Chapter 58—Your Royal Birth
We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye
receive not the grace of God in vain.
2 Corinthians 6:1
.
Many who claim to be Christians are not Christians.... God takes none to
heaven but those who are first made saints in this world through the grace of
Christ, those in whom He can see Christ exemplified....
“The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (
James 5:11
).... He looks
upon His redeemed heritage with pity. He is ready to pardon their sins if they
will surrender and be loyal to Him. In order to be just, and yet the justifier
of the sinner, He laid the punishment of sin upon His only begotten Son....
For Christ’s sake He pardons those that fear Him. He does not see in them
the vileness of the sinner; He recognizes in them the likeness of His Son, in
whom they believe. In this way only can God take pleasure in any of us. “As
many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on his name” (
John 1:12
).
Were it not for Christ’s atoning sacrifice, there would be nothing in us in
which God could delight. All the natural goodness of man is worthless in
God’s sight. He does not take pleasure in any man who retains his old nature,
and is not so renewed in knowledge and grace that he is a new man in Christ.
Our education, our talents, our means, are gifts entrusted to us by God, that
He may test us. If we use them for self-glorification, God says, “I cannot
delight in them; for Christ has died for them in vain”....
To adorn the doctrine of Christ our Saviour, we must have the mind that
was in Christ. Our likes and dislikes, our desire to be first, to favor self to the
disadvantage of others, must be overcome. The peace of God must rule in
our hearts. Christ must be in us a living, working principle....
By your obedience to God, respect yourselves as the purchased
possession of His dear Son. Seek to be uplifted in Christ. This work is
as lasting as eternity.... Shall we, sons and daughters of God, forget our royal
birth? Shall we not rather honor our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ? Shall
we not show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into
His marvelous light?
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