Fellow-Citizens with the Saints.
By John Matteson
“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” Eph. 2:19. Thus spake the Holy Spirit to the Ephesians by the apostle Paul, and thus he still speaks to every true disciple of Jesus. The calling of God is a high and holy calling. Our Heavenly Father gives abundant grace. He is no respecter of persons. Even the Gentiles, who were strangers and foreigners, who lived in darkness and superstition, who had lost their citizenship and forfeited their rights as children, has God made fellow-citizens with the saints, and given them a place in his own household or family. My brethren, we are Gentiles. We are by nature strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now we, who sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Oh, how good the Lord is. He did not leave us to live and die in darkness. He had mercy upon us in our wretched condition and loved us before we could love him. “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” 1 John 4:9–11. The love of God is a blessed theme for our study. Here is the true fountain whence we receive strength to live for God and for humanity. “The love of God constraineth me.” “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” The Lord chose the family of Abraham to preserve his truth. Thus the Jews obtained much advantage by having the oracles of God committed unto them (Rom. 3:1, 2), “who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” Rom. 9:4, 5. Yet all these blessings do not belong to the unbelieving Jews; for the apostle says in the same connection: “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.” “But the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” Verses 6, 8. There was a little flock of believers in every generation among ancient Israel—a remnant according to the election of grace. Likewise there is also now a remnant of the vessels of mercy, whom God has called “even us,” “not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles.” Verse 24. The work of grace under the new covenant, as well as under the old, commenced among the Jews. But the Lord extended graciously this work. The first part of the Christian temple having been reared among the kinsmen of Christ according to the flesh, and the apostles, the circle of mercy was enlarged. “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Eph. 2:1. We walked after the course of this world. The evil spirit wrought in us when we were children of disobedience. We walked in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. We were the children of wrath, doomed to eternal death. We have all lived in this sad condition. Thousands about us are still living in the same condition. They are hastening to the pit of destruction. Yet they are careless and do not feel concerned about their eternal welfare. The thunders of the last day will soon awaken all who sleep. Then it is too late to repent—too late to work for the salvation of others. Then the last prayer for sinners has been uttered—the last tear shed. Then the word of the Lord sounds with a terrible voice through the shaking heavens and earth: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still.” Mercy waits no longer. “But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved), and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Eph. 2:4–7. What heavenly grace and love, to quicken us together with Christ when we were dead in sins! Are we quickened—made alive with Christ—or are we still dead in sins? Brothers and sisters, this is an important question. Let us carefully examine ourselves and answer it before God. Let our works and meek conversation answer among our fellow-men. Let no man deceive you by any means. Have you tasted the first love? Does its flame still burn within? or is only the smoking flax left? God is still rich in mercy. He will not quench the smoking flax, nor break the bruised reed. Yet he warns you not to continue in lukewarmness until the door of mercy is shut. For then you will certainly be spewed out of the mouth of the Faithful Witness. What you do must be done quickly. If you have thoughts of repentance, put it not off. Your life hangs on a brittle thread. Death may overtake you unawares. And the end of all things is at hand. Many things in the world invite your attention. Many necessary duties in every-day life rest like heavy burdens on your mind and demand a portion of your time and strength. But remember the words of our Saviour to Martha, when she was troubled about many things: “But one thing is needful; and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:41, 42. The psalmist said: “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.” Ps. 27:4. Is this one thing needful the heaviest burden on your mind? Is it your greatest anxiety and care how you can be alive with Christ? If it is not, you are not in a good condition. It is a Christian duty to be diligent in business, but it is not Christlike to forget the one thing needful—eternal salvation. It will not be pleasant to awake with the lost and depart forever from the loving Saviour. It will not be pleasant to land at last in the lake of fire, where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. It will not be pleasant forever to be separated from our loved ones, and from all the friends of God, and perish in the devouring fires of Gehenna with murderers and liars. “The world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.” Dear reader, we are interested in your salvation, and would urge upon you this vital question. Have you been made alive with Christ? and do you now live in him? We are not so anxious about every minor theoretical question. Many of God’s dear children are not able to comprehend all the shades of difference which, to some minds, may be deeply interesting. But I pray God that the Holy Spirit may so deeply impress this question on your mind that it may sound to you like an earnest voice in your soul. And I beseech of you not to turn away or close your heart against the voice of the good Shepherd. Do you daily enjoy communion with your Saviour? Do you experience a heavenly, molding influence from Christ, when you call on his name? It is tiresome to seem to knock at mercy’s door, and yet go away empty. Does the meek and gentle mind of Jesus become your mind? Do you realize that there is a fullness of righteousness, peace, and joy, in the Holy Spirit? Do your prayers and your religious service make you more ripe for the kingdom of God? Then it is well with you. Then you rejoice in God under all the troubles and changing scenes of life. Then you live in Christ. But if you are not alive in Christ, when do you want the Lord to save you—to raise you up and make you sit together with the saints in heavenly places in Christ Jesus? God is ready. Jesus is waiting. The angels of Heaven will minister unto you. They rejoice more over one repenting sinner than over ninety-nine righteous persons who have no need of repentance. The question is not, Will God save you? God will save to the uttermost all that come unto him through Christ. The Lord is ready now. All things are ready. But the question is, Will you come? Are you ready? When will you begin to seek the Lord and serve him? Commence to-day—oh! do it to-day! To-day sweet mercy lingers.107If you hear the voice of God to-day, do not harden your heart. Do not grieve God’s Holy Spirit. How good the Lord is! He will even now translate us into the kingdom of his dear Son—the kingdom of grace. And in the future eternal ages he will show us greater things than these, when the exceeding riches of his grace shall abound in kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Then we shall see those things which God has prepared for them that love him, which as yet human eyes have not seen, nor ears heard. There is rest for the weary, there is rest for you. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” Eph. 2:8, 9. Does not this altogether exclude works? It excludes works from our boasting, but not from our life; for the next verse reads thus: “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” All praise belongs unto God. The sufferings, death, and resurrection, of our Saviour are all that we can claim for justification. But the truth and Spirit of God can work a reformation in us through faith. Then we become new creatures in Christ Jesus. And we are created in him unto good works. This is the object of the new birth and the new life. “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” Jesus has broken down the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles. He abolished the law that pertained to sacrifices and to the ministration in the old sanctuary. The ten commandments have never been a wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles, neither has the Sabbath; for it was made for man—all mankind. Mark 2:27. But the services of the old sanctuary were peculiar to the Jews. The Lord would accept of sacrifices in no other country except Judea; and he would suffer none to minister in the sanctuary except the Levites—a tribe of the Jews. This was truly a middle wall of partition, as all must admit; and the law that regulated these services is abolished, with all the commandments pertaining to it. There is not one jot, or tittle left of it. Whereas the other law—the law that makes sin known—shall suffer no loss till heaven and earth pass. No, not one jot or one tittle of it has our Saviour abolished. Matt. 5:18. Christ took away the law of sacrifices, which were only a shadow of good things to come. Heb. 10:1. He became himself the true sacrifice by dying on the cross. He ministers now as our High Priest in a temple not made with hands. There he reconciles both Jews and Gentiles in one body by the cross. And still he preaches peace through the gospel to the Gentiles that are far off, and to the Jews who are nigh—who are even related in the flesh to our blessed Redeemer. Still the Lord extends his kind invitation to all, both Jews and Gentiles; “for through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Eph. 2:19–22. Dear reader, let us carefully consider these important words. Let us take care that we build on the chief corner-stone. Let us not divide Christ, but build on his life as well as his death, on his example as well as his doctrine. Let our faith rest on him and be molded by his truth; and let our works be in harmony with his works, our mind with his mind. He is the foundation on which apostles and prophets did build. On him we must also build through the Spirit until our bodies as well as minds are sanctified and become fit for the temple of God—for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. God has called us with a holy calling. He has called us to be fellow-citizens with the saints and of the family of God. We are living in a dangerous age. Many are lukewarm and heavy with sleep. Let us awake to walk in the light. Be not satisfied with a mere theory; but live near to God. Let his word be a light to your path until the coming and kingdom of our Lord.