Test of Discipleship
41
That so-called faith in Christ which professes to release men from
the obligation of obedience to God, is not faith, but presumption. “By
grace are ye saved through faith.” But “faith, if it hath not works, is
dead.”
Ephesians 2:8
;
James 2:17
. Jesus said of Himself before He
came to earth, “I delight to do Thy will, O My God: yea, Thy law is
within My heart.”
Psalm 40:8
. And just before He ascended again to
heaven He declared, “I have kept My Father’s commandments, and
abide in His love.”
John 15:10
. The Scripture says, “Hereby we do
know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.... He that
saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk even as He
walked.”
1 John 2:3-6
. “Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving
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us an example, that ye should follow His steps.”
1 Peter 2:21
.
The condition of eternal life is now just what it always has been,—
just what it was in Paradise before the fall of our first parents,—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 our natures are fallen and we cannot make ourselves
righteous. Since we are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly obey the
holy law. We have no righteousness of our own with which to meet the
claims of the law of God. But Christ has made a way of escape for us.
He lived on earth amid trials and temptations such as we have to meet.
He lived a sinless life. He died for us, and now He offers to take our
sins and give us His righteousness. If you give yourself to Him, and
accept Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as your life may have been,
for His sake you are accounted righteous. Christ’s character stands in
place of your character, and you are accepted before God just as if you
had not sinned.
More than this, Christ changes the heart. He abides in your heart
by faith. You are to maintain this connection with Christ by faith and
the continual surrender of your will to Him; and so long as you do this,
He will work in you to will and to do according to His good pleasure.
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So you may say, “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20
. So Jesus said to His disciples, “It is not ye that speak,