Looking Within

 

Looking Within

 

John 3:6

 

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

 

“That which is born of the flesh is flesh” and can never be anything other than flesh. Our Lord Jesus said: “the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63). The apostle Paul said: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Romans 7:18). And the same apostle said: “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). And again the same apostle said: “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3). Those who are taught of the Spirit of God know what is in the flesh, for they “know every man the plague of his own heart” (I Kings 8:38) and therefore they have no confidence in the flesh. But they say with the apostle: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death” (Romans 7:24)? Therefore the children of the covenant wait; with the whole creation for the redemption of the body, as it is written: “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:22-23). As the inspired apostle has written: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption” (I Corinthians 15:50).

 

Even though the children of the covenant of God experience the depravity of the flesh, and heartily agree that these things are true of men in the flesh, still God has not left us without hope, as it is written: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15: 51-58).

 

The fleshly bodies of all natural men are bodies of death. That is because of the presence of sin in the members of the bodies of natural men and the wages of sin whether imputed or actual sin is death. As said the apostle Paul: “Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members” (Romans 7: 20-23).

 

As long as Christians look within themselves for that which will justify them before a thrice Holy God, they will dwell in utter defeat because of the presence of sin in our members. Looking in ourselves for something that will satisfy God as far as holiness is concerned, is a clear denial of the scriptures that teach us that man in himself is a sinner, sin is in him and is the governing principle of his heart. For this reason Christians have no confidence in the flesh. But our confidence is in Christ Jesus, “who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption” (I Corinthians 1:30). That which in every case will justify a sinner and satisfy a Thrice Holy God is the Blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ. This causes us to look to something out of ourselves for that which will bring us nigh to the Father in perfect love.  “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world” (I John 4:17). Because Christ’s members are “in him that is true” (I John 5:20) what Christ is in Himself, His members are “in Him” in this world according to the judgment of God. For we are “made the righteousness of God in Him” (II Corinthians 5:21) “according as he hath chosen us (children of the covenant , writer) in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).

 

“And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (Romans 8:10). The children of the covenant have been in Christ from everlasting because they were sanctified by God the Father before the foundation of the world being chosen in Christ, and sanctified in Christ (Ephesians 1:4; Jude 1:1; I Corinthians 1:2). And because they have been in Christ from everlasting, they were all crucified with Christ along with the apostle Paul (Galatians 2:20). And therefore since they have been crucified with Christ their “body is dead because of sin”. Christ Jesus endured the curse of the law which is death and finished it as a penalty forever for all His members, as it is written: “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:18).

 

Christ’s members are reckoned dead with Christ because of the union of the Head and the body. Those who are in Christ have died with Christ, because in the mind of God they were all crucified with Christ. Death liberates the one who has died from all his debts. Those who have died in Christ are dead to the law. Therefore the law has no penal claim on them. The law cannot charge the dead with sin, because the dead are “dead to sin” (Romans 6:2; I Peter 2:24). Sin cannot be charged to those who are not under the law, because they have died under the law in Jesus Christ at Calvary, as it is written: “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). Consider the following necessary truths which are applicable to the doctrine just stated. “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 1:2-3). The children of the covenant are “dead with Christ” because they are in Christ, as it is written:  “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him” (Romans 6:8) and again it is written: “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances” (Colossians 2:20).

 

“By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament” (Hebrews 7:22). Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Surety of the New Testament. As the Surety of His people, He was charged with their sin (both imputed and actual sins, both Old Testament and New Testament saints). The Surety was put to death for sins which were charged to Him by God the Father, as it is written “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).  Being put to death for sins imputed, the Surety has cleared forever those who have an interest in Him as their Surety. “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). Christ Jesus has purged the sins of all those for whom He is Surety. Therefore they can never be charged with sin. They were given to Him by His Father in the covenant of grace before the foundation of the world. The Father made Him responsible for the safety of all those who were thus given Him of the Father and they are forever safe in Him. This being true, the children of God (believers in Christ Jesus as Mediator of the everlasting covenant (I Timothy 2:5) should never look within themselves for anything pertinent to life and peace with God but should look out of themselves  unto Christ Jesus for all that is worthy of God and of fellowship with God. As said the apostle: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

The children of God are in Christ, being joined to him in one spirit, as it is written: “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (I Corinthians 6:17). Because of this they are constrained by love to live unto God in Christ (II Corinthians 5:14-15), their life being “hid with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). Our Lord Jesus puts the “Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13) in the hearts of His elect, redeemed, and regenerated, people, as He said “I will put my spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:27).  To the children of God the “Spirit of truth” is a “Spirit of life” (Romans 8:2; Revelation 11:11). And as He is the spirit of their life in Christ He causes them to desire to walk in the statutes of God and keep His judgements and do them, as it is written: “And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). The Spirit of truth bears witness to the chidren of God that they are the true children of God, as it is written: “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:14-17). “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (I John 3: 1-2). To look in ourselves for worthiness of life is to look in a place of death, disappointment, and despair. But those who know themselves and the plague of their own heart will look out of themselves unto Christ. “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:14-18).

 

AJ Ison

 

See the writer’s blog at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear the true gospel preached at www.13thstbaptist.org webcasting live at listed service times.