AN ALL-SUFFICIENT SAVIOUR.
An intelligent but troubled Ohio correspondent writes us as follows: If Christ possessed no advantage over a converted human being, how could He live an absolutely sinless life? Surely no Christian, however thoroughly converted, maintains a perfectly sinless record. If He was born just like ourselves, with no greater knowledge, power, or purity, He must have been guarded and guided in some peculiar manner, or, as a child, He would have done something wrong, as every other child does. But, as He was kept from sin, He never had a sinful habit to fight or correct as we have. It seems to me there must be some difference, somehow, between Christ and even the best Christian. In your paper some time ago an article says, "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, etc. How can such an one claim that the old nature is crucified—that he is "dead to sin?" I can see how Paul could claim this, for sin was not active in him. He was loving and serving God right along. But how any one can claim this who is constantly falling, and producing evil every minute is more than I can see. There are many things we can apprehend, lay hold of, by faith which we can not comprehend by reason or knowledge; and yet we can demonstrate their verity by walking out in faith upon their demands, whether in the promise or precept. A person's reason or knowledge might reject God, but faith might demonstrate His existence by proving the assurance "that He is a rewarder of them that seek after Him." We may not be able to understand how the Son of God gave up Himself and took our nature; but He did. "He was born of the seed of David according to the flesh" (Rom. 1:3), "was born of a woman, born under the law" (Gal. 4:4), and so gathered within Himself all the hereditary tendencies of sin the race had known, the awful fruits of which were seen in the Judean tribe from which He came, and especially in the seed of David. For "it behooved Him in all things to be made like unto His brethren" (Heb. 2:17). Now these are plainly stated facts; why not believe them, whether we can understand how it could be true or not. He lived a sinless life; and we believe that. He suffered temptation in the wilderness; He suffered being tempted; He offered up prayers and supplications "with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death." He was "heard for His godly fear," and learned, tho a Son, "obedience by the things which He suffered." Heb. 5:7, 8. And the same scripture also implies that He resisted even "unto blood, striving against sin." Heb. 12:4. All this we may fully accept by faith and know that it was so, tho we but dimly comprehend it. When the wicked man comes to Christ and confesses his sin, he is forgiven and counted in the Beloved as tho he had never sinned. None of his iniquities of the past are held against him. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." In His sight they are no longer sinners.5 "But the evil habits remain?"—No; not as in the past. Before conversion they were the dominating power; now they are subject to the Spirit of Christ, and will so continue, if the soul continues to walk in Christ as he accepted Christ. Then he confessed his sin, his nothingness, his weakness, his lack of strength, his absolute need of a guide, a saviour, a keeper; and he finds in Christ all of these. All this implies daily feeding upon God's Word; constant humility before God, earnest, importunate prayer, the improvement of every available means of grace, walking with God, while reaching out strong, helpful hands to the sinful, the needy, the helpless of this world. Do you not believe, dear soul, that you could thus live for God one minute? Could you not do it by His grace for sixty minutes or one hour? Could you not walk to please Him for twenty-four hours? Jesus did, and overcome for us, that He might, through our faith, overcome in us. The "old man" represents sin dominant, ruling, in our being. His crucifixion is not the death of the tendency of the flesh to sin, but the death of sin as a dominating, ruling power. The "new man" is not a being with no tendency to sin, but it is a life in which Christ rules over sin. The person may make mistakes; his speech and walk may be halting and weak, like that of a little child; but he is dominated by the new man, not by the old. He does not count himself, as himself, different, but he counts on Christ Jesus, the Coverer of his imperfection, the Healer of his infirmities, the Companion by the way, and in Christ he is free. Rom. 8:1. And the same power which set him free can keep him free. The work must be of faith. Of course, if the soul loves sin, and desires to continue in it, he can not count it dead as a dominating power within. But, if he has given up sin, he can count the old man crucified on the cross of Christ. His death is our death; His life our life. For He was crucified for you. He died for your sins. Why not believe it, and rejoice? Paul could claim no more than you may claim. Sin was as active in him as in others. He found it necessary to "die daily," to constantly keep his "body under," to brow-beat it, literally, lest, having preached to others, he himself should be a castaway. See 1 Cor. 9:26, 27; Phil. 3:7-14. He did not conquer self by self; he conquered by counting Christ all by faith. You are a failure in yourself; good, count it so. But Christ is a glorious success; count Him so in you, and rejoice. If you would believe that Christ forgives, that Christ furnishes all, that it is all yours by believing, you would find joy instead of discouragement, and strength instead of weakness. Say ever, Nothing in myself; praise God, everything in Christ Jesus; and "I am His and He is mine, forever, O forever," and you will find that the joy of the Lord is your strength, and Christ is "the One altogether lovely," the "Chiefest among ten thousand." Do not look to self, look to Him, and let Him reign.