AUGUSTA C. BAINBRIDGE by Augusta C. Bainbridge

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 15, 1903

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 29, No. 15.

AUGUSTA C. BAINBRIDGE

By Augusta C. Bainbridge

GOD'S PREPARATION FOR SERVICE. NO. 2. Crucified.

THERE are two things to be dealt with in our redemption: our sins and the carnal nature from which the sins spring, the bad fruit and the tree that produces the fruit.

When God gave His only-begotten Son to the world, He gave a complete Saviour, not only for the “remission of sins that are past” (Rom. 3:25), for a sin is past the very moment it is committed, but to cleanse from all sin (1 John 1:7); that is, to take away our sinful nature that we may not commit sin (verse 2).

While many have accepted the first by faith, and have rejoiced in sins forgiven, the evil nature remains, and the experience of Rom. 7:10-24 is repeated daily. Finding no good in this evil nature, and that it can neither be purified nor improved, the agonizing cry is still coming from the heart, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death,” this old man, my carnal nature, my natural disposition, my self.

Blessed be God! He knew the end from the beginning, He made man, He knew what was in him, He knew how he would fall, and what would save him. He provided a Saviour. He met this need of His people in Christ. Listen, tempted, tried, and troubled one: “Knowing this,”—do you know it? If not, know it now, right now, by faith in the Word, —“Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him.” Do not contradict God, and say, “No, it is not, it is alive and active in me, producing evil every minute,” but agree with God by faith, even in the dark, and say, “Yes, Lord, I know, by faith, that my old disposition is crucified with Christ, because You say it;” in order “that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” Rom. 6:6, 7. The body of sin is the all of sin in us, that from which the sins spring. Read Rom. 8:3, and you will see that God has already dealt with our evil natures in the death of Christ. In the flesh, all flesh, yours and mine, sin was condemned, crucified. Have you accepted that by faith? Do you say with Paul, “I am crucified with Christ”? So we see it is not only true that the Lord Jesus bore our past sins in His own body on the cross, but God, in His unspeakable love and mercy, associated us with the death of Christ; so that He has already passed judgment upon us, our flesh, our carnal nature, our disposition and traits of character, our totality of sin—root and branch. Thus we see God has made a complete provision for our sin—our carnal nature,—and our sins—deeds committed;—and both alike are gone judicially from before His face forever, if we accept what He says, rather than hold to the sin.

Such is God's testimony to us in His Word; why not accept it and be free? We are exhorted, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ.” Rom. 6:11. When you and I accept God's Word by faith, and act upon it, we refuse the calls of the old nature, because it is dead; it had its part in the death of Christ. In other words, we accept as God's Word of truth our death with Christ, and henceforth take our places in the world as men dead to sin; then “the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing” in us.

Praise the Lord.