Spiritual Financing by Uriah Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 19, 1902

Spiritual Financing

By Uriah Smith

“LIKEWISE reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Rom. 6:11, 12.

Paul was a ready reckoner; but the subjects of his reckoning went beyond those matters which ordinarily engage the attention of men here. His financing takes in the present and the future. “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” Rom. 8:18. And again: “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Cor. 4:17, 18.

In the scripture first quoted, he exhorts us to indulge in the same reckoning; that is, to be “dead” and “alive”—dead unto sin, but alive unto God. How intimately both the duties and the privileges of the believer are bound up together with Christ Jesus, his Lord. Sin is the corrupt thing that belongs to the sinner’s estate of death. We are dead to sin by renouncing and turning away from it. We are alive unto God by casting off the works of darkness, and putting on the armor of light. “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Rom. 13:12–14. Such, as explained by the apostle, is the theory of the Christian’s real condition. The Christian is one who, like his Master, is already dead to all sin, and alive only toward God. He has ceased, in other words, to have anything further to do with sin. With God he has everything further to do. This has resulted, as a matter of course, from the close union, or, as it were, incorporation, which his faith has effected between him and Jesus Christ.

In theory, the believer has just as little to do with sin as has Jesus in heaven. This explains how the apostle can elsewhere employ such amazing language about mortal man as this: “Risen with Christ” (Col. 3:1), sitting with him in “heavenly places” (Eph. 2:6), “for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Col. 3:3. The aim is to make the Christian life such in fact, and not only such in conception.

In moral training of character, there is no better way of attaining an ideal than to be persuaded that it is the true ideal for us. Let us suppose a man claiming to be dead to all sin; yet in a given instance an evil idea masters him. Between these two conditions—deadness to sin, and being overpowered by sin—is there not an incongruity which is not simply painful but intolerable? These conditions cannot possibly exist together. A contradiction in fact, between his theoretical position and his actual conduct, is not a condition of affairs in which he can rest. Either his ideal must be abandoned, or an effort must be made to shape his behavior in compliance with it. But to abandon the ideal would be to abandon Christ. The conclusion becomes irresistible. Let not this wrong desire lord it any longer over you in this fashion, if, indeed, you are a man dead to all sin. As the apostle enjoins in verse 12: “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.” As death hath no more dominion over Christ (verse 9), so sin should have no more dominion over us. “Let not sin therefore reign.” Nevertheless we may be alive to God. This thought should help our peace, aid our caution, and draw us to the means of grace provided for us by faith in Christ. C. H. Spurgeon, in his “Sermon Notes,” relates the following anecdote, which, on account of the striking lesson it contains, we take the liberty here to transcribe:—

“In the fourth century, when the Christian faith was preached in its power in Egypt, a young brother sought out the great Macarius. ‘Father,’ said he, ‘what is the meaning of being dead and buried with Christ?’”

“‘My son,’ answered Macarius, ‘you remember our dear brother who died and was buried not long ago? Go now to his grave, and tell him all the unkind things you ever heard of him, and that we are glad he is dead, and thankful to be rid of him; for he was such a worry to us, and caused so much discomfort in the church. Go, my son, say that, and hear what he will answer.’”

“The young man was surprised, and doubted whether he really understood; but Macarius only said, ‘Do as I bid you, my son, and come and tell me what our departed brother says.’ The young man did as he was commanded, and returned.

“‘Well, what did our brother say?’ asked Macarius.

“‘Say, father!’ he exclaimed. ‘How could he say anything? He is dead.’”

“‘Go again, my son, and repeat every kind and flattering thing you ever heard of him; tell him how we miss him; how great a saint he was; what noble work he did; how the whole church depended upon him; and come again and tell me what he says.’”

“The young man began to see the lesson Macarius would teach him. He went again to the grave, and addressed many flattering things to the dead man, and then returned to Macarius.

“‘He answers nothing, father; he is dead and buried.’”

“‘Now you know, my son,’ said the old father, ‘what it is to be dead with Christ. Praise and blame equally are nothing to him who is really dead and buried with Christ.’”

“Sin may rebel, but it shall never reign, in a saint. It is like Daniel’s beasts,—though their dominion is taken away, their lives are prolonged for a season and a time.”—Brooks.

Men must not suffer a single sin to survive. If Saul had destroyed all the Amalekites, as he was commanded, no Amalekite would have lived to destroy him.

U. S.