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of “ no condemnation.” In Adam we were a part of that oid trinity, the devil, the world, and the flesh. There it is all condemnation. But the mo ment we cross that Great Divide, we are in tihrist, in the Church, and in the Spirit, where there is no eondem- nation. Oh, do you not want to be in this new sphere? Then at the end of the chapter we read, “There is no separation.” Those who are in Christ Jesus are never, never—in time or in eternity—separated from the love of God in Christ. Do you not want to be there? Understanding the Secret of Victory I was in a home where there was a fourteen-year-old daughter. She was one of the most spiritually mind ed persons I have ever met in my life. As she and her father went to gether one evening to a meeting where I was speaking, the father sat there with his forehead all screwed up into a knot. What was that woman- talk ing about anyhow? Oh, he was a member of the church. Bqt what was it all about? He- did not have the slightest understanding, I think, of what was said that evening. His young daughter sat by his side with her eyes like two great, glowing stars and a face that was such an inspira tion tq me that I did not want to look at any other person. She was drinking in every word that was said, with spiritual apprehension and re sponse. 1 When they got home that night, the father said to the mother, “I don’t think Kirsten ought to gp to any more of the meetings. I am sure she does not understand them at all.” Little Kirsten could not help reply ing, “Daddy, I do understand. I have been crucified with Christ. I am iden tified with Him in His death and resurrection. I do know, what it is to be a new creation in Christ.” And she did, and her father did not. Friend, do you understand this truth of the believer’s identification with Christ? Have you learned that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus? Are you living every day of your life with the peace of God that passeth all un derstanding, with the joy of the Lord in your heart, with His restfulness in your soul, no matter what your cir cumstances are, because you know that nothing—neither death nor life, nor things present nor things to come —nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ? That is Ro mans 8. Do you want to get there and stay there? Then all in between that first and last verses is yours. It is the truth of emancipation from all the stress and the strain of trying to live the Christian life. That is the teaching in the message of Romans 8. No\y there is conflict, but there is conquest in conflict. How is this? Let
us first find the cause of defeat. Did* you read Romans 7 and 8? How many times did you find “I” in Romans 7? Over and over again we see that cap ital “I.” And how many times did you-find the name of the Holy Spirit? He is there because the passage is speaking of a Christian, but He is not mentioned. He is ignored. He is neglected. He is not allowed to do His work. He is not expected to do His work. . Conquest Through Control Then we go into Romans 8, and what do we find? That old “ I” is conspicuous by his absence, and the Holy Spirit is conspicuous by His pres ence. It is the Holy Spirit’s chapter throughout, and what does that fact mean? There is conquest through control. The Holy Spirit is in control. The more I study God’s Word, the more I believe that the greatest mani festation of a Spirit-filled life is a Spirit-controlled l i f e . In Christ, through yielding, we have come under a new Sovereign. That is taught in Romans 6. We read in Romans 8:2; “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Yes, we are under a law. In the old creation we are under the law of sin; in the new creation we are under the law of the Spirit of life. The law of sin •always takes us Satanward, earthward, downward, and backward. It cannot do otherwise. The law of the Spirit always takes us Christward, upward, heavenward, and onward. It can take us no other way. In New York City you can go into an elevator that, if. left to itself with- - out any hand on the lever, would take you downward with a crash’ to the earth. But just a hand on that lever in control, a little turning, and you can go sixty stories with safety. That is exactly what happens as we en tirely, gladly, joyously, intelligently place ourselves under the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Then we are constantly, without any self- effort, taken Christward, heavenward, upward, and onward. The Holy Spirit keeps the flesh in the place of cru cifixion and keeps the Lord Jesus Christ in the place of enthronement. The flesh is kept on the cross and Christ is kept on the throne, and this is the work of the Holy Spirit. He and He alone can do it. [In another article on the present theme, Miss Paxson will continue the discussion of how the Spirit-filled life of the believer is maintained. Whereas the present article has emphasized the Lord’s work in maintaining this experience, the forthcoming discussion will show the Christian's part in cooperating with Him in this matter .— E ditor .]
SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE [ Continued from page 32T\
nected and related to the Lord Jesus Christ, who has taken care of it all, and rightly adjusted to the Holy Spirit who is in you to keep you satisfied, by keeping you occupied with Christ. Where Do You Live? In 1 Corinthians, the carnal Chris tian and the spiritual Christian are Jhe same in position. The carnal Chris tian is both in Christ and in the Spirit, the same as is the spiritual Christian. But there is a marked, evi dent contrast in their condition. What is the reason for this? There is conflict all the' way through Romans 7, with the result of defeat and discouragement and deçpair. There is conflict in Romans 8. As long as we live, even up to the last breath we breathe, we will be conscious of that conflict, and we* will be a part of it because the flesh remains. There is no point to a great deal that is said in the first part of Romans 8, if the flesh is not still there. But there is conquest in conflict. There is Vic tory, there is restfulness, there is joy, there is peace, and there Is an emanci pation in Romans 8. So Romans 8 is thé home of the spiritual Christian. Is it your home? Is it where you ha bitually live? In traveling in Europe, my co worker and I had one very great difficulty. As soon as we arrived in a city, we were’ presented with a police blank to be filled out in detail, Most of the questions we could answer quite easily, but one of them was difficult:. “What is your permanent address?” We do not have one, so what could we put down? I always wanted to write, “With Christ in the heavenlies,” but I was afraid that if I did this I might be arrested as an interna tional spy. So I could answer that question only in a general way. My permanent address is “With Christ in the heavenlies.” It ought to be yours. Is it? The permanent residence of every Christian is, in God’s thought* “ In Christ in the heavenlies.” That is the place where you and I should live habitually. We are just pilgrims down here. God says so. I wonder whether some of us who are looking forward to the Lord’s return are “all packed and Teady to go,” or are held down by the cables of earthly possession. All the. mere things of earth will have to be left behind. But if you are al ready up yonder, in spirit and thought, it is not going to be very difficult to think of the body as being there also. Where is your spiritual home? Oh, from this time on, make Romans 8 your habitual residence! Now, let us take a glimpse at Ro mans 8 to see whether we. want it for our home. We read in Romans 8:1
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