THE INWARD LIFE AND POWER OF CHRIST. PHILADELPHIA: No. 304 ARCH STREET. THE INWARD LIFE AND POWER OF CHRIST. QUESTION. What is it to be a Christian? Answer. A Christian is to be a believer in and a follower of Christ: and consequently he must have the same Spirit to walk by that Christ had. Christ had the fulness of life; and from His fulness we all receive a measure of the same life. "Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace." John i. 16. Q. Can the Christian do any good thing, or bear any good fruit of himself, without Christ Jesus? A. No. Christ distinctly declared to His disciples: "I am the vine, ye are the branches." "As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me: . . . for without me ye can do nothing." God is the fountain from which all the streams of goodness flow the living source from which all that is pure and lovely must emanate. Q. What does the Lord require of man in order to be a Christian? A. That man shall turn at His call from the power of darkness to the light of Christ within, repent, believe, and obev Him. Q. Is it possible for any man to come to the eternal rest of God, but through repentance, faith, and obedience? A. No. It is upon the fulfilment of these that any realize the benefit of what Christ has done for them without them, and are saved: agreeably to the Scriptures: "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." "Without faith it is impossible to please God." And, "What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" None can experience salvation whilst they remain in sin. The operation of Divine grace upon the soul, as it is yielded to, produces repentance, faith, and obedience: and in continued faithfulness to that grace, men are not only reconciled to God by the death of His Son, but through the renewing of the Holy Ghost in the inner man "are washed, are sanctified, are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Q. Does the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world, show unto man what he is to repent of, what he is to have faith in, and what to be obedient to, ini order to salvation? A. Yes. That whereby the Spirit of God convinceth of sin, is His light shining in the conscience, Fallen man is in darkness; the light shineth in the darkness, and shows man the evil, which otherwise would remain hidden there. "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Cor. iv. 6. "And ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him.” 1 John ii. 27. Q. Where did the Apostles and early Christians meet with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ? A. They met with it within. God shined in their hearts: and there it is also that the work of conviction is wrought by the Holy Spirit. "In him (Christ) was life; and the life was the light of men." "That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." And again, "This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” Q. Is there then no outward knowledge that can save? A. No: no mere outward knowledge is adequate to this great work. "Because that which may be known of God, is manifest in them (men), for God hath shewed it unto them." Also, "He is not a Jew which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Again, saith the Redeemer: "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or Lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." And again the Apostle saith to the saints of Colosse, when speaking of the mystery of Christ: "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you the hope of glory." And to the Ephesians, "I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith," &c. 2. Then the knowledge and reception of this Spirit, if by it we are strengthened with might in the inner man, must be of the greatest importance! A. It is so truly. To know how and where to meet with God's Spirit is a very important step in the great work of Christian redemption. Q. Please to explain more fully why it is so essential? A. There is no doctrine more strikingly set forth in the Scriptures than the necessity of the Holy Spirit's moving, governing, and assisting mankind in order to their salvation. It is recorded that holy men of old "spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." On the day of Pentecost the disciples spake "as the Spirit gave them utterance." The Apostle Paul declares: "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost." Again it is declared of the new covenant of which Christ Jesus is the Mediator: "I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts; and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother saying, Know the Lord; for they all shall know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them." Many other passages in Holy Scripture might be cited which go to prove that the light and operations of the Holy Spirit in the heart are absolutely necessary to salvation. Q. Is this Spirit given to certain persons only? In other words, is it of limited, or of universal application? A. The Apostle declares to the Corinthians: "The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal." "For by one Spirit," he continues, "are we all baptized into one body whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." Moreover the gift of the Holy Spirit was purchased by the offering of Christ for all mankind.” That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." And this Light is also the same with that grace the Apostle alludes to in the language, "The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live scberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us thai he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works." And, "Unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ." Our Saviour himself declared, "It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart I will send him unto you; and when he is come he will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment." Q. Is the operation of this Grave, or Light, or Holy Spirit, confined to believers? A. No. The work of this power of God in the soul is not |