[April 5th, 1857.]
The Old Testament is filled with descriptions of the Messiah, of his work, and of his kingdom. This, the object of their expectation and longing, was ever present to the minds of the ancient people of God. When he came, his person secured the recognition and love of those who were called; but his kingdom, where was that?
It was not established under the anticipated form, nor in its glory. That was reserved for his second coming. The second advent therefore became to the early Christians the great object of longing expectation. With regard to this they made three mistakes. 1. That it was to occur soon. 2. That those of their friends who had already died would perfect their portion in that kingdom. 3. That they themselves, should they die before Christ came, would fail of salvation in its full sense. To correct these errors Paul tells 1. That the coming of Christ was to be unexpected, and subsequent to events not yet accomplished. 2. Those who had died before the advent, Christ would bring with him. 3. That as to themselves, they would be as fully saved, whether they should be alive or dead when Christ came.
The exhortation in the context is that Christians should live as children of the light, as members of the kingdom of light as distinguished from the kingdom of darkness. Light stands for knowledge, holiness and happiness. Darkness stands for ignorance, sin and misery. The exhortation therefore is, in its negative form, not to sink back into the world which belongs to the kingdom of darkness, i.e., not to give themselves up to the opinions and practices of the world, and thus inevitably involve themselves in the ruin in which the kingdom of darkness must ultimately issue. It is an exhortation to act as became those who were members of the kingdom of Christ, i.e., to exhibit the knowledge and holiness, especially in faith, hope, and charity which characterize those who belong to that kingdom.
The motive by which this exhortation is enforced is, that we are destined not to wrath but to salvation. And this salvation is secured by Christ who died, that whether we live or die, we should live together with him.
This teaches, 1. That the certainty of salvation is secured by the death of Christ. He did not die merely to render salvation possible, but to make it certain. This it does because it is a complete satisfaction of justice. It answers all the ends which our perdition could possibly answer, and therefore it renders that perdition unnecessary. Christ cannot fail to see of the travail of his soul. Those cannot perish for whom he died. That Christ died to render salvation not only possible, but certain, is true, secondly, because the salvation of his people was promised him in that covenant, in the execution of which he laid down his life.
This is the one great ground of consolation here promised. God has died for us. Let this truth operate on your mind. What effect does it produce? Suppose we bow our heads before God and hear him say that he loved us from eternity, and out of love he gave his Son for our salvation; that we hear the Lord Jesus say that to deliver us from the power and guilt of sin, to make us holy, to bring us back to the image and favor of God, he took on him the form of a servant, and was found in fashion as a man and humbled himself unto death, even the death of the cross; what effect would this have upon us? Would it lead us to carelessness, to the indulgence of sin, to live with the world, since we were not to perish with the world? This is not the effect such a conviction of the certainty of salvation would produce on the renewed heart; and such an effect would give clearest evidence that we were the children of the devil. But the renewed, those whose earnest desire is to be delivered from sin, and to live with Christ, and who know that redemption is deliverance from sin, these words would fill with peace, joy, patience, resignation, zeal, overflowing gratitude and love, and devotion to the service of Christ.
If these are the effects which we feel they would produce on us, then they are addressed to us, and we may take the comfort of them, and drink our fill of this fountain of pure and living water.
- This passage teaches us the nature of salvation. First, it is life. We shall live. This is the common Scriptural designation of all that we include in spiritual and eternal life. All that is opposed to death is included in the idea. It is a holy, happy and immortal existence of the whole man, soul and body. Secondly, it is a life with Christ. This includes two things, association or communion, companionship with Christ, and also participation of his life, of its power, holiness, blessedness and glory. Thirdly, it is a life of all, ; we shall all, all the redeemed, all those dear to us who belong to Christ, all in every age and nation who love him, are to be associated and made the subjects of this life. Therefore comfort and edify one another.
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