Editorial by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Aug 14, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 40.

Editorial.

By Editor

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable."—2 Tim. 3:16.

THE life of the Christian is a momentary life—constant abiding in Christ. That which unites us with him is simple faith. If faith is gone, Christ is gone, life is gone. But abiding faith in Him who is abiding brings his abiding presence.

THE life of the Christian is the life of Christ. Says the apostle: "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." This presence, this life of Christ in us, is the Spirit of God, which was promised by him to his disciples. He said: "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." John 14: 16, 17. Through this Spirit the Father and Son take up their abode in the heart (verses 23-26), and that Spirit testifies of Christ (chap. 15: 26; 16: 13, 14). This is the Comforter, the representative of the Godhead in the world (Ps. 139: 7; Rev. 5: 6).

THE life of the Christian is therefore the Spirit of God within him; for "if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Rom. 8: 9. Life is power; and if the Christian has no higher life than the world, he has no more power than the world. But the Christian has power, but it is the power of Christ. Says Paul, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Said Jesus to his disciples: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." Acts 1: 8. And the apostle desires that the saints may know "what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward, who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead." Eph. 1: 19, 20. But this power is of the Spirit of God, the Holy Ghost, the life of Christ. It is a power of which the world knows not, because the world hath not faith.

THE Christian therefore works from life, not for life. That is, it is not by his own works that he expects to obtain the life of Christ, but he obtains—must obtain—by faith the life of Christ before he can do acceptable works. The thorn tree by the most diligent bearing can never become an apple tree. The soul must be in Christ before it can bear the fruits of Christ. It is first being, then doing. Man must be righteous before he can do righteousness. 1 John 3: 7. But God freely changes the heart. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit [life] will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Eze. 36: 26, 27. This is the secret of good works or right doing. The Spirit of God changes the heart and causes the converted man to "walk in," "keep," and do the statutes and judgments of God. And so Paul says that "the righteousness of the law" is "fulfilled" in those who "walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom. 8: 4.

THERE will be no objection to the commandments of God on the part of him who has the Spirit of God. The law is of God; the Spirit is of God; and God is one. Through faith in Christ the sins of the past are forgiven, and by the power of the Spirit the heart is cleansed. The sinner is forgiven, justified, made righteous (Rom. 4: 1-8); and this righteousness is in harmony with the law of God, for to the genuineness of that righteousness the law bears witness (Rom. 3: 21, 22). He who has not the Spirit or life of Christ is not spiritual but carnal; and the carnal mind is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Rom. 8: 7. The spiritual man will say as did Christ, "I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea thy law is within my heart."