p. 408 | GOD IS ALL IN ALL by M. C. W.

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jul 8, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 26.

GOD IS ALL IN ALL.

By M. C. W.

THE Lord commands all men to obey his holy law perfectly. "Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man." Eccl. 12:13. See Deut. 4:2. This he has a right to do as man's Creator.

But man of himself cannot keep God's law; for (1) he is at enmity to the law of God (Rom. 8:7); and (2) even though from his heart he should try to obey the law he could not. Jer. 13:23. Rom. 7:18, 19.

And yet God is not unreasonable in his requirements. Though it is not in the power of man to do good, God has furnished the means by which man may do his will on conditions. First, God will graciously pardon all past sins, or in other words, impute to man his own perfect righteousness, through faith in Christ. Rom. 3:21-26; 4:6-8. He does this freely by his grace. To him belongs all the glory.

Further: God takes away the carnal heart, which is at enmity to his law, and gives the individual a new heart which loves God's law and can keep it. Eze. 36:26, 27. He is no longer the same individual, pursuing the things of this age—a worldly, selfish, sensual being. Old things are passed away; he has begun a new life; he is a new creature in Christ Jesus. 2 Cor. 5:17. He has been begotten of God through the word (1 Peter 1:23; James 1:18), and born of the Spirit of God. John 3:3-5. The effectual work has been all of God; to God belongs all the glory.

It may be said that man sought Christ. He did; but the Father drew him. John 6:44. The individual made the choice, a free choice; he willed to do God's will in God's way; he believed; and God wrought for him. The influence which led the man to do this was the Spirit of God. The power which wrought for him, and in him, was of God. To God belongs all the glory.

And the Lord leaves him not here. He has made the child of sin his own child. He has given him a new nature; he can and will now dwell with him by his Spirit. Rom. 8:9-11. In the warfare that follows, against the sinful flesh, it is through the Spirit that its deeds are put to death. Rom. 8:13. The individual walks in right paths, but he is led by the Spirit. Verse 14. The now child of God loves God and keeps his commandments (1 John 5:3), but love is the fruit of the Spirit which works in him. Gal. 5:22. In short, it is God's love and goodness and power which influence, lead, carry, regenerate, and work through the individual from first to last, from the bondage of corruption to the glorious liberty of the children of God consummated at the coming of Christ. Phil. 3:21. To God belongs all the glory.

And yet God in his great mercy counts these good deeds as the righteousness of his people. He will say, "Well done" to those who have labored in his strength for him. He furnishes all the goodness, all the light, all the means, all the power, and then ascribes them all to the faithful ones, because they have wholly chosen God's will, wholly submitted their own, even when submission meant suffering and crucifixion.

The righteousness they have, the righteousness they do, is God's righteousness, because wholly wrought by and through the power of God. It was God's righteousness by faith for the sins past (Rom. 3:22); it is God's righteousness by faith throughout the whole warfare, because God furnishes the strength and means on the call of faith.

This twofold truth is well expressed in the following scripture: "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, . . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." Man is to work, to put forth the effort, but, after all, it is God working through him. Man, so far as having power to obey, is like the impotent man at the pool. Man can no more do God's will than the impotent man could walk. But the faith of the cripple met the Saviour's command, he put forth the effort just as though he was to do it all, and power from God came. So in the spiritual life. The individual is to put forth as much effort and will as though he was to do it all himself, and to have that faith in God as though he expected God to do it all for him.

While the Bible tells us to put away our sins (Isa. 1:16), it also graciously declares that God "will subdue our iniquities." Micah 7:19. God graciously gives to his people the credit of right doing and of overcoming. But those who have been born into the kingdom of God, who have gained victories through the grace of Christ over base passions and carnal lusts, will not boast of their righteousness; they will with grateful heart ascribe all to the grace of God, that "God may be all in all." M. C. W.