Christian doctrines. Let us additionally
acknowledge that we only have an initial understanding, that we must seek for
the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit so that we may know inwardly the reality
of these doctrines—especially that of our being united with Christ. He who
believes possesses it, he who reckons experiences it. God has said it and we
possess it. May He grant us light that we may see that we are truly in Christ.
Only
Believe and Praise
Hudson Taylor was a most spiritual person in Christ. Once
he wrote to his sister and said that he did not know why he was always defeated
without any victory. To say that he did not know the truth would be incorrect,
for he actually knew it. But the result was that truth remained truth and he remained
himself. There was no connection between the two. So he sought God earnestly,
hoping that he might be connected to the truth in experience. Later on, Hudson
Taylor wrote again to his sister, reporting to her that the scales had finally fallen
from his eyes for, formerly, he had sought unsuccessfully to be in Christ: that
he had used every means to put himself in but that he had always come back out:
that he had found no way to get himself into Christ, all his attempts having
been in vain. Praise God, however, for he now understood, having finally seen that
he was already in Christ. It was no longer a matter of how to enter but how not
ever to get out—how never to come out again. Hudson Taylor had at last seen
that the Lord had said that He is the True Vine and we His disciples are the
branches (John 15:5a). Therefore, we are already in Him and that He is ours and
we are His—that there is no need in trying hard to be a branch but instead
realizing that the believer in Christ has been born again as a branch.
Let us suppose that here is a person named Mr. Tang. He
kneels down and earnestly prays, “O God, have mercy on me. Make me a Tang.” God
will say, “What? Are you not already a Tang?” Or to use another illustration,
here is a flower pot that is ridiculously asking to be a flower pot. Just so, since
we are already branches, there is no need to ask to be branches. Whatever God
has said, it is already done. We have no need to pray but to praise. What is
faith in regard to the truth of the believer’s co-death and co-resurrection
with Christ? It is a believing that you and I are already united with Christ. Therefore,
let us praise God, for He has put us in Christ.
Do consider this, that you very
well know that you are saved. You very well have the assurance because you believe
that the Lord Jesus has shed His blood to redeem you of your sin. You had trusted,
you had believed, and you accepted Christ and His salvation. Would you ever ask
God to save you again? No, for you know that God has said in His word that whoever
believes is saved. And you believed and know you are saved; and hence, you immediately
praise God and declare that you are saved.
Likewise is it in this matter of our being united with
Christ. We do not need to ask God to cause us to be united with Him, for all who belong to Christ are already united
with Him. We simply need to believe in our having already been united, there being
no need for prayer. If we believe that we have already been united with Christ,
we naturally also believe that our old man died in Christ: there is no further
need of our dying. The only need is for us to praise God. If you see that you are
dead in Christ, then you shall see that sin has no power over you. When God
says you are dead, it is true. Never ask for death anymore; for all has been done.
May God open our eyes, causing us to see that His work has
already been accomplished. The blood has been shed.
The cross has put old man Adam to death. All the negative work of redeeming us
of Adam’s fall has been achieved. For us, let us only believe. May God grant us
light to see that all has been accomplished in Christ. [‡]
Faith
and Obedience
In these past few evenings we
acknowledge that we only have an initial understanding, that we must seek for
the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit so that we may know inwardly the reality
of these doctrines—especially that of our being united with Christ. He who
believes possesses it, he who reckons experiences it. God has said it and we
possess it. May He grant us light that we may see that we are truly in Christ.
Only
Believe and Praise
Hudson Taylor was a most spiritual person in Christ. Once
he wrote to his sister and said that he did not know why he was always defeated
without any victory. To say that he did not know the truth would be incorrect,
for he actually knew it. But the result was that truth remained truth and he remained
himself. There was no connection between the two. So he sought God earnestly,
hoping that he might be connected to the truth in experience. Later on, Hudson
Taylor wrote again to his sister, reporting to her that the scales had finally fallen
from his eyes for, formerly, he had sought unsuccessfully to be in Christ: that
he had used every means to put himself in but that he had always come back out:
that he had found no way to get himself into Christ, all his attempts having
been in vain. Praise God, however, for he now understood, having finally seen that
he was already in Christ. It was no longer a matter of how to enter but how not
ever to get out—how never to come out again. Hudson Taylor had at last seen
that the Lord had said that He is the True Vine and we His disciples are the
branches (John 15:5a). Therefore, we are already in Him and that He is ours and
we are His—that there is no need in trying hard to be a branch but instead
realizing that the believer in Christ has been born again as a branch.
Let us suppose that here is a person named Mr. Tang. He
kneels down and earnestly prays, “O God, have mercy on me. Make me a Tang.” God
will say, “What? Are you not already a Tang?” Or to use another illustration,
here is a flower pot that is ridiculously asking to be a flower pot. Just so, since
we are already branches, there is no need to ask to be branches. Whatever God
has said, it is already done. We have no need to pray but to praise. What is
faith in regard to the truth of the believer’s co-death and co-resurrection
with Christ? It is a believing that you and I are already united with Christ. Therefore,
let us praise God, for He has put us in Christ.
Do consider this, that you very
well know that you are saved. You very well have the assurance because you believe
that the Lord Jesus has shed His blood to redeem you of your sin. You had trusted,
you had believed, and you accepted Christ and His salvation. Would you ever ask
God to save you again? No, for you know that God has said in His word that whoever
believes is saved. And you believed and know you are saved; and hence, you immediately
praise God and declare that you are saved.
Likewise is it in this matter of our being united with
Christ. We do not need to ask God to cause us to be united with Him, for all who belong to Christ are already united
with Him. We simply need to believe in our having already been united, there being
no need for prayer. If we believe that we have already been united with Christ,
we naturally also believe that our old man died in Christ: there is no further
need of our dying. The only need is for us to praise God. If you see that you are
dead in Christ, then you shall see that sin has no power over you. When God
says you are dead, it is true. Never ask for death anymore; for all has been done.
May God open our eyes, causing us to see that His work has
already been accomplished. The blood has been shed.
The cross has put old man Adam to death. All the negative work of redeeming us
of Adam’s fall has been achieved. For us, let us only believe. May God grant us
light to see that all has been accomplished in Christ. [‡]
Faith
and Obedience
In these past few evenings we
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