"Concerning the works of men, by the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer. Hold up my goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps slip not." Psalms 17:4, 5.
An infinite price has been paid for our redemption, and we should know that we are in the right way, walking in the path of humble obedience.
We must bring our work, thought, and emotion to the word of God, and have God impress upon our hearts his written word; then may we have confidence toward him.
The Saviour says, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
We can see harmony in the word of God. We are to be in a condition to keep God’s commandments and live, and his law as the apple of the eye.
It is true sanctification to love God with all the heart, and with all the mind, and with all the strength, and our neighbors as ourselves. We must be subject to the will of God. We must not make our feelings a standard, but God’s will must be our rule of action.
“He that is dead is freed from sin.” Romans 6:7.
Are you freed from sin? If not, do you not see exactly where the difficulty lies?
There stands the truth of God, that “he that is dead is freed from sin.” Then if you are not freed from sin, the only cause of it is that you are not dead.
Jesus says, “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but it if die, it bringeth forth much fruit.” John 12:24.
Again He says, “Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.” John 15:8.
As the Father is glorified in your bearing much fruit, and as it is only “if it die,” that it “bringeth forth much fruit,” it certainly follows that herein is the Father glorified, that ye die.
Are you dead? Are you freed from sin? Will you glorify the Lord by bearing much fruit? Will you die?
“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone.”
Do you want forever to abide alone? “Without Me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5.
Without Him you can do nothing; without Him you abide alone: “except it ... die, it abideth alone;” except you die, you can do nothing.
But, bless the Lord, “if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”
In being dead, then, there is freedom from sin; there is abiding with the Lord; there is the bearing of much fruit to the glory of God; and the end, eternal life.
In not being dead, there is bondage to sin; there is abiding alone; and the end, eternal death.
Thus he that will save his life shall lose it; but he that will lose his life for Christ’s sake shall keep it unto life eternal. Matthew 16:25.
Will you lose your life and save it? or will you save your life and lose it?
“It is appointed unto men once to die.” Hebrews 9:27. And in the gospel, God has fixed it so that every man can die that “once,” so as to live forevermore.
Except it die, it abideth alone; but when we choose to die that we may bring forth much fruit, He does not leave us alone, nor ask us to die alone. He only asks us to die with Him. Bless His name!
Then “if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.” Romans 6:8. He does not live in sin. And living with Him, we shall not live in sin.
Are you freed from sin? Are you dead? Are you dead with Christ, so that you live with Christ?
