IN these days of peril, when men's faces are growing pale before the possibilities and probabilities of the immediate future, the real Christian has perfect peace. There are a great many professors of Christianity who do not enjoy this peace, but it is because they do not have a personal acquaintance with the Author of salvation. If we really know Christ, if we have the genuine article of Christianity and not a spurious counterfeit, we can have no fear. For He who is the Protector of the Christian "hath measured the water in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance." His power is so great that He says "the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance; behold, He taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering. All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity." Isa. 40:12, 15-17.
The divine Father being so infinite in power, there is nothing that He is not able to protect His children against. "All nations before Him are as nothing; and they are counted to Him less than nothing, and vanity." Hence no combination, even tho it be as strong as "all nations" combined, would be able to overthrow him who is trusting in the omnipotent One.
But we must know Him in whom we trust. We can not depend upon a mere profession of Christianity. We must be in possession of the real article. To profess to know Christ while we know Him not has always been a dangerous position to be in, but in these times it is much more dangerous than at any time in the past. The danger is not alone a personal one to the individual who makes this barren, lifeless profession, but it imperils those who may come under the influence of all such.
There are hundreds of souls to-day who are perplexed. They do not know what to do or which way to turn. They see the evils that are filling the world, and do not see any way of escape. But he who truly knows God, he who is a careful student of the Bible, and not only studies the blessed Book but wholeheartedly believes what it says, is prepared to point every one who is perplexed and in fear to the one great Refuge. His Christianity is not a sham. He is neither a Pharisee nor a hypocrite. He knows the Lord Jesus Christ, and knows the power of His Word. And since he has this sure foundation, and his mind is illuminated by the clear light of the Word of God, he is able to read the meaning of the vexing and perplexing problems of this time. For the bright rays of prophetic light have penetrated the gloom, and he who has God's Word in his mind and heart is standing in the place where he can see clearly.
But bear in mind that no mere profession will do. We can not go through the times upon which we have entered by merely having our names on the church book. We must let the work go deep, and be able to say, "I know Him in whom I have believed." And this intimate knowledge can come only by a daily study of God's Word.
The faithful study of the Word of God day by day will bring us to the place where we know Christ as a personal, intimate Friend. We know Him as perfectly and as personally and as intimately as did the disciples with whom He lived and walked and talked while here upon the earth in the flesh. Have you been professing to follow the Lord and did not know this? If so, then your profession is still a hollow, lifeless formality. And no such powerless and lifeless profession can save you. "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matt 4:4.
Have you been living by "every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God"? Every word should be closely studied. There is no sentence in the divine Book that is unimportant. Every line is there for a purpose, and all should study the Scriptures for themselves so that God can lead them. For it is by and through the Word of God that the Spirit of God guides us.
Now, when the halting, and trembling, and dismayed soul looks to you who have professed the name of Christ, will he find you in possession of the genuine Christian experience? Will he find your lamp burning brightly, so that streaming rays of light will illuminate his pathway and disclose to him the way of escape? When the eyes of the unconverted are turned toward Christians, they expect to find something more than a mere profession. But when the professor of Christianity, like the barren fig tree, has only the foliage without any of the fruits of a Christian life, how many there are who will turn away in despair, saying, "There is no good to be found anywhere"!
Hence, from every standpoint, it is essential that the professor of Christianity should possess the power of the renewed life. To fail in this is not only to be shut away from salvation himself, but to snuff out the last sparks of hope from the heart of him who is turning to the professed Christian for light and help. How is your experience? Is it that of a real, genuine Christian? Is your heart thrilled with joy at the thought of the Lord and the study of His Word? Be sure that your experience is anchored deep down in God's sacred Book.