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The Acts of the Apostles
pillar on which hangs the “far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory.” “If any man will come after Me,” Christ says, “let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”
2 Corinthians 4:17
;
Matthew 16:24
. It is the fragrance of our love for our fellow men that
reveals our love for God. It is patience in service that brings rest to
the soul. It is through humble, diligent, faithful toil that the welfare
of Israel is promoted. God upholds and strengthens the one who is
willing to follow in Christ’s way.
Sanctification is not the work of a moment, an hour, a day, but
of a lifetime. It is not gained by a happy flight of feeling, but is
the result of constantly dying to sin, and constantly living for Christ.
Wrongs cannot be righted nor reformations wrought in the character
by feeble, intermittent efforts. It is only by long, persevering effort,
sore discipline, and stern conflict, that we shall overcome. We know
not one day how strong will be our conflict the next. So long as Satan
reigns, we shall have self to subdue, besetting sins to overcome; so
long as life shall last, there will be no stopping place, no point which
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we can reach and say, I have fully attained. Sanctification is the result
of lifelong obedience.
None of the apostles and prophets ever claimed to be without sin.
Men who have lived the nearest to God, men who would sacrifice life
itself rather than knowingly commit a wrong act, men whom God has
honored with divine light and power, have confessed the sinfulness of
their nature. They have put no confidence in the flesh, have claimed no
righteousness of their own, but have trusted wholly in the righteousness
of Christ.
So will it be with all who behold Christ. The nearer we come to
Jesus, and the more clearly we discern the purity of His character,
the more clearly shall we see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and the
less shall we feel like exalting ourselves. There will be a continual
reaching out of the soul after God, a continual, earnest, heartbreaking
confession of sin and humbling of the heart before Him. At every
advance step in our Christian experience our repentance will deepen.
We shall know that our sufficiency is in Christ alone and shall make
the apostle’s confession our own: “I know that in me (that is, in my
flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.” “God forbid that I should glory, save
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified
unto me, and I unto the world.”
Romans 7:18
;
Galatians 6:14
.