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T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
September 1930
The Salvation of Scripture—The Manifestation B y B. B. S utcliffe , D.D. (Portland, Oregon) ( All rights reserved )
responsibility. Before asking any one to engage in warfare He first makes one a soldier. He never asks one to live saintly without first making one a saint. Hence in this Epistle to the Romans, Paul reveals what Christians are by the grace of God (chapters 1 to 8 ), before telling them what he wishes them to be and do in their practice (chap ters 12 to 16). Second, there must be a definite surrender. This surrender will be wholly voluntary as the word “ present” suggests. This is a temple term and has the same force as the world “ yield” in Rom. 6:13. It is not a forced transfer of ownership and control, but a glad, willing, handing over of the reins of government of the life into the hands of the one who has bestowed the mer cies. The Lord does desire to have control of the Chris tian’s life but He will not force it from any, nor will He accept it until it is freely and voluntarily yielded into His hands. His inquiry is, “ Whom shall I send, and who will go for us” (Isa. 6 :8 ) ? He desires to send, but will send none but the one who goes willingly. The definite, volun tary surrender is seen in the reply of Isaiah who said, “ Here am I” (the one to send), and “ send me” (the will- ingly going one). This surrender will be complete, including the whole being, body, s.pul, and spirit. The term “ bodies” is a very comprehensive one, involving the whole Christian as the instrument for the manifestation of salvation. This surrender will be continuous as the word “ living” suggests. It means not only a definite presentation, once for all, but a daily, continuous, “ living” presentation unto the Lord for His purposes and use. So it becomes a holy (separated, sanctified) offering which is acceptable or well pleasing unto Him. The offering meant here is what the Christian is by grace, not what he was by nature; the latter is offensive to the Lord and He desires only the new cre ation as the offering. It is to be presented after the man ner in which a sacrifice was presented under the old Mo saic economy, the offerer releasing every claim to the offering. This is a reasonable service for the Christian to render —reasonable because of what he was by nature: in bon dage, slavery, and sold under sin; and reasonable because of what he has become by grace: liberated, a freedman, with ability to serve God acceptably by surrendering to Him what he is by grace. Third, there must be a peculiar practice. He speaks of this, .first from the negative, and then from the positive side. Negatively, “ be not conformed to this world.” Nonconformity is the mark of one who is manifesting salvation. Just as the Lord Jesus Christ was not conformed to this world, so the Christian who is mani festing salvation, will not be conformed to it. The reason for this is seen in the world itself. Its character is evil, being the “ present evil world” (Gal. 1 :4). At its head is Satan, who is both its prince and its god (John 12:31; 2 Cor. 4 :4 ). It lives according to Satan, controlled by Satan, dwells in Satan, and its character is
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies o f God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing o f your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God’’ (Rom. 12:1, 2). p ig g g gH E manifestation of salvation is the practice of j l R ? 3 the principle which governed the life of our m © 7 Lord on earth. That principle was, “ I have come to do thy will, O God.” He taught His m \ r disciples to pray, saying, “ Our Father, who art I-kli in heaven . . . thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In effect He was saying to them, “ I would have you live on earth as I live.” The method of the Holy Spirit in writing the epistles is first to explain the doctrine and then exhort to a prac tice in keeping with the doctrine. He first tells how God establishes certain relationships between Himself and the Christian, and then speaks of the responsibilities going with those relationships; that is, the relationship formed by the grace and power of God is to be revealed by the walk and practice of the Christian. All the doctrine and instruction is to lead to practical holiness of life. T he F oundation of a H oly L ife First, there must be an assured knowledge o f what God has done on behalf o f the Christian. This is suggested by the expression, “ the mercies of God.” These mercies are contained in the former chapters of this Epistle to the Romans. In those chapters God’s work in bringing the sinner to the position of a saint— justifying, sanctifying, glorifying him—has been fully re vealed. It has been done in pure grace and infinite love, and the Holy Spirit gathers it all up into the one word, “ mercies.” Until these mercies are known and trusted, the fdundation will be a shifting one and a superstructure of practical holiness will be well nigh impossible. Paul does not command in the same way that Moses did, but love takes the beseeching and turns it into a com mand having far greater insistence and force than ever was found under the rigid, legal system given through Moses. With a knowledge of the mercies of God, the Christian finds a growing desire to emulate his Lord who said, “ I do always the things that please” God. With such a desire God’s wishes become commands for the Christian. Paul addresses his readers as “ brethren” recognizing that they are already in possession of salvation, and have a filial relation to God the Father. Therefore, they obey this exhortation not in order to become Christians but be cause they already are such. The Christian works from not toward his place and character. Place and character have both been bestowed upon him freely by grace, and are now to be manifested by his practice. It is wholly be yond the bounds of legalism of any sort. Just as the sin ner is saved by grace, the Christian is exhorted to walk by the same free grace. The Lord never says to the sin ner, “ Son, give me thine heart.” He first makes the sin ner Plis son and then, and not until then, asks that son- for his affection and service. Relationship always precedes
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