Titles of Honor
(No. 3300)
A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, MAY 2, 1912.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL
5, 1886.
"Brethren beloved of the Lord." 2 Thessalonians. 2:13.
THE verse from which my text is taken begins thus, "But we are bound to
give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord," so I
will commence my discourse by saying that we might often find comfort
and relief from gloomy apprehensions by associating with those who are
"beloved of the Lord." If you read the Chapter through, you will
perceive that Paul's mind was greatly exercised concerning the perilous
times which were to come to the Church of Christ. He wrote to warn the
Thessalonians concerning the coming of antichrist, and then said that
there were some to whom God would send "strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not
the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteous." The Apostle 's heart was
so heavily burdened with that sorrowful theme that he was glad to turn
his pen to quite a different subject and, therefore, he wrote, "But we
are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the
Lord." Just now, there is a general opinion that the growth of Popery
in this land is most alarming and that the declension of vital
godliness is very serious. And while we do not fully agree with the
alarmists, we are obliged to admit that these are times of peculiar
peril. The tendency of those who look only at the black side of the
question is to fret and worry–and to feel that God's Church is in
danger. Brethren, I would not have you shut your eyes to the dangers by
which we are surrounded, but I would not have you dispirited by them,
either! There are still many saints left in the world. There are still
they who, like those in Sardis, have not defiled their garments. There
are still some who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. There are still
many earnest and faithful testifiers to the Truth of God as it is in
Jesus. So, although you may mourn over the evils of the times, you are
bound to always give thanks to God that there are some "brethren
beloved of the Lord" still left upon the face of the earth! David spoke
of the saints that were on the earth in his day as "the excellent, in
whom is all my delight." And David's Lord, our blessed Master, no doubt
found no small solace, as a Man, in associating with Mary, Martha and
Lazarus, for He seems to have withdrawn from the multitude who mocked
and scoffed and to have retired into the privacy of domestic piety–and
there to have found joy and comfort in the midst of the happy family
that was so closely attached to Him. There are still in the world many
of the precious sons of Zion who are comparable to fine gold and
concerning whom the Lord says, "They shall be Mine in that day when I
make up My jewels." Be wise, my Brothers and Sisters, and let it be
said of you as it was said of them of old, "They that feared the Lord
spoke often, one to another," for there is comfort to be found in the
society of God's saints– let the times be ever so perilous and dark.
But I would advance a step beyond this preliminary observation and
remark that when things are outwardly not as the children of God would
like them to be, and when there is much within them that is not as it
should be, they may often derive much solace by reflecting upon their
true condition in the sight of God in connection with the Lord Jesus
Christ. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I know that many of you have
grievous trials to endure. And I am well aware that if you look within,
you will see much that will distress you. You will perceive that the
old Adam still lurks within you and that notwithstanding all the force
that has been brought against him by Divine Grace, he is still far too
vigorous! It is true that some of you have also to suffer from poverty
and that your lot is a very difficult one–yet we are bound to give
thanks always to God for you, and you are, yourselves, bound to give
thanks on your own behalf because notwithstanding your poverty, and
notwithstanding your infirmity, and notwithstanding even the sin of
which you have such cause to mourn, you are still "beloved of the
Lord"–and in the Person of Jesus Christ you are "without spot, or
wrinkle, or any such thing"! When faith recognizes the vital union
which exists between Christ and the soul and realizes the consequent
blessedness and security of the saint, then it cries, "I am bound to
give thanks always unto God, for I am still beloved of the Lord
notwithstanding all that causes me often to weep and mourn."
It is my purpose, this evening, to invite all of you who are trusting
in the Lord Jesus Christ to contemplate your true standing in the sight
of God–that you may be uplifted from the dunghills of your complaints,
shake off the ashes of your doubts, unwind the sackcloth of your fears,
put on your beautiful garments of holy rejoicing and sing aloud unto
Him through whose Grace you are made worthy to be called "brethren
beloved of the Lord." There are two topics on which I have to speak.
First, the titles mentioned in the text And, secondly, the wearers of
those titles.
I. First, then, let us think for a while of THE TITLES MENTIONED IN THE
TEXT–"brethren" and, "beloved of the Lord."
"Brethren" is a very special word–the utterance of it awakens an echo
in every Believer's heart. It is naturally a silver word, but
spiritually God has transmuted it into gold. I do not wonder that a
certain sect has appropriated this title, yet we equally claim the name
of, "brethren," as our own, and we share it with all who are the
children of God by faith in Jesus Christ. The title, "brethren," is
very hallowed and very precious to us–let us try to find out what it
implies.
First, it indicates a common nature. Whatever opinions any may hold
concerning the unity of the human race, there can be no difference of
opinion about the unity of nature in those who are born of the same
parents. Where should I expect to find a person more in sympathy with
myself than my own brother? Where should I expect to find, beneath the
cope of Heaven, another soul that should be more akin to mine than the
soul of my brother? If there are not peace and love between us, where
can they be found? However much we may differ from one another in some
respects, there must be certain lineaments of feature or traits of
character in which we are alike. But even if this is not so naturally,
it certainly is so spiritually! All Believers are alike partakers of
the Divine Nature–we are all equally begotten again unto a lively hope
by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! The inner life of
all true Christians is the same–there is not a Baptist life and a
Methodist life, or a Nonconformist life and a Church of England life.
The Divine Life is one wherever it is bestowed. The life of my hand and
the life of my foot are one and the same, pulsating from the same
central source and maintained by the same power. And the life of God is
the same in all the members of the Mystical Body of Christ. This is
something more than brotherhood–that idea does not cover the whole
truth although it includes much of it. There is a distinct unity of
nature in all the saints of the living God! Hence, Brothers and
Sisters, I can never tolerate any attempts to limit communion between
those who are really one in Christ. It always seems to me that it would
be an infraction of the Divine Law if I were to say to a Brother in
Christ that I could not commune with him because of certain minor
matters in which we do not quite agree. Besides, whether I am willing
to do so or not, I cannot help communing with him for he is a part of
Christ's Mystical Body of which I also am a part! So that unless I
could myself get out of that body, or he could get out of it, which is
impossible for either of us, I must remain in spiritual communion with
him whatever I may do concerning the outward and visible symbols of
that communion. No, more than that, if I could go to Heaven and that
Brother still tarried here upon the earth, our communion would not be
broken, for Dr. Watts was right when he sang–
"The saints on earth, and all the dead,
But one communion make!
All join in Christ, their living Head,
And of His Grace partake."
The term, "brethren," also implies a common experience. The brethren in
an earthly family have the same parents, they live in the same house,
they partake of the some food, they share all the privileges and varied
experiences of the same household. So is it with those who are of the
household of faith, the family of God. Their experiences may vary even
as one child in the home differs from another, but there is much more
similarity than there is diversity in the experiences of the living
children of the living God. We have all been broken in pieces. We have
all been bound up. We have all been emptied. We have all been brought
to the Cross. We have all been led by one Spirit to drink of the same
precious Truth! We have not all subscribed to the same creed, yet in
substance and in effect, the Doctrine of all the children of God is, to
a large extent, identical. They rely for salvation upon the atoning
Sacrifice of Christ, and therein they are all one. Their pilgrim path
is through the same wilderness, they eat the same manna, they drink of
the same Rock, they are led by the same cloudy-fiery pillar, and they
come at last to the same heavenly Canaan and go no more out forever!
They are and they must be one, not only because they are one in nature,
but because the various processes through which that nature has to pass
are so largely the same.
More than this, the title, "brethren," implies that we love one
another. It is said that there is a lack of love in certain churches
that profess to be Christian. Well, perhaps there is. I am not going to
be an accuser of the brethren in that re-
spect, but I believe there is a great deal more love existing among
Christians than many persons imagine. Possibly, those who say there is
a lack of love in our midst judge by the state of their own hearts,
while those who really love the saints find that the saints also love
them. Do not suppose, dear Friends, because the preacher has sometimes
to proclaim very unpalatable Truths of God and because he sometimes
delivers his message in stern tones, that therefore he has not a tender
heart! Fidelity to the Truth of God requires that it should be spoken
in such a fashion as to secure public attention, and this involves the
use of great plainness of speech and a manner of delivery which some
may resent. And the man who honestly and fearlessly acts thus is more
acceptable to God and has far greater and truer love in his heart than
the one who says, "Peace, peace," when there is no peace! As I hate
Satan and all his works, so my soul hates every false doctrine in this
Church and in every Church! But as I love God and all that God loves,
so am I desirous to love every child of the loving God. And I will
further say that not only do I desire to love every child of God, but I
think I really do. Do you not feel, beloved Brothers and Sisters in
Christ, whenever you meet a Believer in Jesus, and begin to talk of the
things that belong to His Kingdom, you have fellowship with him in
heart and spirit even though you had never seen him before? When we
talk of Jesus, our love to one another soon begins to flow! The true
basis of our communion with one another is that we are there in Christ
Jesus–and that union manifests itself in love to all who are, as our
text puts it, "brethren beloved of the Lord."
This word, "brethren," is a far-reaching word, for it further implies
that all Christians have a common Father. Let all Believers rejoice
that they can unite in saying, "Our Father, who are in Heaven." There
is a straight line from my heart to the heart of God–and so there is
from your heart, my Brother or my Sister in Christ–so our Father's
heart is our common meeting place! We were there in purpose before this
world was created. We are there by faith at this moment and we shall be
there by blessed experience when this world has passed away and time
shall be no more! Having the same Father, we share equally in that
Father's love. We may not always feel the same love to all our Brothers
and Sisters in Christ, but God's love to us and His love to them knows
no variation. I trust you all realize that our Father is quite
impartial in His love to all His children and that all who are truly
members of His family through their union to Christ shall have an equal
share of it. Hence the tie of Christian brotherhood become a very
solemn and a very precious thing, for it not only binds us fast to our
Father in Heaven, but it also binds us closely to one another! I pray
that the members of this Church may always act toward each other as
Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I wish that among all the saints there
might be a sort of spiritual Freemasonry so that whenever we might
meet, we should recognize one another by the holy grip of Christian
love. There are certain sacred passwords that are common to all the
saints and I will defy the hypocrite or the worldling to pronounce them
aright–but if he should be able to utter them with his lips–he can
never really know their meaning in his heart. There are certain
experiences that cannot be learned without the teaching of the Holy
Spirit. There is a certain way of speaking about Christ that can never
be acquired as a parrot learns to talk. There is a certain ring which
God gives to His gold which is never bestowed upon baser metal–and
there is a certain something about a true child of God which enables
him to recognize others of the same family and which also enables them
to recognize him so that when they come together, their hearts leap up
at the thought that they are "brethren beloved of the
Lord."
Perhaps I have lingered too long over that first title, so now I must
turn to the second one, "beloved of the Lord." You do need my
explanations here, for the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle to give the
Divine explanation of this title of honor. Turn to the verse from which
our text is taken and you will see that the first thought concerning
the Lord's love to you is that of its antiquity–"We are bound to give
thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God
has from the beginning chosen you." You always were "beloved of the
Lord"! He did not begin to love you when you first repented and turned
to Him. He saw you in the glass of His eternal purpose and he loved you
then! That love He proved many centuries before you knew anything about
it, for His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, your Lord and Savior, had
redeemed you 1800 years before you were born–He gave the fullest proof
of His affection for you in laying down His life for you. There was
nothing in you to merit this wondrous Self-Sacrifice on the part of
Christ–on the contrary, you were His enemies, you profaned His holy
name, and despised His Sacrifice after you learned what He had done!
But He gave Himself for you because from eternity He had loved you with
a love that would not be turned from its purpose by anything that He
foresaw would be done by you!
In addition to the antiquity of the Lord's love to you, think also of
its richness. The Apostle says, "God has from the beginning chosen you
to salvation." Have you grasped the full meaning of that word,
salvation, Beloved? It does not merely mean salvation from Hell, though
that is included in it, but it means salvation from sin, salvation from
the guilt
and power of sin, salvation from your doubts, your fears, your
troubles–salvation from that besetting infirmity of yours, salvation
from the devil's dominion over you, salvation in all its fullness from
first to last! To all this "God has from the beginning chosen you" who
are "brethren beloved of the Lord"! This is no mean inheritance, no
slender portion, no slight gift–indeed, it is not easy to find words
in which adequately to describe all that God has done for you in
choosing you "to salvation." It will need all eternity to fully explain
the meaning of that great word! You are, indeed, "beloved of the Lord"
in having such a priceless portion as this bestowed upon you!
Notice, next, the wisdom, of the Lord's love to you. "God has from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit
and belief of the truth." Had it been possible for you to have had
salvation without sanctifica-tion, it would have been a curse to you
instead of a blessing. If such a thing were possible, I cannot conceive
of a more lamentable condition than for a man to have the happiness of
salvation without the holiness of it! Happily, it is not possible. If
you could be saved from the consequences of sin, but not from the sin,
itself, and its power and pollution, it would be no blessing to you.
But the salvation to which God has from the beginning chosen you is
inseparably linked with the cleansing and sanctifying work of the Holy
Spirit who operates within you through the instrumentality of faith!
Your belief of the Truth of God has a purifying influence upon your
whole life and makes you desire to follow in the footprints of your
dear Lord and Savior. Thus God shows His wisdom in the choice of the
means which He blesses to your salvation–blessing you as much by the
means as by the salvation, itself–blessing you as much in the road as
in the end to which it leads! You are, indeed, "beloved of the Lord" in
having the Spirit of God thus dwelling in you and bestowing upon you
that precious gift of faith by which you are enabled to believe the
Truths of God!
Observe, too, in order to increase your joy in the Lord, the signs of
this love. In the next verse, the Apostle goes on to say, "whereunto He
called you by our Gospel." Do you not remember, you who are "beloved of
the Lord," when you were called by the Gospel? Then was the eternal
purpose of God fulfilled in your experience. Go back in thought to the
time of your espousal to Christ. Recall the sound of the silver trumpet
that then brought you into Gospel liberty. You had been to the House of
God hundreds of times before when that same trumpet was ringing out the
glad refrain–
"The year of jubilee is come! Return, you ransomed sinners, home"– but
your ears and heart had been sealed to the message! But that day the
Lord opened your heart and unstopped your ears, so that you were
numbered among the happy people who heard the joyful sound! Your
calling proved your election, and it stands to you still as gracious
evidence of God's eternal love to you. Happy are we, too, if we can say
with the Apostle, "whereunto He called you by our Gospel." I know that
however many may preach the Gospel better than I do, there is no one
who can preach a better Gospel than the one I preach, for it is that
Gospel which "is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that
believes." "Our Gospel" is the best of gospels, the richest of gospels,
it cannot be excelled, it cannot be equaled! In fact, it is the only
Gospel that is worthy of the name! You remember how Paul wrote to the
Galatians, "I marvel that you are so soon removed from Him that called
you into the Grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not
another." That is to say, it is not another gospel and it brings only a
curse both upon him who preaches it and those who receive it! But
blessed are you who have been called unto salvation by "our Gospel."
There is yet one more sign of God's eternal love which is to be seen by
us in the future–"to the obtaining of the Glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ." We who believe in Jesus are so "beloved of the Lord" that He
will never be satisfied until we share His Glory! So be glad in the
Lord and rejoice in the glorious prospect that He has set before you!
God was not content to choose you to happiness here, but He has also
chosen you to happiness hereafter! He was not satisfied with making a
little Heaven for you here below, but He has made a great Heaven for
you up above! He has not appointed an earthly paradise where He might
sometimes come to you as He came to Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden,
but He has prepared a place for you in His own Home in Glory that you
may dwell forever in your Father's House where there are many abiding
places. Rejoice, then, "beloved of the Lord," that He has "called you
by our Gospel to the obtaining of the Glory of our Lord Jesus Christ"!
Of course it is not in my power to enable every Christian here to suck
all the sweet out of this title, but it is in the power of the Holy
Spirit to enable you to–and by the exercise of faith you may draw much
of it out. I claim this title for myself–"beloved of the Lord"–and
each Brother or Sister in Christ may claim it for himself or herself.
"O man greatly beloved" was the title given to Daniel, and that is the
title that is given to every Believer in Jesus. "That disciple whom
Jesus loved" was the distinguishing title of one of His followers when
Christ was here in the flesh. And now that after the flesh we know
Christ no more, we are His in such a special sense that every child of
God is "that disciple whom Jesus loves." May you get a firm grip of
that Truth of God, Beloved, and realize that Jesus loves you! You
cannot obtain this
assurance except by faith, but when you have believed, joy and peace
will quickly follow upon the heels of faith. No, they come hand in
hand, for we have joy and peace in believing!
II. I have taken so long in speaking of these titles of honor that I
have very little time left for speaking of THE
WEARERS OF THESE TITLES.
Suppose, dear Friends, you had all heard the Gospel preached and that
you understood the dignity and happiness of a Christian–what sort of a
person would you suppose him to be? If I try to picture him for you,
you will see how far your ideas and mine agree. I should think you
would so imagine that a man who is "beloved of the Lord" would be the
happiest man in the world. You naturally suppose that if the eternal
God has loved him, if the infinite heart of the Most High has been set
upon him from all eternity, he must experience the greatest imaginable
delight in such a belief and he must feel that whatever else he may or
may not possess, he is rich to the fairest possible extent in having
the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Spirit who is
given unto him! I know that a sorrowful friend over yonder is saying,
"If I really could say that Jesus is mine, I would be quite content to
be poor. If I were 'beloved of the Lord,' I would not mind if I had to
lie in a dungeon or even to be burned to death for His sake." So I
conceive that those who are "beloved of the Lord" must be the most
happy and joyful people to be found anywhere upon the face of the
earth!
I suppose, too, that the influence of this love upon them would make
them very careful not to offend their loving Lord. Naturally, the love
of Christ would exercise such a constraining influence upon them that
they would feel that men so highly favored as they are ought not to
live as other men do–but that, being distinguished by such peculiar
privileges, they should be "a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
Without violating the proprieties of conjecture, I can conceive that
the "beloved of the Lord" would be most heavenly-minded people. Having
such treasure in Heaven, they would naturally not care about the things
of earth, but would set their affection on things above so that where
their treasure is there would their heart be also. I think the Believer
would be longing and panting to get a peep through the pearly gates and
that until he could be there with his loving Lord, he would often be
singing–
"My heart is with Him on His Throne, And ill can brook delay! Each
moment listening for the voice, 'Rise up, and come away!'"
Further, I can suppose that the "beloved of the Lord" are so grateful
for their Lord's love that they are constantly telling others the story
of that love. And that when they meet their fellow Christians, their
constant theme of conversation is the riches of Divine Grace. I can
suppose that these people are so different from others that wherever
they go, they are looked upon with astonishment! Difficulties I suppose
they have, but being "beloved of the Lord" they take their difficulties
to Him and He enables them to overcome them by His Grace. Trials I
suppose they have, but they are sure to go to God about them and He
either removes them or gives the necessary strength to endure them. I
suppose they are people who compass sea and land, not to make
proselytes to their particular sect, but by holy self-denial and
consecrated service to glorify God and extend the Redeemer's Kingdom on
earth.
Is not this what you are longing to do, Beloved? Well, it is a good
thing to have high aspirations, but it is an even better thing to turn
those aspirations to practical account. Is there not something that we
can do for Christ tonight? The Israelites found the manna in the
wilderness, not by looking up to Heaven, but by looking down on the
ground. And instead of looking up to Heaven for means of glorifying
God, we may find opportunities of doing so all around our daily path!
Let us, each one, ask ourselves these questions and answer them as in
the sight of God–What can I do for God in my own family circle? What
can I say about Jesus to my friends? How can I bring most Glory to God
in my own spiritual life? What choice gift can I bring to my Savior as
Mary brought the costly ointment of spikenard and anointed the feet of
Jesus? What tears of penitence can I weep before His marred visage?
What holy faith can I now exercise in His risen and glorified Person?
Let me, as the "beloved of the Lord," with my largest ideas concerning
His Glory and the coming of His Kingdom, see what I can practically do
to show that I truly love Him by whom I am so greatly beloved!
I wish, Brothers and Sisters, that the portrait of the happiest man in
the world that I tried to draw a few minutes ago might prove to be your
own likeness. Some of you are sad and despondent, yet you are the
"beloved of the Lord." Then why are you so dispirited? You are heavy of
heart tonight, but since you are the "beloved of the Lord," you should
rejoice in Him whatever there may be to cause you present heaviness of
spirit! You have been struggling with inbred sin and the fight has been
so fierce that you have feared that you would be defeated–but as you
are the "beloved of the Lord," you must be more than conquerors through
Him who has loved you!
Some of you have come here tonight from the workshop where you have
been laughed at and mocked–you have most painful recollections of the
scorn with which you were assailed this very afternoon–but since you
are the "beloved of the Lord," the day will come when these things will
be reckoned among your highest honors. "Take that, John Bu-nyan," said
one to a certain Christian as he pushed him into the gutter. "Oh," said
the other, "you may push me into the gutter again if you can only prove
my right to bear that noble name!" So may you say to those who
persecute you for Christ's sake, "You may do it again if it pleases
you, for it would be an honor to me to be spit upon because I belong to
Christ." Cultivate that spirit, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, and let
the thought that that you are the "beloved of the Lord" make amends for
every cruel act or word on the part of His enemies. When the last
trumpet sounds, and the innumerable hosts of the redeemed are gathered
together unto Christ–and you whom God has from the beginning chosen to
salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth,
you whom He has called by our Gospel–when you obtain, I say, the Glory
of our Lord Jesus Christ, you will forget the little suffering that you
have ever borne on His account and rejoice with unspeakable joy and
full of Glory that you are forever to be numbered among the "beloved of
the
Lord"!
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: ROMANS 8:1-14.
This wonderful Chapter is the very cream of the cream of Holy
Scripture! What a grand keynote the Apostle strikes in the first verse!
Verse 1. There is therefore nowno condemnation to those who are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit [See Sermon #1917, Volume 32–IN CHRIST NO
CONDEMNATION.] "No condemnation"–that is the first note of the
Chapter. In the last verse it is "no separation." What glorious music
there is here–no condemnation to those who are in Christ, no
separation of them from Christ! Happy are the people who have a share
in this double blessing–but unhappy are the men and women who know
nothing of it! We will read it again–"There is therefore now no
condemnation." There is a great deal of accusation, and a great deal
more of tribulation, but there is no condemnation–not the least hint
of it! Some condemnation we might have expected, but "there is
therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
2. For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free
from the Law of sin and death. I have broken away from its thralldom!
The new Law, the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, the Law of
Grace has set me free from the domination of the Law of sin and death!
Happy is the free man who is thus liberated by the Grace of God.
3. For what the Law could not do–God has done by His Grace. "What the
Law could not do"–
3. In that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in
the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin–Or, as the marginal reading
renders it, "by a sacrifice for sin"–
3-5. Condemned sin in the flesh: that the righteousness of the Law
might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh.
Unregenerate men, the men who remain in the state in which they were
born. The men who allow their lower nature to have the predominance.
"They that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh." That is
all that they care about, all that they think about, all that they toil
for, all that they really "mind."
5. But they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit Those
in whom there is a new life begotten by the Holy Spirit–these mind the
things of the Spirit. Each nature seeks its own things–the flesh seeks
the things of the flesh, the spirit seeks the things of the Spirit.
Judge you, my Hearers, to which case you belong by this test–for what
are you living for? That which you live for is the true index of your
nature. Do you mind spiritual things or the things of the flesh?
6, 7. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded
is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is
enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither
indeed can be. [See Sermons #20, Volume 1–the carnal mind ENMITY
AGAINST GOD and #1878, Volume 32–A TRAITOR SUSPECTED AND CONVICTED.]
The old nature never will obey the Law of God–it can never do so.
What, then, is to be done with
it? Improve it? No, my Hearers, the only thing to be done with it is to
let it die and then to bury it. In Baptism you have a
most significant symbol of what is to be done with the flesh–you are
to treat it as a dead thing and, therefore, to bury
it. Let the old life be crucified and put to death with Christ and let
the new life take its place!
8. So then they that are in the flesh–Those who are still in the old
nature, living for it, living to it–
8. Cannot please God. Men may wash this old nature, they may clothe it,
they may decorate it, they may educate it, but there is no evolution
which can produce Grace out of Nature. The child of Nature may be
finely dressed, but it is a dead child however gaudily it is attired.
There is a vital eternal difference between the old nature and the new.
9. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the
Spirit of God dwells in you. You saints of Rome to whom Paul was
writing, and you who believe in Christ now–"You are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you."
9. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. If
Christ's Spirit has not quickened you, you do not belong to Christ.
Some ministers preach a very general sort of gospel in which everybody
has a share, but the Bible knows nothing of that sort of gospel! "If
any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Do you know
what it is to have the Spirit of Christ? If not, my Hearer, do not
deceive yourself–you are none of His. "If any man"–be he prince or
magistrate, a member of Parliament or a doctor of divinity–"if any man
has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."
10. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the
Spirit is life because of righteousness. Hence the body suffers, the
body is sick, the body decays, the body is under the dominion of death
because of sin–but the Spirit is full of life because of
righteousness.
11. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells
in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you. You Believers may have
a good hope concerning your bodies! "He that raised up Christ from the
dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies." Wait a while, therefore–
what God has done for your souls He will, in due time, also do for your
bodies! This should make you long for the day of
Christ's appearing, as Paul says in the 23r verse of this Chapter,
"waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body," when
Christ shall appear, and we shall be raised–
"From beds of dust and silent clay"– the body itself born a second
time, regenerate like the soul!
DEBTOR–Read/download the entire sermon, free of charge, at
http://www.spurgeongems.org.] We owe the flesh nothing! I mean the law
of sin in our
members–we owe nothing to that. It has been a curse and a plague to
us. We are not debtors to the flesh, so we must not "live after the
flesh."
13. For if you live after the flesh, you shall die. If you live simply
to gratify your ambition. If you live for avarice. If you live to
please yourself–if you live for any earthly object which can be
comprised under the term "after the flesh"– you will certainly be
disappointed, for you will die and your hope will die with you!
13. But if you, through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,
you shall live. If you seek, by the Holy Spirit's power, to kill sin.
If you try to crush all sinful desires. If you keep evil with a rope
about its neck–if you mortify it–put it to death, then you shall
live! Holiness is the mode of the Christian's life–sin is the way of
the sinner's death.