The Christian Life: Our Possessions, Prospects and Possibilities* By W. H. GRIFFITH-THOMAS, D. D. H ITHERTO we have b6en look ing at the spiritual life, mainly from the side o f our opportuni
will read in the Revised Version, and still better in the Greek, that on your believing you were sealed with the .Holy Spirit of promise. It is well worth one’s while just sitting down quietly and saying to yourself the words, “ God has given me the Holy Spirit. It is a fact at this moment, whether I realize it or not.” 3. Thirdly, God’s love (3:1‘ ) : “ Be hold, what manner of love the Father hath given us” —what soft of love.” All through this epistle you will note that God is love, God has given us His love, and (4:16 R. V .) : “We know and have believed the love that God has in us:” not to us, but in us. God is love, and God has given His love, therefore Himself; and we know and have believed the love. Here again we are in the region o f fact, and al though the incident I am now going to refer to is familiar to a great many, I feel it is well worth while repeating in this connection. On one occasion Spurgeon was driving with a friend, and seeing a weather-vane with the words, “ God is love,” he said to his friend that that was inappropriate for God’s love was not changeable as is a weathervane. “ No,” remarked his friend, “ that is not the point; it means that God is love whatever way the wind blows!” God’s love is a fact, and is absolutely independent of our life, or emotion, or experience. 4. Fourthly, the Advocate. We have seen three texts on giving: now we shall have two texts on having. “ We have an Advocate (2 :1 ). I only ask you to notice Who is the advo cate above. The word “ advocate” comes from the Latin ad, to, and voco, to call, to call to, or to call in. Jesus Christ is the Advocate called in above, just as the Holy Spirit is the Advo-
ties and duties. But we now look at it from the Divine standpoint, both in regard to the present and the future. I. Our Possessions. I want to call your attention briefly to the words, “ Give,” “ Have,” and “Are.” God gives, we have and we are. They are all concerned with our present possessions. I have dealt a little with some of these each morning, and so I need only mention them in this connection as associated with what we possess. 1. The first of these is eternal life. In verse 11 “ God hath given to us eter nal life, and this life is in His Son.” Of course, you know that the word eternal in the New Testament when used in connection with life never re fers to duration merely but to quality as well. St. John 17 :3 contains Christ’s definition of eternal life. “ This is life eternal, that they might know Thee” by experience, “ the only true God;” and the quality is God’s own life, and our fellowship in that life, which He has given us in His Son. 2. The second is the Holy Spirit (3 :24). God has given us His Spirit. Let us just dwell upon this for a mo ment. This is a fact. When we were led to Christ how many things took place? Two: The gift of forgiveness concerning the past, and the gift of the Holy Spirit for the present and the future. Some people think that only one thing took place. The Bible says there were two, and if you will study carefully Ephesians 1 :13, you •An address delivered at the Montrose Bible Conference, 11 a. m., August, 1913.
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