Chapter 8—Family Religion
I have been shown the high and responsible position God’s people
should occupy. They are the salt of the earth and the light of the world,
and must walk even as Christ walked. They will come up through
much tribulation. The present is a time of warfare and trial. Our
Saviour says in
Revelation 3:21
, “To him that overcometh will I grant
to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down
with my Father in his throne.” The reward is not given to all who
profess to be followers of Christ, but to those who overcome, even
as he overcame. We must study the life of Christ, and learn what it
is to confess him before the world. No one can confess Christ unless
the mind and Spirit of Christ are in him. The fruits of the Spirit are
manifested outwardly, and these are a confession of Christ.
In order to confess Christ, we must have Christ to confess. No one
can truly confess Christ, unless the mind and Spirit of Christ live in
him. If a form of godliness, or an acknowledgment of the truth, were
always a confession of Christ, we might say, Broad is the way that
leadeth unto life, and many there be that find it. We must understand
what it is to confess Christ, and wherein we deny him. It is possible
with our lips to confess Christ, yet in our works to deny him. If we
have forsaken all for Christ, we shall manifest in our lives humility, our
conversation will be heavenly, our conduct blameless. The powerful
purifying influence of truth in the soul, and the character of Christ
exemplified in the life, are a confession of Christ. If the words of
eternal life are sown in our hearts, the fruit is righteousness and peace.
We may deny Christ in our life, by the love of ease, love of self, jesting
and joking, and by seeking the honor of the world. We may deny
him in our outward appearance, by a proud look or costly apparel, or
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by conformity to the world. We shall not be able to exhibit in our
character the life of Christ, or the sanctifying influence of the truth,
only by constant watchfulness and persevering and almost unceasing
prayer.
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