November, 1935
406
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
come in” (Rom. 11:25-27). Yet whenever an individual Jew believes in the Lord Jesu^i Christ) he is received on the same footing as other believers. “ God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew” .(Rom. 11:2). Another teaching is that this is a parable o f service,, and that it is not to be interpreted as applying to salvation. Those who hold this view emphasize the words “ as a branch” in verse 6, and tell Us that a man might be cast forth as a branch, that is, that he might be a rejected serv ant, without having his salvation endangered. But there is nothing said in the parable about service; the whole theme is fruit-bearing, and there is a vast difference be tween service and fruit-bearing, though no one will deny the real connection between them. Believers are “ created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Eph. 2 :10 ), and this is service; but fruit is not works. “ The fruit o f the Spirit is love, joy, peace . . . ” (Gal. 5:22, 23 ). These are not things that '& Christian is called upon to do, nor are they things that Ihe can do. They are the effect o f yielding, rather than o f working. R eckoned as “ I n C hrist ” The key to our problem is to be fofind in connection with the comprehensive scope o f our Lord’s atoning work. There is a sense in which Christ, by His work on the cross, displaced Adam as the federal head o f the race. In God’s reckoning, Christ died for all, and in Him all died. The purpose’ pf- His death was “ that they that live should no longer hyp unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died,.'and rose again” (2 Cor. 5 :15, R. V .). This is
T he B ranches as “ I n C hrist ” “ Both the persons described in the text,” says Charles Haddon Spurgeon, “ were in Christ — in Christ in different senses it; is plain, because the first persons were not So; in Christ as to bring forth fruit. Consequently, as fruit is that by which we are to judge a man, they were not in 'Christ effectually, graciously, influentially, or so as to re ceive the fruit-creating sap. If they had brought forth fruit, their fruitfulness would have been a sign that they were in Christ savingly. Who will venture to say that a man who yields no fruit o f righteousness can be really a Christian? Yet they were in Christ in some sense or other.” But he then goes on to express the opinion that the rejected branch had been in Christ only as a matter of out ward profession. He is quite right in saying that they were “ in Christ in some sense or other,” but he is not clear as to their exact position. Hengstenberg well remarks that “ what is spoken of is the unfruitful branches actually be ing in Christ the vine, and not their thinking themselves or others thinking them to be so.” See how this whole problem bears upon the salvation o f infants. W e all believe that little children, until “ the age o f accountability,” whenever that may be— and God knows when it comes—-áre saved; but why are they saved? It is not because they are good, for they are not good ; they are sinners, and “ by nature the children of wrath” ; and yet they aré saved, because they are included in the redemptive work o f Christ on the cross o f Calvary. He died for them, because He died for all, and they are safe under the blood
the true meaning o f our Lord’s mysterious words in John 12 : 32, 33: “ And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, sig nifying what death he should die.” Lifted up on the cross, He drew all men unto Him, and died in their room and stead. In this federal sense, the race is reckoned as in Him. In 1 Corinthians 15 :22, it is written: “ As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” And this includes not only the saved, who are to “be raised incorruptible” (v.
until they have reached the place where they are morally responsible before God. When “ the age of accountability” ar rives, then the individual must personally believe on the Lord Jesus or be lost. If he believes, he abides in Christ, is- born again, and becomes the posses sor of eternal life, and he shall never perish. If, on the other hand, he rejects the Saviour, “ he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered.” I f he goes on rejecting and finally rejects, he will be cast into the fire and burned.
Thanks T>e Given ' By W IL L IA M M. RU N YAN To God the Father thanks be given— The march of seasons bids again That grateful praise be voiced by men, For they have found God's dealing good, Who giveth light and love and food; Who in a garden rich and fair Has placed the object of His care— To God the Father thanks be given!
52), but also “ the rest o f the dead,” who must be raised to receive their final doom (Rev. 20:5, 12-15). As by Adam’s sin’ “ judgment came unto all men to condemna tion ; even so through one act of righteousness [that is, by the one righteous act o f Christ on the cross] the free gift came unto all men to justification of life. For as through the one man’s, disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous” -(Rom . 5 :18, 19, R. V .). The sacrificial death o f Jesus Christ cannot be limited in its effects to believers. While the Scriptures do not teach universal salvation, they do teach universal redemption. Christ was “ the Lamb o f God, which taketh away the sin o f the world” (John 1 :29). When He died on the cross, it was in the divine purpose “ that he by the grace o f God should taste death for every man” (Heb. 2 :9). He “ is the Saviour o f all men, specially of those that believe” (1 Tim. 4 :10) . “ Those that believe”- are saved, while those that re ject are lost; but it remains true that even those who are lost have a Saviour, for He “ is the Saviour of all men.” He is truly “ the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2 :2 ).
E ternally a C hild of G od It is false reasoning to suppose that a child o f God always retains freedom of the will to depart from the faith, just as he was free to accept or reject salvation in the be ginning. A child of God has no more “ freedom o f the will” to cease to be God’s child than has the child of any other father to set aside such a relationship. A child of God may be a disobedient child, but he remains a child, and for his disobedience he must reckon with a faithful Father who will deal with him as with a son and not a bastard (Heb. 12:8). “ Him that cometh . . .” says our Lord in John 6:37-40, “ I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will o f him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” The saved man is forever safe. [Continued on page ' 412J
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