty40 8,so speak ye1 and so do1 as men that are to be judged by a law of liberty0 7,james #b3ab74 ,,god',s ,,new ,,spelling ,,for 8,,obey0 8,trust and obey0 is frequently given as the key to living the ,victorious ,life4 8,surrender and obedience10 another suggests as the things necessary for continuance in victory4 ,instant obedience to every word of ,god1 another says1 is absolutely necessary if one would be in victory4 ,another teacher points out that the ,new ,testament reduces all ,god's commandments to two1believe in ,jesus and love one another1and our duty is thus simplified3 we are to obey these two commandments and victory is ours4 ,but to obey these commandments is exactly what ,i cannot do4 ,if ,i obey these two commandments1 the whole law of ,god is fulfilled in me4 ,it is because ,i have failed to fulfil this perfect law of ,god1 that ,i cry out with ,paul1 8,wretched man that ,i am6 who shall deliver me80 ,the answer to that question gives me the secret of the ,victorious ,life1 the ,life that results in obedience4 ,of what avail is it to tell me that the secret of living the ,victorious ,life is to obey ,god1 when the very reason ,i am hungry after the ,life is because it results in obedience4 ,that ,life does what ,i have failed to doobey ,god4 ,so long as we make obedience the cause or producer of victory1 so long are we under the law4 ,we are living under the ,old ,covenant4 ,the law says1 8,he that doeth them ,god's statutes shall live in them02 that is1 it is the law-keeper's obedience which brings life and victory4 ,but1 it will be answered1 when ,christians are urged to obey it is not intended that they should do this in their own strength4 ,we must constantly seek divine help to obey4 ,there is the human side and the divine side4 ,on our part we are to strive with all our willpower against sin1 and ,god's part is to help us in the struggle4 ,making ,victory ,impossible ,there is one trouble with this program of human effort co-operating with divine power4 ,it always leads to defeat1 bringing the struggling man under the dominion of sin4 ,it produces the man pictured in the seventh chapter of ,romans4 ,it is the program followed by nearly all ,christians4 ,and that is why nearly all ,christians are living in defeat practically all of the time4 ,it is not that defeats come now and again in the face of difficult temptations2 the distressing thing in the experience of most earnest ,christians is the consciousness that complete victory is never enjoyed2 the occasional bad falls are but indications of a chronic condition of defeat4 ,the ,two ,covenants ,the reason for this life of defeat is that ,christians mingle law and grace1 and this makes complete victory an impossibility4 ,when we are in defeat it is because we are under the ,old ,covenant1 which can make nothing perfect4 ,it may be that we are clear intellectually on the distinction between law and grace1 but it is the mingling of them in daily experience that results in defeat before sin4 ,the secret of victory1 then1 is to get entirely from under law and get wholly under grace for the needs of the present moment4 ,what does this mean8 ,how can it be done8 ,probably no one has put more concisely and clearly the distinction between the ,old ,covenant and the ,new than has ,andrew ,murray in his 8,two ,covenants40 ,under the ,old ,covenant1 he points out1 ,god says3 8,obey me1 and ,i will be your ,god40 ,in the ,new ,covenant ,god speaks in some such words as these3 8,i will put my law in your heart1 and ye shall obey me40 ,in the ,old ,covenant1 ,andrew ,murray says1 there were two parties1 man and ,god4 ,man failed to keep his part of the agreement and the covenant was broken4 ,in the ,new ,covenant there is only one party4 ,god undertakes the whole responsibility4 ,the first is law4 ,the second is grace4 ,if man has any responsibility in the second1 except to receive ,god's provision through faith1 then it is no longer of free grace4 ,a clear-thinking ,presbyterian elder1 a man of culture and trained mind1 who recently saw the truth of ,christ as his victory for the first time1 was asked what he thought was the difference between the ,old ,covenant of works and the ,new ,covenant of ,grace4 ,several verses of ,scripture had just been quoted which brought out the distinction4 ,he was a man of few words1 and he answered by holding up two fingers of his left hand1 and one finger of his right hand4 ,he had seen at once1 five minutes after entering into victory1 what ,andrew ,murray makes the theme of his helpful book on the ,spirit-filled life1that in the ,new ,covenant it is not man co-operating with ,god1 but ,god assuming the whole work1 and doing it for man4 8,i ,could ,not ,live ,up to ,it0 ,another ,presbyterian elder1 also a clear thinker1 a lawyer of ability1 was recently facing the question of the need of victory in his own life4 ,when the ,scripture promises were presented to him1 and he was asked whether he would take victory1 his reply was a decided 8,no40 8,why won't you80 8,because ,i am not sure ,i could live up to it40 ,he still had two parties in his contract4 ,he was still thinking under1 and living under1 the ,old ,covenant4 ,it sounds reasonable when a ,christian says1 8,of course1 ,i am sure that ,christ will always be faithful to his part1 but the failure will come because of my weakness40 ,when a ,christian says that1 he is not in victory2 he has missed the very heart of the ,victorious ,life4 ,he is still under the ,old ,covenant4 ,for ,god made the ,new ,covenant with full knowledge of that weakness of mine4 ,indeed it was just because of that weakness of mine that the ,new ,covenant was made4 ,had the weakness not been there the ,old ,covenant would have sufficed4 ,the ,new ,covenant is of no avail1 and means nothing1 if it is not to operate in spite of that weakness4 ,man's ,part in ,victory ,over ,sin ,if ,god does everything in the matter of my obeying the law1 what is my part8 ,to do nothing4 ,the human side of this ,new ,covenant is to see that self is kept from doing anything1 so that ,grace may work4 ,it is the effort of the self life1 the human struggle described in ,romans #g3g-bd1 which prevents the victory of ,grace4 ,but surely ,grace on ,god's part needs something on man's side if it is to be brought into touch with man4 ,yes1 it needs to be told to man so that he may hear it as a message of good tidings4 8,belief cometh of hearing1 and hearing by the word of ,christ0 7,rom4 #aj3ag74 ,the word of good tidings to law-breaking ,christians is that ,god has put his law in our hearts so that we shall obey him4 ,what are we to do with the word of good tidings8 ,believe it4 ,if we do not believe that the law of the ,spirit hath made us free from the law of sin1 our unbelief does not affect the truth of ,god's word1 but we ourselves lose the benefit of those good tidings4 8,for indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us1 even as also they3 but the word of hearing did not profit them1 because it was not united by faith with them that heard0 7,heb4 #d3b74 8,obey0 ,becomes 8,believe0 ,the 8obey0 of the ,old ,covenant has become in the ,new ,covenant 8believe40 ,the responsibility for obedience has been taken entirely by ,christ1 and man's part is to believe that astounding fact4 ,christians are still urged to obey1 but always the spelling of that word is 8believe40 8,seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth 444 having been begotten again1 not of corruptible seed1 but of incorruptible1 through the word of ,god4444 ,but the word of the ,lord abideth for ever4 ,and this is the word of good tidings which was preached unto you4444 ,for you therefore that believe is the preciousness3 but for such as disbelieve1 444 ,a stone of stumbling1 and a rock of offence2 for they stumble at the word1 being disobedient40 ,these scattered verses in the first and second chapters of ,first ,peter present the new spelling of the old 8obey40 ,obedience to the truth is simply believing the word of good tidings1 and they who stumbled at the word were disobedient because they did not believe the word of good tidings4 ,it is a striking commentary that the ,king ,james ,version uses 8disobedient0 in #a ,peter #b3g1 where the ,revised ,version reads 8disbelieve40 ,if this change from law to ,grace is simply a different putting of the matter1 leaving man's responsibility the same1 then indeed there is no good tidings for the ,christian in the matter of freedom from sin1 and the ,victorious ,life teaching is a myth4 ,if telling us to believe is just another way of asking us to obey1 then are we no better off than before1 and we must await our resurrection bodies in order to enjoy freedom from the law of sin against which we have been struggling4 ,for with all our mind and heart we may want to obey1 but there is that 8different law in our members0 preventing us from doing the things that we would4 ,what is the new factor in ,grace that changes everything8 ,is it something real1 or something that ,i must produce by my own understanding1 just a new attitude to the law8 ,is ,your ,name in ,this ,will8 ,it is something as real as the inheritance that a millionaire father wills to his son4 ,god gives us a will in the third chapter of ,galatians1 and he speaks in it of an inheritance1 and in words as carefully chosen and as accurate as in a perfect human will he explains who are the heirs in that will4 ,the promise was given to ,abraham and to his seed1 not 8seeds0 as of many2 8but as of one1 and to thy seed1 which is ,christ0 7,gal4 #c3af74 ,the closing verse of that will reveals the importance of that distinction the ,holy ,spirit makes between the singular and plural of the word seed4 ,this distinction has puzzled scholars and some have called it an example of ,paul's juggling with words1 but it need not puzzle any of the heirs whose names are in this will4 8,and if ye are ,christ's1 then are ye ,abraham's seed1 heirs according to promise40 ,there is but one seed1 ,christ1 and all that ,i am to get through this will1 ,i get because ,i am in him4 ,what is the inheritance promised in the will8 ,if an earthly father knows how to will good gifts to his children1 what shall be said of the heavenly ,father's gift8 ,the will says that it is 8the promise of the ,spirit0 and that it is through faith 7,gal4 #c3ad74 ,the promise includes complete freedom from the law4 ,but does not the law also come from ,god8 8,is the law then against the promises of ,god80 is a most natural question1 and it is asked in this legal document which tells us of our inheritance4 ,the answer to that question contains one of the most significant statements in the whole ,word of ,god on the relation of law and grace3 8,god forbid3 for if there had been a law given which could make alive1 verily righteousness would have been of the law0 7,gal4 #c3ba74 ,where 8,high ,ideals0 ,fall ,down ,there is as much difference1 then1 between being under law and under grace1 as there is between a dead man and a live man4 ,if a high ideal could have given life1 the word tells us1 if ,god could have provided a law which could make a dead man alive1 ,grace would not have been needed1 for righteousness would have been by the law4 ,the free gift of the ,new ,covenant is a new ,,life4 ,that is what the promise of the ,spirit provides4 ,does this give a vivid light upon ,romans #h3b1 8,the law of the ,spirit 444 made me free from the law of sin and of death80 ,and the power of the law of the ,spirit is the resurrection life of ,christ ,jesus4 ,so the complete verse reads1 8,the law of the ,spirit of life in ,christ ,jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death40 ,the passage in ,romans eight goes on to show how ,jesus did for us the thing we could not do1 and that as a result of what he did1 and is doing through the ,spirit1 8the requirement of the law is fulfilled in us1 who walk not after the flesh1 but after the ,spirit40 ,if we are appropriating the promise of the ,spirit1 our inheritance through faith1 we are having fulfilled in us the law of ,god at this present moment4 ,that is what the ,word of ,god says4 ,that is what happens when we are under ,grace and not under the law4 ,obedience to the law is guaranteed while we are under ,grace1walking in the ,spirit4 ,disobedience to the law can come only when the ,christian is living under law1walking after the flesh4 ,but1 some one asks1 is not a ,christian always under ,grace8 ,he is1 in his position1 and the ,victorious ,life is simply walking by faith in that position won by ,christ4 8,we believed on ,christ ,jesus1 that we might be justified by faith in ,christ1 and not by the works of the law3 because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified4 ,but if1 while we sought to be justified in ,christ1 we ourselves also were found sinners1 is ,christ a minister of sin8 ,god forbid4 ,for if ,i build up again those things which ,i destroyed1 ,i prove myself a transgressor0 7,gal4 #b3af1 #ah74 ,a ,christian ,under ,law ,when a ,christian sins1 transgresses the law1 he is building up that which he has destroyed4 ,he is acting as though he were back under the law4 ,he is doing the deeds of the old man that has been crucified with ,christ4 ,he is denying the resurrection life of ,christ which is in him4 ,he is walking after the flesh and not after the ,spirit4 ,he is back on the basis of working instead of resting in the finished work of ,christ4 ,he is under the works of the law instead of the hearing of faith4 ,he is not standing fast in the freedom wherewith ,christ has set him free4 ,there is but one thing to be done in order to get back at once under grace and the faith life1confess the sin and take cleansing in the blood of ,jesus4 ,this is wholly of ,grace2 no ,christian would be so foolish as to try to atone for his sin or to help the ,lord ,jesus do a complete work of cleansing4 ,it is exactly the same sort of folly that leads the ,christian to seek to add his own effort in the business of winning victory over the next temptation that assails him4 8,if we live by the ,spirit if we have been born again by the ,spirit1 by the ,spirit let us also walk0 7by the same supernatural power let us live day by day and hour by hour1 letting ,god do it all by the ,spirit7 7,gal4 #e3be74 ,god's new spelling for 8obey0 is 8believe40 ,and1 as ,mr4 ,trumbull put it to a ,christian who was grieving because she did not have the faith to believe1 8,the faith for salvation is the faith for victory40 ,faith is just believing the word of ,god4 ,a ,christian ,under ,grace ,have you believed the good tidings of future salvation and glory8 ,believe the same good tidings for present salvation from sin4 ,if you are under grace1 sin shall not have dominion2 you are walking in the ,spirit4 ,christ is dwelling in your heart by faith4 ,you are freed from the law with its works4 ,yet the law of ,god is in your heart and it is your nature to keep it4 ,you are a new creation4 ,you are walking in newness of life4 ,you can finish the second chapter of ,galatians as ,paul finishes it3 8,for ,i through the law died unto the law1 that ,i might live unto ,god4 ,i have been crucified with ,christ2 and it is no longer ,i that live1 but ,christ liveth in me3 and that life which ,i now live in the flesh ,i live in faith1 the faith which is in the ,son of ,god1 who loved me1 and gave himself up for me4 ,i do not make void the grace of ,god0 7,gal4 #b3ai-ba74 ,,when ,,temptation ,,strikes ,there is no state of grace that can be reached on earth which will guard a man from being tempted4 ,the ,victorious ,life is a life of victory over temptation1 but not a life of freedom from temptation4 ,many a young ,christian in the first flush of joy over new-found victory has somehow felt that this glorious new liberty was indeed freedom from temptation4 ,for certain temptations have been taken completely out of the life4 ,perhaps it was the taste for tobacco1 and the desire for smoking has been taken away4 ,or the questionable 8border-line0 amusements 7questionable only to border-line ,christians71dancing and cards and the theater1have completely lost their attractiveness and offer no temptation4 ,but suddenly1 some day1 temptation strikes from an unexpected quarter1 and failure comes4 ,it may be all over in a moment1 but sin has entered4 ,perhaps it was a sudden flash of impatience1 or irritation1 or jealousy4 ,satan1 close at hand1 cunningly whispers1 8,you never had the experience of the ,victorious ,life4444 ,and you never will40 ,or he whispers that still more cunning word1 8,this higher life business is all a mistake40 ,and so the soul that has taken ,christ as victory is often plunged into discouragement when the truth dawns that in the ,victorious ,life temptations multiply4 ,in this problem of temptation in the ,victorious ,life1 as in every other conflict with our great ,adversary1 our safety must be found in the ,word of ,god4 8,can a ,dead ,man ,be ,tempted80 ,a common error regarding temptation in the ,christian life is the belief that temptation is directed against a 8sinful nature0 within us4 ,some months ago there was discussed in ,notes on ,open ,letters in ,the ,sunday ,school ,times the question of an earnest seeker who had taken ,christ as his victory and was puzzled by this matter of temptation4 ,he wrote3 ,how should temptation affect us8 ,christ had no sinful self in his temptation to contend with4 ,adam before the fall had not his sinful self to contend with2 but we1 since the fall1 have a sinful self1 even though we are in victory1 if ,i understand rightfully4 ,in ,romans we read that the old man is crucified with him1 that the body of sin might be destroyed1 that henceforth we should not serve sin1 for he that is dead is freed from sin4 ,if we are dead why should evil thoughts or temptations of any kind find in us the slightest desire of yielding to them8 ,what should be the effect of feeling them8 ,a dead man has no life1 has he8 ,temptation is never aimed against a dead man1 nor against evil in a man4 ,there is no meaning in 8tempting evil40 ,there is no need for ,satan to direct attacks against that which is already on his side4 ,it is because we are alive and have power to sin that we are exhorted to reckon ourselves dead toseparated fromsin1 not dead to temptation4 ,temptation ,hits ,natural ,desires ,temptation is directed against the human nature1 and finds its entrance through the natural desires and impulses of the body4 ,that is all ,satan had to work upon in the case of ,adam and ,eve1 and in the case of 8the last ,adam10 our ,lord himself4 ,both ,adams were sinless men before temptation came1and 8the last ,adam0 was sinless after temptation came4 ,but both lived in temptable bodies2 and it is these human bodies1 not any sin nature dwelling in us1 that make temptation possible4 ,a lost man may have depraved and unnatural appetites1 as the drink or drug habit1 which drop off at regeneration4 ,but the natural appetites remain1 and through these temptation may come in many forms4 ,satan has no other plan of temptation for ,christians than that which he tried successfully upon the first ,adam and with disastrous failure upon the last ,adam4 ,a study of these two conflicts with ,satan reveals the startling fact that all our multiplied temptations come to us through three channels1 and three only4 ,if these citadels are held1 victory is certain4 ,to understand this not only simplifies the problem of temptation1 but shows why certain forms of temptation fall away from the ,christian who takes ,christ as his victory1 while temptation in many other forms remains4 ,perhaps no one has summed up more concisely1 in terms of everyday experience1 these three channels of temptation1 than does ,professor ,melvin ,grove ,kyle in his teaching on temptation in his seminary classes4 ,our ,three ,desires ,dr4 ,kyle points out that man has three natural desires3 7#a7 the desire to enjoy things2 7#b7 the desire to get things2 7#c7 the desire to do things4 ,these three cover the whole range of human desires4 ,for the desire to enjoy things concerns everything that has to do with a man's body4 ,the desire to get things concerns everything that a man sees outside of himself1 the things that he can obtain in one way or another for himself4 ,the desire to accomplish things includes everything that goes out from the man to affect in one way or another that outside world4 ,professor ,kyle's suggested definition of temptation is this3 8,temptation is the incitement of a natural desire to go beyond the bound set by ,god40 ,with this analysis before us1 let us look into what happened when ,satan came to our first parents4 ,let it be remembered that none of these three desires necessarily has to do with sin4 ,adam and ,eve had these desires before sin entered4 ,our ,lord ,jesus had these same natural human desires4 ,sin is doing something that ,god has told man not to do1 or not doing something that ,god has told him to do4 ,eve's failure began1 under temptation1 when she was willing to consider ,satan's questioning of ,god's word4 ,eve's ,threefold ,temptation 8,and when the woman saw that the tree was good for food1 and that it was a delight to the eyes1 and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise1 she took of the fruit thereof1 and did eat40 ,there was the threefold temptation4 8,she saw that the tree was good for food02 her desire to enjoy things was incited1 and she faced the question of satisfying in an unlawful way that desire for enjoyment4 ,she saw that the fruit was 8a delight to the eyes03 her desire to get the attractive thing she saw was incited1 and she faced the question of whether she should satisfy that desire in a way that ,god had forbidden4 ,finally she saw that the tree was 8to be desired to make one wise40 ,satan had told her that she and her husband would be as ,god if they ate the fruit4 ,her desire to accomplish things took the form of reaching out after equality with ,god4 ,now turn for a moment to the analysis of sin and temptation that the ,holy ,spirit gives in #a ,john #b3af3 8,for all that is in the world1 the lust of the flesh1 and the lust of the eyes1 and the vainglory of life1 is not of the ,father1 but is of the world40 ,here is an inclusive statement of all that is in the world4 ,the apostle is stating here the only three ways in which it is possible for a man to sin4 ,note that they are the three points at which ,eve failed4 ,when the desire to enjoy things goes beyond the bounds set by ,god it becomes 8the lust of the flesh40 ,the lawful desire to get things1 when it turns into sin1 becomes 8the lust of the eyes40 ,when the desire to do things leads a man away from ,god1 it becomes 8the vainglory or the pride of life40 ,dr4 ,kyle points out in his study of temptation that ,eve fell at every point of her nature1 and sinned in 8the lust of the flesh1 the lust of the eyes1 and the vainglory of life40 ,he notes also that the lust of the eyes and the pride of life had no immediate outlet of expression for ,adam and ,eve1 situated as they were in the midst of a world that was all theirs1 and so the sin found immediate expression in some form of the lust of the flesh4 ,yet man had yielded and sinned at all three points4 ,tempting ,our ,sinless ,lord ,turning now from the luxurious garden to the barren wilderness1 the same ,tempter comes to our ,lord ,jesus1 the last ,adam1 when he was hungry after his fasting of forty days and forty nights2 and the ,tempter came with the same three appeals4 ,our ,lord ,jesus had the natural desire to enjoy food for his body4 ,he was hungry1 and the desire was right4 ,but the ,tempter asked him to satisfy that hunger in a wrong way4 ,satan again begins his attack by a question4 ,he does not hold before ,christ the temptation to become as ,god4 ,he raises the question as to whether he is the ,son of ,god1 and suggests that this be proved by making use of the omnipotence of the ,creator to satisfy his own human needs4 ,it was far more subtle than the appeal to ,eve's desire to enjoy the fruit2 but at the bottom it was an attack on the ,word of ,god4 ,our ,lord's answer not only checkmates the ,tempter1 but states a profound truth by which his brethren may enter into victory under similar temptations4 8,man shall not live by bread alone1 but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god40 ,our ,lord had a natural desire to get things4 ,what he desired to get was 8all the kingdoms of the world40 ,they belonged to him4 ,he came to earth to secure them4 ,satan strikes at this perfectly right desire to get things by showing our ,lord all the kingdoms of the world1 and the glory of them1 8and he said unto him1 ,all these things will ,i give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me40 ,the desire to get these kingdoms was right2 but the temptation was to get them in some way not of ,god's ordering4 ,making a step outside the will of ,god always means exchanging the worship of ,god for the worship of ,satan2 and so our ,lord answers3 8,get thee hence1 ,satan2 for it is written1 ,thou shalt worship the ,lord thy ,god1 and him only shalt thou serve40 ,our ,lord also had that third desire1 the desire to accomplish things4 ,the work he came to accomplish was to bring redemptionto the ,jew first1 and also to the ,gentile4 ,he came to his own with the desire that they should recognize him as the ,one sent from ,god1 their ,messiah4 ,satan strikes at this right desire1 and presents to ,jesus a quick way to accomplish this purpose4 ,but again it is a way with a question mark regarding ,god's ,word4 ,it has been suggested that the thought here is that ,jesus could prove to the multitude gathered below in the temple court that he was indeed the ,son of ,god when this ,messianic prophecy was fulfilled before their eyes in such a startling way4 ,the reply of our ,lord is significant4 8,again it is written1 ,thou shalt not make trial of the ,lord thy ,god40 ,this quotation from ,deuteronomy #f3af refers back to the incident at ,rephidim when the children of ,israel made trial of ,jehovah by saying3 8,is ,jehovah among us1 or not80 7,exod4 #ag3g47 ,so ,satan asked ,jesus to prove that ,god's ,word was indeed true1 and settle the fact that he was the ,son of ,god and that ,jehovah was indeed with him4 ,as our first parents fell at all three points of attack1 so our ,lord won the victory at every point4 ,borrowing again an illuminating suggestion from ,dr4 ,kyle's study of the subject1 we have here the real explanation of that word concerning our ,lord that he was tempted in all points like as we are4 ,he was tempted on every side of his nature4 ,he did not necessarily meet every individual form of temptation that has come to other men1 but he did meet the ,adversary at these three points1 which comprise all the possible area of temptation4 ,the victory over temptation has been won4 ,his victory is a guarantee of our triumph over every form of temptation that can ever meet us4 ,it is ours to choose whether we shall share in that victory already won by our ,elder ,brother1 or be united with the first ,adam in his defeat4 ,,the ,,conquest ,,of ,,temptation ,the ,word of ,god never offers freedom from temptation4 ,but it does offer to ,christians victory over all temptation4 ,one of ,satan's lies that has been accepted as almost an axiom in the thinking and the experience of ,christians is that no one can expect victory over every one of his temptations4 ,but ,god says3 8,there hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear3 ,but ,god is faithful1 who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able2 but will with the temptation make also the way of escape1 that ye may be able to endure it0 7#a ,cor4 #aj3ac74 ,it is significant that this verse is immediately preceded by a word of warning3 8,wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall40 ,there is ever before the ,christian the possibility of falling4 ,there is no state of grace from which he may not1 before some temptation1 step into awful sin4 ,but ,god's ,word1 which cannot be broken1 stands pledged to us that in every temptation there is 8the way of escape40 ,and our ,lord ,jesus is 8the ,way40 ,victory over temptation was won by ,christ4 ,satan is an already defeated foe4 ,defeat in temptation came to ,adam4 ,it is for every man1 and every ,christian1 to decide whether he will share the first ,adam's defeat or the last ,adam's victory4 ,the two great temptation scenes pictured in the ,bible1 that of our first parents and that of our ,lord1 show that temptation finds its way into the human heart through three avenues4 ,when man falls before these temptations the resulting sins are what the ,apostle describes as 8the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life40 ,let us see how this ,bible picture of the sins that are in the world corresponds with conditions in the twentieth century4 ,africa's ,three ,sins ,a missionary recently back from the heart of ,africa was describing some of the intimate things that she had learned regarding the natives4 ,as she spoke of the daily life of the natives1 and told of the chief problems of missionary work1 there were three outstanding sins that were emphasized4 ,there is the gross immorality1 which came up for mention in connection with the description of the tribal dances and what they lead to4 ,there is the grasping after possessions1 a tendency to covetousness that is so deeply imbedded in their natures that the missionaries need to exercise the greatest care in dealing with new converts4 ,this native quality came vividly to the missionary's mind when she was speaking of the native ,christian evangelists and the problem of compensating them in such a way that the old cupidity will not be aroused4 ,a third characteristic of the native in all the villages is his consuming desire to secure a high place in the 8,four ,hundred0 of his tribe4 ,there are distinct social honors1 and for many of the young men the passion of life is to win these honors4 ,this missionary had no intention of analyzing the outstanding sins of the natives1 but these three things naturally came before her as she described their daily life4 ,and these three comprise 8all that is in the world1 the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life40 ,put into briefer form these three sins are lust1 covetousness1 pride4 ,all sin comes under one or other of these three classes4 ,america's ,three ,sins ,these three are the outstanding sins of ,america4 ,dan ,crawford came out of ,africa into civilization just about the time the 8newer0 forms of dancing were having their first popularity4 ,he made the startling statement that he had seen all of these unspeakably vile dances in pagan ,africa4 ,in ,america1 he said1 they were only in a new setting4 ,essentially they were the same1 and they were for the same purpose4 ,what we call the gross sin of the ,african flourishes in every civilized land4 ,those who read a business man's article1 published several years ago in ,the ,sunday ,school ,times1 on 8,the ,sin ,that ,we ,are ,afraid to ,mention10 will not soon forget his arraignment of the awful sin of covetousness1 8which is idolatry40 ,and it was in the ,christian church that this layman found the black sin that ,christians keep quiet about4 ,what then shall be said of covetousness in the business world8 ,there is finally that climax of all sins of ,america1 and of man1 the sin of pride1 most subtle and most pervading of all1 the sin that will culminate in man's final defiance of ,god4 ,saddest of all1 it is this sin which appears at its ugliest when it takes the form of spiritual pride in the life of one who is zealous to serve ,god and to be wholly yielded to him4 ,in a message that ,s4 ,d4 ,gordon gave on temptation he remarked that there are three chief avenues by which ,satan reaches men4 ,he stated the three in these brief words3 8,sex10 8,money10 8,i40 ,it is exactly the classification that ,god makes in his ,word4 ,if1 by his grace1 we get victory at these three points1 then indeed are we free from the dominion of sin4 ,so much for the sin that results when man falls before one or another of these temptations4 ,but what of the temptations themselves8 ,how do they affect a ,christian who is trusting ,christ for victory8 ,what is the practical bearing on the common temptations that meet us in everyday life8 ,then there is the final1 most important question1 what is the way to prevent these desires from conceiving and bringing forth sin8 ,why ,not ,freedom from ,temptation8 ,a ,sunday ,school ,times reader has written of his experience4 8,it is not a temptation for me to take a glass of beer2 there is nothing in me that requires or desires it2 but sometimes it might be and has been a strong temptation to get impatient1 which ,i have yielded to at times4 ,why should one be any more a temptation than the other1 provided ,i am in victory over all sin80 ,careful distinction must be made between temptation itself and the form that the temptation may take4 ,the appeal to a man's natural desires may change its form1 but always1 in every part of his nature1 he will be tempted while he is in this mortal body4 ,the desire for beer which leads to intemperance and sin is an appeal to a natural appetite4 ,sin is moral1 and does not reside in the physical appetites1 which are merely the channels for the temptation and sin4 ,a man who has been in bondage to drink may through the power of ,christ completely lose that desire and have no further temptation to that particular form of appetite4 ,but the temptation to intemperance remains4 ,for the natural appetites remain4 ,while the appetite may give up this taste or that1 and thus be dead to certain forms of temptation1 the ,christian is always liable to the temptation to go contrary to the will of ,god1 in satisfying these natural appetites of the body3 hunger1 the sacred sex desire1 and all the natural impulses of the body that may seek expression in lawful ways4 ,the ,times reader compares his freedom from the temptation to drink with the appeal that is made to him to get impatient4 ,but strictly speaking1 one is never tempted to be impatient4 ,no one desires to be impatient1 and ,satan could not use any incentive to such a temptation4 ,yet we sometimes speak of these temptations to irritability1 jealousy1 loss of temper1 as though there were some secret springs in our nature labeled 8,impatience10 8,irritability10 and like qualities1 and that the temptation consisted in ,satan touching these springs and causing the sin4 ,a business man does not lose his temper for the sake of the pleasure it gives him4 ,it may be an intense desire to have justice that has led to his outbreak against some one who has dealt unfairly4 ,the temptation has come along the line of some natural desire4 ,so with the housekeeper who is irritated with her maid over some bit of stupidity1 or the young girl who is 8blue0 and moody because her plans for the day's enjoyment have been upset4 ,temptation ,remains,its ,form ,changes ,thus it is that while a ,christian who yields utterly to ,god and accepts ,christ as his victory may instantly be free from even the temptation to drink1 or to smoke1 or to indulge in worldly amusements1 or to do a hundred and one things that he has been accustomed to do1 the temptations to the root-sins of lust and covetousness and pride will remain with him4 ,they will take more subtle forms4 ,satan cannot tempt him now in the grosser1 worldly way4 ,he will now take advantage of this one's very zeal for ,god1 and will make appeal to his earnest devotion to ,god's service to lead into sins of impatience and irritation and jealousy and pride4 ,in the face of these temptations1 what is the guarantee against failure which the victorious ,christian has1 and which the man of the world knows nothing of8 ,when a ,christian wholly yields his life to the mastery of the ,lord ,jesus he has still the desire to enjoy things1 the desire to get things1 and the desire to accomplish things4 ,christ does not kill the natural desires4 ,it is the old self-life that ,christ wants to put to death4 ,that is why a ,christian must share in present experience the crucifixion-death of his ,lord before he can share his victory over temptation4 ,this is what surrender of self means for the ,christian who desires victory4 ,he must1 moment by moment1 reckon himself to be dead unto sin4 ,he is not dead to temptation1 for his natural human desires are still there4 ,desires ,remain,their ,object ,changes ,in the ,christian who has learned the full secret of victory these natural desires are lifted to a new plane4 ,his desires now do not center in the old self-life4 ,they center in ,christ4 ,to him to live is ,christ4 ,his whole desire is ,christ4 ,he still desires to enjoy things1 but only in a way that shall glorify ,god4 ,he desires to get things1 but to get them for ,god1 not for self4 ,his desire to accomplish things is to do things for ,god4 ,this does not mean that the victorious ,christian will not be open to fierce temptations1 just as our ,lord was1real temptations that require a real conquest4 ,but as he abides in ,christ1 accepting by faith the victory that ,christ already has won1 instead of striving to struggle against these assaults of the enemy1 the temptations remain merely temptations1 and do not pass into the sins of lust or covetousness or pride4 ,these three channels of temptation appear to correspond in a remarkable way with the three-fold nature of manbody1 soul and spirit4 ,and for the man in victory all these are ,christ's4 ,here is the human body with all the natural appetites intact4 ,but the ,christian who is reckoning the old self-life to be dead knows that this body now1 with all its natural desires1 is 8for the ,lord2 and the ,lord for the body0 7#a ,cor4 #f3ac71 for 8,know ye not that your body is a temple of the ,holy ,spirit that is in you1 that ye have from ,god8 and ye are not your own2 for ye were bought with a price3 glorify ,god therefore in your body0 7#a ,cor4 #f3ai1 #bj74 ,the ,secret of the ,single ,eye ,there are in the victorious ,christian not only the desires of the body but the desires of the soul4 ,for may we not say that the sin of 8the lust of the eye0 is a sin of the 8soulish0 part of a man's nature8 ,it concerns his desire to acquire the things that he sees4 ,to the natural man these things are riches to be obtained for himself4 8,he that hath an evil eye hasteth after riches0 7,proverbs #bh3bb74 ,the wise man here connects covetousness and 8the evil eye40 ,let us hear the words of the ,master of wise men3 8,lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth1 where moth and rust doth consume and where thieves break through and steal3 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven1 where neither moth nor rust doth consume1 and where thieves do not break through nor steal3 for where thy treasure is1 there will thy heart be also4 ,the lamp of the body is the eye3 if therefore thine eye be single1 thy whole body shall be full of light4 ,but if thine eye be evil1 thy whole body shall be full of darkness4 ,if therefore the light that is in thee be darkness1 how great is the darkness6 ,no man can serve two masters3 for either he will hate the one1 and love the other2 or else he will hold to the one1 and despise the other4 ,ye cannot serve ,god and mammon0 7,matthew #f3ai-bd74 ,here is the clear choice4 ,the desire to get the riches we see may become the lust of the eye1 covetousness1 the servant of mammon4 ,but the ,christian abiding in ,christ has a 8single eye10 that is1 he has but one passion1 to lay up treasure in heaven4 ,he has not a doubtful mind as to whether he may grasp after this or that4 ,he has but a single question1 as his eye is single1 and that is how may he glorify ,god in his getting8 ,he makes use indeed of the mammon of unrighteousness1 but not for self's sake1for the sake of ,another4 ,the ,most ,subtle ,sin ,may we not call the most subtle sin of all1 the sin of pride1 a sin of the spirit8 ,the victorious ,christian still has the desire to accomplish things4 ,indeed this desire is intensified a thousandfold4 ,to the natural man this desire centers wholly in self1 whether he knows it or not4 ,but one in whom the old self-life is dead cries with ,paul1 8,god forbid that ,i should glory save in the cross of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 by whom the world is crucified unto me1 and ,i unto the world0 7,gal4 #f3ad74 ,with the psalmist he sings3 8,my soul shall make her boast in ,jehovah3 ,the meek shall hear thereof1 and be glad4 ,o1 magnify ,jehovah with me1 and let us exalt ,his name together0 7,psalm #cd3b1 #c74 8,in ,god have we made our boast all the day long1 and we will give thanks unto thy name forever0 7,psalm #dd3h74 ,this sort of boasting leads not to self pride but to meekness4 8,thus saith ,jehovah1 ,let not the wise man glory in his wisdom1 neither let the mighty man glory in his might4 ,let not the rich man glory in his riches3 but let him that glorieth glory in this1 that he understandeth1 and knoweth me1 that ,i am ,jehovah1 who exercise lovingkindness1 justice1 and righteousness1 in the earth0 7,jeremiah #i3bc74 ,all desires of life1 then1 for the ,christian who abides in victory1 center in ,christ4 8,and whatsoever ye do1 in word or in deed1 do all in the name of the ,lord ,jesus1 giving thanks to ,god the ,father through him0 7,col4 #c3ag74 ,and conquest of temptation is not a negative matter4 ,love is the fulfilling of the law1 and only the heart filled with that love which is ,christ can know freedom from lust1 covetousness1 and pride4 ,back of these three outward sins1 there is the inward nature which has departed from ,god4 ,perhaps no one in our day has pointed out more clearly the three great sins of omission than has ,miss ,louisa ,vaughan1 of ,china4 ,she calls these the 8,christian sins03 ,failure to love the ,lord our ,god with all our heart and strength and mind2 failure to love one another as ,christ loved us2 failure to believe on ,christ so that the works that he did and greater works than these should be wrought through us4 ,these ,christian sins1 ,miss ,vaughan insists1 must be confessed and cleansed in the blood of ,jesus before the fulness of the ,spirit can be enjoyed4 ,to have these commandments fulfilled in us is the ,victorious ,life4 ,and only when this root-condition of unlove and unbelief 7which are really one1 for 8love believeth all things07 is dealt with shall we know freedom from lust and covetousness and pride4 ,,how ,,jesus ,,lived ,,the ,,victorious ,,life ,in what sense was ,jesus a man as we are8 ,we read that he was tempted in all points like as we are1 yet without sin4 ,but have you ever asked1 ,of what comfort or strength is it to me that he was tempted in all points as ,i am1 if he was without sin8 ,it is just because ,i am not without sin that ,i fall before these temptations4 ,is it true after all that the ,lord ,jesus was a man as ,i am8 ,was not the real secret of his victory over sin the fact that he was ,god8 ,is not the secret of my defeat the fact that ,i am just a man and not ,god8 ,the answer to these questions reveals one of the richest secrets in the ,word concerning the real meaning of the ,victorious ,life4 ,for we shall find this startling truth1 that if we are to live the ,victorious ,life at all we must live it by the same rule as ,jesus of ,nazareth lived it4 ,christ had to come to earth to show us what man is like4 ,a needed emphasis has been put upon the truth that our ,lord came to earth to reveal the ,father1to show men what ,god is like4 ,but it was just as necessary that our ,lord should reveal what ,god intended man to be4 ,if we wish to know what ,god is like there is but one thing to do3 look at ,jesus4 ,so there is no way of discovering what a true man is like except by looking at ,jesus4 ,he is the only 8man10 in the true sense of the word1 who has lived since sin entered the human race4 ,through the fall man lost the image of ,god1 and from that day until our ,lord came there was no example of man as ,god intended him to be4 ,a mistaken notion1 encouraged by the poets1 prevails quite commonly1 that to sin is human2 to forgive1 divine4 ,whatever the measure of truth in the little sentiment1 the error in it is more dangerous4 ,to sin is not human2 it is devilish4 ,sin is no part of man as ,god planned him to be4 ,and so our ,lord represents in himself what ,god intended a man to be1 and he lived according to that plan4 ,the ,one ,true 8,man0 ,the name for himself most often upon the lips of our ,master was 8the ,son of man40 ,a notable ,greek scholar has recently pointed out that this expression means far more than a son of a human parent4 ,it rather suggests that gathered up into this ,son of man are all the qualities of what 8man0 is4 ,so1 may we not say that as the fulness of ,god dwelt in him bodily so did the fulness of man dwell in him8 ,some one has suggested that ,god did wonderful things through the ,lord ,jesus not because ,jesus was ,god1 but because he was perfect man4 ,what does this really mean in terms of our everyday life8 ,nowhere in ,scripture is there such a remarkable setting forth1 first of the deity of our ,lord1 then of his humanity1 side by side1 as in the first and second chapters of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews4 8,god1 having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners1 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in a ,son40 8,very ,god of ,very ,god0 ,thus the wonderful epistle opens2 and then that ,son is presented first as one who expresses the very image of the substance of ,god4 ,he is compared with angels1 and shown to be infinitely above them4 ,god the ,father speaks of his angels as messengers2 he addresses the ,son3 8thy throne1 ,o ,god40 ,in the second chapter again are angels compared1 this time with man4 ,the same ,son is shown to be made for a little while lower than the angels1 taking the form of man4 ,in this first chapter of ,hebrews the ,holy ,spirit1 when he seeks to attest the truth that ,jesus is ,god1 calls the ,old ,testament to witness1 and two groups of three quotations each are made1 each time the words being put in the mouth of ,god the ,father4 ,in the second chapter when the ,spirit seeks to press home the parallel truth that ,jesus is a man1 one with us1 he uses a group of three quotations from the ,old ,testament4 ,in these quotations we shall discover something of the preciousness for us of the truth that the ,lord ,jesus was a man1 one with his brethren4 8,for both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one3 for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren1 saying 4440 7,heb4 #b3aa74 ,then there follow in the twelfth and thirteenth verses of the second chapter of ,hebrews the three quotations from the ,old ,testament4 ,this is the first3 8,i will declare thy name unto my brethren1 ,in the midst of the congregation will ,i sing thy praise40 ,one ,with ,our ,lord in ,resurrection ,this is the twenty-second verse of the twenty-second ,psalm1 the ,crucifixion ,psalm4 ,but the twenty-second ,psalm is more than a crucifixion ,psalm2 it is a resurrection ,psalm as well4 ,this twenty-second verse that the ,spirit uses to prove that ,jesus is one with us is the first verse of the resurrection half of the ,psalm4 ,when our ,lord rose from the dead he said1 8,go unto my brethren1 and say to them1 ,i ascend unto my ,father and your ,father1 and my ,god and your ,god0 7,john #bj3ag74 ,this was the first time that our ,lord linked those words 8my ,father and your ,father40 ,for in his resurrection he was in a new way 8the firstborn of many brethren40 8,thou art my ,son1 this day have ,i begotten thee10 was not spoken of the eternal generation of the ,son of ,god1 the living ,word who was not begotten on a day but was before all time4 ,neither do the words refer to the glad day when the babe was born of the ,virgin4 ,they refer to that glad resurrection day when in a new way he declared ,god's name unto his brethren4 ,this is made clear in ,acts #ac3cb1 #cc3 8,and we bring you good tidings of the promise made unto the fathers1 that ,god hath fulfilled the same unto our children1 in that he raised up ,jesus2 as also it is written in the second psalm1 ,thou art my ,son1 this day have ,i begotten thee40 ,we are one with our elder ,brother1 then1 in death and resurrection1 and here is the death-blow to ,satan's lie of universal brotherhood and universal fatherhood4 ,the firstborn of many brethren is brother only to those who share in his death that they may share also in his new birth4 ,one ,with ,our ,lord as ,witnesses ,the third word from the ,old ,testament quoted in the second chapter of ,hebrews which attests the humanity of our ,lord is this3 8,behold1 ,i and the children whom ,god hath given me40 ,these words from ,isaiah #h3ah were originally from the lips of ,isaiah1 who said3 8,behold1 ,i and the children whom ,god hath given are for signs and for wonders in ,israel for ,jehovah of hosts40 ,dr4 ,w4 ,j4 ,erdman once remarked that when ,isaiah's two sons walked along the streets of ,jerusalem they were living sermons for the children of ,israel to read4 ,the name of one was 8,mahershalal-hash-baz10 and whenever an ,israelite looked upon this son he heard ,god saying to him 8the spoil speedeth1 the prey hasteth40 ,if he believed ,god he knew that this was a prophecy of the terrific judgment of ,god that was to fall on a sinning nation4 ,isaiah's other son was 8,shear-jashub10 or 8the remnant shall return10 and the discerning ,israelite who could read this sermon aright saw in it the glad hope of ,god's grace in the day of judgment saving a remnant of those who put their trust in him4 ,the name of the father of these two sons1 8,isaiah10 means 8the salvation of ,jehovah40 ,evidently the thought is that our ,lord and we1 his brethren1 are still for signs and wonders in setting forth the salvation of ,jehovah in its two phases1 of terrific judgment that is to come upon a disobedient world and the glad message of salvation to the remnant who shall believe4 ,the second quotation from the ,old ,testament used in the second chapter of ,hebrews to prove our ,lord's true humanity is in these remarkable words3 8,i will put my trust in him40 ,how can this quotation have any bearing on the fact that he is our brother and that he lived down here as a man8 ,the ,heart-,throbs of ,our ,human ,lord ,the quotation is from the second verse of ,psalm eighteen3 8,the ,lord is my rock1 and my fortress1 and my deliverer2 my ,god1 my strength1 in whom ,i will trust40 ,these originally are 8the words of ,david1 the servant of the ,lord1 who spake unto the ,lord the words of this song in the day that the ,lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies1 and from the hand of ,saul40 ,but1 as a noted ,bible teacher has pointed out1 the ,holy ,spirit put into the mouth of ,david words that went infinitely beyond his own experience1 words that could only be fulfilled in their true meaning when the greater ,son of ,david came and met the forces of evil that were faintly foreshadowed by the enemies ,david met4 ,read through the eighteenth ,psalm as the words of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,it is an inspired description of the awful conflict of the powers of darkness against the ,son of man1 when he tasted death for every man4 ,have you ever wondered why there were not given to us in the four ,gospels more intimate glimpses of the human heart-throbs of ,jesus8 ,have you wished that you might enter somewhat into the meaning of ,gethsemane1 rather than to have him go into the garden alone8 ,read in the eighteenth and other ,messianic ,psalms the human heart-throbs of the ,son of man4 8,i love thee1 ,o ,jehovah1 my strength4 ,jehovah is my rock1 and my fortress1 and my deliverer2 ,my ,god1 my rock1 in whom ,i will take refuge2 ,my shield1 and the horn of my salvation1 my high tower4 ,i will call upon ,jehovah1 who is worthy to be praised2 ,so shall ,i be saved from mine enemies4 ,the cords of death compassed me1 ,and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid4 ,the cords of ,sheol were round about me2 ,the snares of death came upon me40 ,,his ,secret of ,victory ,read on in the ,psalm the description of this conflict with the supernatural powers of evil1 and find in it the secret of our ,lord's victory over them4 ,he did not count upon any strength in himself4 ,he looked to another4 ,he was a man1 and if there was to be any strength in him for victory over that supernatural enemy1 that strength must come from another4 ,the secret of our ,lord's victory was just this3 8,i will put my trust in him40 ,the ,holy ,spirit made no mistake in his selection of ,old ,testament passages when he wished to show that it behooved this ,saviour of ours 8in all things to be made like unto his brethren10 and that 8in that he himself hath suffered being tempted1 he is able to succor them that are tempted0 7,heb4 #b3ag1 #ah74 ,jesus lived the ,victorious ,life1 not because he was ,god1 but because he was perfect man2 he lived as ,god planned that man should live4 ,in a very true sense 7though the statement would need certain qualification71 our ,lord took to himself no more advantage in the matter of winning victory over temptations than have we1 his brethren4 ,why ,he ,emptied ,himself ,but he was ,god4 ,yes1 all the fulness of the ,godhead was in him1 or he could not have made atonement for the sins of his brethren4 ,but remember that ,christ ,jesus emptied himself4 ,this does not mean that he ceased in any sense to be ,god4 ,but there was something that he had as ,god1 in glory with the ,father1 that he did not have as the ,god-man living here on earth4 ,he was rich up there2 he was poor down here 7#b ,cor4 #h3i74 ,of what did ,jesus empty himself8 ,he emptied himself of the glory that he had with the ,father before the world was4 ,the full meaning of that none of us can fathom4 ,but here again there is a very practical application to our everyday living of this profound doctrine of the humiliation of our ,lord3 ,he emptied himself of that which would have prevented him1 in the days of his suffering on earth1 from being a true ,son of man4 ,jesus voluntarily gave up that inherent power that was his as ,god1 and lived his life as ,god intended that man should live his life1 in utter dependence on a power not his own4 ,when man fell1 his sin was a declaration of independence of ,god4 ,he thus made impossible the living of a true man's life1 for an essential part of a man's life is to live moment by moment in utter dependence on another1 his ,maker4 ,that is why our ,lord constantly pointed away from himself4 8,the ,son can do nothing of himself0 7,john #e3ai74 8,i can of myself do nothing3 as ,i hear1 ,i judge3 and my judgment is righteous2 because ,i seek not mine own will1 but the will of him that sent me0 7,john #e3cj74 8,i do nothing of myself1 but as the ,father taught me1 ,i speak these things0 7,john #h3bh74 8,the words that ,i say unto you ,i speak not from myself3 but the ,father abiding in me doeth his works0 7,john #ad3aj74 ,our ,lord here speaks as the ,son of man1 not coming in his own name1 or living in his own name1 but in the name and by the power of ,another dwelling within him4 ,the ,son of ,man's ,watchword ,the secret of the ,son of man1 plainly written across the record of his earthly conflicts1 is surrender and faith4 8,not ,i1 but the ,father40 ,and 8as the ,father hath sent me1 even so send ,i you0 7,john #bj3ba74 ,the ,son of man's watchword is1 8,i will put my trust in him40 ,only man can say that4 ,glorified ,god cannot say that4 ,whenever man says1 8,i will put my trust in ,him10 and means it1 all the omnipotence of the risen and indwelling ,lord of resurrection life is available for him1 and victory is certain4 ,,serving ,,with 8,,the ,,mind ,,of ,,christ0 8,truly he was the servant of all10 said a friend of ,j4 ,hudson ,taylor's as he concluded a narration of some incidents in the life of the great missionary in ,china4 ,hudson ,taylor was like his ,master4 ,only in so far as the service of any of us ,christians is after the example of our ,lord is it real service4 ,in the study of 8,how ,jesus ,lived the ,victorious ,life10 it was seen that ,christ emptied himself in order that he might live as a man and open the way for his brethren to win the victory in the same way that he won it4 ,jesus lived down here as ,god intended a man should livein utter1 moment by moment1 dependence upon ,another1 and in the last study it was pointed out that our ,victory motto must be the motto that ,jesus lived by3 8,i will put my trust in ,him40 ,it is our purpose now to view this truth in particular relation to the service of a ,christian1 and to examine more closely the meaning of ,christ's 8emptying0 that we may know wherein he was our example in service4 ,it is not primarily the acts in the life of ,jesus that furnish us our example in service4 ,many of the recorded activities of ,christ1 the things he did and the things he said1 are by their very nature1their uniqueness1deeds and words that we cannot imitate4 ,it is the mind of ,christ we are to have4 ,then shall we have the secret of the spirit and the power of his service4 ,the great passage in the second chapter of ,philippians on the humiliation of our ,lord deals with profound mysteries of the eternal world1 yet it touches in the most vital way the everyday life and service of the ,christian4 ,it concerns the sending of ,christ ,jesus out of ,glory with the ,father into the world of men and sin4 ,how startling1 then1 that our ,lord should take such a sublime event1 which goes too deep for utterance1 and bring it to our very doorsteps1 when he says3 8,as the ,father hath sent me into the world even so send ,i you into the world40 8,have this mind in you which was also in ,christ ,jesus10 the ,apostle enjoins4 ,what is 8this mind08 ,how are we to have it8 ,paul goes on to describe it3 8,who1 existing in the form of ,god1 counted not the being on an equality with ,god a thing to be grasped1 but emptied himself1 taking the form of a servant1 being made in the likeness of men2 and being found in fashion as a man1 he humbled himself1 becoming obedient unto death1 yea1 the death of the cross0 7,phil4 #b3e-h74 ,the ,mind of ,satan ,something of the significance of this sublime passage and the verses that immediately follow1 will be seen if we place beside it another picture which also concerns the mysteries of the eternal world and the throne of ,god4 ,it is found in the fourteenth chapter of ,isaiah3 8,how art thou fallen from heaven1 ,o day star1 son of the morning6 how art thou cut down to the ground1 that didst lay low the nations6 ,and thou saidst in thy heart1 ,i ,,will ascend into heaven1 ,i ,,will exalt my throne above the stars of ,god2 and ,i ,,will sit upon the mount of congregation1 in the uttermost parts of the north3 ,i ,,will ascend above the heights of the clouds2 ,i ,,will make myself like the ,most ,high0 7,isa4 #ad3ab-ad74 ,this is a portion of 8a parable against the king of ,babylon40 ,in it we have undoubtedly the picture of the great ,adversary of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 ,satan1 the highest of created beings2 here is a glimpse of his fall and the secret of it4 ,so striking is the contrast that it is hard to escape the conviction that the ,spirit intended this to be related to the passage in ,philippians that tells of our ,lord's emptying4 ,this contrast is one that runs from beginning to end through the ,scriptures1 which are1 indeed1 the record of the conflict between these two beings1 the ,son of ,god who became also the ,son of man1 and the 8son of the morning10 who became the son of uttermost darkness4 ,pride ,incarnate and ,humility ,incarnate4 ,the ,son of ,god was the ,word1 who was in the beginning with ,god1 and was ,god4 ,but though he possessed that equality he did not esteem it a thing to be grasped after1 but he emptied himself of the glory that was his own4 ,the other glorious being1 exalted though he was among the hosts of ,god1 was not in the form of ,god2 he was but a creature of the ,most ,high4 ,but he essayed to grasp the equality that was not his3 8,i will make myself like the ,most ,high40 ,mark now the terrific climax in each of these descriptions4 ,the ,son of ,god in becoming the ,son of man took step after step in his humiliation1 lower and lower1 until he touched the bottom in the cursed death of the cross3 8becoming obedient unto death1 yea1 the death of the cross40 ,then immediately follows this word3 8,wherefore also ,god highly exalted him1 and gave unto him the name which is above every name2 that in the name of ,jesus every knee should bow1 of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth1 and that every tongue should confess that ,jesus is ,lord1 to the glory of ,god the ,father40 ,satan sought to climb higher and higher until his ambition reached after the ,godhead3 8,i will make myself like the ,most ,high40 ,immediately follows this word3 8,thou shalt be brought down to hell1 to the uttermost parts of the pit40 ,there is more in the passages1 however1 than these two tremendous contrasts of humiliation and attempted exaltation1 and then of exaltation and uttermost destruction4 ,jesus told his followers that he was sending them into the world as the ,father sent him4 ,his great ,adversary likewise sends men into the world to carry out the spirit of his ambition4 ,so he came to our first parents in the garden1 and the temptation was that they should imitate him in seeking to be like ,god4 ,they fell before the temptation and the sin was1 essentially1 a declaration of independence of ,god4 ,from that day on every sin1 whether the sin of an unbeliever or the sin of a born-again ,christian1 has resulted because of this independence of ,god4 ,the conflict of that eternal world has thus been projected into the world of men4 ,the ,son of ,god and the ,prince of demons are contending for this world1 and the principles underlying the conflict are clearly set forth in these passages that have been before us4 ,satan's ,coming ,man ,this conflict is to have a climax4 ,the sin of man will head up in the ,man of ,sin4 ,this is he who shall come in the spirit and power of ,satan1 the false ,messiah4 ,jesus forewarned of his coming1 when he said3 8,i am come in my ,father's name1 and ye receive me not3 if another shall come in his own name1 him ye will receive0 7,john #e3dc74 ,the ,isaiah passage describes not only the scene in heaven when ,satan reached after the throne of ,god1 but it foreshadows the ,man of ,sin on earth1 8the son of perdition1 he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called ,god or that is worshiped2 so that he sitteth in the temple of ,god1 setting himself forth as ,god 444 even he1 whose coming is according to the working of ,satan with all power and signs and lying wonders1 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish2 because they received not the love of the truth1 that they might be saved4 ,and for this cause ,god sendeth them a working of error1 that they should believe a lie0 7#b ,thess4 #b3c1 #d1 #i-aa74 ,man's ,final ,religion ,the spirit of ,satan1 then1 finds its climax in the worship of man1 rather than the worship of ,god4 ,here is the heart of all sin4 ,this is the central lie of ,satan by which he deceives men4 ,the final religion of man1 before the coming of the ,lord ,jesus to earth again1 will be the religion of humanity1 the worship of man as the only deity4 ,paul brings all men who reject ,god's revelation under this condemnation3 8,they exchanged the truth of ,god for a lie1 and worshipped and served the creature rather than the ,creator1 who is blessed for ever40 ,we have been speaking of the great conflict of the ages between ,jesus and his ,adversary1 the conflict that underlies the raging of the nations to-day1 as ,satan works out his plan to put the creature in the place of the ,creator1 to send that one1 inspired of ,satan1 who will come in his own name and who will be received because he comes as man4 ,but this same conflict goes on in each individual life4 ,every man1 because ,god has given him free will1 must make his choice as to which of these he will follow1 the ,son of man1 or the ,man of ,sin4 ,even the ,christian1 who has made his choice1 will find constantly before him the possibility of serving in the spirit of his ,lord or in the spirit of ,satan4 ,when the ,christian is not serving after the example of the ,lord ,jesus1 let him ponder this well1that he is serving after the spirit of ,satan4 ,how startled must ,peter have been when the ,lord not only told him he savored of the things of men 7the spirit of ,satan71 but actually addressed him as ,satan1 knowing that it was the great ,adversary he was meeting again in one of his loved disciples4 ,very often is it true of ,christians that 8ye know not what spirit ye are of40 ,is it too much to say that much of the service that is being offered to-day in the name of ,christ1 by followers of ,his1 is mixed with the spirit of the evil one8 ,testing ,our ,service ,what is that spirit of the evil one8 ,it is written large in the two words that stand out in that ,isaiah passage3 8,i ,,will40 ,set these words against those other words3 8,not my will1 but thine40 ,now let us set these words against our own ,christian service and answer the question as to whether it is after the example of the ,son of man4 ,what is it to have the mind of ,christ8 ,in three respects is there danger that our ,christian service shall lack the mind of ,christ4 ,we may work zealously in the energy of the flesh4 ,the old self-life is not reckoned dead1 crucified with ,christ4 ,if we have the mind of ,christ we must become conformed to his death1 even as he was obedient unto the death of the cross4 ,there are thousands of ,christians who are doing good things but doing them in the energy of the flesh1 without the ,spirit of ,god4 ,if we would have the mind of ,christ we must have that old self-life crucified1 for ,christian service done in the flesh cannot please ,god4 ,consecrated ,christians who have really surrendered the old self-life may work zealously in the energy of the soul4 ,there is the danger of forcing results that look good but are really not the product of the ,spirit of ,god4 ,service after the example of ,christ is done wholly by the power of ,another4 ,he said 8not my will1 but thine10 and was ready to hold to this when the following of the will of ,god seemed to mean failure4 ,there is the danger that ,christian workers to-day1 lured by the example of the success of the children of the world in their undertakings1 will go after the same sort of great1 showy results in the eyes of men1 in their spiritual matters4 ,this is not after the mind of ,christ1 but partakes of that other mind which says 8,i ,,will40 ,the mind of ,christ will care for no results except those that are the product of the ,spirit4 ,and in securing these the eyes will not be upon results but upon the ,master1 to seek his will in every matter of service1 leaving with him the results and the rewards4 ,defilement of the ,spirit ,the third danger1 most subtle of all1 and pervading all1 is pride1 the exaltation of the human4 ,and this is the temptation that ,satan often successfully uses upon the spiritual ,christian who has gotten beyond serving in the energy of the flesh or in the energy of the soul4 ,we must cleanse ourselves of all defilement of flesh and of spirit4 ,serving 8in lowliness of mind1 each counting other better than himself10this is to have the mind of ,christ4 ,serving in love that envieth not1 that vaunteth not itself1 is not puffed up1 that seeketh not its own1this is to have the mind of ,christ4 ,it is at the other pole from pride4 ,how are we to have the mind of ,christ8 ,not by looking at him as an example and trying to imitate him4 ,there is real hopelessness in singing ,trying to walk in the steps of the ,saviour1 ,trying to follow our ,saviour and ,king1 ,shaping our lives by his blessed example4444 ,for that is just what we cannot doshape our lives by his example4 ,when we are ready to stop 8trying0 to do this1 and will yield ourselves that we may be conformed to his death1 then our trying may be changed to trusting1 we can 8leave the miracle to him10 and returning to the beautiful hymn whose first verse makes a bad start1 we can sing with new meaning the opening lines of the third verse3 ,walking by faith in the steps of our ,saviour1 ,upward1 still upward1 we'll follow our ,guide4 ,,the ,,second ,,coming ,,and ,,victory ,the next great event in ,god's program for the redemption of the world is the coming again to the earth of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,the last chapter of the ,old ,testament points forward to his second coming4 ,the last recorded words of the ,lord ,jesus are his words of promise1 8,surely1 ,i come quickly10 in the last chapter of the ,new ,testament4 ,the last recorded prayer of ,god's people in the ,word is the answer of their heart to this promise1 8,even so come1 ,lord ,jesus40 ,the last word of the ,old ,testament is the word 8curse108lest ,i come and smite the earth with a curse40 ,the central word of the last verse in the ,new ,testament is 8grace40 ,he will come with the judgments of his curse and with the revelation of his grace4 ,are ,you ,ready for ,his ,coming8 ,among the many signs that seem to point to the nearness of his coming there is none more striking than the movement of the ,spirit in separating the children of ,god from the things of the world and making them hungry for the things of eternity4 ,there are many sad evidences of falling away1 and of increasing worldliness on the part of large masses of professing ,christians1 but these make all the more notable that deep hunger for victory in ,christ and conformity to his likeness which increasing numbers of ,christians are sharing4 ,is this the work of the ,spirit in making a little flock ready for his coming8 ,are you ready8 ,the coming of ,christ is the great incentive to holiness that is held before ,christians in the ,new ,testament4 8,every one that hath this hope the hope of his coming set on him set on ,jesus purifieth himself1 even as he is pure0 7#a ,john #c3c74 ,there are many motives by which the ,lord lovingly urges us to seek complete victory in him4 ,we long for a life of joy and peace that we do not have4 ,we long to be rid of a life of struggle against 8besetting sins40 ,or we are eager to have power in service and get results for ,christ that are largely absent in our experience4 ,by this or that motive the ,spirit leads us to an earnest seeking of ,god's secret of the life of faith4 ,but beyond all these motives is that supreme desire to be well pleasing to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who loved us and gave himself for us4 8,and now1 little children1 abide in him2 that1 when he shall appear1 we may have boldness1 and not be ashamed before him at his coming0 7#a ,john #b3bh74 ,boldness ,before ,him ,then and ,now ,the one way to be ready for his coming1 to have boldness and not to be ashamed1 is to abide in him4 8,whosoever abideth in him sinneth not0 7#a ,john #c3f72 to be cleansed from sin and to abide in that cleansing makes us ready for his coming4 ,if we are not enjoying the ,victorious ,life1 which is just another way of saying 8abiding life10 we are not ready for his coming4 ,and if we are not ready for his personal coming1 we are not ready for his presence in our midst now4 ,that which gives us boldness then is what gives us boldness before his throne now when we come to pray4 8,beloved1 if our heart condemn us not1 we have boldness toward ,god3 and whatsoever we ask we receive of him1 because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight 444 and he that keepeth his commandments abideth in him1 and he in him0 7#a ,john #c3ba1 #bb1 #bd74 ,if the coming of the ,lord is in ,god's ,word linked so vitally with a life of personal holiness1 it is essential that ,christians should understand what the ,spirit has revealed to us concerning the truth of his coming4 ,it is only at our peril that we neglect it4 ,it is not an accident that most of those who are rejoicing in the ,victorious ,life are or become deeply interested in the truths of the ,word concerning ,christ's coming4 ,but how shall we know whether our view of his ,second ,coming is the ,scriptural view8 ,testing ,our ,view of ,his ,coming ,there are two tests that will show with certainty to what extent our belief about ,christ's coming is a vital heart belief such as the ,apostles had4 ,the first test concerns more definitely our personal relation to his coming4 ,is the hope of his coming a real hope for you that makes it the incentive to be ready and makes it a real event to watch for with expectation1 as for the return of a loved one8 ,the second test relates to the whole sweep of ,god's purposes of redemption and the part that ,christ's ,second ,coming plays in them4 ,a right understanding at this point will determine the general plan of activities of the ,church of ,christ and of the individual ,christian in this present day of ,grace4 ,how essential then to know ,god's thought on this subject1 and how idle to suggest that this truth is not of practical bearing on present service4 ,both the spirit of service and the scope of service are involved1 and these two tests show how intensely practical and necessary is the right view of his coming4 ,the first test has already been considered1 and it is seen that the ,victorious ,life truth is vitally linked with the hope of his coming4 ,the second test of our belief regarding his coming is even more fundamental1 and again it will be seen to be closely tied up with the heart secret of the ,victorious ,life1 and with the truth of regeneration as well4 ,it is a common thing to speak of the doctrine of ,christ's ,second ,coming as of greater or less relative importance than certain other doctrines2 thus1 it is pointed out that the ,second ,coming is mentioned more often in the ,new ,testament than any other doctrine except that of the atonement4 ,it leads to confusion thus to speak of the teachings of the ,word as though they could be divided4 ,while it is convenient to study the doctrines separately we miss a great truth if we fail to remember that all these teachings brought to us by the ,word of ,god are connected one with the other and together form a complete unity4 ,the ,second ,coming ,necessary to the ,atonement ,the doctrine of ,christ's ,second ,coming is not a teaching apart from the atonement1 but is necessary to the atonement4 ,that is1 ,god's plan of redemption for us cannot be completed apart from the coming of ,christ and the events connected with that coming4 ,his coming therefore is essential to salvation4 ,not that the understanding of the doctrine is essential to individual salvation4 ,a sinner needs to know very little ,scripture in order to be saved2 when the ,spirit has convicted him of sin a single sentence of ,glad ,tidings will suffice4 ,but it requires the whole redemptive purposes of ,god to make that salvation possible4 ,and those redemptive purposes include the appearing a second time of the ,god-man1 our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,the importance of our ,lord's ,second ,coming1 then1 is exactly parallel with the importance of his first coming and of his present ministry for the believer4 ,the ,word of ,god presents salvation in a threefold aspect4 ,there is the past1 the present1 and the future of salvation4 8,we were saved2 we are being saved2 we shall be saved40 ,the ,three 8,appearings0 ,on every side these three aspects of salvation are emphasized in the ,word4 ,attention has frequently been called to the three appearings mentioned in the ninth chapter of ,hebrews3 8now to appear in the presence of ,god for us 444 now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself 444 and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation0 7,heb4 #i3bd1 #bf1 #bh74 ,in the three ,shepherd ,psalms the same truth is shadowed forth4 ,the twenty-second ,psalm points to the redemption accomplished on ,calvary1 and is the ,psalm of crucifixion and resurrection2 the twenty-third ,psalm is a picture of the present resurrection life in ,christ2 and in the twenty-fourth ,psalm we have the picture of the coming ,king4 ,he is seen in these three ,psalms as the ,good ,shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep2 as the ,great ,shepherd who rose again from the dead1 who makes us perfect 8in every good thing to do his will1 working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight0 7,heb4 #ac3bj1 #ba72 and as the ,chief ,shepherd who will appear to give the crown of glory to his faithful servants 7#a ,peter #e3d74 ,this threefold salvation is sometimes spoken of as justification1 sanctification1 and glorification3 first1 salvation from the penalty of sin2 second1 salvation from the power of sin2 and third1 salvation from the possibility of sin4 ,there are three fundamental errors by which ,satan seeks to rob of its power this threefold ,gospel1 the grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ in his past1 present1 and future work4 ,discounting ,christ's ,past ,work ,there is the teaching that we are saved from the death penalty of our sins by ,christ plus our own effort4 ,this error finds expression in many ways4 ,one mistake1 more common in the past generation than to-day1 is to consider it presumptuous to be sure of salvation4 ,now if the work is wholly ,christ's it cannot be presumptuous to be certain that that work is complete and is satisfactory to the ,father4 ,then there is the belief that salvation from death and hell depends on our holding on to ,christ1 and since we may fail and thus fall away1 we are never entirely sure of salvation until death comes or until the ,lord comes to claim us4 ,these teachings present a subtle mixture of works and grace4 ,if we are saved by grace1 if redemption is entirely the work of ,christ1 then may we indeed have assurance of eternal salvation4 ,in its extreme form this error is pure paganism1 salvation by our own efforts4 ,in its more refined and moderate form it keeps ,christians from the glorious present assurance of their eternal safety in the ,lord ,jesus4 ,the safeguard against all these errors is to remember that salvation from the penalty of sin is all of grace4 ,and grace means1 ,jesus ,christ did it all for me4 ,if he did1 the work is finished1 the work is perfect1 and we have a sure guarantee that the purposes of ,god will be carried out4 ,no one can pluck the saved soul out of the ,father's hand4 ,discounting ,his ,present ,work ,most ,christians are clear on the truth that they are saved by grace4 ,they make no effort of their own to add to the perfect atonement that ,christ has made for their sins4 ,but these same ,christians when facing the present tense of salvation1 the second part of the threefold ,gospel1 declare that here our own efforts are necessary4 ,we must co-operate with ,god in fighting sin4 ,we are justified by faith1 but we are sanctified1 gradually1 by struggle4 ,their error is that they are mixing works and grace4 ,god's plan for present salvation from the power of sin is exactly the same as his plan for deliverance from the penalty of sin4 ,it is all of grace4 ,the test of the truth of our view as to ,christ's ,second ,coming and the future tense of our salvation is as infallibly certain as the tests of the other aspects of salvation4 ,for salvation is all of grace1 and any view which makes salvation for the individual or for the universe a mixture of ,god's work and man's work1 a mixture of ,god's grace and man's effort1 is in error4 ,the ,two ,views of ,our ,lord's ,return ,there are two views of our ,lord's coming4 ,one is that the ,church of ,christ through the preaching of the ,gospel and by co-operating with other agencies for righteousness1 will ,christianize the social order and bring in the period of righteousness which the ,bible pictures as the ,kingdom age4 ,at the close of this period1 the ,lord ,jesus will come to judge the world4 ,this is called the post-millennial view1 because the ,kingdom age is known as the 8millennium10 or the thousand years4 ,the other view is that this thousand years of blessedness1 or the ,kingdom age1 will not be inaugurated until ,christ himself comes as ,king to set up the new order on earth4 ,this is known as the pre-millennial view4 ,a well known ,christian leader who has been very active in the preaching and working for 8social regeneration10 gave a message on the task of the ,church in the present world crisis1 and the problem of the ,church in making the world what it ought to be4 ,he announced as his text1 8,and he that sitteth on the throne said1 ,behold1 ,i make all things new0 7,rev4 #ba3e74 ,one who heard the message remarked that the speaker after announcing his text1 8with two swift kicks kicked the text out of the auditorium1 and did not allow it to enter again during his discourse40 ,for the opening sentence of his message was this3 8,can we1 the followers of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 make things over80 ,god's ,word does not say1 8we1 the followers of the ,lord ,jesus40 ,it says 8,i02 and the ,son of ,god sitting on the throne of his glory is the speaker4 ,the ,word of ,god does not speak of making things over4 ,it says1 8,behold1 ,i make all things new40 ,discounting ,christ's ,future ,work ,here is the fundamental error of the post-millennial view of the ,lord's coming3 it is a mixture of works and grace4 ,god's plan for establishing righteousness in the universe is exactly the same as his plan for establishing righteousness in the human heart4 ,it is all of grace1 not of works4 ,the pre-millennial view means the ,kingdom age by grace1 as the ,victorious ,life means the ,kingdom principles in the individual heart by grace4 ,let each ,christian earnestly face these two tests of his attitude toward the coming of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,make the ,blessed ,hope a ,vital ,power6 ,if his hope of the coming of the ,lord is not an incentive of vital and present power in his life1 there is something wrong with his theory4 ,if a ,christian believes that it is not possible for the ,lord to come for at least a thousand years1 or until the period during which ,satan is bound has run its course 7whether a thousand literal years or not71 can he honestly say that the blessed hope of the personal appearing of his ,lord is a vital power in the life8 ,the second test of our view of his coming can apply also to every part of our salvation4 ,have we the blessed assurance of eternal salvation through the blood that gives us eagerness and power to lead others into the same assurance8 ,are we rejoicing in all the blessed 8present tenses of salvation10 victory by grace through faith8 ,are we surrounded by his own light in these dark days because we know that the world's problem is to be solved by grace1 by ,god himself1 so that we live 8soberly1 righteously1 and godly in this present age2 looking for that blessed hope1 and the glorious appearing of the great ,god and our ,saviour ,jesus ,christ08 ,,christian ,,science ,,and ,,victory ,christian ,science offers a life of freedom from worry or anxiety4 ,it proposes to give the secret of the smiling face in the midst of any sort of circumstances4 ,christian ,science offers complete freedom from the dominion of sin4 ,christian ,science offers to make faith a vital and all-pervading force in daily life4 ,christian ,science offers to give deliverance from the bondage of sickness4 ,it is not wise for ,christians to attempt to meet ,christian ,science by ridicule and sarcasm4 ,christian ,science is offering to supply exactly the things that the hearts of thousands of church members are craving4 ,it is not strange that many should be investigating its claims4 ,if the indication in a single ,christian ,science center is a fair criterion1 there are thousands of church members daily looking into this supposed 8new0 teaching to see if they can find a faith with a vital reality in it4 ,these things that ,christian ,science claims to supply are just the things that are offered to every ,christian through the sufficient grace of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,the ,victorious ,life in ,christ is a life kept free from worry or anxiety4 ,its possessors have the secret of a constant1 abiding joy that is independent of circumstances 7,phil4 #d3f1 #g2 ,john #ae3aa2 #af3bb74 ,the ,victorious ,life1 which is just ,christ himself in the believer1 gives complete victory over sin1 without struggle 7,rom4 #f3ad2 #a ,cor4 #aj3ac2 ,john #h3cf74 ,the ,victorious ,life is the life of faith1 walking in the ,spirit1 looking unto ,jesus1 enduring as seeing him who is invisible1 counting the unseen things the eternal and real things 7,col4 #c3c2 ,gal4 #b3bj2 ,john #ae3g74 ,the ,victorious ,life is a life of prosperity for body as well as for spirit1 for in ,christ is the supply of every present need1 for body1 soul1 and spirit 7#c ,john #b2 ,ps4 #ajc3c2 ,matt4 #h3ag2 ,rom4 #h3aa74 ,if the fulness of the blessing of the ,gospel of ,christ were faithfully preached there would be little prepared soil among church members for the springing up of the seeds of 8,christian ,science40 ,it is the ,enemy who is sowing these seeds and the supreme sign of his subtle work is this apparent likeness to the true grain4 ,what is the fundamental distinction between ,christian ,science and the ,victorious ,life in ,christ1 between ,god's truth and ,satan's imitation of that truth8 ,error's ,imitations of ,truth ,christian ,science says3 8,in nothing be anxious3 there is nothing to be anxious about4 ,all troubles are creations of the mind1 results of wrong thinking1 and the cure for them is to think them away40 ,the ,word of ,god says1 8,in nothing be anxious40 ,not because there is nothing to be anxious about4 ,there is4 ,there is that which required the bloody sweat of the ,son of ,god in ,gethsemane4 ,but the ,word of ,god tells us that full provision has been made for those wrong things that may well cause anxiety4 ,back of the word of the ,spirit in ,philippians1 8,in nothing be anxious10 is ,god4 ,back of the ,christian ,science word is 8mortal mind40 ,christian ,science says1 8,reckon yourselves dead unto sin3 because sin has no real existence1 and since it is a creation of the wrong thinking of mortal mind1 the way to think it out of existence is to reckon yourself dead to it4 ,as you reckon1 as you believe1 you are dead to sin1 and for you it has no reality or existence40 ,faith ,does ,not ,create ,facts ,the ,word of ,god says1 8,reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin40 ,not because sin does not exist4 ,it does4 ,not because sin is not real4 ,there is nothing more real in the universe4 ,but ,jesus ,christ has met the full measure of the guilt and penalty and pollution of sin1 and has completely conquered it4 ,if we are crucified with him1 buried with him and risen again with him1 as every child of ,god is1 then we are to reckon it true that we are dead unto sin3 not because our thinking can change facts1 but because ,god himself tells us to count on a great fact1 something that he himself has accomplished2 as we reckon that fact true our faith is laying hold of the benefits in present experience of that redemption which ,god has accomplished4 ,my faith does not make the fact true4 ,faith gives me the benefit of a fact that is true whether ,i believe it or not4 ,true faith is impossible without something real to rest upon4 ,satan's counterfeit faith in ,christian ,science returns upon itself1 endeavors to create facts by thinking them true4 ,christian ,science says that sickness and death are delusions of the mortal mind4 ,it does not offer a scheme of healing disease but a philosophy to make clear that disease does not exist except as an error in the thinking of mortal mind4 ,clear away that error in thinking1 and the effects of the so-called sickness will disappear4 ,the ,word of ,god says1 8,the wages of sin is death02 and1 8,himself took our infirmities1 and bare our sicknesses40 ,without entering here into the question of the use of remedies1 or the limitations to the use of 8the prayer of faith0 which will heal the sick1 let us remember that in ,christ there is full provision for sin and all its results4 ,he came to destroy the works of the devil4 ,it is certainly ,god's highest and first will that his children should be in health of body1 not in sickness1 if this result can be had without injuring his children in other ways4 ,god's permission of sickness and premature death among his devoted children must not be pointed to as an indication that it is not his first will that all his children should enjoy health of body4 ,god would have all men to be saved1 and has made full provision for their salvation3 but not all are saved2 ,god would have all his children abide continually in ,christ and be kept from sinning1 and he has made complete provision for this3 but few are entering into their full privileges of victory2 ,god would have his children free from disease1 for he is the ,god who forgives all our iniquities and heals all our diseases1 and in ,christ he has made full and complete provision for this3 but in his infinite love and wisdom he permits many of his children to continue in suffering of body for longer or shorter periods4 ,christian ,science ,kills ,faith ,in this contrast between ,christian ,science and the ,word of ,god it will be seen that the teachings of this 8faith0 cult make faith impossible4 ,satan always strikes at the center of things in his attacks on ,christians and on the ,word of ,god2 so he takes away their faith and that which it rests upon4 ,again and again in personal interviews with those seeking victory1 when the meaning of faith has been explained the answer has come1 8,why1 that would be just like ,christian ,science4 ,i cannot make a thing true just by believing it40 ,with ,christian ,science1 thinking a thing true makes it true1 or rather1 8thinking right0 removes the error which has resulted only because the thinking has been wrong4 ,but real faith rests always on facts4 ,we believe1 not in order to make a fact true1 but because it is true4 ,so startling is the parallel between what ,christian ,science offers and what the ,victorious ,life in ,christ guarantees1 that a number who have read articles in ,the ,sunday ,school ,times have written to ask if the ,victorious ,life teaching and ,christian ,science were not practically the same4 ,in answer to these inquiries a brief ,open ,letter was published a few years ago pointing out the difference between ,christian ,science and 8the ,victorious ,life40 ,the ,open ,letter closed with this sentence3 8,they differ from each other as do food and poison1 noon-day and midnight1 omnipotence and impotence1 life and death1 ,heaven and hell1 ,christ and ,satan40 ,a ,christian ,science ,leader's ,admission ,a leading advocate of ,christian ,science called upon the ,editor of ,the ,sunday ,school ,times to protest against this article4 ,the interesting thing about the interview with this cultured representative of ,christian ,science was his earnest effort to prove that he and his fellow ,scientists believed just what ,christians who were teaching the ,victorious ,life believed1 and were aiming at the same kind of life4 ,as each point was mentioned there was this apparent agreement1 untilmark thisuntil the vicarious atonement through the blood of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ was mentioned4 ,there he frankly confessed that they parted company2 they do not accept any atonement for sin4 ,at a ,victorious ,life ,conference a ,christian ,scientist girl was prevailed upon to attend a meeting where the subject was the meaning of faith in laying hold of ,god's ,word that 8,my grace is sufficient for thee10 and similar words of fact and promise4 ,at the close of the meeting an opportunity was given for those who wished by rising to commit the whole matter of victory to ,god1 trusting him to do it all by grace4 ,to the astonishment of her friends1 the ,christian ,scientist girl rose4 ,she asked them1 8,are you surprised that ,i stood8 ,that is what ,i have believed all along40 ,she was accepting it all as good ,christian ,science4 ,at the close of the period of question and discussion the speaker asked if there were those present who had never accepted the ,lord ,jesus as ,saviour from sin1 and did not know salvation through the shed blood of ,jesus4 ,at the mention of the blood of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 this young woman who had stood up to take a step of faith for victory1 rose at once from her seat and left the room4 ,here we come to the heart of ,christian ,science error3 it denies the blood1 the vicarious atonement for sin4 ,and here is the secret of many unsatisfactory attempts on the part of ,christians to live a life of victory4 ,earnestly seeking to claim the wonderful promises of ,god's word1 many have failed to understand the meaning of the blood of ,christ and to share in experience his crucifixion death1 that they might also know the resurrection victory4 ,a ,masterpiece of ,imitation ,victory ,christian ,science is the devil's great masterpiece of imitation victory4 ,it is the vain attempt to know the resurrection life without the crucifixion death4 ,it is the attempted robbery of the life pictured in the twenty-third ,psalm1 the life of still waters and green pastures1 the life in which all the needs of the sheep are met by an all-powerful and all-loving ,shepherd4 ,but while attempting to claim the twenty-third ,psalm1 the ,christian ,scientist blots out the twenty-second ,psalm with its agony of ,calvary and its resurrection victory4 ,we must be one with the ,lord ,jesus in his death and burial before we can be one with him in resurrection life4 ,the blood of the ,lord ,jesus must be kept always at the heart of the teaching and the experience of the ,victorious ,life4 ,the reason for much disappointment in the living of the ,victorious ,life is because there is what may be called a ,christian ,science acceptance of the teaching without a real foundation being laid in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,first of all1 the foundation must be laid in a clear understanding of the meaning of the new birth4 ,those who have had experience in dealing with hungry ,christians seeking the life of victory in ,christ1 have been amazed at the number of such earnest inquirers who have no clear conception of what it means to be born again1 or to be saved by grace4 ,can ,you ,tell a ,sinner ,just ,how to ,be ,saved8 ,the following question has been put again and again to audiences consisting of ,christian workers and ,bible students3 8,how many here are sure you could tell an inquirer exactly what he must do to become a ,christian and receive the new birth80 ,the result of this question is nothing less than startling4 ,as many as half and two-thirds in these audiences have not raised their hands to indicate that they could explain the way of salvation4 ,but if one cannot tell an inquirer how to be saved1 neither can he tell why he himself is sure of salvation4 ,and until one knows the word regarding the real meaning of sin and the atonement1 there will be only disappointment in trying to get hold of the experience of victory in ,christ4 ,the steps of salvation are perfectly simple4 ,first1 one must know that he is lost4 ,otherwise he cannot need a ,saviour4 ,to believe that the ,lord ,jesus ,christ died in my place1 ,i must believe that ,i am such a sinner as deserved death4 8,all have sinned and come short of the glory of ,god0 7,rom4 #c3bc74 ,joined with this is the word1 8,the wages of sin is death2 but the free gift of ,god is eternal life in ,christ ,jesus our ,lord0 7,rom4 #f3bc74 ,i am saved by grace through faith 7,eph4 #b3h72 faith is believing that all my sins were put on ,jesus and he paid the penalty for them 7,isa4 #ec3f72 now ,i have been born again and am a child of ,god2 and ,i know it not because ,i feel it1 but because ,god's ,word says so 7,john #a3ab2 #a ,john #e3i-ac74 ,a clear understanding of the blood will save us from a superficial idea of sin and its awfulness4 ,if the cross of ,christ is ever in view we shall have ,god's estimate of sin1 and there will be a clear realization that it required the whole sacrifice of ,calvary to accomplish the miracle of victory4 ,in a testimony meeting at a ,victorious ,life conference a ,christian was explaining that his chief difficulty had been with 8those little troubles10 such as irritation1 impatience1 pride and such things4 8,you mean those devilish sins10 the leader of the meeting suggested4 ,there is not likely to be that earnest1 agonizing heart cry1 8,o wretched man that ,i am6 who shall deliver me from the body of this death10 so long as we think of sin as little troubles to be overcome4 ,all sin is devilish1 and the ,son of ,god is the only one who has won the victory over sin4 ,victory for us then begins with the cross of ,christ1 but it is possible only as we keep continually under that shed blood and appropriating ,his resurrection life4 ,the whole sacrifice of ,calvary is necessary to keep us free from the least of what we call the little sins4 ,christian ,science not only would rob a ,christian of faith1 it would rob him of the blessed hope4 8,the second appearing of ,jesus is unquestionably the spiritual advent of the advancing idea of ,god in ,christian ,science10 says ,mrs4 ,eddy4 ,hope points toward the future1 and ,christian ,science has no place for future deliverance from evil and sin1 except as the human race learns that these are errors of mortal mind4 ,it ,takes ,away ,faith1 ,hope1 ,love ,christian ,science would rob us of love4 ,it is a startling fact that not a dollar is given by ,scientists to preach the ,gospel among those who have never heard the name of ,jesus4 ,they have no foreign missionary societies4 ,a ,christian who had spent fifteen years in work among the poor and degraded classes in ,new ,york ,city was rebuked by a ,christian ,scientist for suggesting that her faith was not the faith of the ,bible2 he asked her why it was that in his fifteen years' experience1 touching all phases of work for the relief of the destitute in body and spirit in ,new ,york1 he had never come across a single ,christian ,scientist helping in the work4 ,she had no answer4 ,it is a religion without compassion4 ,faith1 hope1 and love are linked together in a remarkable passage in ,hebrews #aj3ai-be4 ,close to the word faith is mention of 8the blood of ,jesus02 not far from 8hope0 are the words 8so much the more as ye see the day drawing nigh02 and in close conjunction with 8love0 is 8good works40 ,thus are these great foundation stones of the ,christian ,faith linked in the ,word of ,god4 ,all of them are denied1 and are made impossible by ,christian ,science4 ,the antidote to ,christian ,science is the ,word of ,god4 ,but do they not found their belief on the ,bible8 ,no4 ,the ,bible is not necessary to ,christian ,science4 ,indeed1 it is one of the great handicaps to the system4 ,not many ,scientists are as honest1 or as well informed1 as the locomotive engineer who recently explained that ,christian ,scientists knew that the ,bible was not true1 and that men would gradually give it up2 but it had such a hold on people that no religion could hope to have a hearing unless it professed to be founded on the ,bible4 ,when people get hold of the truth of ,christian ,science1 they will see1 he added1 that the ,bible is not needed and is false2 the purpose of ,christian ,science is to lead people away from the error of the ,bible4 ,that is certainly the purpose of the real founder of ,christian ,science1 whether or not it was in the mind of the woman he used to propagate the cult4 ,and the antidote to superficial views of the ,victorious ,life1 which partake of these errors of ,christian ,science1 is the ,word of ,god4 ,feed on it1 meditate on it day and night4 ,so will the living ,word continue to be your ,life1 guarding and keeping you in that victory which is ,christ4 ,,is ,,it ,a 8,,second ,,blessing08 8,do you believe in the second blessing80 8,to be sure ,i do10 answered a ,christian whose reply voices the judgment of many1 8but ,i shouldn't confine it to a second blessing4 ,i believe in hundreds of blessings after conversion40 ,whatever may be our view of such a term as 8the second blessing10 let us not lose the experience it describes by confusing these hundreds of blessings with that distinct change which comes in a life when the secret of complete victory is learned4 ,a noted ,christian leader in ,england who was prejudiced against the teaching of a 8higher life0 was prevailed upon to hear a message on the subject4 ,he approached the speaker1 who was a friend of his1 with this criticism3 8,that is all well enough1 but you are preaching lop-sided truth4 ,what we need is all-round truth40 8,yes10 was the reply1 8but we are preaching to lop-sided ,christians4 ,when we get them into the center then we can give them all-round truth40 ,dr4 ,griffith ,thomas1 who relates this incident of the ,english preachers1 has pointed out that 8the perfecting of the saints0 means literally 8the adjusting of the saints40 ,it is as when a broken shoulder needs to be set before the blood can flow properly and the arm be used4 ,it is this adjustment of 8lop-sided ,christians0 which marks the great change4 ,those who experience the change realize that it is something different from any blessing they have received since conversion1 and different from any new experience of deepening that will come in the life later4 ,what is this distinct change that comes in the life of the ,christian8 ,it is clear that the ,scriptures never hold before the believer two standards for the ,christian life4 ,the ,new ,testament does recognize that ,christians may walk as 8carnal10 whereas their true state is to be spiritual 7,gal4 #f3a2 #a ,cor4 #c3a74 ,it recognizes that ,christians may walk after the flesh or after the ,spirit 7,rom4 #h3d2 ,gal4 #e3af74 ,a ,spirit-,filled ,life ,god's ,only ,standard ,but this does not mean that there are two standards for ,christians to choose between4 ,on the contrary1 the ,word makes plain that when a ,christian walks after the flesh1 when he is 8carnal10 he is acting as though he were not a child of ,god at all4 8,and ,i brethren1 could not speak unto you as unto spiritual1 but as unto carnal1 as unto babes in ,christ4 ,i fed you with milk1 not with meat2 for ye were not yet able to bear it3 nay1 not even now are ye able2 for ye are yet carnal3 for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife1 are ye not carnal1 and do ye not walk after the manner of men80 ,these ,christians1 ,paul says1 were walking as natural men1 who have not been born again1 instead of living as spiritual children of ,god4 ,there is no platform below the ,spirit-filled life which affords a safe resting ground for a ,christian4 ,one who calls himself by the name of ,christ1 but does not have the fulness of the ,spirit1 and yet says that he has no desire for this deeper experience1 is confessing that there is no evidence he has ever been born again4 ,for while a ,christian may live below the standard ,christ desires he cannot be comfortable in doing it2 the ,spirit of ,god within him is longing for the driving out of everything contrary to the life of ,christ4 ,the heart of the ,spirit-filled life is freedom from sin4 ,a normal ,christian is a man who does not sin4 8,we who died to sin1 how shall we any longer live therein80 7,rom4 #f3b74 8,these things write ,i unto you that ye may not sin0 7#a ,john #b3a74 8,whosoever is begotten of ,god doeth no sin0 7#a ,john #c3i74 8,we know that whosoever is begotten of ,god sinneth not0 7#a ,john #e3ah74 ,some teachers who have noted these plain statements of the ,word have concluded that a ,christian does not commit sin1 and that so soon as a ,christian does he ceases to be a ,christian4 ,if he is sinning it is a proof that he is not a ,christian1 and will not be reinstated as a child of ,god till he ceases his sinning4 ,these teachers1 however1 see the difficulty that in the heart of many ,christians are wrong feelings that should not be there1 and which they do not want there but over which they apparently have no control4 ,to get over this and other difficulties they explain that a ,christian does not commit 8outward0 sins1 though he has these sinful impulses in his heart4 ,even this standard1 it is to be feared1 would cut down the number of ,christians to a small minimum4 ,a ,normal ,christian is ,free from ,sin ,but a more serious objection to this method of explaining these difficult verses in ,first ,john is that it contradicts the very point that the ,apostle is making4 ,if close attention is paid to the conclusion of ,first ,john #c3i it should guard from these errors3 8,whosoever is begotten of ,god doeth no sin1 because his seed abideth in him3 and he cannot sin1 because he is begotten of ,god40 ,that seed which is born of ,god is1 as ,dr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,ramsey has pointed out1 the ,child of ,god himself1 not a seed in him4 ,while he abides he cannot sin4 7,as ,moffatt also translates3 8,the offspring of ,god remain in ,him407 ,the whole argument of the ,epistle of ,john1 and particularly of this portion1 is that a normal ,christian is one who is free from sin4 ,the ,apostle does not mean to say that a child of ,god does not 8deliberately0 sin1 or that he does not 8continue in sin0 as the rule of his life1 or that he does not let the inward impulses of sin express themselves3 he means that the ,christian1 while he abides in ,christ1 where he belongs1 does not sin4 ,he is ,god's new creation1 and walks in the light having fellowship with ,god4 ,for 8,god is light1 and in him is no darkness at all0 7#a ,john #a3e74 ,when a ,christian ,acts as a ,child of ,satan ,does ,john mean that a ,christian does not sin1 or that he ceases to be a ,christian if he sins8 ,the opposite is taught in this very ,epistle4 ,john is writing these things that ,christians may not sin1 but he recognizes that they may1 and tells them just what to do to have the sin cleansed away in case they do sin4 ,when a ,christian sins1 he is acting against his true nature4 ,that is the argument of ,first ,john and of all the ,epistles4 ,when a ,christian sins1 he is acting as though he were a child of the devil4 ,he as a child of ,god can have nothing to do with sin4 ,but there is his free will to step out of the place of abiding1 and this makes possible the tragedy of a ,christian's sinning4 ,james is facing this tragedy of a ,christian's acting against his true nature when he exclaims3 8,doth the fountain send forth from the same opening sweet water and bitter8 can a fig tree1 my brethren1 yield olives1 or a vine figs8 neither can salt water yield sweet0 7,james #c3aj-ab74 ,all these things act according to their true nature4 ,if a ,christian acted thus there would flow always from his life and lips the fruit of the ,spirit4 ,but the ,apostle shows in the passage that a ,christian may pray with the same mouth that he uses to say mean things about his neighbor1 and that he may have in his heart 8bitter jealousy and faction40 ,here1 then1 is our foundation truth that ,god has but one standard for the ,christian life1 one kind of holiness1 and that is the standard of his ,son1 who is to be our life4 ,and that ,life1 that holiness1 ,god has given to every ,christian4 ,god's ,perfect ,provision for ,every ,christian ,it was to those 8carnal0 ,corinthians1 who had jealousy and strife in their midst1 that ,paul by the ,spirit wrote3 8,i thank my ,god always concerning you1 for the grace of ,god which was given you in ,christ ,jesus2 that in everything ye were enriched in him1 in all utterance and all knowledge2 even as the testimony of ,christ was confirmed in you3 so that ye come behind in no gift2 waiting for the revelation of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 who shall also confirm you unto the end1 that ye may be unreprovable in the day of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,god is faithful1 through whom ye were called into the fellowship of his ,son ,jesus ,christ our ,lord0 7#a ,cor4 #a3d-i74 ,this surely is a picture of the fulness of blessing in ,christ1 and it is stated that this grace had been given to the ,corinthians because they were ,christians4 ,similarly in the eighth chapter of ,romans the life of victory is described3 8,for the law of the ,spirit of life in ,christ ,jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death0 7,rom4 #h3b74 ,this freedom belongs to every believer in the ,lord ,jesus4 ,so throughout the ,new ,testament it is made clear that when ,god spared not his own ,son but delivered him up for us all1 he freely gave with ,christ all things that a ,christian needs4 ,but while there is but one salvation1 and one plan of salvation1 this salvation has a two-fold aspect4 ,god has indeed only one standard for ,christians1 the standard of his ,son1 that is complete holiness4 ,but ,god's message of salvation comes to two distinct classes of people1 to lost sinners1 and to saintssinners saved by grace4 ,christians ,need to ,be ,saved 8,if while we were enemies we were reconciled to ,god through the death of his ,son0 7,rom4 #e3aj74 ,this is the message of salvation for sinners4 ,the next words of this verse are very significant3 8,much more40 ,the apostle has just been speaking of salvation for sinners1 and now he is to tell us something 8much more40 ,this word should prepare us for some amazing revelation of his grace4 8,much more1 being reconciled1 shall we be saved by his life40 ,do ,christians1 then1 need salvation8 ,indeed they do1 and the ,word of ,god suggests here that a good name for that salvation which reconciled ,christian needs is 8the much more salvation10 and this is just another way of saying 8the ,victorious ,life40 ,god has granted that life to every ,christian4 ,but not every ,christian is enjoying it4 ,for the ,christian has the terrible power of choosing to walk after the flesh and not after the ,spirit4 ,god's plan is that the ,christian life should be a moment by moment miracle life1 just as the new birth is a miracle4 8,if we live by the ,spirit1 by the ,spirit let us also walk0 7,gal4 #e3be74 ,being born again1 and 8walking10 are two distinct things4 ,when a ,christian learns that ,god intends him to walk by faith1 letting ,christ do it all1 just as he has believed that ,christ has done it all in the matter of saving him from the penalty of his sins1 then the ,christian is ready to enter into the fulness of the ,spirit1 which is the ,victorious ,life4 ,and when he does enter by faith for the first time into this complete victory1 which has been his privilege all along in ,christ1 there is such a marked change that it is natural for a ,christian to think of it as a 8second blessing40 ,there is that perfectly clear distinction between being born again1 and 8walking0 or living moment by moment after the new birth has taken place4 ,the man who has been born again is in a place to take hold of the much-more salvation for ,christians as he could not do in his unregenerate state4 ,testing ,our 8,doctrine0 of ,victory ,there are some simple tests of our 8view0 of complete victory over sin which will show whether we are in danger of coming into bondage to a doctrine4 ,any view that centers attention upon self is dangerous4 ,the heart secret of victory is looking away from self unto ,christ4 ,if ,i testify1 8,i am holy02 if ,i must look into my own state1 examining self to see whether this holiness still remains1 ,i am on wrong ground4 ,any view that brings into prominence my past record of victory or holiness leads to difficulties4 ,the testimony1 8,i have not sinned for so many weeks or months since my new experience0 may be given with sincerity1 and the speaker may intend to give the glory to ,god4 ,nevertheless1 it is a wrong testimony1 and no encouragement is given in the ,word for such a statement4 ,for one thing1 no human being has a perfect memory2 none of us can have accurate knowledge of past states of consciousness4 ,victory is always a matter of the present moment1 and if we are occupied with ,christ and his perfect work for us1 the matter of our past record is of no consequence1 so far as it bears on present victory by faith4 ,any view that centers attention upon feeling is on the wrong basis4 ,many ,christians who have come into the new experience of the fulness of the ,spirit have been overwhelmed with flood-tides of blessed feeling4 ,in some cases this exalted state of feeling has continued for weeks or even months4 ,some have counted this the 8witness of the ,spirit0 that a new work of grace has been wrought in their hearts4 ,many have been thrown into confusion and darkness by waiting for this 8witness of the ,spirit10 which they have been taught to believe is some wondrous consciousness in their feeling4 ,others who have had such a 8witness0 have later lost the feeling and have wondered whether their experience has gone4 ,god often permits the feeling to go1 that his child may learn to look to ,christ and to the fact of his grace in the life1 rather than to the feelings1 which vary according to temperament and circumstances4 ,what is the 8,witness of the ,spirit08 ,feeling or emotion should not be discounted1 but should be kept in its right place4 ,praise ,god for every blessed emotion that is of his ,spirit1 but praise him also when the emotion is entirely absent4 ,he and his grace remain the same1 while the feelings go up and down4 ,there should be1 indeed1 a continuous consciousness of his presence1 but consciousness is based on fact and is not to be confused with emotion4 ,as to the 8witness of the ,spirit10 there is no suggestion in the ,word of ,god that this 8witness0 has any connection with a great flood-tide of feeling4 8,he that believeth on the ,son of ,god hath the witness in him3 he that believeth not ,god hath made him a liar2 because he hath not believed in the witness that ,god hath borne concerning his ,son4 ,and the witness is this1 that ,god gave unto us eternal life1 and this life is in his ,son0 7#a ,john #e3aj1 #aa74 ,the witness is ,god's record1 or ,god's eternal ,word to us1 that he has done something1 that he has given us a gift4 ,he does not want us to feel this word1 or witness of his4 ,he wants us to believe it4 ,one who does not believe it makes ,god a liar1 and this is what ,christians are in danger of doing1 both in regard to salvation from the penalty of sin and salvation from the power of sin4 ,when we believe this word1 and the wonder of the gift breaks upon us more and more1 we shall have feelings1 of course1 and they will find expression according to our different temperaments and environments4 7,dr4 ,griffith ,thomas notes that the often abused passage on the witness of the ,spirit in ,romans eight does not say that the ,spirit beareth witness to our spirit1 but with our spirit1 that we are children of ,god4 ,that is1 our spirit says 8,father10 and the ,holy ,spirit says 8,father0 with us47 ,john ,wesley on ,use of ,terms ,whatever our 8view10 let us guard against laying emphasis upon certain terms1 and making these the test of correctness4 ,we should remember that ,god has granted the same experience to ,christians who have come into their experience by different paths and who therefore explain it in different ways4 ,the important thing1 after all1 is to have the fruits of the experience in the life4 ,john ,wesley1 who had the experience1 whatever our view of his theology1 has a word of wise counsel at this point3 8,beware of tempting others to separate from you4 ,give no offense which can possibly be avoided2 see that your practice be in all things suitable to your profession1 adorning the doctrine of ,god our ,saviour4 ,be particularly careful in speaking of yourself2 you may not indeed deny the work of ,god2 but speak of it when you are called thereto in the most inoffensive manner possible4 ,avoid all magnificent1 pompous words4 ,indeed1 you need give it no general name2 neither #8perfection1' #8sanctification1' #8the second blessing1' nor #8the having attained4' ,rather speak of the particulars that ,god has wrought for you4444 ,and answer any other plain question that is asked with modesty and simplicity40 ,was ,it ,sin1 or 8,infirmity08 ,any view that leads us to lower the standard of holiness to fit our experience1 or to argue with the devil or with ourselves over sin1 is in error4 ,a ,christian who has had a blessed new experience notices something in the life that is not quite according to the ,spirit of ,christ4 ,he begins to examine it and decides that this is not a sin but one of the 8infirmities0 from which he has not expected complete deliverance4 ,or he confesses it as a sin and is cleansed in the blood of ,christ1 but since he does not want to believe that he has lost his experience he explains that this was a temptation from without and was not due to any evil within4 ,or1 not able to delude himself with these bits of human reasonings1 he falls back into his old life of struggle and failure4 ,john ,wesley has a word in season here also3 8,and if any of you should at any time fall from what you now are1 if you should again feel pride or unbelief1 or any temper from which you are now delivered1 do not deny it1 do not hide it1 do not disguise it at all1 at the peril of your soul4 ,at all events1 go to one in whom you can confide1 and speak just what you feel4 ,god will enable him to speak a word in season which shall be health to your soul4 ,and surely the ,lord will again lift up your head and cause the bones that have been broken to rejoice40 ,the ,bible treatment of the conquest of sin is subject to none of these distressing difficulties4 ,it guards from dangerous errors on every side1 and at the same time leaves no loopholes for tolerating sin as do the current views held by nearly all ,christians4 ,what ,terms ,does the ,bible ,use8 ,god says1 8,reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin0 7,rom4 #f3aa74 ,there are two ways the devil would like us to interpret this4 ,one is by his old lie regarding 8death40 ,he wants us to believe that the capacity for sinning is taken away so that we shall not acknowledge sin to be sin1 and shall call the works of the devil the fruit of the ,spirit4 ,but death is not annihilation1 but separation4 ,it is not that some 8thing0 within us has been put out of existence4 ,all that we were as lost sinners1 in our unregenerate statethe 8old man0was crucified with ,christ and is buried1 and a ,christian is to reckon that fact true4 ,but he is to remember that there is ever the possibility of turning our members over as instruments of sin4 ,and whenever sin enters1 when anything in thought1 word or deed that is contrary to the ,spirit of ,christ has a place in the life1 it means that self is on the throne and we are alive to sin4 ,but ,satan's other interpretation of this verse is his favorite one1 for by it he deludes most ,christians4 ,it is only when this fails that he tries the other and drives the ,christian beyond the ,word of ,god4 ,you are to reckon yourselves dead unto sin1 ,satan tells us1 but of course you know very well that it is never actually true that you are dead unto sin4 ,you will keep on sinning4 ,when you die then will come complete deliverance1 but not before4 ,in other words1 ,god is a liar4 ,all ,satan's wiles in the last analysis are found to be variations of this original statement of his to our first parents4 ,god never tells us to reckon on a lie4 ,it is eternally true that in our position before ,god we are dead to sin1 because we have been crucified with ,christ and raised together with him4 ,this position of ours becomes a blessed reality in actual experience as we reckon by faith1 and only so long as we reckon by faith4 ,let ,satan not rob us of our heritage by telling us it is only 8positionally0 that we are dead to sin4 ,god is not thus mocking us when he tells us to 8reckon0 on this truth of crucifixion with ,christ4 ,when ,we ,reckon ,self ,dead to ,sin ,this reckoning gives us no holiness of our own4 ,it gives no cause for boasting in our own record4 ,it gives no uneasiness as to whether we have had this or that feeling as a witness of the ,spirit4 ,it will be seen from these ,scriptures which have been considered that every true ,christian has a measure of victory in ,christ4 ,as ,dr4 ,scofield has pointed out1 the experience of ,christians and ,christian experience may be two entirely different things2 for ,christian experience is wholly the product of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,whatever measure of true ,christian life is expressed1 therefore1 is the work of the ,holy ,spirit1 and to that extent is victory by faith1 even though the ,christian is ignorant of the truth of the faith walk4 ,the ,victorious ,life1 which is just another term for the normal 8,christian ,life10 is simply walking moment by moment in complete faith in ,his perfect work4 ,whether ,i am in victory or not at this moment is simply a question as to whether or not ,i am appropriating the sufficient grace of the ,lord ,jesus for the needs of this very moment4 ,my glorious privilege is so to appropriate that grace1 now1 and to do it moment by moment without any breaks4 ,for ,his ,grace ,,is sufficient4 ,his ,grace is 8more than enough40 ,,continuing ,,and ,,growing ,,in ,,victory ,a wrong start is one of the chief causes of failure in the ,victorious ,life4 ,the first secret of continuing in victory1 so to speak1 is to begin4 ,nothing can be continued unless it is begun4 ,to see clearly that the ,victorious ,life is a miracle of grace1 and is wholly the work of the ,lord ,jesus1 is necessary to this right beginning4 ,many attempt to live the life without fully getting rid of the element of self-effort4 ,having begun right1 the next thing is to continue as we began4 ,the act of surrender and faith by which we entered into victory becomes the continued attitude of the life4 ,failure can come only through a slip in surrender or in faith4 ,it is possible to abide in ,christ for victory without a break4 ,the ,word of ,god says that if a ,christian sins he is to do certain things2 it never says when a ,christian sins4 ,it is not for us to look back over our past record to consider whether we have sinned1 or to see how long we have continued without a break2 but in looking into the future we must expect to be kept from sinning or we are not trusting the sufficient grace of ,christ2 and that means we are not at the present moment in victory4 ,along with this expectation of continued victory must go the realization that at any moment we may fall into sin3 8let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall10 is the warning that immediately precedes the glorious promise of ,first ,corinthians #aj3ac of ,god's full provision for victory over every temptation4 ,suppose1 then1 we should fall into sin after entering into the ,victorious ,life8 ,instant and full restoration after failure is ,god's plan for the ,christian who sins and thus breaks the perfect abiding in the ,lord4 8,in the moment of defeat1 shout ,victory60 and claim your full privileges in ,christ4 ,but does not this make light of sin8 ,any other course makes light of sin4 ,this course sees sin to be such an abominable thing in ,god's sight that nothing but the blood of the ,lord ,jesus poured out in expiation can avail to meet it4 ,and if the blood of ,jesus meets it1 it is an insult to ,god to attempt to add anything else to that perfect atonement4 ,being sorry for sin for a period is an unconscious form of atonement by self effort4 ,the ,bible,a ,music ,box1 or a ,telephone8 ,without constant feeding on the ,word of ,god and continually living in an atmosphere of prayer no one can be maintained in a life of victory4 ,at every cost we must set our faces like a flint to get the daily quiet time with ,god over the ,word and in prayer4 ,this does not mean that ,bible study and prayer are the secret of victory4 ,they are not1 and many are hindered from victory by supposing that their more diligent ,bible study and prayer will somehow bring them into victory4 ,faith is the secret of victory4 ,but faith is impossible without the ,word1 and the maintaining of faith is impossible without continually abiding in the ,word of ,god4 ,an infant will not live without food and air1 but we would not say that food and air were the secret of that life which the ,creator alone could give4 ,the ,victorious ,life gives the secret of a hunger for the ,bible and prayer4 ,the ,word of ,god becomes literally sweeter than honey and the honeycomb1 and more to be desired than gold1 yea than much fine gold4 ,our ,lord expects the ,bible to be a telephone1 as ,dr4 ,charles ,r4 ,watson has said1 not a music box whose tunes are familiar and stale3 we take the receiver from the hook1 and the ,lord ,jesus ,christ is at the other end of the line4 ,it is really our privilege to have a personal message from the living ,god to our own souls every day1 and at every moment of need4 ,the ,victorious ,life and ,missions 8,is not the ,victorious ,life rather self-centered and is there not danger of selfishness80 was asked4 8,is ,christ selfish80 was the sufficient answer given to this question4 ,if the life of victory does not flow out in service1 it is a counterfeit1 and cannot be maintained4 ,there is a reason why a passion for foreign missions will be found at the heart of all the conferences that teach the life of victory in ,christ4 ,these two are inseparable1 ,christ as the supply of our individual needs and ,christ the sufficiency for the world's need4 ,let our testimony to the ,victorious ,life be far more in loving1 humble1 unselfish service to those about us and those in the ends of the earth1 than it is in the words of our lips4 ,do ,we ,grow ,into ,victory8 ,growing in grace is one of the secrets of maintaining the life of victory2 without normal growth we shall lose our victory4 ,we do not grow into grace2 we grow in it4 ,receiving the ,victorious ,life is not a matter of growth4 ,there are1 in many cases1 shorter or longer periods of growth that precede the entrance into the life of victory4 ,so far as ,god is concerned1 the ,life is a gift and not a growth1 and it may be enjoyed at once by any ,christian4 ,but the ,christian may gradually come to understand what are his privileges in ,christ in the matter of victory over sin4 ,or he may not at once get to the bottom in the surrender of life to the ,lord1 and ,god will lead him on as quickly as he will go1 to the place of complete surrender and complete faith4 ,this gradual preparation before entering fully into victory must be distinguished from 8growth in grace10 which goes on in a normal way only when the ,christian is abiding in ,christ for victory4 ,growth in grace1 in the ,word of ,god1 never means growth out of sin4 ,there is no suggestion in the ,new ,testament that a ,christian is to grow gradually out of sin4 ,sin is always dealt with through the blood of ,christ1 and we need the ,saviour every moment to keep us cleansed from sin and its defilement4 ,but if it is the blood that cleanses us by grace we are not to eliminate sin gradually by our growth in grace4 ,what is 8,growth in ,grace08 ,growth in grace makes us more and more to conform to the likeness of our ,lord ,jesus4 ,there is no perfection in his brethren on earth that can be compared to the measure of the stature of his fulness4 ,by faith we receive the fruit of the ,spirit1 which is just the character of ,christ produced in us by the new life of the ,spirit4 ,every one of the nine graces which constitute the one fruit of the ,spirit18love1 joy1 peace1 longsuffering1 kindness1 goodness1 faithfulness1 meekness1 self-control10belongs to the ,christian who is trusting ,christ for victory4 ,but in each of these graces he is to abound more and more4 ,this is true growth in grace4 ,one who by yielding his life to the mastery of ,christ and by trusting his word1 8,my grace is sufficient for thee10 has received the fulness of the ,spirit1 may know very little about the ,bible1 or prayer1 or ,christian service4 ,day by day he learns more of the wondrous things out of the ,word1 learns better how to study it and use it in personal work2 day by day he learns new secrets of prayer from the ,word and by the diligent practice of prayer2 and gradually he becomes a more efficient and expert laborer in the harvest4 ,this is true growth in the knowledge of the ,lord4 ,when ,invalids ,grow ,growth in grace is positive1 not negative4 ,sin is a hindrance to true growth in the spiritual life as well as in the natural life4 ,an invalid may1 indeed1 grow in body1 and sick ,christians do grow in grace1 but the growth in both cases is retarded4 ,when the disease germs are conquered then begins normal growth4 ,so in the ,bible figure of the race toward the goal3 this race is not a struggle to overcome sin1 but a race which sin may greatly retard4 ,we are counseled to lay aside every weight and the sin that clings closely about us1 and run the race1 looking unto ,jesus4 ,a ,christian may run with the weights and the sin1 and he is in the race1 but it is not to be wondered that there are many stumbles and slow progress4 ,there are several passages in the ,new ,testament which give a marvelously clear picture of this positive growth in grace1 and show beautifully the distinction between the present purity of the believer and his future entire conformity to the ,lord ,jesus4 ,god's present standard of purity for his children is the purity of his only ,son in whom he is well pleased4 ,he is our ,life2 and apart from him we have no purity4 8,every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself1 even as he is pure0 7#a ,john #c3c74 ,but just before this statement of ,god's purpose for the present purity of his children1 we read3 8we know that1 when he shall appear1 we shall be like him2 for we shall see him as he is40 ,this is the hope set before us1perfect conformity to the likeness of ,christ4 ,and this very hope is urged as a reason for present purity of the kind that ,jesus has4 ,is there a contradiction here8 ,tribulation as ,god's ,molding ,chisel ,in ,romans #c3bc we read that 8all have sinned1 and fall short of the glory of ,god40 ,then grace comes1 we are justified in the ,beloved1 and in ,romans #e3b we read3 8,we rejoice in hope of the glory of ,god40 ,but hope is always future1 for 8hope that is seen is not hope40 ,this hope of the glory of ,god1 perfect conformity to his likeness1 is the same hope spoken of in ,first ,john4 ,but in ,romans five we have added light on the part that growth in grace plays4 8,we also rejoice in our tribulations literally1 that which presses down3 knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness1 literally1 that which holds up under the load2 and stedfastness1 approvedness literally1 passing the examination or the test2 and approvedness1 hope hope of the glory of ,god1 or the character of ,god4 ,then follows this remarkable statement3 8and hope putteth not to shame40 ,a future hope will always put to shame if there is no present guarantee that the hope will be realized4 ,if ,i announce that a certain rich man is to give me a fortune of ten million dollars ten years hence1 the hope of this wealth will put to shame if there is nothing to show that the millionaire will keep his word4 ,my friends are likely to say1 8,we shall wait and see40 ,but if the millionaire gives me as an earnest of the expected inheritance a check for half a million dollars1 my hope does not put me to shame4 ,now notice what follows ,god's statement that this hope of his glory puts not to shame3 8because the love of ,god hath been shed abroad in our hearts through the ,holy ,spirit which was given unto us40 ,the perfect guarantee of my future likeness to the ,lord ,jesus is the miracle of my present likeness to him4 ,the love of ,god shed abroad in my heart makes me like ,jesus4 ,the love of ,god shed abroad keeps out hatred and all other manifestations of self1 so long as the ,spirit is in control and can express his fruit4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is the payment down of this future glory4 ,the ,holy ,spirit hath been given unto us1 not will be2 this is not a future hope4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is our earnest4 8,in whom1 having also believed1 ye were sealed with the ,holy ,spirit of promise1 which is an earnest of our inheritance0 7,eph4 #a3ac1 #ad74 ,make ,use of ,your 8,earnest06 ,in rejoicing in that glorious hope of what is to be brought to us at the appearing of the ,lord ,jesus1 let us take care not to despise the present provision for victory and purity in the ,holy ,spirit4 ,we long for the redemption of our bodies1 that we may be clothed upon with that tabernacle which is from heaven1 8that what is mortal may be swallowed up of life10 and that we may have a body like his glorious body2 but meanwhile we have the firstfruits of the ,spirit1 and we rejoice in the tribulations and all the things this body endures because it works out in that growth which gives more and more of his own character 7,rom4 #h3bc-bf2 #b ,cor4 #e3a-e74 ,these passages in ,romans and ,second ,corinthians just quoted make it clear that the future hope refers particularly to the redemption of our bodies1 when we shall have a body like to the body of his glory4 ,every ,christian will receive this body and be conformed to his likeness2 for this1 as is every part of our redemption1 is all of grace4 ,but while all ,christians will share the purity and the glory1 not all ,christians will have the same measure of glory4 8,there is one glory of the sun1 and another glory of the moon1 and another glory of the stars2 for one star differeth from another star in glory4 ,so also is the resurrection of the dead0 7#a ,cor4 #ae3da1 #db74 ,the enduring of tribulation1 the working out of stedfastness and approvedness1growth in grace1will undoubtedly determine the degree of glory in that resurrection body4 ,the ,key-,verse on ,growth in ,grace ,probably no better key-verse on growth in grace can be found than ,second ,corinthians #c3ah1 and in that verse is gathered up the messages of these other passages that have been considered3 8,but we all1 with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the ,lord1 are transformed into the same image from glory to glory1 even as from the ,lord the ,spirit40 ,as we look unto ,jesus1 and grow in his knowledge and grace1 we are changed1 as one scholar has translated it1 8from one degree of glory to another degree of glory40 ,as we get to know the ,lord ,jesus better and better1 sin becomes more horrible to us2 we see its true character4 ,this does not mean that we become worse sinners1 for we are growing from one degree of glory to another4 ,but we appreciate more and more what sinners we were by nature1 apart from grace2 we see the depravity that follows sin1 and we exalt the grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ which has saved and is saving us from such sin and corruption4 ,the margin of ,second ,corinthians #c3ah adds a final glorious touch3 instead of 8beholding as in a mirror0 there is the translation which many believe more accurate1 8reflecting as in a mirror the glory of the ,lord40 ,it is ours to behold and then to reflect4 ,do they see ,jesus in us8 ,it is 8,christ in you1 the hope of glory0 7,col4 #a3bg74 ,he himself is the secret of growth in grace1 as of all else4 ,,can ,,man ,,be ,,free ,,from ,,sin8 8,how can ,i be free from sin80 is the question that in one form or another is troubling the heart of many a true child of ,god4 ,but before we ask 8,how80 the other query rises1 8,can ,i be free from sin80 and if not completely in this life1 8,how far may ,i be free80 ,as is to be expected1 the teaching of the ,word of ,god on the sin question is simple1 direct and unequivocal4 ,but there are a number of misconceptions that have served to confuse the minds of many earnest seekers after the truth4 ,one of the best tests of the truth of our view of sin is the results in experience4 ,it is1 however1 a blessed fact that one may have an experience that is infinitely better than the theory he holds regarding sin4 ,that sinning is inevitable for the ,christian1 ,that sinning is an accident1 not the choice of a free moral agent1 ,that sinning is an incident1 not a preventable tragedy1 ,that ,christians may reach in this life a state in which they cannot sin1 or where they are not subject to temptation1 ,these are some of the contradictions of ,god's revealed truth which result in keeping ,christians from having complete liberty in ,christ and freedom from sinning4 ,back of the question1 how far may we be free from sin is the further problem1 8,what is sin80 and it is in answering this question that we may fall into a fundamental misconception which leaves us confused when reading the plain statements of ,scripture4 ,many a supposed difference among ,christians regarding freedom from sinning rests back in a difference in their definition of 8sinning40 ,but this is far more serious than a mere difference in the definition of a word1 which might be passed over as unimportant4 ,for1 as we shall see1 if our use of the word 8sinning0 differs from that which ,god means by sin1 there is sure to result a confusion which will affect our experience in the matter of deliverance from sin4 ,there is substantial agreement that ,christians should be1 and may be1 free from dishonesty1 lying1 stealing1 jealousy1 strife1 bitterness1 evil speaking1 fornication1 covetousness1 and a thousand other sins that might be named4 ,also it is agreed that it is not for ,christians to grow out of such sins1 nor to get rid of them gradually1 but to put them off as wholly inconsistent with the ,christian walk4 ,how complete is the list of such sins that a ,christian may be free from just now8 ,or to put the question in another form1 how much sin is it necessary for a ,christian to have8 8,but10 some one asks1 8is not everything that falls short of ,god's absolute standard of perfection sin80 ,our purpose in this study is intensely practical1 and so it is not the intention to enter into a full discussion of theological terms4 ,it may be suggested in passing that many who use such an expression as 8,god's absolute standard of perfection10 would find great difficulty in explaining just what they mean4 ,but we may here get at the problem as it presents itself in experience4 ,all are agreed that there is no possibility of perfection of attainment in this body1 meaning by such perfection an absence of all error or mistake in everything that is done4 ,we may go further and say that by this standard of 8perfection0 every act falls short1 and every moment of life is compassed with infirmity4 ,if this kind of 8falling short0 is sin1 then there can be full agreement that there is no such thing as freedom from sinning in this body4 7,it would not be entirely accurate to say1 8if this imperfection is sin10 for 8perfection10 like all wordsand everything else humanis imperfect and relative and takes its meaning from the thought in the mind of the user47 ,is such falling short sinning8 ,or to reduce the question to practical everyday experience1 8,is every act of the ,christian sinful1 as well as every word and thought80 ,three ,bible teachers met together on one occasion to discuss the sin question2 before they began their conference one of them suggested that they have prayer1 and he led in petition for their guidance and blessing4 ,this brother1 a theological professor and a ,christian noted for his holy living1 contended that everything a ,christian did was of necessity tainted with sin because it fell short of 8perfection40 8,doctor10 one of the others asked1 8is there not a difference between the sin we committed when we prayed together at the beginning of our conference and the sin ,i should commit if ,i were critical or bitter against you80 8,yes1 there is a difference10 he replied 7answering according to ,scripture and his common sense71 8but0 7answering according to his theory7 8it is a very dangerous thing to make distinctions between sins40 ,it is a disastrous thing not to make distinction between these two things4 ,with one stroke we would blot out the difference between light and darkness if we class together the act of a ,christian who with a heart full of love pours out his petition in imperfect words for some needy one1 and the act of a man who with his heart full of hate runs a dagger through the heart of that same needy one4 ,there is the same infinity of difference between this 8imperfect0 prayer and the critical or unloving attitude that the praying ,christian might later fall into4 ,turning from men's reasonings regarding sin to the ,word of ,god1 we find these plain statements3 8,my little children1 these things write ,i unto you1 that ye may not sin0 7#a ,john #b3a74 ,something had been written1 then1 which revealed the secret of keeping from sin as a present1 practical experience for the child of ,god4 8,what shall we say then8 ,shall we continue in sin1 that grace may abound80 7,rom4 #f3a47 8,what then8 shall we sin1 because we are not under law1 but under grace80 7,rom4 #f3ae47 ,god's answer to both these questions1 which is just one question put in two ways1 is the same3 a strong1 emphatic negative8,god forbid40 ,there can be little question in the minds of any that what ,john means by sinning in this first letter of his1 and what ,paul means by sinning in ,romans six1 is something that a ,christian should not and need not do4 ,he may be kept from sinning1 in this meaning of the word4 ,it may well be asked1 what other meaning of the word is there8 ,if we start out with the conception of sinning that makes every act of a ,christian to be tainted with sin1 do not the ,scriptures become a real puzzle in their positive statements about keeping from sin8 ,this supposed difficulty has given rise to an attempted distinction between 8conscious0 and 8unconscious0 sinning4 ,those who use these terms do not always have the same distinction in mind1 but some refer to this falling short of 8perfection0 as 8unconscious sinning10 adding that such sin needs cleansing but involves no guilt4 ,but all sin involves guilt4 ,god cannot do other than condemn sin1 whether in the ,christian or in the unbeliever4 ,moreover1 neither in ,first ,john1 nor in ,romans six1 nor anywhere in the ,new ,testament is there distinction made between 8conscious0 and 8unconscious0 sinning1 or 8known0 and 8unknown0 sins4 ,these distinctions between sins are made by men with the implication that we may be kept free from one kind of sinning but not from the other4 ,does not this make void the word of ,god by our traditions8 ,for ,god says1 through ,john1 8,my little children1 these things write ,i unto you1 that ye may not sin40 ,we shall avoid all such difficulties if we rid ourselves of the notion that the sinfulness or the righteousness of a man's act is to be judged by some outside standard4 ,god's measure is an inside standard4 ,sin can never be discovered in the act1 but in the motive of the heart of the man who performs the act4 ,two men go into a restaurant and hang up their overcoats4 ,two other men in the restaurant take these overcoats with them when they go out4 ,one man has stolen an overcoat4 ,the other man has taken it by mistake1 thinking he had brought his own overcoat with him1 and is much distressed when he finds he has another man's coat4 ,but meanwhile both men have lost their coats4 ,nothing can be determined as to whether sin is involved until you get to the heart of the men who took the coats4 ,one man sinned4 ,the other man surely came short of that perfect outward standard of action1 and he should not have been so thoughtless as to take the coat4 ,the experience will doubtless make him more careful in the future in avoiding such a mistake4 ,but he did not sin4 ,and if our theory makes it necessary for us to say that he sinned1 then we have blotted out all moral distinctions1 and there is an end of urging men to come out of darkness into light4 ,since sin is in the motive of the heart1 it becomes clear why a man who is out of ,christ is sinning all the time1 in thought1 word and deed4 ,he may do many moral things and live on a high plane judged by man's standard1 but he is incapable of ,god's righteousness4 ,only the love of ,god shed abroad in the heart through the ,holy ,spirit can make righteousness possible4 ,a natural1 unsaved man cannot please ,god in anything that he does4 ,that is why he must be born again before he is capable of goodness4 ,when he is saved he may love ,god with his whole heart1 and then he can and does please ,god4 ,and let us remember that no man can please ,god with sinning1 whatever adjective is prefixed4 ,another fruitful source of confusion in studying the ,scripture teachings regarding sin is the taking of ,bible statements concerning man in his natural state and applying them to the new creature in ,christ ,jesus4 8,there is none righteous1 no1 not one0 7,rom4 #c3aj74 8,there is none that doeth good1 no1 not so much as one0 7,rom4 #c3ab74 8,all have sinned1 and fall short of the glory of ,god0 7,rom4 #c3bc74 8,in thy sight no man living is righteous0 7,ps4 #adc3b74 ,these statements are used in ,scripture to describe the condition of all men outside of ,jesus ,christ the ,saviour4 ,to wrest these words from their connection and apply them to saved men to prove that they are not righteous and that they continually are coming short of the glory of ,god1 is to take all meaning and significance out of the language of ,scripture4 ,it is because this is our natural state that we need a ,saviour4 ,when ,he saves us1 are we left in the same state8 ,some have carried this strange use of the words of ,scripture to the extent of believing 7or thinking that they believe7 that ,paul considered himself still the chief of sinners after he was saved4 ,he speaks of himself as the chief of sinners for the very purpose of showing the greatness of the grace of the ,saviour which availed to save the chief of sinners1 and that grace was not found vain4 ,but what would we say of a ,saviour whose grace abounded in such a way as still to leave ,saul the chief of sinners8 ,that is not ,paul's ,saviour1 and that is not the way ,christ's grace operates even in the lives of those true ,christians who think they believe themselves still to be unrighteous sinners4 ,perhaps the ,scripture that has suffered most from this method of lifting it out from its environment is ,first ,john1 one1 eight3 8,if we say that we have no sin1 we deceive ourselves1 and the truth is not in us40 ,a passage which was written for the express purpose of giving the children of ,god the glad tidings that they need not sin1 and pointing out ,god's provision for keeping them walking in the light1 has somehow become for many a stumbling block which keeps them in darkness4 ,now whatever ,john1 one1 eight means it must be in accord with the later word that these things he was writing that we may not sin4 8,and if any man sin1 we have an ,advocate40 8,if any sin40 ,that means there is a possibility of not sinning1 as well as the admitted possibility of sinning4 ,he does not say 8,when a ,christian sins10 which would make sin inevitable4 ,now if a ,christian were sinning all the time1 this word of assurance against sinning1 and also the word of comfort and assurance for the ,christian who has been overtaken in a fault would be robbed of all meaning4 ,first ,john1 one1 eight1 therefore1 cannot mean that ,christians are sinning continually1 or if they are1 the next verses urge them to get out of that condition4 ,the literal rendering of this verse is1 8,if we say that we have not sin10 or 8,if we say that we do not have sin40 ,the negative is an adverb1 not an adjective4 ,the ordinary renderings1 8,if we say that we have no sin10 might encourage the assumption that the ,apostle was speaking of degrees of sin and warning against the thought of being free from all sin4 ,but sin is not something that can be divided2 if there is sin1 there is sin1 and it is not here a question of more or less sin4 ,it will help also to remember that there is no independent ,first ,john1 one1 eight in the ,word4 ,this sentence is part of a closely woven argument running from the fifth verse of the first chapter to the sixth verse of the second chapter4 ,he is talking of fellowship with ,god1 which is an absolute thing in the sense that we either have perfect fellowship or we do not have perfect fellowship1 just as a man wants perfect fellowship with his wife though the fellowship deepens and becomes richer as the days go on4 ,there is but one thing that can break this fellowship with ,god1 ,john says1 and that is sin4 ,for ,god is light and in ,him is no darkness1 and the man that has fellowship must walk in the light4 ,therefore man needs to be cleansed from sin so that he may walk in the light1 having fellowship4 ,there were some in his day1 as in ours1 who were saying that they had fellowship1 though they were walking in darkness4 ,if we say that1 we lie4 ,but if we admit that we cannot have fellowship and be in darkness1 and are cleansed from sin in the blood of ,christ1 then we may walk in the light4 ,if we say that we do not have sin1 and therefore do not need this cleansing1 we deceive ourselves4 ,but if we are not deceived in this way and confess our sins1 he is faithful and righteous to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness1 so that we may walk in the light4 ,if we say1 as they were saying in his day1 that we have not sinned1 we make ,god a liar1 for he has said that all men have sinned and come short of the glory of ,god1 and therefore need a ,saviour4 ,john is writing all of this for the purpose of keeping these ,christians from sinning1 not for the purpose of explaining to them that they must be sinning continually while they are walking in the light4 ,sin breaks the fellowship1 and before a man sins he must step out of that light4 ,this is the message of the whole of ,first ,john4 ,he may confess and be cleansed and restored to the fellowship1 walking in the light4 99 99 99 99 99 ,but was not ,john referring to ,christians when he said 8we08 ,let us ask if ,john meant that he and other ,christians would say that they had fellowship with ,god when they were walking in the darkness2 or would he and others say that they had not sinned1 and thus make ,god a liar8 ,the 8we10 of course1 is used in the same sense as1 8,if any one says that he has fellowship with him40 ,it is the use of the first personal pronoun that we ourselves continually make in stating universal truths4 ,some have even brought consternation to rescue mission workers by telling them never to use ,first ,john1 one1 nine for sinners1 because the 8we0 refers to ,christians1 and ,god is 8faithful and just0 to forgive ,christians1 because they are under the covenant1 while it is of his mercy that he forgives sinners4 ,but 8he is the propitiation for our sins2 and not for ours only1 but also for the whole world10 and since ,god has given ,christ to die for the world1 it is of his righteousness and justice to forgive every sinner the instant he turns to the ,saviour4 ,this is not to say that it is not also of his mercy1 but as one has suggested it is mercy from start to finish1 for the ,christian as well as the sinner4 ,the rescue mission workers and other soul winners may go on using this verse with a clear conscience1 for ,god will honor it both for sinners1 and for ,christians when they act like sinners1 and need to confess and be forgiven4 ,in ,the ,sunday ,school ,times there was published recently a remarkable testimony of one who was saved from ,christian ,science1 and the verse that brought conviction was ,first ,john1 one1 eight4 8,why1 that is just what ,i have been doing10 this woman said in amazement to herself one time when she read this verse4 8,i have been saying that ,i have no sin1 and ,i am deceived4 ,i need a ,saviour40 ,this is the ,spirit's use of that passage2 if it refers to ,christians who have confessed their sins and have accepted the ,saviour and been cleansed from sin1 there can remain in it no convicting power for the one who has not confessed4 ,these brief suggestions upon this passage are given with the thought of provoking further study1 and the reader may still feel strongly that ,first ,john1 one1 eight refers to ,christians1 whatever their spiritual state may be4 ,let us grant that it does1 and the ,christian then is confessing to ,god and to men1 8,i have sin40 ,putting aside the difficulty of understanding how it is possible for me to be without condemnation for the sin1 or how it is possible for me to walk in the light in fellowship with ,god while ,i have this sin1 let us face this simple question1 8,when am ,i going to get rid of this sin80 ,there are at least seven theories that have been suggested to answer this question1 and to get rid of the 8root of sin0 which it is supposed ,john is dealing with when he says1 8,if we say that we have not sin1 we deceive ourselves40 ,all are agreed that without holiness no man shall see ,god1 and that this means actual holiness2 and therefore all who hold these different theories are agreed that this root of sin referred to by ,john must be gotten out1 or eradicated4 ,the first theory is gradual eradication after death1 or gradual purification1 for which a place called purgatory is provided 7by the theology1 not by the ,lord74 ,this theory of course is a matter of works from start to finish1 and perhaps no reader of these pages would entertain it4 ,the second is gradual eradication during life1 with the completion of the process at death4 ,in this theory the process during life makes no real progress toward the consummation at death since all equally need the work at death1 whatever the degree of eradication during life4 ,the third is increasing counteraction during life1 with eradication at death4 ,that is1 the evil is not eradicated gradually during life but is counteracted increasingly by the power of ,god1 while remaining till its removal at death4 ,the fourth is eradication at death4 ,that is1 the evil is unaffected during life1 and awaits death for its removal4 ,the fifth is eradication at the coming of ,christ4 ,but if we die we enter into the presence of ,his holiness and need purity before this event4 ,few maintain this theory1 except those who go the length of identifying the root of sin with the physical body or with the blood1 thus making sin inhere in matter4 ,this assumption is also needed to give support to the second1 third and fourth theories1 for the only change that1 takes place at death is the separation of the spirit from the body4 ,the sixth is eradication before death1 requiring a second work of grace1 subsequent to regeneration4 ,the seventh is eradication at the moment of regeneration1 which perhaps few in our day hold1 though it has been earnestly contended for in other days4 ,all of these eradication theories1 with the exception of the last1 make necessary a second work of grace subsequent to regeneration4 ,they mean that ,god has to do something else to free a man from sin after he is cleansed1 by faith1 in the blood of ,christ1 and made a new creature by the operation of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,for manifestly1 if a ,christian must say1 8,i have sin10 he must get rid of that sin1 and it must be done at one of three times3 before death1 at death1 or after death4 ,is there a line of ,scripture that gives support to any one of these six theories of a second work of grace1 or of the theory of eradication at the first work of grace8 ,all of these theories rest upon the assumption that there is a 8root of sin0 in a man1 in a mechanical1 material sense1 and that from this root sin springs4 ,the ,scripture testimony is that the man himself is the root of sin4 ,sin springs from him4 ,our ,lord said that out of the heart proceed evil thoughts and deeds that defile the man4 ,he was not speaking of the heart as a physical or spiritual entity in the man1 but showing the ,pharisees that righteousness or evil did not consist in the outward acts or observances1 but proceeded from the man himself4 ,for the heart is the man4 ,this natural man1 who is himself the root of his sin1 must be born again4 ,it is the man himself who is born again1 made a new creature in ,christ ,jesus4 ,the heart1 that is1 the man himself1 is purified by faith1 through the miracle work of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,this new man1 who in the moment of regeneration has the fruit of the ,spirit1 his heart filled with love1 continues to have victory in ,christ as he continues to abide in ,christ4 8,as therefore ye received ,christ ,jesus the ,lord1 so walk in him0 7,col4 #b3f74 ,this is ,god's plan4 ,it is because ,christians have not continued so walking1 or perhaps because they have not known clearly and fully the normal ,new ,testament experience that should result from 8receiving0 ,christ ,jesus1 that there is need of a crisis in the life1 a decision to get back where we belong in the place of abiding4 99 99 99 99 99 ,but why is it possible for this new creature to sin after he has so received ,christ8 ,it has been assumed that there must be some root of sin in the ,christian that makes it possible for him to sin4 ,it is strange that this should be thought a necessity when we know that ,satan sinned1 and ,adam sinned1 when they were sinless and had never been tainted with any impurity4 ,if it were not possible for this new creature to sin1 he would be a machine2 his very humanity would need to be destroyed4 ,if we accept as the alternative of this kind of ,christian a ,christian who is provided with something in him which causes the sin1 we arrive at exactly the same conclusion with this difference3 we have a machine which cannot do anything except sin4 ,let it be understood clearly that if a man in this body and in this life in the midst of temptation is not able to sin then he is not able to be good4 ,he can sin for the same reason that he can be good1 because he is a free moral agent4 ,that is the way ,god made him1 and it is of the essence of his humanity4 ,everywhere in ,scripture the ,christian is appealed to as one who is responsible to choose4 ,the reason that a ,christian can sin is because he still has his free will4 ,and when he sins1 it is not a root of sin in him that sins4 ,it is he who sins4 ,that first sin 7which need not occur7 after a man is made a new creature in ,christ1 or after he has understood and taken ,christ as his ,victory1 is always a tragedy4 ,sin should always be a tragedy4 ,it is not an accident nor an incident4 ,but if the man is not responsible1 but has something in him that makes sin necessary1 then he cannot regard sin as a preventable tragedy4 ,but it is not possible for ,god to sin1 and yet he can be good4 ,here we come to the heart of our confusion regarding a ,christian's goodness4 ,god not only can be good1 ,he himself is goodness4 ,he is holy in a way that no man ever was or ever can be4 ,for man's holiness is never absolute in this sense1 but always relative4 ,not relative in the sense that sin must be present1 but relative because of the moment by moment relationship with ,god1 the ,holy ,one4 ,therefore for the ,christian to be kept from sinning he must abide in ,christ1 and he cannot do other than sin if left to himself4 ,at the root of all these eradication theories lies the assumption that man is to be made independently holy4 ,but man is a dependent creature4 ,this is of the essence of humanity1 altogether apart from sin4 ,utter dependence on his creator and his ,saviour 7and the ,saviour is the creator of the new life7 is the only safety for the child of ,god4 ,there is indeed no room for boasting nor for looking to self when we learn ,god's wondrous plan of salvation by grace4 ,two ,christian workers were talking together at the lunch table about the question of what happened to a man when he is saved4 ,one of the brethren pointed to the granulated sugar in the bowl as representing him as a lost man4 ,he then took a spoon as representing the divine life imparted in conversion1 stuck it into the sugar1 and said3 8,this represents my new nature1 and the sugar is still the same corrupt nature4 ,but ,i am in ,christ as the sugar is in the bowl40 ,in other words ,christ is enclosing a mass of corruption with a righteous spark injected into it4 ,another ,christian worker1 representing what ,christ did in saving him1 drew his coat about him so as to cover up his white vest1 and said that in just this way ,god clothes us with ,christ's righteousness1 while we remain a mass of corruption beneath4 ,still another1 putting these illustrations into theological terms1 said3 8,god imputes the righteousness of ,christ to me in exactly the same way as he imputes my sin to ,christ4 ,so that when ,god looks at me he sees the righteousness of ,christ1 just as when he looks at ,jesus he sees my sin40 ,the implication is that righteousness touches me in just the way that sin touches ,christ1 namely1 it is as far from me as the east is from the west4 ,these brethren are all true children of ,god1 washed in the precious blood of ,christ4 ,fortunately they were not telling the truth about themselves2 more seriously they were maligning the ,saviour1 and while the intellectual confusion may not keep them from victory in their own lives it serves to entangle many an earnest seeker4 ,and this sort of handling of ,god's word is what has furnished the enemies of the ,gospel of grace their chief weapons in attack4 ,these statements1 if they are taken at their face value1 constitute as complete a denial of the ,god and ,father of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ as ,mrs4 ,eddy's philosophy of the denial of sin and the ,saviour4 ,as ,luther roused the ,church by the battle cry of 8,justification by ,faith10 let the complete truth of the complete ,gospel be sounded to-day in the cry of 8,salvation by ,faith40 ,for 8it is of faith1 that it may be according to ,grace0 7,rom4 #d3af74 ,god never justifies a sinner without saving him4 ,that is1 he does not call a man righteous without making him righteous4 ,if he did1 ,god would be in the place of the man whom ,james condemns1 who says to the brother or sister naked and in need of daily food3 8,go in peace1 be ye warmed and filled10 yet gives them not the things needful to the body4 8,what doth it profit80 ,james asks4 8,even so faith1 if it have not works1 is dead in itself0 7,jas4 #b3ae-ag74 ,even so would the calling a man righteous without making him righteous be useless for the soul that is naked and destitute of righteousness4 ,justification1 in the sense of 8declaring righteous10 is dead apart from the miracle of cleansing and regeneration which makes righteous4 ,and we need righteousness1 just as the naked and hungry man needs clothing and food1 now in this life4 ,there is no hope held out for any future provision of freeing from sin4 ,there is still a part of our redemption from sin and its results that is future1 but very distinctly are we told that this concerns the redemption of our body1 not the purifying of the soul4 7,using purifying in its negative meaning of cleansing from impurity4 ,for we must remember that there is a positive1 progressive1 and increasing work in conforming us to the likeness of ,christ which is quite distinct from this matter of cleansing1 which is always absolute2 we are either cleansed or we are not cleansed from sin47 ,the works that ,james insists on as a proof that the faith is real faith1 are possible only for the new creature in ,christ1 who is producing the fruit of the ,spirit as he abides in ,christ1 the fruit which is the righteousness of ,christ made real in experience1 and abounding more and more as we grow in grace 7not into grace71 and the knowledge of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,not a half salvation of 8justification by faith0 to take care of the past only of our sins1 but let our watchword be a complete salvation of 8,,christ ,,by ,,faith40 ,for it is ,christ that saves from sin1 who makes a new creation with old things put away1 and who provides a way of abiding in that freedom1 walking in joy and peace and victory1 just as we received ,him in freedom4 8,if1 therefore1 the ,son shall make you free1 ye shall be free indeed40 8,being made free from sin1 ye became servants of righteousness40 8,now being made free from sin and become servants of ,god1 ye have your fruit unto sanctification40 8,for freedom did ,christ set us free3 ,stand fast therefore1 and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage40 ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,if the ,victorious ,life is 8the life that is ,christ10 lived in the power of the risen ,christ dwelling in the heart1 what is the work of the ,holy ,spirit in such a life8 ,are ,christians who pray for1 or seek1 the 8fullness of the ,spirit10 or the 8baptism of the ,spirit0 or the 8receiving of the ,spirit10 asking for something different from the life of victory in ,christ8 ,the answer to such questions reveals the beautiful unity of ,god's plan of salvation1 in which each ,person of the ,godhead has ,his perfect work but in which our ,lord ,jesus ,christ has ever the pre-eminence till the work of salvation is completed4 ,we may approach the truth from teaching concerning the ,holy ,spirit1 but it is ,christ who will be exalted4 ,or we may experience resurrection life through learning of the truth concerning the indwelling ,christ1 but it is the ,holy ,spirit who makes possible that experience in the life4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is ,god4 ,if we start with this fact1 and stay with it1 we shall be saved from much confusion as to the ,holy ,spirit's office4 ,if he is ,god1 we cannot limit ,him1 and we cannot confine ,him to this or that manifestation of ,his power4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is not merely a manifestation of ,god2 ,he is ,god4 ,and one ,person of the trinity is never present without the others4 ,while the ,holy ,spirit has a distinct work in the believer1 this work is never disassociated from the other ,persons in the ,godhead4 ,the ,father and the ,son and the ,spirit all dwell with us 7,john #ad3ag1 #bc2 #a ,cor4 #f3ai2 #b ,cor4 #ac3e74 ,the ,holy ,spirit is a ,person4 ,we are not to seek a quantitative appropriation of a certain amount of the ,spirit of ,god1 perhaps comparing the amount we have with that which we think others have1 but rather to receive ,god the ,holy ,spirit1 who is a ,person4 ,but this truth of ,his personality is to be kept in balance by the companion truth that ,he is ,god1 and in conceiving ,him as a person we must not put the limitations of human personality upon ,god1 as though ,he could only indwell one person at a time1 or as though one person or any number of persons could exhaustively contain ,him4 ,what is the work of ,god the ,holy ,spirit in this age8 ,we know that we are born again by the power of the ,spirit1 and the ,holy ,spirit is in every child of ,god 7,john #a3ab1 #ac2 ,john #c3e1 #f2 ,rom4 #h3i1 last clause2 #a ,cor4 #f-ai74 ,if the ,holy ,spirit is in every child of ,god1 what result does this have in the life8 ,what is ,his work in the believer8 ,is it the same for each believer8 ,in what sense did the ,holy ,spirit come at ,pentecost1 and in what sense is he here in a different way from ,his manifestation before ,pentecost8 ,it is in answering such questions that we are in danger of building up a doctrine from experience rather than from the ,word4 ,a ,bible teacher who has been mightily used in soul-winning and in stimulating other ,christians to this work1 dates his great success from the time when he learned that the ,holy ,spirit was the secret of power in service2 he lacked the power1 saw the need1 asked for the fulness of the ,holy ,spirit1 by faith believed that ,god had granted his desire1 went out boldly with no reference to feeling and counted upon the fact of the ,holy ,spirit's work as he gave the message to men4 ,the results were marvelous1 and continued to be as day by day he counted upon this enduement of the ,spirit4 ,along with this experience came the inevitable longing to share it with others1 for he knew that any ,christian might do as he had done2 the blessed result was that many ,christians through him were led into this new life of service4 ,it was natural that this mighty man of ,god should take his true and ,scriptural experience and build around it his doctrine of the ,holy ,spirit and ,his work for believers1 interpreting the ,scriptures by the experience4 ,so he developed an inclusive doctrinal teaching that the baptism of the ,holy ,spirit at ,pentecost1 and to- in the life of the individual believer1 is for power in service1 the evidence of the work being the results in witnessing4 ,another ,christian worker had a longing for heart purity and a life free from any feeling of condemnation because everything was not pleasing to ,god4 ,he heard a testimony from a brother who had been in a like state and had learned that it was not by effort or struggle or trying that he was to get peace and purity1 but by the work of ,god through the ,holy ,spirit coming into or upon the believer and purifying the heart4 ,as the first mentioned brother did1 he asked ,god for this gift and then by faith believed that his prayer was answered4 ,the result was an amazing transformation1 a life of joy and liberty which was such a miracle revelation and so different from the average ,christian experience that many came to him asking for the secret4 ,he told them what had happened1 and he too proceeded to put together his doctrine of the ,holy ,spirit and taught that every ,christian who was born of the ,spirit needed to seek as a second work the baptism of the ,holy ,spirit to bring purity of heart4 ,there is no question that these brethren experienced the gracious power of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,but they did not accurately relate those experiences to the teachings of the ,word4 ,in ,john #g3ci is suggested what the fundamental1 primary work of the ,holy ,spirit was to be1 and why ,he was able to come into the world in a new way at ,pentecost4 ,after our ,lord1 in the last great day of the feast1 cried1 8,if any man thirst1 let him come unto ,me and drink4 ,he that believeth on ,me1 as the ,scripture hath said1 from within him shall flow rivers of living water10 the apostle explains1 8,but this spake he of the ,spirit1 which they that believed on him were to receive for the ,spirit was not yet given2 because ,jesus was not yet glorified40 ,the ,spirit was to be given at ,pentecost in a way in which ,he was not given before4 ,and it is expressly stated that the one thing needed before ,his being thus given was the glorifying of the ,son of man4 ,link this with our ,lord's word in ,john #af3ac1 #ad and we have clearly revealed the connection between the glorifying of the ,son of man and the work of the ,spirit3 8,he 7the ,holy ,spirit7 shall not speak for himself4444 ,he shall glorify me40 ,this is ,his specific work1 to glorify ,jesus4 ,but how8 8,nevertheless ,i tell you the truth3 ,it is expedient for you that ,i go away1 for if ,i go not away1 the ,comforter will not come unto you2 but if ,i go1 ,i will send him unto you4 ,and he1 when he is come1 will convict the world in respect of sin1 and of righteousness1 and of judgment3 of sin1 because they believe not on me2 of righteousness1 because ,i go to the ,father1 and ye behold me no more2 of judgment1 because the ,prince of this world hath been judged0 7,john #af3g-aa74 ,how is the ,holy ,spirit to convict the world of sin1 of righteousness1 of judgment8 ,notice it is conviction of one sin1 not many1 the one sin of rejecting the ,saviour4 ,it is one righteousness1 the righteousness that ,christ is4 ,it is one judgment1 the past judgment upon ,satan1 the completed victory over our great ,adversary won by ,christ4 ,in the words 8ye behold me no more10 we have the key to the marvelous truth of this revelation concerning the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the only example the world had of ,god's righteousness 7which is the only kind of righteousness there is17 was the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,man4 ,when ,he goes to the ,father how is the world to know what righteousness is8 for it can behold the righteous one no more4 ,they cannot know it by reading about it4 ,there is one way1 and one way only to reveal righteousness1 that is in a human being living a righteous life4 ,to secure this ,jesus ,christ the righteous ,one must be manifest in the life4 8,they see me no more4 ,they must know righteousness by looking at you4 ,i have been the light of the world while in it4 ,now you1 having become sons of light1 are to be the light of the world0 7,john #ab3bc1 #ca1 #ce1 #cf2 ,john #ag3a1 #bb74 ,this is how the ,holy ,spirit glorifies ,christ1 by crowning ,him ,lord in the life1 and manifesting the ,son of man in each of ,his brethren4 ,the world is convicted of sin by seeing the meaning of rejecting the ,saviour as revealed in the man who accepts ,him4 ,the world is convicted of righteousness1 and the difference between ,god's righteousness and man's morality1 by seeing a righteous man4 ,the world is convicted of the judgment of the prince of this world by seeing a life set free from the power of ,satan4 ,this is why the disciples had to wait at ,pentecost1 not wait to get themselves into a certain receptive spiritual state1 but wait till the ,son of man was glorified and the ,holy ,spirit was sent forth4 ,they did not need further knowledge of the facts about ,christ the ,saviour4 ,but before they became witnesses to ,jesus ,christ1 they themselves must become living messages1 living witnesses1 by having ,jesus ,christ revealed in them4 ,this is what the ,holy ,spirit did1 and this is what would be impossible without the ,holy ,spirit given in this new way4 ,some one has well said that the ,holy ,spirit is for the servant1 rather than for the service4 ,the service and the life is the normal outflow when the servant1 the man himself1 has been filled with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the fulness of the ,spirit1 this new work of the ,spirit for the believer1 is just the ,christ life manifested in the believer4 ,this is the fruit of the ,spirit1 8love1 joy1 peace1 longsuffering1 kindness1 goodness1 faithfulness1 meekness1 self-control0 7,gal4 #e3bb1 #bc74 ,this is the love of ,god shed abroad in our hearts through the ,holy ,spirit given unto us 7,rom4 #e3e74 ,this is the earnest of our inheritancethe hope of glory that puts not to shame 7,eph4 #a3ac1 #ad2 ,rom4 #e3a1 #e74 ,this is the transforming power for growth in grace 7#b ,cor4 #c3ah74 ,this is the thirteenth of ,first ,corinthians made real in our experience1 the love which is the fulfilling of the law4 ,the ,holy ,spirit convicts and comforts4 ,he convicts the world1 and also the believer when he walks after the world4 ,he comforts the saints1 and we have noted something of what this means4 ,the ,holy ,spirit makes possible the life of victory in ,christ4 ,the fulness of the ,spirit1 walking in the ,spirit1 the ,spirit indwelling the life 7that is1 controlling it71 are all other ways of saying1 the life that is ,christ1 the ,victorious ,life1 the life kept from sinning1 the ,christ-controlled life4 ,the ,holy ,spirit gives distinct gifts for worship and service1 he works miracles1 he does many things for the believer4 ,but these things which he does for different believers1 dividing to each severally even as ,he will1 must be kept distinct from the one central purpose which is the same for every believer1 namely the manifesting of ,christ in the life 7,gal4 #c3e2 #a ,cor4 #ab to #ad2 ,eph4 #d3ad-af74 ,and the one proof that ,christ is not manifested1 is sin4 ,thus victory over sin is central in the work of the ,spirit in our salvation4 ,we have asked and briefly answered two questions concerning the ,holy ,spirit3 8,who is ,he1 and what does ,he do80 8,who has ,him1 and what do they do80 ,there remains a third question1 the answer to which determines whether ,his miracle working power shall be available in present experience3 8,has ,he me80 ,the ,holy ,spirit may be in a believer1 and yet not controlling the life4 ,this is the meaning of the exhortation to ,christians in ,ephesians #e3ah3 8,be filled with the ,spirit40 ,these believers were born of the ,spirit and sealed with the ,spirit 7,eph4 #a3ac71 yet there was the possibility of their not being filled with the ,spirit4 ,this is the meaning of the charge1 8,walk by the ,spirit1 and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh0 7,gal #e3f74 ,there was a possibility of walking after the flesh4 ,so in ,romans #h3d ,paul declares that the righteous requirement of the law is 8fulfilled in us1 who walk not after the flesh1 but after the ,spirit40 ,this is the life of victory1 lived in the power of the ,spirit4 ,and this is the life which a believer may effectually hinder by his own will in keeping from yielding to the control of the ,spirit1 whose control means the manifesting of ,christ4 ,the ,christian who is ready to yield completely to ,christ may in the very moment of yielding trust ,christ for the fulness of the ,spirit1 knowing that ,his fruit in life and service is now being produced4 ,the simple condition of surrender and faith for victory is what gives the ,holy ,spirit sway in the life4 ,what relation has such a crisis of the fulness of the ,spirit of regeneration8 ,is it a crisis that necessarily must follow the crisis of the new birth8 ,the answer is clearly given in ,galatians #e3be4 8,if we live by the ,spirit1 by the ,spirit let us also walk40 ,if we have eternal life by the miracle work of the ,holy ,spirit1 by that same miracle power let us live our daily lives moment by moment4 ,there would not need to be a crisis after conversion if we stayed in the place of abiding where we started1 in full surrender and trust4 ,the message of ,galatians #e3be1 in terms of the ,holy ,spirit's work1 is precisely the message of ,colossians #b3f in terms of ,christ3 8,as ye received ,christ ,jesus the ,lord1 so walk in him40 ,in normal regeneration the child of ,god is not only born of the ,spirit1 but filled with the ,spirit4 ,thousands testify that in that moment their heart was filled with love1 the fruit of the ,spirit was produced all at once in the life4 ,god's plan is that such a life should abide in ,christ1 walking in the ,spirit4 ,only one thing can interrupt such abiding and that is assertion of self1 which is sin1 or walking after the flesh4 ,it is because sin has entered that ,christians need the crisis to get back to where they were1 or where they might have been1 in the moment of regeneration4 ,it is ,jesus the ,baptist who baptizes with the ,holy ,spirit those who believe in ,him1 the ,saviour4 ,and it is ,jesus1 the ,son of man1 who is glorified by the ,holy ,spirit as ,he manifests ,him in the life yielded to ,his control4 ,have thine own way1 ,lord4 ,have thine own way4 ,hold o'er my being absolute sway4 ,fill with thy ,spirit1 till all shall see ,christ only1 always1 living in me4 ,,index ,,to ,,scriptures ,,used4 ,,pages4 ,gen4 #c3 #a-f #cd ,ex4 #ag3 #g #cg ,deut4 #f3 #af #cg ,ps4 #ah3 #a-e #eb1 #ec #ah3 #b #ea #bb3 #bb #di #bb1 #bc and #bd #fg #cd3 #b1 #c #de #dd3 #h #de #ajc3 #c #gc #adc3 #b #ajg ,pro4 #bh3 #bb #dd ,isa4 #h3 #ah #ej1 #ea #ad3 #ab-ad #ef-fj #ec3 #f #gi ,jer4 #i3 #bc #de ,matt4 #d3 #a-aa #ce #f3 #ai-bd #dd #h3 #ag #gc ,luke #d3 #a-ac #ce ,john #a3 #ab #gi #a3 #ab1 #ac #abj #b3 #ag1 #ah #ec #c3 #e1 #f #abj #e3 #ai1 #cj #ed #e3 #dc #eh #f3 #ah1 #bb #aah #g3 #ch #f #g3 #ch1 #ci #abb #h3 #bh #ed #h3 #cd1 #ce #e1 #ad1 #ae #h3 #cf #gb1 #aah #ab3 #bc1 #ca1 #ce1 #cf #abc #ad3 #aj #ed #ad3 #ag1 #bc #aai #ae3 #g #gc #ae3 #aa #gb #af3 #g-aa #abb #af3 #ac1 #ad #abb #af3 #bb #gb #ag3 #a1 #bb #abc #bj3 #ag #di1 #ej #bj3 #ba #ed ,acts #ac3 #cb1 #cc #ej ,rom4 #c3 #ab #ajg #c3 #bc #gi1 #ii1 #ajg #d3 #af #aag #e3 #a-d #ii #e3 #a1 #e #abd #e3 #aj #f1 #hg #f3 #a #aje #f3 #b #hc #f3 #aa #ib #f3 #ac #g #f3 #ad #e1 #bj1 #gb1 #gd #f3 #ae #aje #f3 #bc #gi #g3 #g-bd #ah-bj1 #bc1 #be #h3 #a-d #bj1 #bh #h3 #b #e1 #hf #h3 #d #abe #h3 #i #abj #h3 #aa #gc #h3 #af #ij #h3 #bc-bf #ajj #aj3 #ag #be #ac3 #aj #df ,i4 ,cor4 #a3 #d-i #hf #c3 #a-c #hc #f3 #ac #dc #f3 #ai1 #bj #dd1 #aai1 #abj #aj3 #ab #id #aj3 #ac #aj1 #ch1 #gb1 #id #ab to #ad #abe #ac #abd #ae3 #da1 #db #aja ,,ii4 ,cor4 #c3 #ah #aa1 #abd #e3 #a-e #ajj #h3 #i #ec #ab3 #i #e1 #gg #ac3 #e #aai ,gal4 #b3 #ai-ba #cj #b3 #bj #aj1 #gc #b3 #ba #ba #c3 #e #abe #c3 #ab #bb #c3 #ad-bi #bg-bi #e3 #a #ae1 #aah #e3 #f #abe #e3 #ac1 #af #e3 #af #hc #e3 #ah #e #e3 #bb1 #bc #a1 #abd #e3 #be #f1 #cj1 #hg1 #abf #f3 #a #hc #f3 #ad #de ,eph4 #a3 #ac1 #ad #ajj1 #abd1 #abe #b3 #h #gi #d3 #d-af #abe #e3 #ah #abe ,phil4 #b3 #a-aa #ee-fj #d3 #f1 #g #gb ,col4 #a3 #bg #aja #b3 #f #aad1 #abf #c3 #c #gc #c3 #ag #de ,,ii ,thes4 #b3 #c1 #d1 #i-aa #eh1 #ei ,heb4 #a3 #a-ad #dh1 #di #b3 #aa-ac #di-ed #d3 #b #g1 #bf #i3 #bd1 #bf1 #bh #fg #aj3 #ai-be #hj #ab3 #a #h #ac3 #bj1 #ba #fg ,james #b3 #h-aa #ag #b3 #ab #ba #b3 #ae-ag #aag #c3 #aj-ab #he ,i ,peter #a3 #bb1 #bc1 #be #bf #b3 #g1 #h #bf #b3 #af #af #e3 #d #fg ,i ,john #a3 #a to #b3 #f #aji-aab #a3 #e #he #a3 #h #ajh-aab #a3 #i #ab #b3 #a #hd1 #aje #b3 #af #cd1 #ch-dj #b3 #bh #fd #c3 #c #ih #c3 #c1 #ba1 #bb1 #bd #fd #c3 #i #hd #e3 #i-ac #gi #e3 #aj1 #aa #hi #e3 #ah #hd ,,iii ,john #b #gc ,rev4 #ba3 #e #gj ,transcriber's ,note3 ,this book was written in a period when many words had not become standardized in their spelling4 ,words may have multiple spelling variations or inconsistent hyphenation in the text4 ,these have been left unchanged unless indicated below4 ,words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores1 like this4 ,obvious printing errors1 such as backwards1 upside down1 or partially printed letters1 were corrected4 ,final stops missing at the end of sentences and abbreviations were added4 ,quotation marks were adjusted to matched sets4 ,some scriptures listed in the index are not cited in the text4 ,spelling correction3 ,what is 8,growth is in ,grace08