Part 7 (1/2)
As long as our will is kept in line with the will of G.o.d the Holy Spirit will abide. The word of G.o.d says, ”Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world,” and, ”No man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man.” The strong man--the Holy Spirit--is in his own house, and it is impossible for sin to enter in unless we by our own will consent to it. The word of G.o.d speaks of the Holy Spirit as the seal. This thought is practically ill.u.s.trated by the common use of a seal in canning fruit. We may be ever so careful with fruit in getting it properly prepared for the can, but if we set it away without the seal, it will not be long until the fruit is spoiled. It requires the seal to keep the fruit from spoiling. There is something in the air which, if not excluded, will spoil the fruit.
The use of the seal is to exclude the air.
So it is with our heart. Justification inducts us into Christ; sanctification purifies our hearts and seals us in him; now when sin would come in contact with our hearts and defile it, there is something there, the Holy Spirit, the seal, which keeps sin from entering in. ”If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellows.h.i.+p one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”--1 John 1:7. Notice the word ”cleanseth.” It is in the present tense. By our walking in the light, which signifies our perfect obedience continually to all the known will of G.o.d, our heart is kept in line with G.o.d's will and hence under the provisions of his grace--the sin-cleansing blood of Jesus. Thus the perpetual cleansing keeps our heart pure. By the inwrought work of sanctification we =obtain= this purity, and by our obedience to G.o.d, walking in the light, we =retain= it.
In this blessed grace, no evil thought can enter our heart unless by our consent. We have willed it so that we forsake all sin and turn to G.o.d; thus his grace of justification has found its way into our heart. Then by a definite consecration we willed it so that the cleansing blood of Jesus should purify our heart from inborn depravity, and his grace of sanctification has found its way within, and has brought the glorious heavenly guest, the Holy Spirit, there to abide. Now as we continue to walk in this light we are kept from sin. By our will we either open or close our heart toward G.o.d. The will is the entrance and door. The grace of G.o.d is free, and more abundant than the suns.h.i.+ne that lights and warms this earth. All of this suns.h.i.+ne may be kept out of the room if we will to have it so. We can darken the windows and doors, and keep every ray of light out, or we can have abundant suns.h.i.+ne if we will, by simply removing the obstacles. So it is with the illimitable grace of G.o.d. If we open up wide the door of our heart--our will--and keep it open continually, the grace will flow in and keep out everything that is not like heaven. ”For G.o.d, who commanded the light to s.h.i.+ne out of darkness, hath s.h.i.+ned in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of G.o.d in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of G.o.d, and not of us.”--2 Cor. 4:6, 7.
If we close the door of our heart toward G.o.d, it will be opening it toward sin, and the result will be darkness. Depravity will at once have entered in, and then as every evil thought comes into the mind it will find no obstruction to its way into the heart, where it will find a fruitful soil in which to germinate and bring forth evil work.
Ques. Does not the word of G.o.d say that ”from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,” etc.?
Ans. Yes, this is true; but we must consider what kind of heart Jesus is speaking about. Let us turn to Mark 7. The Pharisees and certain scribes found fault because they saw some of Jesus' disciples eat bread without was.h.i.+ng their hands; not that their hands were not clean enough to eat with, but because they did not serve the traditional ceremony, thinking that thus the hearts of the disciples were defiled, but Jesus explained that nothing can defile the heart except that which enters into it. Ver.
19. ”And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornication, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”--Verses 20-23.
We see that this is a true picture of the unregenerated heart, which has no good thing in it. We also see that it is not an evil thought presented to the mind from without which defileth the man, but it is the evil thought that comes from within a corrupted heart. There are two sources of evil thoughts. 1. The devil himself directly. 2. A corrupt, unregenerate heart, which is a hotbed and nursery of the devil. From either of these outward sources evil thoughts may be presented to the mind of a child of G.o.d, but from neither can our hearts be defiled if they are brought into captivity and banished, as will be the case with every obedient soul.
Ques. Is not every mistake a sin?
Ans. No; there are many mistakes which are not sinful. There is no doubt that every sin is a serious mistake, but G.o.d's people do not make such mistakes. The word of G.o.d teaches what sin is, and if we abide in Christ we will not commit sin. The scriptural definition of sin will help us to understand this. ”Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”--Jas. 4:17. ”All unrighteousness is sin.”--1 John 5:17. ”When l.u.s.t hath conceived it bringeth forth sin.”--Jas. 1:15.
”Sin is the transgression of the law.”--1 John 3:4. ”Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not.”--1 John 3:6. Any mistake that would be a violation of G.o.d's law would be a sin, but aside from this, a simple error in judgment is not a sin. Salvation does not warrant an experience beyond the probability of error in our human nature, and Christian perfection is not infallibility.
Ques. Did not Paul say there was sin dwelling in him?
Ans. Yes. This expression we find in Rom. 7:17. The apostle when writing this chapter was not describing his sanctified condition. It is a description of his condition when he was in the flesh, or carnal state.
”For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sin, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.”--Ver. 5.
And in Rom. 8:8, 9 he says, ”So then they that are in the flesh cannot please G.o.d. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of G.o.d dwell in you.” ”For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.”--Ver.
2. Paul's condition when under the law is described in the 7th chapter of Romans. In chapters 6 and 8 he describes the condition of the child of G.o.d under grace.
Ques. But does he not say in Rom. 3:10 that ”there is none righteous, no, not one”?
Ans. Yes. But he was not describing the condition of the child of G.o.d under grace. He refers to the world under the law. No Bible Christian can conscientiously apply Rom. 3:10-18 to himself.
Ques. How about Solomon, who said, ”There is not a just man upon the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not”?
Ans. This also was spoken of the condition of the people under the law.
”The law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did by the which we draw nigh unto G.o.d.”--Heb. 7:19.
In order to properly apply scripture it is very helpful to always consider: 1. Who wrote it? 2. When was it written? 3. Of whom or to whom was it written? In this manner it is easy to determine the meaning of such scriptures as here have been mentioned and many others, which would otherwise render it impossible to harmonize the whole word of G.o.d. The two dispensations, the law and grace, are vastly different in many respects. The first was but the shadow of the second. In the first there was no power to take away sin, or to change the inward moral condition of man but in the second there is the power and provision in the redemption of Christ to save us to the uttermost.
Ques. But did not Paul say of himself when under grace that he kept his body under and brought it into subjection? Does not this indicate that his body was yet sinful?
Ans. Let us turn to 1 Cor. 9:25-27. We see here that he makes no reference to his body being sinful, but tells how he practices temperance in all things. Like one who prepares himself for a race, in training himself physically, bringing his body into subjection in everything, that he may be able to win the prize. In sanctification the sinful and depraved nature is destroyed, and everything unholy cleansed out; therefore there are no sinful propensities to be kept down and under, but all sin is kept out. The sanctified body is not sinful but holy (1 Cor. 3:17) and is designed for G.o.d for the dwelling-place of his Holy Spirit.