Obedience from Love
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
I may not be able to tell the exact time or
place, or trace all the chain of circumstances in the process of
my conversion; but this does not prove me to be unconverted.
Jesus said to Nicodemus, "The wind blows wherever it
pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes
from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the
Spirit." Like the wind, which is invisible, yet
the effects of which are plainly seen and felt, is the Spirit of
God in its work upon my heart. That regenerating power, which no
human eye can see, begets a new life in my soul; it creates in me
a new being in the image of God. While the work of the Spirit is
silent and imperceptible, its effects are manifest. If my heart
has been renewed by the Spirit of God, my life will bear witness
to the fact. While I cannot do anything to change my heart or to
bring myself into harmony with God; while I must not trust at all
to myself or my good works, my life will reveal whether the grace
of God is dwelling within me. A change will be seen in my
character, my habits, my pursuits. The contrast will be clear and
decided between what I have been and what I have become. The
character is revealed, not by occasional good deeds and
occasional misdeeds, but by the tendency of my habitual words and
acts.
It is true that I may put on an outward correctness of deportment without the renewing power of Christ. The love of influence and the desire for the esteem of others may produce a well-ordered life. Self-respect may lead me to avoid the appearance of evil. My selfish heart may perform generous actions. By what means, then, shall I determine whose side I am on?
Who has my heart? With whom are my thoughts? Of whom do I love to converse? Who has my warmest affections and my best energies? If I am Jesus', my thoughts are with Him, and my sweetest thoughts are of Him. All I have and am is consecrated to Him. I long to bear His image, breathe His spirit, do His will, and please Him in all things.
I, as a new creature in Christ Jesus, will
bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, "love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control." I will no longer fashion myself according
to former lusts, but by the faith of the Son of God I will follow
in His steps, reflect His character, and purify myself even as He
is pure. The things I once hated I now love, and the things I
once loved I hate. My pride and self-assertiveness becomes meek
and lowly in heart. My vanity and superciliousness become serious
and unobtrusive. The drunken become sober, and the profligate
pure. I lay aside the vain customs and fashions of the world. As
a Christian I will not seek the "outward adorning,"
but "that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit."
There is no evidence of genuine repentance unless it works reformation. If I restore the pledge, give again that I had robbed, confess my sins, and love God and my fellow men, I may be sure that I have passed from death unto life.
When, as an erring, sinful being, I come to Jesus and become a partaker of His pardoning grace, love springs up in my heart. Every burden is light, for the yoke that Jesus imposes is easy. Duty becomes a delight, and sacrifice a pleasure. The path that before seemed shrouded in darkness, becomes bright with beams from the Sun of Righteousness.
The loveliness of the character of Jesus will
be seen in me. It was His delight to do the will of God. Love to
God, zeal for His glory, was the controlling power in my
Saviour's life. Love beautified and ennobled all His actions.
Love is of God. My unconsecrated heart cannot originate or
produce it. It is found only in my heart where Jesus reigns. "We
love, because He first loved us." In my heart renewed by
divine grace, love is the principle of action. It modifies my
character, governs my impulses, controls my passions, subdues
enmity, and ennobles my affections. This love, cherished in my
soul, sweetens my life and sheds a refining influence on all
around.
There are two errors against which I as a child of God -- particularly when I have just come to trust in His grace -- especially need to guard. The first, already dwelt upon, is that of looking to my own works, trusting to anything I can do, to bring myself into harmony with God. My trying to become holy by my own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. All that I do without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin. It is the grace of Christ alone, through faith, that can make me holy.
The opposite and no less dangerous error is that belief in Jesus releases me from keeping the law of God; that since by faith alone I become a partaker of the grace of Jesus, my works have nothing to do with my redemption.
But notice here that obedience is not a mere
outward compliance, but the service of love. The law of God is an
expression of His very nature; it is an embodiment of the great
principle of love, and hence is the foundation of His government
in heaven and earth. If my heart is renewed in the likeness of
God, if the divine love is implanted in my soul, will not the law
of God be carried out in my life? When the principle of love is
implanted in my heart, when I am renewed after the image of Him
that created me, the new-covenant promise is fulfilled, "I
will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their
minds." And if the law is written in my heart,
will it not shape my life? Obedience -- the service and
allegiance of love -- is the true sign of discipleship. Thus the
Scripture says, "This is love for God: to obey his
commands." "The man who says, 'I know Him,' but does
not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in
him." Instead of releasing me from obedience,
it is faith, and faith only, that makes me a partaker of the
grace of Jesus, which enables me to render obedience.
I do not earn salvation by my obedience; for
salvation is the free gift of God, to be received by faith. But
obedience is the fruit of faith. "You know that when he
appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no
sin. No one who lives in him keeps on sinning. No one who
continues to sin has either seen him or known him."
Here is the true test. If I abide in Christ, if the love of God
dwells in me, my feelings, my thoughts, my purposes, my actions,
will be in harmony with the will of God as expressed in the
precepts of His holy law. "Dear Children, do not let
anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous,
just as He is righteous." Righteousness is
defined by the standard of God's holy law, as expressed in the
ten precepts given on Sinai.
That so-called faith in Christ which professes
to release me from the obligation of obedience to God, is not
faith, but presumption. "By grace you have been saved,
through faith." But "faith by itself, if it is
not accompanied by action, is dead." Jesus
said of Himself before He came to earth, "To do your
will, O my God, is my desire; your law is within my heart." And
just before He ascended again to heaven He declared, "I
have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." The Scripture says, "We know
that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. ...
Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." "Because
Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should
follow in his steps."
The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been, -- just what it was in Paradise before the fall, -- perfect obedience to the law of God, perfect righteousness. If eternal life were granted on any condition short of this, then the happiness of the whole universe would be imperiled. The way would be open for sin, with all its train of woe and misery, to be immortalized.
It was possible for Adam, before the fall, to form a righteous character by obedience to God's law. But he failed to do this, and because of his sin my nature is fallen and I cannot make myself righteous. Since I am sinful, unholy, I cannot perfectly obey the holy law. I have no righteousness of my own with which to meet the claims of the law of God. But Jesus has made a way of escape for me. He lived on earth amid trials and temptations such as I have to meet. He lived a sinless life. He died for me, and now He offers to take my sins and give me His righteousness. If I give myself to Him, and accept Him as my Saviour, then, sinful as my life may have been, for His sake I am accounted righteous. Jesus' character stands in place of my character, and I am accepted before God just as if I had not sinned.
More than this, Christ changes my heart. He
abides in my heart by faith. I am to maintain this connection
with Christ by faith and the continual surrender of my will to
Him; and so long as I do this, He will work in me to will and to
do according to His good pleasure. So I may say, "The
life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who
loved me and gave himself for me." So Jesus said to
His disciples, "It will not be you speaking, but the
Sprit of your Father speaking through you."
Then with Christ working in me, I will display the same spirit
and do the same good works -- works of righteousness, obedience.
So I have nothing in myself of which to boast. I have no grounds for self-exaltation. My only grounds of hope is in the righteousness of Christ imputed to me, and in that done by His Spirit working in and through me.
When I speak of faith, there is a distinction
that should be borne in mind. There is a kind of belief that is
wholly distinct from faith. The existence and power of God, the
truth of His word, are facts that even Satan and his hosts cannot
at heart deny. The Bible says that "even the demons
believe that -- and shudder;" but this is not faith. Where I not only a belive in God's word,
but submit my will to Him; where my heart is yielded to Him, my
affections fixed upon Him, there is faith -- faith that works by
love and purifies my soul. Through this faith my heart is renewed
in the image of God. And my heart, in its unrenewed state, is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Now I delight
in its holy precepts, exclaiming with the psalmist, "Oh,
how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long." And
the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us, "Who do
not live according to the sinful nature but according to the
Spirit."
I have known the pardoning love of Christ and I
really desire to be a child of God, yet I realize that my
character is imperfect, my life faulty, and I am ready to doubt
whether my heart has been renewed by the Holy Spirit. But I need
not draw back in despair. I will often have to bow down and weep
at the feet of Jesus because of my shortcomings and mistakes, but
I am not to be discouraged. Even if I am overcome by the enemy, I
am not cast off, not forsaken and rejected of God. No; Jesus is
at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for me.
Said the beloved John, "I write this to you so that you
will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to
the Father in our defense -- Jesus Christ, the Righteous
One." And I do not want to forget the words of Jesus, "The
Father Himself loves you." He desires to restore me to Himself, to
see His own purity and holiness reflected in myself. And if I
will but yield myself to Him, He who has begun a good work in me
will carry it forward to the day of Jesus Christ. I need to pray
more fervently; believe more fully. As I come to distrust my own
power, let me trust the power of my Redeemer, and I shall praise
Him who is the health of my countenance.
The closer I come to Jesus, the more faulty I will appear in my own eyes; for my vision will be clearer, and my imperfections will be seen in broad and distinct contrast to His perfect nature. This is evidence that Satan's delusions have lost their power; that the vivifying influence of the Spirit of God is arousing me.
No deep-seated love for Jesus can dwell in the heart that does not realize its own sinfulness. The soul that is transformed by the grace of Christ will admire His divine character; but if I do not see my own moral deformity, it is unmistakable evidence that I have not had a view of the beauty and excellence of Jesus.
The less I see to esteem in myself, the more I shall see to esteem in the infinite purity and loveliness of my Saviour. A view of my sinfulness drives me to Him who can pardon; and when my soul, realizing its helplessness, reaches out after Christ, He will reveal Himself in power. The more my sense of need drives me to Him and to the word of God, the more exalted views I shall have of His character, and the more fully I shall reflect His image.