213
June, 1934
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
REIGNING in
BYpE^ c S r
CHRIST/AM k ( r £
T here is a vast difference between oc cupying a position o f authority and being under the authority o f another. Every sinner is in a position o f subjection to sin and Satan. The sinner is not in authority; he is under authority. The sinner is not master o f his own life ; he is being mastered by Satan. {The soul that has not experienced the power o f the redeeming grace o f Jesus Christ, is living in enslavement. It is en slaved to sin and to sinful tendencies and habits. No sinner is a free man, but a slaveY “ Whosoever committeth sin is the servant / [slave] o f sin,” is the plain statement of the Lord Jesus ( John 8 :34 ). , - y , u F reedom in C hrist J esus . . _ Qi~‘ i A v /* - Butjthe Lord Jesus Christ obtained glo rious freedom for every sinneiTTo the same hearers whom He reminded o f the bondage o f sin, Jesus had offered liberty: “ And ye
Emancipator o f souls, who gave His very life to deliver you from sin’s bondage, step into a life o f liberty and joy. E nthronement But there is something still better for the trusting soul, something more glorious than mere freedom. And that superlative opportunity is enthronement—as the Christian reigns as a king in life. It is a wonderful experience to be a son o f God and to enjoy the liberty the Lord Jesus Christ has secured. But it is the right o f every Christian to occupy a throne and to reign in this life. It is a blessed privilege to be the free and unfettered subject o f a gracious king, but it is a greater privilege to be a monarch and in authority. In Romans 5 :17, God’s gracious word comes to His liberated ones: “ For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance o f grace and o f the gift o f righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” And this is the privilege o f every believer. Let me ask you, dear Christian, are you reigning in life? Are you not only a free man in Christ, freed from the guilt and penalty o f sin, but also reigning in sovereign power over the enemies within your own life and without it? You may enjoy a reign o f glorious and triumphant power over all the enemies within the sphere o f your little kingdom. Such a reign o f glorious victory is the privilege o f every believer in Christ. The child o f God is not only freed from sin ; he may be a ruling monarch by the grace o f God, and triumph over every besetting foe in his life. There is not the slightest reason why any besetting sin, fleshly lust, or tendency o f self should find any foothold in a redeemed life, or lord it over that soul. The Christian has no right to excuse a single sin or to allow a single tendency o f his fallen nature to bring him into defeat. [Continued on page 220]
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8 :3 2 ). He was not here referring to truth as an ab stract fact, but to the truth as summed up in Himself. John 14 :6 makes this personal aspect clear, for there the Lord said: “ I am the way, the truth, and the life.” [Freedom through the truth does not mean that the sinner will obtain freedom from the enthrallment o f sin by mere acceptance o f certain dogmas o f truth, but by the acceptance of the divine Person who is the Truth^ ^When any signer receives Christ as a personal Saviour, he at b iire obtains freedom from the accusing guilt and impending penalty o f sin, and steps into the glorious liberty o f the sons o f God. Our Lord made these facts very clear in stating specifically that it is He, the truth, that makes men fre e : “ I f the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36, cf. John 14:6 ). When a soul, enslaved by sin, harassed by the cruel tor tures o f Satan’s tyrannical rule, receives the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour, that one becomes free. This glorious liberty has been secured at great cost to God and His Son, but it is offered to man as a free gift. Oh, that needy hearts would now accept pardon from the loving hand o f a gra cious God! We have the record in John 8 that, “ As he [Jesus] spake these words, many believed on him”— and thus they obtained this blessed freedom from the enslave ment o f sin and Satan. It may be that you who are reading these words have never found this wonderful liberty. If, just now, you will believe on Jesus Christ and by a definite act o f faith receive Him into your life as your own personal Saviour, this glorious freedom will be yours. Remember, Christ secured it for you with the price o f His own life and blood Oh, sinner, do not be a slave any longer.to the devil. Do not be under subjection to the archenemy o f your soul another moment. Let Christ, the Liberator of human souls, come into the domain o f your life and set you free from sin, Satan, death, and hell. Spiritual death and darkness have reigned in your life. Now, by simple faith in the great
^Superintendent, Union Gospel Mission.
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