Chapter 39: Six Consequences from the Former Doctrine
There are many other ways that Christ sanctifies the soul, but by combining these points with the previous ones, you can see how
Christ is the rest of the soul in sanctification. And thus, we conclude this particular topic.
Chapter 39 Six Consequences from the Former Doctrine I. The difference between believers and the state of Adam.
II. The difference between mere civility and true holiness.
III. Why so many vows and covenants to live a holy life come to nothing.
IV. It is impossible to be a member of Christ without being holy.
V. Do not be hindered from coming to Christ, even if you do not yet possess the holiness you desire.
VI. How to understand Christ correctly.
Now, there are various consequences that flow from this doctrine.
Let us consider them:
I. From this, we can see the difference between the condition of believers now and that of Adam. In fact, believers are in a better condition than Adam was. Why? Because the image of God in which Adam was created may be considered as natural—that is, it came from God as Creator, who made Adam as a creature and gave him the perfection suitable to the nature of a rational being. All the holiness that Adam had was only that which was fitting for a rational creature
in his condition. When he possessed it, Adam was, as it were, to trade with the stock of holiness he had received and to live by it. God's providence would go along with him and uphold him in his state as long as he obeyed God. This was Adam's state.
But the holiness and righteousness that believers now possess comes from a different source. It does not come from God merely as Creator, but from God through a Mediator—through His Son, Christ.
This holiness is a partaking of the Spirit of Christ, the Father, and the Holy Ghost in Christ. Scripture does not describe Adam's holiness in these terms. The text only says that God made Adam in His own image, but it does not say that Adam's holiness came through union with the second person of the Trinity or that the Spirit was sent into Adam by the Father and the Son to make him a temple of the Holy
Ghost. Adam had the principle of holiness within himself, but we, as believers, have our principle of holiness in Christ. We are not entrusted with our own holiness; it remains in Christ, from whom it is conveyed to us. Adam, on the other hand, had to maintain his holiness with the general providence of God's support as long as he obeyed, but God never made a covenant with Adam in which holiness was kept in the Son, to be drawn by faith.
I can illustrate the difference between Adam's state and a believer's state with this example: A father gives his son an inheritance and tells him, "Here is your portion. Go and trade with it as best you can, but you will receive nothing more from me than what you gain from this stock." This was Adam's condition. God gave him a stock of holiness and righteousness at the start and told him to trade with it and live by what he earned from it. That was all he had.
But we have all lost that stock and have become bankrupt. Now, God is pleased to set up some of mankind again. Some will perish
eternally and be cast into prison to rot forever, but God gives another stock to others. However, He does not trust them with it fully. He gives them grace and tells them to trade with it, but He gives it to them gradually and keeps the main stock in His Son's hand. He says,
"Go and trade with this, and when you face losses in your trade, come to my Son, and He will make it up for you. You must give an account to my Son every day."
So, one who is set up again and given a little stock must account to his Father daily. Even if he has losses, his Father will make up the loss, ensuring that he never breaks again because there is a continual supply held in the hands of his Father or a close friend. This is the case for believers. Though we do not have as great a stock of holiness as Adam had, our stock is better because, together with our holiness, we have a supply from Jesus Christ. What we have will be safeguarded by Him, and if any of it is impaired, He will restore it.
Our holiness now comes from a different source and is upheld by a different principle than Adam's ever was.
This is the reason why the saints never fall as Adam did—because the holiness they have can never decay. They can never turn bankrupt as Adam did, for their holiness comes from Christ, the water of life that flows into their hearts from Him eternally.
II. Another Consequence from Our Rest in Sanctification in Christ Another consequence that follows from our rest in sanctification in Christ is this: we see the difference between civility or morality and true holiness, true sanctification. You have likely heard ministers speak of "civil" men or men who are moral and live respectably. I don't doubt that you have sometimes wondered what they meant.
What is this morality? We hear ministers say, "Such a one is a good
moral man," or "Such a one is a civil man." You may ask, "What more would they have? Shouldn't men be civil? Do they not live inoffensively, paying what they owe, doing no wrong, attending church, and serving God? What more would they have?" And yet we hear ministers say that being civil is not enough. Simply refraining from scandalous sins is not enough.
Now, it is true—this is not enough. From what we have discussed in this point, you can discern that more is required. By this, you can also understand the difference between a civil or moral man and one who possesses true holiness and sanctification.
A civil or moral man has restraining grace, which holds back his corruption. What he does, he does through the strength of reason.
He sees, through reason, that living in wickedness—lying, swearing, drinking, engaging in impurity, cheating, or deceiving—is sinful.
Even the heathens, the moral philosophers, by the light of nature, saw the evil of such notorious vices and understood the rules of nature for guiding their behaviour. Similarly, civil men have improved somewhat through the light of nature. They recognize, through the light of nature, that they should not live in such sins as others do and that it is better to live justly and even to be generous to the poor. Many reach this level, but all of this goes no further than the common light of nature, guided by the prudence and reason of a person as a rational being.
Question: What more is needed?
Answer: There must be sanctification of the heart through the mediation of Jesus Christ. There must be a principle of grace that enters the heart as a fruit of the second covenant that God has made with sinners in Jesus Christ, through the mystical union that the soul has with Him. This is what goes beyond mere civility. When a soul is
moved by God in this manner, it begins to see the breach between itself and God. The soul sees its natural condition as a child of wrath, dead in sins and trespasses. Even if it has not lived as wickedly as others, the soul still sees itself as a child of wrath and an heir of hell and death, despite all that it has done.
The soul realizes that only through the blessed mediation of Jesus Christ can this breach be repaired. Union with God is possible only through Him, and the Spirit of sanctification must come to the soul through the covenant of the Gospel. The heart must be lifted to God in a different way—not merely to live civilly, but to live holily, with the image of God renewed within through the Spirit of Christ. The soul then lives the life of Christ, continually drawing strength from Christ, feeding on the promises of the covenant of grace, and thereby having its heart quickened more and more. Through the promises of the Gospel, the soul grows in holiness, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. This is something far beyond what the civil or merely moral man can achieve.
A civil man can be recognized in several ways:
1. What he does is guided purely by common prudence and the light of nature.
2. The chief element of his religion is negative: he is not as bad as other men.
3. If he has anything positive, it is only in outward actions, like serving God. However, he is not acquainted with the mystery of godliness, the power of holiness, the necessity of a mediator, or the need for a continual supply of grace from Jesus Christ. These things he does not see.
Furthermore, the civil man is not burdened by the corruption that remains within him. He thinks himself in a good condition. Indeed,
he may say, "I must be saved by Jesus Christ," but ask any civil man this: "What need do you find of Jesus Christ for your sanctification?" Are you so burdened by your inner corruptions— those that the world cannot see—that you groan under them? Do you realize your need for the mediation of Jesus Christ and the supply of His Spirit to help you against your corruptions and sanctify your heart? This is something with which the civil man is not familiar. It is beyond his understanding.
Thus, we see the difference between civility and true holiness.
Godliness and holiness are mysteries. Scripture speaks of "the mystery of godliness" and "the power of godliness," and godliness is powerful precisely because it is a mystery. If we must receive our holiness from Christ as Mediator—if Christ is first filled with holiness, and our souls must draw our holiness from Him by faith— then indeed, godliness is a mystery. The godliness that saves souls is a mystery, far beyond what ordinary men of the world understand.
Few comprehend the way in which God conveys grace to the souls He intends to bring to eternal life.
The way God conveys grace to the soul is not simply by giving you reason to understand that certain things are wrong, and therefore, for the sake of your own ease and peace in the world, you should live civilly. Rather, God's way is to reveal His Son to you, showing you the necessity of union with Christ, of becoming a member of Him, and of drawing virtue from Him as from a head. You must see a fountain of life flowing continually from Him into your heart, so that you turn to Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity made man for your soul, as the source of all grace, to be conveyed from Him to your soul.
This is the mystery of holiness, which surpasses all the civility and morality in the world. Oh, that you could understand even a little of
this mystery of godliness! And that it might stir some doubt in the hearts of those who have lived only civilly and morally—perhaps for many years, being good neighbours, paying everyone what is due, and having no accusations of wrongdoing against them. But, oh, that they would reflect: I have lived this way for so long, but has my soul been acquainted with the mystery of the Gospel? Have I drawn virtue from Christ as a Mediator? Do I have a stock of grace from Him to live by, so that all I do is supplied by Him? Have I felt the burden of my inward corruption? Have I found ease and rest through the promises of the Gospel? Have I searched into the covenant of grace and found promises there that convey comfort to my soul? Has my heart been exercised in this way?
Certainly, if you have not experienced this, you do not know the way of the Gospel, nor do you understand what an evangelical life truly is.
A true evangelical life is when the soul is enabled to live upon Christ, when you feel your heart drawing life from Him, drawing virtue from Him for the mortification of your corruptions and the quickening of your heart in holiness. This is what it means to live a truly evangelical life.
Thus, another consequence drawn from this is the realization that godliness is a mystery, beyond mere civility and morality.
III. Another Consequence that May Be Drawn Hence, we may see the reason why the vows and covenants made by many people—to live better than they have done—often come to nothing. Our sanctification is in Christ, and our ability to overcome corruption is by virtue of Christ. From this, it is clear why the vows
and covenants of many people, who, during times of sickness or danger at sea, promise to live better if God restores them, often fail.
They may say, "If God restores us, we will never live as we did before; we will live better." And though they may not speak to deceive but genuinely intend to change, their hearts fully resolved to leave sin and live better, yet once restored, they live just as they did before.
Why is this? It is because they are not acquainted with the mystery of godliness. They do not know how to draw strength from Christ to enable them to keep their resolutions. They are unaware of where the stock of grace lies. They depend on their own resolutions and promises and fail to see that strength must come from Christ. Hence, their vows and covenants come to nothing.
As we read about Samson, after his strength was gone, he said he would go forth as before, but the Lord had departed from him. In the same way, you may think that if God restores you, you will live better and overcome your corruptions. But the strength of Christ is not with you; you do not realize that His strength has departed from you.
Adam had grace from God as the Creator, but it is not enough for us to pray to God simply as the Creator of all things. We must seek God in Christ and understand that the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him bodily. In this way, we gain strength against our corruptions.
I remember a German divine writing to a friend. He professed that before he understood the way of the Gospel, he had vowed and covenanted a thousand times against some sins but could never overcome them. However, after the Lord revealed to him the way of the Gospel—that all strength comes by exercising faith in Christ and seeing the Father give His Son to supply all grace—he found strength against his corruptions and was able to walk comfortably with God in
holiness. Similarly, Christians who understand the way of the Gospel will find abundant power against their corruptions, more than they ever did through all their previous striving and efforts. Even though we should strive and take all the effort we can, we must recognize that it will not succeed without exercising faith in Christ to help us against our corruptions.
IV. Another Consequence It is impossible for anyone to be a member of Christ and not be holy, because Christ is our sanctification. Christ is filled full of holiness so that holiness might be conveyed to His members. Therefore, those who still live in the strength of their lusts, who do not have the rest of sanctification in some measure, surely do not have the Spirit of Christ within them. These two things cannot coexist: being a member of Christ and walking in filthiness.
Christ is the great Prophet who teaches His people and the great King who governs His Church. Whoever is brought to Him must be taught by Him and governed by Him. It is impossible to have communion with the fountain of all holiness and yet live under the power of sin. This simply cannot be.
V. Another Consequence It is a great temptation for anyone to be hindered from coming to Christ because they do not yet have the measure of holiness they desire. This is a powerful and dangerous temptation of the devil, especially for a soul that sees its lack of grace and sanctification and labours under the burden of corruption. Such a soul may be tempted
to think, "How can I come to Christ when I do not have the holiness I desire?" But this is a very irrational temptation.
Many poor souls are troubled by this. When we exhort them to come to Christ, they think, "Alas, I am so vile, with such a wicked and sinful heart—how can I come to Him? If only I had power over my corruptions as others do, then I would be bold enough to come to Christ."
But what a temptation this is! Christ says, "Come to me, and I will give you rest." Yet you say, "If I had rest, I would come." Christ is the fountain of all holiness, so to be kept from Christ because you lack holiness is a great temptation. It is the devil's work to suggest that you should stay away from Christ for lack of holiness when
Christ is the one appointed by God the Father to convey holiness to your heart. He is the one who will renew the image of God in you, restoring it more beautifully than it ever was before.
Remember the point you have heard: Christ is our sanctification, and all holiness comes from Him. Therefore, my lack of holiness should not drive me away from Christ but should instead draw me to Him.
Do not say, as Peter did, "Master, depart from me, for I am a sinful man." Rather, say, "Master, come to me, for I am a sinful man."
Many poor souls say, "Lord, I cannot come to Christ because I am so sinful." But you should come to Him precisely because you are sinful.
VI. Another Consequence From this, we learn how to understand Christ rightly and how to believe in Him rightly. Some people understand Christ only as a Saviour, thinking only of being pardoned by Him, saved by Him, and delivered from hell by Him. But you must also understand Christ to