Chapter 37: Containing Two Strong Arguments in Christ for Holiness
To illustrate this, consider the powerful arguments that Christ offers against sin and for holiness...
Chapter 37 Containing Two Strong Arguments in Christ for Holiness: First, in Him the Soul Sees the Greatest Breach Between It and God Due to Sin. Second, in Him It Sees the Greatest Hatred of Sin in God.
First, in Christ, the soul sees the greatest breach that can be imagined between God and the creature because of sin. It is true that when we preach the Law and tell you of the curse of the Law that sin brings, this gives you some understanding of the separation sin causes between God and you, and it may terrify you. But the full extent of the breach between God and the soul caused by sin is never fully understood until you come to Christ. The soul never truly sees the depth of sin until then. When it comes to Christ, sees Christ truly, and is united with Him, then it perceives the evil of sin in a way it never did before. This is why faith purges the heart from sin more effectively than all the terrors of the Law can. Even if God were to open a window into hell and allow you to see all the torment there, it would not reveal the evil of sin as clearly as when you come to a real sight of Jesus Christ and see how sin made such a breach between God and us that only the Son of God could repair it. This is the greatest revelation of the evil of sin that can possibly be.
Objection: You might say, "Others know this as well as believers."
It is true, they know it in a certain way, but only those who, through faith, have a real sight of Christ can truly understand the evil of sin in Him.
Second, another strong argument for the evil of sin in Christ is this: the infinite hatred of sin in God. The fact that God so infinitely hated sin that He would not spare His own Son shows us the depth of sin's evil. We hear much about hell and the terrors of the Law, but when I consider the extent of God's hatred of sin revealed in the suffering of His Son, it shows me far more about the evil of sin. While the terror of the Law may restrain men from sin, it is when the soul understands the infinite wrath of God against sin—that He would give His Son to satisfy for it—that the true evil of sin becomes clear.
This also reveals the infinite holiness of God, that He would send His only Son to purchase holiness.
In this, we see the infinite love of Christ, who died for sin; the infinite value of the soul, for which such a price was paid; and the infinite difficulty in delivering it from sin. Nothing can influence the heart more than this view of Christ. When the soul comes to Christ, it is filled with hatred for sin and love for holiness. A common understanding of Christ may restrain sin to a degree, but the saving knowledge of Christ has infinite power.
The truth is, the special way for a soul to overcome its corruptions is by delving into the knowledge of the Gospel. Look deeply into the Gospel, examine its mysteries, and consider what arguments you may draw from it against your sins. The arguments that common people use against sin are weak and shallow. They may be tempted to sin and think, "Oh, I mustn't do this because my master or mistress will find out, or someone will know, and I'll be punished." These are poor, low arguments.
But the believer says, "Oh, let me not commit this sin, for it is what brought the Son of God down from heaven to be made a curse for man. It is the cause of the greatest disruption the world has ever seen. It is what God's soul infinitely hates, and it is what made such a breach between my soul and God that only the Son of God could repair it." These are the arguments that a believer uses against sin.
Being well acquainted with these arguments, and exercising faith in Christ, makes them real to the soul. As a result, they wield a mighty power to overcome any corruption.
As we read in the Gospel, when the owner of the vineyard sent his servant to collect fruit, the workers beat the servant and killed another. Finally, he said, "I will send my son; surely they will respect him." Similarly, there are many arguments against your sin to help you overcome your corruption and move you toward holiness.
Perhaps your corruptions have broken other arguments, like Samson's cords that snapped like flax. But, says God, I will send my
Son, and reveal the glorious mysteries of the Gospel in Him. I will show their souls what My Son has done, and what the deep counsels for their salvation in My Son are. These will prevail upon them.
This is the reason for their fearfulness of sin and their strictness in walking with God after the Gospel has convinced them. You may wonder why they are so strict and fearful of offending. Do you wonder? Oh, my brethren, they have arguments you may not know of. God has revealed much of His Son to them—the wonderful mysteries of godliness revealed in His Son—and these are the arguments they rely upon. They do not rely on such low and mean arguments as you do. Mean and low arguments may keep men in an orderly course of living peacefully with their neighbours and avoiding obvious sins like theft, drunkenness, or swearing—these are things even the heathen understood. But the saints, the believers