Christianity Oasis Forum

[Netchaplain]

There is spiritual progress for us all, if we keep before our minds in vigorous faith our identification with the Lord Jesus. Death, burial, resurrection and ascension is the absolute condition of deliverance and growth. How shall the Father, who commands us in Romans 6:13 to present ourselves before Him as those that are alive from the dead, speak to and deal with our souls, if we fail to present ourselves before Him in such attitude as He asks, as risen ones?

There is no way of true deliverance from the reign of sin (Rom 6:12, 14) except we believe we have died to it—having died with Christ (Col 3:3), our connection with sin being thus broken. Also, there is not real deliverance from the law and its bondage, into that liberty for which Christ set us free except to believe, and to keep believing, that we died to the law with Him, and are now risen, and joined to Another, the risen One.

It is as Romans 7:4 asserts: “Ye also were made dead to the law through the body of Christ; that ye should be joined to another, even to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bring forth fruit unto God.” Or the still stronger words of verse 6: Ye were “discharged from the law, having died to that wherein we were held; so that ye serve in newness of the Spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”

Christians may get “blessings” and temporary “deliverance,” in answer to prayer; for the Father is merciful to His saints and His blessed Spirit refreshes and blesses us even apart from the consistent walk of faith. But it is a greater blessing finally to us, and much greater glory to the Father, if we simply accept his Word, and learn to walk in the power of it by a naked faith; which asks no longer certain experiences, but being sure of God’s truth because it is His truth, maintains the attitude of faith therein—attitude, I say—a fixed attitude.

For faith, when once we see the truth, consists of a believing attitude of the heart toward the Father. Of course, this involves a negative attitude toward all doubt of His promises and finished work, or anything that would raise a doubt; and it also involves a continued refusal to rest upon appearances or feelings, even though these may come in great abundance. It is God’s written Word that supplies strength to the heart of faith!

Boldly to reckon ourselves dead to the law and discharged therefrom is the only possible means of entering into that state of rest in the Father in which we bear fruit indeed to Him. How can a slave rest in the presence of a master whose unfulfilled command lie yet before him? How can even a child rest in the presence of his father, if he has upon his mind some task assigned by his father—some heavy task which he has not yet performed? How indeed shall the child of God enter into rest, if he believes in any way whatsoever, that God holds him still under the law? He will be having his tasks and duties in mind, while in the presence of God; rather than delighting in the Father Himself and His Son Jesus Christ, and the glorious salvation provided for him.

It is to be remembered that the law is by no means said to be dead; but we died to it. The law cannot die, or be “abrogated,” as some falsely hold. The law not only remains, but “has dominion” over everyone that is “alive” to it; that is, to everyone in the old creation, in the old Adam, in the flesh. Only those in the Lord Jesus Christ have escaped the law. And they only by having died to it. The law is holy, just, good and eternal, but we have passed into another sphere.

- Wm R Newell