"WE" CANNOT PLEASE GOD...
The "wretched man" of Romans 7:24 was trying to please God on the ground of the old creation (i.e. on his own 'strength' - Biff), where man is dead in sin. The result was utter failure. Why? If because of sin man was crucified with Christ, how can that man please God? If we are dead to sin, we are likewise dead to pleasing God. We do not realize that the death which emancipates us from the bondage of sin also emancipates us from the law.
The moment we seek of ourselves to please God, we are placing ourselves under the law--a realm where grace does not operate ( Rom. 6:14). Grace implies that God does something for us; law implies that we do something for God. Deliverance from the law does not mean that we are free from doing the will of God, but that from henceforth Another does it in us and through us. God knew we could not keep His law, but the trouble is we do not know it, and we need to have it proved to us beyond dispute that we are hopelessly weak. "The law came in...that the trespass might abound." (Romans 5:20)
But at last we see it, and confess, "I am a sinner through and through, and I can do nothing whatever to please God." When we are convinced that we cannot keep God's law, or please Him at all, then the law has served its putpose. It has been our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that He might keep it in us (Galatians 3:24) Praise God, He is law-giver on the Throne, and He is the law-keeper in my heart ! He who gave the law Himself keeps it. As long as we try to do anything, He can do nothing.
It is because of our trying that we fail, and fail, and fail. God wants to demonstrate to us that we can do nothing at all, and until that is fully recognized our disappointments and disillusionments will never cease. We all need to come to the place where we say, "Lord I am going to do nothing for Thee, either in the matter of my salvation, or of my sanctification' but I trust Thee to do everything in me."
Romans 5 and 6 reveal man "in Adam" and "in Christ", Romans 7 and 8 "in the flesh" and "in the Spirit". Once we accept the revelation of Romans 5 concerning our state by nature, we naturally welcome the truth concerning God's provision in grace presented in Romans 6. We reckon ourselves dead to sin and immediately set out to please God; then to our utter amazement we find ourselves in Romans 7. By our effort to please God we have put ourselves "in the flesh", and in that realm there is only defeat. The way of escape is shown in Romans 8--that is, "in the Spirit". As soon as we come on to natural ground, all that we have by nature "in Adam" is seen in our experience; but as we live 'in the Spirit" all that is true "in Christ" is made effective in us.
When we see the utter corruption of our natural life {Please Note: -"The moment we see this and are made to realize the 'utter corruption' of our natural life"- Biff}, then we shall repudiate it altogether, reckoning ourselves not only dead to sin, but also to the law, that is, dead to pleasing god by our own effort and strength. When we refuse to live "in the flesh"--that is, when we not only repudiate sin, but even cease to think that in ourselves we can please God--then, and not till then, shall we know what it means to live "in the Spirit"; we shall find the facts of the Cross made real in our experience.
The two biggest facts in history are these: all our sins were dealt with by the Blood, and we ourselves were dealt with by the Cross. But what if after I accept these facts, I lose my temper? The crucial test is just here! Are we going to believe the tangible facts of the natural realm which are clearly before our eyes, or the intangible facts of the spiritual realm, which are neither seen nor proved? "Faith is the substantiating of things hoped for" (Hebrews 11:1..Darby's translation). By means of our senses we substantiate facts in the natural realm. For instance, by the sense of hearing I substantiate music. If I lack the faculty of hearing, then I lack the enjoyment of music, but the reality of music is unaffected by my ability or inability to hear it. A blind man cannot distinguish color: to him it is as though color did not exist. It is there, but his experience is unaffected by it, simply because he lacks the faculty needed for its substantiation.
We do not differentiate sufficiently between promises and facts. The promises of God must be revealed by His Spirit, and must be applied and appropriated by us; but facts are facts whether we believe them or not. If we do not believe the facts of the Cross, they still remain as real as ever, only they are valueless to us. Faith does not make these things real--they are real; but faith substantiates them and so makes them real in our experience. Whatever contradicts the truth of God's Word we must regard as the Devil's lies; and he not only tells lies, he also acts lies--he deceives us not only with lying statements, but by lying signs and feelings and experiences.
As soon as we have accepted our death with Christ as a fact, Satan will try to prove that we are not dead at all, but very much alive, and he will seek to demonstrate it by our experience. If we resort to our senses to discover the truth, we shall find Satan's lies true to our experience; but if we refuse to believe anything that contradicts God's Word and stand by faith on that alone, we shall find that Satan's lies will vanish and our experience will tally with God's Word.
"ABIDE IN ME"...
God's word declares that we are "dead indeed,", but nowhere does it say that we are dead in ourselves. We shall look in vain to find death there. We are dead, not in ourselves, but "in Christ", and since we died in Him it is impossible for His death to be certain and ours uncertain; our death with Christ is as sure as His death. We were crucified with Him because we were in Him when He died. We are familiar with the words, "Abide in me, and I in you" (John 15:4). We are not told to get into Christ, but simply to abide in Him, for we are in. It was God's act that put us in Christ. The all-inclusive death and the all-inclusive resurrection of God's Son is accomplished, fully, finally, apart from us. We are raised in Him (Eph. 2:6); we are complete in Him (Col. 2:10); we are blessed with all spiritual things in Him (Eph. 1:3). The entire work regarding us is done not in us but in Christ; God has done all in His Son. If you stand on the ground of what Christ is you will find that all that is true of Him is true of you; but if you come on to the ground of what you are in yourself, you will find that all that is true of the old nature is true of you.
"Abide in me, and I in you." The "I in you" is the outcome of our abiding in Him. We need to gaurd against being too anxious about the subjective side of things, and so becoming turned in on ourselves; we need to dwell upon the objective - "abide in me" - and the subjective will take care of itself. "Abide in me, and I in you" is the Divine order. Faith in the objective facts makes those facts true subjectively. "He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit" (John 15:5). We are not to try to produce fruit, but simply to focus our attention on what we are and have in Him. "ABIDE" in me". Do not try to get in, for you are in; simply stay there, and rest in the fact that God has put you in His Son, and all the rest will adjust itself.
In Romans 6:6 we see how God dealt with the whole sin question -- "our old man", "the body of sin", and "sin". "Our old man was crucified with Him, and because our old man is dead, therefore the "body of sin" is made of none effect", with the result that "henceforth we should not serve sin." God's way of dealing with the situation was not by dealing directly either with the "body of sin", or with "sin", but only with our "old man"; and since he has died, the "body of sin" is now "made of none effect." (The word rendered "destroyed" in the original does not bear the sense of 'annihilated', but merely "put out of operation".)
We need to remember that, in solving the sin question, God did not deal with sin direct, but with the sinner; therefore Scripture speaks of deliverance from sin rather than victory over it. The terms "freed from sin" and "dead unto sin" show that sin is still there, but we are delivered from it. The deliverance is so complete that John writes; "Whosoever is begotten of God doeth no sin...he cannot sin" (1 John 3:9). John is not telling us that sin is not in history, but that it is not in the nature of that which is begotten of God. Wood cannot sink - that is, in nature it cannot - but in history it will if a hand holds it under water. What is "in Christ" cannot sin; what is "in Adam" can sin and always will; therefore the whole matter rests on substantiating, and as by faith I abide in Him my experience will be that I am being delivered from sin.
"We walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7). The story is told of Fact, Faith and Experience walking along the top of a wall. Fact walked steadily on, turning neither right nor left, and never looking behind. Faith followed Fact, and all was going swiftly and well while he kept his eyes focused ahead of him on Fact. But as soon as he became worried about Experience being left behind in their dust was when he just had to turn to see how he was getting on, and that's when he lost his balance and tumbled off the wall, and poor old Experience fell down right after him.
No one can really live the normal Christian life until he has begun to recognize the fulness of the work of the Lord Jesus on the Cross. We have touched on four aspects of that work:
(1) OUR SINS. No one can be a Christian whose sins have not been dealt with and cleansed in the Blood.
(2) OURSELVES. Not only have our sins been dealt with by His death, but our old man has been crucified with Him. It is possible to be a Christian without seeing this fact, but it is only possible to be a very miserable Christian.
(3) OUR WILLS. The will has also been dealt with by the Cross, and once we definitely accept this, in an act of unqualified yielding to the Lord, we are no longer governed by self-will {Please Note: "We cannot be governed by His will until and unless we first submit/surrender ourselves once-for-all wholly and entirely to Him"; Biff}, and are ready for Him to work out His will in us.
(4) OUR NATURAL LIFE. When the Cross has delivered us from the law, we see that the Lord has dealt with our carnal powers, and we reach a point where we dare not trust ourselves at all, but acknowledge that of ourselves we can do nothing whatever to please God.
These four points are fundamental and we cannot live the normal Christian life without seeing them, and seeing them experimentally. "Who shall deliver me?" is the cry of Romans 7, but Romans 8 gives us the answer, Paul's shout of praise is: "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 7:25). So we learn that the life we live is the life of Jesus Christ alone. The Christian life is not our living a life like Christ, or our trying to be Christ-like, nor is it Christ giving us the power to live a life like His. It is Christ Himself living His own life through us. It is "no longer I, but Christ."
I fervently pray that these, 'Selections from The Normal Christian Life', go a long ways in solidifying our faith in Christ! Upon our seeing Christ through the Cross and our being made one with Him through His death (putting off the old man), we can then go on in Him (by putting on the new man) and come and lay ourselves and all we own at His feet, presenting every member to Him to be used as instruments of righteousness.
In praise of His Majesty we can say with a loud voice, "WORTHY is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."
For He is truly what Life and Love and Joy and Peace and Contentment is all about! And we are New Creatues - God's workmanship - IN Christ!
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
God bless you all,
Biff
1) Seeking to 'find' the Truth! (Those wanting to sip here and to touch there. 'Just looking!')
2) Seeking to 'know' the Truth more fully! (Those still fairly new in the Lord and already enjoying their milk but ready for something more substantial, a little more meaty.)
3) Seeking to 'love and obey' the Truth to the very end! (Those who have to have it all with nothing held back. Who like their steaks 'rare' and 'alive' so they can get their 'eye teeth' into it.)
* going to my 'Why' you must be born-again web sight at born.htm
1) For those seeking to find the Truth...('Just looking!')...I recommend:
* Ultimate Questions ... John Blanchard (Booklet published by Evangelical Press)
* Advice For Seekers ... C.H.Spurgeon (Published by the Banner Of Truth Trust)
* Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God ...Jonathan Edwards (Booklet published by P&R)
* The Gospel Of John 3:3 and 3:5
2) For those seeking to know the Truth more fully...('Just growing!')...I recommend:
* going to my web site and reading 'My Story' at: mystory.htm
* The Normal Christian Life ... Watchman Nee (Christian Literature Crusade)
* The Pilgrim's Progress ... John Bunyan (put out by several publishers)
*The Holy War ... Ethel Barrett (Baker)
*Grace Abounding To The Chief Of Sinners ... Bunyan (Baker)
* The Divine Conquest ... A.W.Tozer (Christian Publications)
* The Ultimate Intention ... DeVerne Fromke (Christian Literature Crusade)
* Christ - The Sum Of All Spiritual Things ... Watchman Nee (CLC)
* The Set Of The Sail ... A.W.Tozer (Christian Publications)
* Holiness ... J.C.Ryle (Evangelical Press)
*Out Of Adam - Into Christ ... J.C.Metcalfe (Overcomer)
* Communion With God ... John Owen (The Banner Of Truth Trust)
* When He Is Come ... A.W.Tozer (Christian Publications)
* The Release Of The Spirit ... Watchman Nee (CLC)
3) For those seeking to love & obey the Truth to the very end...('Just producing!')...I recommend:
* going to my web site and reading some of my newsletters at newsle~.htm
* The Spiritual Man ... Watchman Nee (Christian Literature Crusade)
* The Pursuit Of God ... A.W.Tozer (Christian Publications)
* Studies In The Sermon On The Mount ... Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Eerdman's)
* The Christian In Complete Armour ... William Gurnall (Banner Of Truth Trust)
* The Treasury Of David ... C.H.Spurgeon (Hendrickson)
PS #2 - I urge many of you; intent on strengthening and building up the body of Christ, to tell others to read this book, who remain somewhat unclear of these things that Paul writes about in Romans 1 - 8, so that they may know the who, what, why, where and how of their departure "out of Adam" and arrival "into Christ", and the profound joy of what this all means when rightly understood.' Also read: mystory.htm for more of the "inner workings" of the flesh verses the Spirit.
