| The Christian Life | July 1940 |
Christian Holiness
“Whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and that wicked one toucheth him not.”—I John 5:18
IN this text the apostle is emphasizing the fact that Christians are not sinners. In the same epistle he declares that those who commit sin are of the Devil. At the same time, however, the apostle gives us to understand that the Christian is not able to wholly control the weaknesses of the flesh, for says he, “If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (I John 3:8; 1:8) The harmony of these two viewpoints is evidently to be found in the matter of the will to do or not to do. The new creature wills to serve God, whereas a sinner wills to take a course contrary thereto.
To take the matter in another light we may say that the Scriptures ascribe no sin to the new mind, and no perfection in righteousness to our fallen flesh. Both of these facts must be kept in mind in studying this subject. It is the new creature in Christ Jesus, whose flesh is reckoned dead, that cannot sin, because in its very essence as the “seed” or germ implanted by the Truth, it is opposed to sin.
The new creature is fully in accord with righteousness, fully imbued with the spirit of the Lord, the spirit of holiness. It delights in holiness, and hates sin. This must continue to be the case so long as this begotten or holy spirit condition exists. He that is begotten of God sinneth not—that is to say, he does not approve of nor take pleasure in sin. This does not mean that the new creature will always be wholly, successful in battling against the sinful tendencies of his fallen flesh. It does mean, however, that the Christian will continue the fight and will not willingly yield to the desires of the flesh, will not cater to fleshly appetites which war against the best interests of the spirit.
As new creatures in Christ Jesus we must ever be diligent in our endeavor to “keep the body under, and bring it into subjection, lest having preached to others we ourselves may become castaways.”
So far as the flesh is concerned, Christians are no more able to bring it wholly into harmony with the law of God than were the Israelites of the Jewish age. The reason that we, as new creatures, are looked upon as being free from sin is because, as the apostle explains, the “righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.” We are not able to walk wholly up to the spirit, but following day by day as best we can to the intent that eventually we shall, by the grace and help of our great Teacher, demonstrate to our Heavenly Father that our heart intentions are to do His will perfectly, and that the only reason we fail to bring our every thought and word and deed wholly into harmony therewith is because of the fallen tendencies of the flesh which cannot wholly be brought under the control of the new mind.
If any who have become new creatures should engage in sin, willingly, heartily, living according to the flesh and making no effort to overcome its fallen tendencies, it would be a sure sign that the seed of truth wherewith such an one was begotten had perished—for so long as this seed remaineth in him he cannot sin willingly.—I John 3:9
HEADINESS A FORM OF SIN
When the apostle speaks of sin in its relationship to Christians he includes a great deal more than what may be considered sin according to the moral standards of this world. Sin in the final analysis, is disobedience to the Divine will. The Christian, who has become baptized into the body of Christ, has figuratively been decapitated. This means that he has voluntarily given up his will and agreed to accept and obey instead the will of God, as it is expressed through Christ Jesus. Having voluntarily entered into this covenant relationship with the Lord, the Christian should thenceforth consider any act whatsoever that would not be in harmony with God’s expressed will for the consecrated and sacrificing Christian, to be sin.
The true Christian, therefore, if he is living up faithfully to the terms of his consecration, will in every affair of life, seek the Divine guidance. This means that he will appeal to the Head for directions in all things, in order that he may know how and what to do or say. Indeed, he will wish to have every thought in full conformity to the will of God as it is expressed through Christ Jesus.
The Christian has always found it necessary to struggle against the fallen tendencies of the flesh, which although reckoned dead, yet ofttimes prove to be very much alive. The Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy expresses the thought that “in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be … traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” (II Tim. 3:1-4) While these words describe very graphically the present attitude of the nominal church world, yet at the same time they undoubtedly bring home to us a realization of the fact that because of the increased worldliness, and the general tendency toward anarchy in the world around us, the Christian will find it correspondingly hard in these final days of the Gospel age to maintain a spirit of true devotion and absolute loyalty to God.
The Christian is in the world, although he is not of it. But it stands to reason that the lower the standards of the world, the harder it must inevitably be for the Christian to rise above his surroundings and maintain his determination to do only that which is pleasing to the Lord. Thus it is that the new creature today finds it increasingly difficult to stem the tide of the pleasure-mad world, and to continue sacrificing his own flesh as the terms of his consecration demand that he should do. It is only as we try harder than ever to keep close to the Lord, and through prayer to realize the support of His loving arms in every time of need, that we shall be able to continue on in the narrow way.
CHRISTIANS’ SHOULD NOT BE OVER-CRITICAL OF OTHERS
Realizing how difficult it is for us to maintain our own standing before the Lord, and how much we daily need divine grace and mercy extended toward us, we should be slow indeed to criticize or condemn others who are, likewise, endeavoring to walk in the same narrow way with us. Sometimes it appears easier to see the faults of others than it is to realize the fact of our own shortcomings.
To judge and condemn others simply on the ground that they apparently are not living as we think they should live, would be a sin on our part, because it is one of the things which God has condemned. The apostle gives the Christian sound advice saying, “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?”—James 4:12
Jesus said, “With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” (Matt. 7:2) Many of those who have been long in the narrow way, and who have observed the providences of God in connection with their own endeavors to please Him, have frequently noted how true are the Master’s words. If we find ourselves over-critical of others along some particular line, it is almost certain to happen that, sooner or later, we will find ourselves transgressing the divine will along those very same lines. A knowledge of the operation of divine law in this connection should make us exceedingly careful in our judgment of the brethren.
All new creatures in Christ Jesus are brethren in Him, and we should have a brotherly interest in each other. This true brotherly interest in the welfare of all the fellow-members of the body, will cause us to be very hesitant in condemning or judging those whom God has brought to the knowledge of His truth, and whom, through the truth, He has called into the fellowship of the Christ body. Let us ever remember that we are not able to read the heart conditions of our brethren, that only the Lord can do this.
In the matter of judging, the Apostle Paul remarks, “Yea, I judge not mine own self.” (I Cor. 4:3) Paul did not mean that he did not keep a close check on himself, but rather that in the matter of the heart he would leave the final judgment with the Lord. Brother Russell has explained the matter very beautifully in the following words:
“It is an excellent plan neither to condemn others who claim to be walking conscientiously as children of the Lord, or even to condemn ourselves under similar circumstances. We should simply press along day by day, doing the best we can to cultivate the heavenly graces and to serve our Master, leaving all the results with the Lord.”
LOYALTY THE TEST OF HOLINESS
True Christian holiness is the spirit of absolute devotion to the will of God as it is expressed in Christ Jesus our Lord. High moral standards which are outlined in the divine will, constitute but the first step in the attaining of Christian holiness. If our devotion to God is wholehearted and complete, it will mean that when He speaks to us through His Word there will be no tendency on our part to talk back to Him, nor to reason why we should do this or that which is clearly implied in His commands. We are not to suppose that time or circumstance will permit us to place nullifying interpretations upon the clearly expressed will of the Father. If we are wholly devoted to Him it means that we will use His Word to bring into captivity every thought of our own which exalts itself above the knowledge of Christ. This is a severe test indeed.
There is a tendency for the flesh to reason that God will be pleased to have His will interpreted through us according to the personal inclinations of our flesh. Sometimes we may reason, for example, that God does not expect all of His people to be molded in the same way.
The Christian has no liberty to inject his own reasoning into the interpretation of the divine will. All followers of the Master are to be shaped according to the same pattern, and that pattern is Christ. If the providences of the Lord operating through time and circumstances indicate that our service for Him is to be along a certain line, we are to heartily enter into His will, even though it may be contrary to what we would naturally desire for ourselves.
The mind of the flesh is very subtle, and without realizing it we may often find ourselves interpreting the divine will along lines that will be most pleasant for the flesh; but this is an unsafe course to follow. Our covenant of consecration calls for sacrifice, hence the instructions and providences of the Lord must be interpreted with this thought in mind. Thus we will find that God’s true will for us may often lead in paths that, according to the flesh, are most difficult indeed.
True Christian holiness, however, demands loyalty to the divine will irrespective of the cost to our selves. According to this high standard of holiness, the least tendency toward compromise when the will of the Lord is revealed to us, would be sin. It would mean that the will of the flesh had superseded the will of the new creature. It would mean that the will of God as it is expressed through His Word had lost its guiding and motivating power in our lives. Let us then, dear brethren, be ever on the alert to resist the cunning sophistries of the flesh and the Devil and to be resolute in our determination that the divine will shall continue to be the ruling principle in our lives. Let us do this in conscious realization of the fact that while we will not always be able to fully control the flesh, yet that God has provided a robe of righteousness to cover our unwilling imperfections and that, hence; He has thus justified us freely from all things, and that our imperfect efforts will continue to be acceptable through Christ to Him.