Identified With Christ
By John M. Hopkins
There can be no more intimate or tender relationship than that between Christ and his people. In several instances in the Bible it is symbolized by the marriage relation, which perfectly unites the interests and the lives of the contracting parties. They are one. Their hopes and joys and pains and sorrows are the same. That which concerns the happiness of the husband equally relates to the wife, and vice versa. So with Christ and the Christian, He has so intimately identified himself with his people that whatever affects them equally touches his great heart of love. And so when Saul was on his way to Damascus, the Saviour appeared to him and said: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” Saul said, “Who art thou, Lord?” And then came the word. “I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” In beautiful accord with this is the following from Isa. 63: 7-9: “I will mention the loving-kindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving-kindnesses. For he said, Surely they are my people, . . . so he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” In the Saviour’s prayer recorded in the seventeenth chapter of John the same tender regard and deep interest are shown. Thus he cares for his remnant people now. Nothing is dearer to Christ than his church. And since Christ thus intimately identifies himself with his people, what should be our attitude toward him and his cause? If we have “the mind of Christ,” shall we not look upon his work in exactly the same light that he does? If we are “filled with the Spirit,” shall we not have the same deep, earnest interest in his cause that he has? Will not its prosperity be the one chief object and purpose of our lives and efforts? And will it not be a delight to contribute in every way possible to its advancement? If we were as closely and intimately identified with the cause of Christ as he is identified with us and our welfare, there would be many thousands of dollars flowing into his treasury that are now put into the treasury of Satan. Many dollars are expended for unnecessary articles, for things that we could get along without. The people of Europe and other Old World countries practise economy more rigidly than do Americans; and if we in America would do just as Jesus would, many nickels, and dimes, and quarters, and half dollars that are now expended to gratify appetite, or pride, or pleasure, would find their way into the cause of God. I know that if we truly loved the Lord as he loves us, we would study, and pray, and plan, and work, and deny self to help along the work of the Master. Seventh-day Adventist ministers would not be wearing gold watches, their wives and daughters and sons would not decorate themselves with gold rings and charms and vest-chains and brooches, etc. Sweetmeats and every unnecessary gratification would be cut off, and the pleadings for help that come so often from every quarter would receive a most generous response. O that every one who professes to love God would study these things! O that we were all as truly and deeply in love with Christ as he is with us! Then the same mind of holy zeal, the same earnest love that inspired him, would actuate us, and from all over the world our prayers would ascend to heaven, and our debts would be paid, and our God-given means would pour into God’s storehouse. The loud cry of the message would ring out everywhere, thousands would be converted, and Jesus would quickly come. Shall it not be so, brethren and sisters? God grant it for Jesus’ sake.