A Fatal Deficiency

A SERMON DELIVERED ON LORD'S-DAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 21, 1873,

BY C. H. SPURGEON,

AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON.

"If any man ha ve not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Romans
8:9.

THIS is one of the most solemn texts in the whole Bible. It is so
sweeping–it deals with all of us. "If any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of His." And it deals with the most important point
about us, for to belong to Christ is the most essential thing for time
and eternity. But we are not Christ's unless we have His Spirit. The
text does not treat of external rites and ceremonies. It does not
discuss a vexed question in doctrine. It does not speak of rare
attainments and unusual virtues–but it lays its axe at the root of the
tree–it points its sword at a vital part. The text probes to the
quick–it pierces to the dividing asunder of the joints and
marrow–dealing with the thoughts and intents of the heart. It speaks
to the soul and though it is the voice of the Gospel, yet is its sound
as terrible as the thunderclaps of Sinai. "If any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."

Since the subject leads us to think upon the Spirit of Christ, let us
entreat Him to help us at this hour, so that our thoughts shall be
honest, heart-searching, and therefore profitable to us. The preacher
has prayed that he may be helped to discourse upon the text. Let each
hearer pray that what shall be rightly said may also rightly affect his
heart and conscience. Do we not all earnestly desire to belong to
Christ? Do we not tremble at the bare idea of its being said of us that
we are "none of His"? With such desires and fears, I trust we shall
come with the greater readiness under the influence of the
heart-searching text before us.

I shall, at the outset, try to lead you to consider the remarkable
title which is here given to the Holy Spirit. When we have considered
that point, we will next observe the absolute necessity of possessing
the Spirit. And, thirdly, meditate upon the evidences which may help us
to discover whether we have the Spirit. Then we will close by weighing
well the consequences of being found without the Spirit of Christ–"We
are none of His."

I. First, then, let us consider, well, THE REMARKABLE TITLE WHICH IS
HERE GIVEN TO THE HOLY SPIRIT–for certainly it is the Holy Spirit who
is here intended by, "the Spirit of Christ." He is called, in the first
part of the verse, "the Spirit of God." And then He is styled, "the
Spirit of Christ." Christ and God are essentially One. The Holy Spirit
stands in intimate relationship to both the Father and to the Son and
is rightly called by either name. Inasmuch as He is here called the
Spirit of Christ, we may rest assured that a deep mystery is here dimly
revealed. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Son as well as from the
Father. Upon this we will say but little, for we know but little.

There was a great dispute, many centuries ago, between what are now
called the Eastern and Western Churches, upon this question–whether
the Spirit of God proceeded from the Father only, as said the Greek
Church–or proceeded from the Father and the Son–as said the Latin
Church. I think, if we must have an opinion upon such a subject, that
our text decides the point by declaring that the Holy Spirit is not
only the Spirit of God but the Spirit of Christ and proceeds,
doubtless, both from the Father and from the Son. But when we have said
that, what do we mean? Does any theologian know what he means by these
words? Will anybody ever know what is meant thereby? Can any of us, by
searching, find out God or know the Almighty to perfection? Is not this
a mystery into which our eyes will never be able to see? And,
therefore, is it not better to leave it among the inscrutable things
which belong to the blessed Trinity in unity, where understanding is
swamped, but where faith finds waters to swim in?

Leaving that deep matter, we pass to notice that the title, "the Spirit
of Christ," signifies, first, that the Spirit peculiarly and especially
rested upon Christ. The Holy Spirit had much to do with the Person of
our blessed Redeemer. The Manhood of Christ was begotten of the Spirit
of God when the power of the Highest overshadowed the Virgin Mary. When
our Lord first appeared in public to be recognized as the Son of
God–when He went down into the waters of Jordan and came up from
them–the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove, and rested upon Him
while the Divine

Voice proclaimed out of Heaven, "This is My Beloved Son." No sooner had
the Son of God passed from Jordan's brink than He was, "led of the
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil"–guided by the
Spirit of God to undergo those processes of trial which were necessary
to make Him perfect as the great High Priest, enabling Him to
sympathize with our infirmities, because He was "tempted in all points
like as we are."

We read that He returned into Galilee in the power of the Spirit. When
He began to preach, the first chapter that He read in public was, "The
Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach
the Gospel to the poor." His ministry was not a dead ministry of the
letter, but it stood in the power of the Spirit of God! He spoke not
according to the flesh, with the garnishing of human eloquence and
winning flatteries, but with those forcible words of wisdom which the
Holy Spirit teaches. He taught the people as One having authority and
not as the scribes. All through the life of Christ you see that the
Spirit of God rested upon Him in fullness of power, for God "gives not
the Spirit by measure unto Him." In Him "dwelt the fullness of the
Godhead bodily," and all the sacred gifts of the Holy Spirit were
treasured up in His blessed Person that out of His fullness we, also,
might receive Grace for Grace.

Was it not so written of Him in the Psalm, "You love righteousness and
hate wickedness: therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil
of gladness above Your fellows"? Because upon Christ, the Anointed One,
the Holy Spirit rests in fullness, the term, "the Spirit of Christ," is
most instructive. A second explanation is equally to the point. The
Holy Spirit is called the "Spirit of Christ," because our Lord Jesus
gives us the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist said concerning Him, "I,
indeed, baptize you with water unto repentance, but He that comes after
me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to wear. He shall
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a choice result of our Lord's work
among men. Jesus spoke of giving to men Living Water which should be in
them as a springing well, and this spoke He of the Spirit which was
given when Jesus was glorified. After His Resurrection He breathed on
His disciples and said, "receive you the Holy Spirit." But indeed, the
whole ministry of Jesus was a Revelation of the things of the Spirit.
He did not preach upon points of ritual and ceremonial observation, but
He went into inward matters and with the fan in His hand, thoroughly
purged His floor. His precepts concern not the washing of hands, the
straining out of gnats, the wearing of phylacteries and the observance
of holy days– they deal with the heart, the affections, the spiritual
nature of man–and thus are far removed from the traditions of
superstition and the frivolities of false philosophy.

Beyond all this, Beloved, our Lord Jesus Christ, at His Ascension,
procured for us the descent of the Holy Spirit. "It is expedient for
you that I go away," He said, "for if I go not away, the Comforter will
not come unto you." He rose to His Father, but when the fullness of
time was come, the rushing, mighty Wind was heard and the cloven
tongues, as if were fire, were seen sitting upon the disciples! And
from that moment the Church of God was baptized into the Holy Spirit.
God grant that she may never forget that day of days, but walk in the
power bestowed upon her at Pentecost! On that glorious day, the Word of
the Lord by the Prophet Joel was fulfilled–"I will pour out My Spirit
upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your
old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also
upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out
My Spirit."

This being so gloriously fulfilled, we are waiting for that other
promise, "I will pour upon the house of David and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and of supplications, and they shall look
upon Me whom they have pierced, and shall mourn for their sins."
Therefore the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ because He is the
choice gift of our ascended Lord. Mark a third explanation of the
passage–the Holy Spirit may be called, "the Spirit of Christ," because
Christ lived peculiarly in the power of the Spirit. Understand the
"Spirit," as used in the text, in opposition to the "flesh," and you
will see my meaning. Never did the flesh rule Christ. Never in one
solitary moment did bodily cravings and appetites master Him. No, He
even forgot to eat bread, finding meat to eat which even His disciples
knew not of. Love sought not its own, but made Him lay down His life
for His friends.

The Spirit of God shone forth upon Him in full luster of unsullied
light, revealing Him as pure and spotless, a glorious Person in whom
the Prince of Darkness could find nothing. Our Lord Jesus Christ was
never moved by any passion of a sensual kind or swayed by a motive of a
fleshly tendency. It would be blasphemous to think of such a thing in
connection with so Divine a Character. Some cry aloud and strive for
mastery, but not He. Some have high ambitions and would thrust down
others, but not He. Some unite on the right hand and on the left, for
their spirit is full of

vengeance, but not He. The flesh that lusts for vengeance and that
cries after power had no rule in Him. He was meek and lowly of heart.
The Spirit of holiness and love was in Him–that Spirit which brings
power and peace.

Always was the Holy Spirit to be seen in connection with the Character
and work of our blessed Lord. His life was a life in the Spirit. His
teaching was a teaching of spiritual things. The objects that He aimed
at in His teaching were all spiritual. There was nothing carnal,
nothing gross, nothing earthy about Him–every thought, desire and aim
were of the highest, noblest, and most spiritual order. And therefore
it is, I think, that the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ.

Mark, also, that the Holy Spirit is He who quickens the entire mystical
body of Jesus Christ. All the saints are members of Christ's body and
all the members of that body are distinguished from other men by
this–that they are spiritual men and seek after spiritual things.
"There is one body and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope of
our calling." It is the Spirit that quickens the entire mystical body,
and by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we are
Jews or Gentiles, whether we are bond or free. The true Church of
Christ, being in herself a spiritual body, acts in a spiritual manner
and strives after spiritual objects. Yonder Church which is wrapped up
in formalism, which cannot speak a word of prayer without her book–is
she moved of the Spirit, or may it not be said of her sons– "Are you
so foolish; having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the
flesh?"

Yonder Church, which bows before images and pictures and flaunts her
banners and uplifts her crucifixes, burning her candles in the
sunlight–is she the spiritual Church of Christ? I think not. You shall
find the Church of Christ where faithful men worship God in the Spirit
and have no confidence in the flesh–men who, if they speak, seek to be
moved by the Holy Spirit, or else had rather keep silent–who desire
not the wisdom that comes of man, nor the teaching which is the
fabrication of human reason–but desire to wait upon the Scriptures for
instruction and upon the Spirit of God to show light upon the
Scriptures. This is the Church of God.

O Beloved, the times are just now very dangerous and require of all
Christians to bear their testimony as to the spirituality of true
religion. True religion consists not in outward forms, peculiar garbs,
or modes of speech, or anything that is ritualistic and external. "The
kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and
joy in the Holy Spirit." Men are again becoming subject to human
ordinances after the commandments and doctrines of men, saying, "Touch
not, taste not, handle not." But the true faith stands not in
will-worship, nor in the inventions of the flesh. Neither is that
acceptable worship which men's fancies have devised that they may
display the beauty of carved stone and wood, and the glory of gold and
silver and copper together with blue and scarlet and fine linen, and
glass of many colors, and sweet odors of the merchants. The true
worshippers of God worship in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks
such to worship Him.

Therefore is the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Christ, because, wherever
the faith of Christ and the mystical body of Christ are found, there
you will find spiritual worship–worship rendered by mind and
heart–the worship of love, the worship of humility, adoration and
obedience. The Church of God brings not to Him rivers of oil, or the
blood of ten thousands of fat beasts. She seeks to do justly, to love
mercy and to walk humbly with her God. Sacrifices and burnt offerings
are abolished–broken and contrite hearts are still, in the sight of
the Lord, of great price. Therefore the Spirit of God is rightly called
the Spirit of Christ.

II. Now, secondly–and may the Lord help and guide us in our thoughts
and utterances–let us OBSERVE THE

NECESSITY OF POSSESSING THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST. Notice that, according to
the text, it is necessary in every

case–"If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." It
does not say, "If any minister be destitute of the Holy Spirit he is
unfit for his calling." That is quite true, but the text is not dealing
with any supposed divisions of laity and clergy–it speaks not to a
class, but utters its warning voice to men as men. "If any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."

It may be urged that some have an especially amiable nature and
disposition. They were never known to speak an untruth, or to do an
unkind action, from their youth up. They grow up in the garden of the
family like lovely flowers, the admiration of all. Yes, I admit that it
is even so, but I cannot help it, I must speak the truth as I have it
in my text. "If any man," however amiable he may be, "have not the
Spirit of Christ," I must say the same of him as of the drunk and of
the thief, "he is none of Christ's." The fairest flowers, as surely as
the foulest weeds, are none of Christ's if they are not of the Spirit's
own planting.

But we meet with instances in which, in addition to a natural
amiability, the refinements of good society have exercised their best
influence. The man has lived among Christian people. He has a title to
birthright membership, if such a right can be. He has never mingled
with the coarser sort of sinners, or learned the vulgarities of vice.
The man is lovely to look upon. Yes, and as I repeat the words of my
text, I say the Truth of God and lie not, I feel a love to such an one,
even as Jesus did to that young man who said, "All these things have I
kept from my youth up. What lack I yet?" But we must not shirk the
Truth even in this case. This one lack, the lack of the Spirit of
Christ, is fatal to the noblest character and Christ disowns utterly
every man who has not His Spirit in him.

But can we not, by adding outward religiousness to moral somehow or
other, rise, by our own efforts, to be true Christians without the Holy
Spirit? Can we not be baptized and kneel as God's people kneel, and
sing as they sing, and take the sacrament as they do? Yes, you can
readily do all these, but you will still be condemned, for the text
will still remain true, "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he
is none of His." And if it were possible (which it is not) for you to
produce the same virtues in yourself which are produced by the Holy
Spirit, yet even those would not suffice, for the text is absolute and
it does not say, "If any man have not the worlds of the Spirit," or,
"the influences of the Spirit," or, "the general results of character
which come of the indwelling of the Spirit." No, it goes deeper and
declares, "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
His."

The difference between the regenerate and the unregenerate is not one
of degree, but of kind. A dead soul cannot develop into a living one,
nor can the carnal mind improve into a spiritual mind. Almighty power
is needed to bridge the separating gulf! This ought to lead every
rational man to utterly despair of saving himself by any strength of
his own! You must resort to Divine agency. You are driven to the Holy
Spirit because without Him, whatever you may do or be, my text, like
the cherubic sword which kept the entrance to Eden, prevents your
hoping to obtain eternal life by your own power. "Except a man is born
of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
Note well that the text does not make any sort of exception, or so much
as hint at any–for some might have said, "But, surely, those who have
long been members of the Christian Church, and those who are officers
in her midst, and those in high esteem, surely they are Christ's, and
will be saved in any case, right?"

No, by no means! If they have not the Spirit of Christ, even these are
none of His! We are all on a par here. The doorkeeper in our assemblies
is, in this respect, exactly on the same footing as the presiding elder
of the Church. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of
His." I might even have said that the officers of the Church are in a
worse position than other men, for their responsibility is so terribly
great and their temptation to mere official religion so immense.
Chrysostom said in his day, "I wonder if any of the rulers of the
Church will be saved?" And had he lived in these times he might, with
equal force, have said the same. Can't you see how the great ones of
the Church, who call themselves the bishops and shepherds of the flock,
are suffering this nation to drift away to Rome?

They are leading this nation into all the devilries of Rome's idolatry
and superstition, and yet they neither lift a finger nor speak a word
to stop the evil. Hirelings as they are, what do they care for the
sheep? They sit in worldly state among the peers of the realm and it
frets them not though the whole land reeks and rots with superstition!
God have mercy on them! Well did you say, O John of the golden mouth,
"I wonder if any of the rulers of the Church will be saved?" If in any
other position men so shamefully neglected their master's business they
would be discharged in disgrace! I speak thus in solemn soberness
grieving that the charge is all too true.

Nor is this all. What must be the lot of those of us who are ordinary
ministers if we have not the Spirit of Christ? And is it clear that all
of us have? How many there are who occupy the pulpit, the object of
whose preaching is the display of their own eloquence or learning, by
the giving out of well-turned periods and pretty essays upon
philosophical subjects instead of striking at men's consciences and
dealing with their souls in the name of God! The world is perishing and
the Church is going to sleep over it! God have mercy upon all of us who
are Church officers and make us faithful! Instead of needing less of
the Spirit, we need a double portion–and if there are any men about
whom it may be said, "If they have not the Spirit of Christ, they are
none of His"–it must be said with the greatest solemnity concerning
the ministers, deacons, and elders of our Churches! If they have not
the Spirit of Christ they are worse than other men! Their position puts
them under extraordinary responsibility and if they are false to it, it
will bring them under terrible condemnation. "If any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."

Now observe that this is put in opposition to everything. For instance,
there are some who glory in the name of Christians as if the name were
some great thing. We have a certain unbrotherly company who call
themselves "Brethren," and certain others who disapprove of
denominations, and therefore in the name of Christian amity set up a
denomination of their own, infinitely more exclusive than any before
known. These frequently claim to be especially denominated
Christians–I suppose because they would insinuate that they, alone,
are Christians. Brothers and Sisters in Paul's day said, "I am of
Paul." Others said, "I am of Apollos." A third group said, "I am of
Christ." Now there was not a pin to choose between them–they were all
equally sectarian. It is not wearing the name of Christ, but having the
Spirit of Christ which will prove us to be accepted. Probably none were
ever further off from Christ than those who called themselves by His
name, namely, the Jesuits. Little enough has Jesus to do with the
Society of Jesus!

The Christian Church has never been more pure or more earnest than when
it has been known by an opprobrious name. There was far more power and
life among the despised, "Quakers," than among the respected, "Society
of Friends." I liked the "Ranters" better than the more quiet,
"Primitive Methodists." And the detested "Anabaptists" were men of far
more courage and principle than the modern "Baptists." Give me the man
who can render a reproachful name illustrious–there is no shame in
being disgraced! The reproach soon wears away and if it did not,
blessed are they that are reproached for Christ's sake.

But, Beloved, you may wear the literal name of Christ and you may keep
on pushing yourself adrift from everybody into a state of external
peculiarity if you like–but if you have not the Spirit of Christ, you
are none of His for all that. You may take to yourself very precise
notions of how you should act, how you should speak, what you should
eat, what you should drink, what you should wear–and you may become a
very strait-laced Puritan, indeed. But remember, after you have done
all that, "the kingdom of God is not meat or drink." And, "if any man
have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Nothing short of
this will suffice, however commendable, however much admired among men.
We shall fare ill at the Last Great Day if the Spirit of God is not in
us.

But the text is expressly in opposition to "the flesh." There is the
point of its meaning. What does it mean, then, to have the Spirit of
Christ in opposition to being in the flesh? Observe carefully there are
two states–in one or the other every man is found. There is no middle
place. We are either in the flesh or in the Spirit. Every man is born
in the flesh and if left alone he will follow the desires and devices
of his fleshly nature as every unregenerate man does. Some follow their
fleshly nature coarsely and run into vice. Others follow it in a more
refined manner and live to gain wealth, to gratify taste, or to gain
the approbation of their fellow men–all which is of the flesh. There
is another state and that is called being in the Spirit. Into this
condition we are admitted by the new birth. When a man walks in the
Spirit he recognizes something higher than that which can be touched by
the hand, seen with the eyes, or heard with the ear.

He has entered into a new world and is a citizen of a spiritual realm.
He has come where God is real to him, where Christ is real to him,
where truth is real, where sin is hateful, where holiness is lovely.
Judge, my Brothers and Sisters, whether you know anything concerning
this. Many are in the flesh. They are, as yet, the mass of mankind. But
there is a remnant who walk after the Spirit because the Holy Spirit
has renewed them. He who is in the flesh is ruled by the flesh–the
animal in him is the master of the man–the mere conscious mind in him
is dominant over the higher nature, the Spirit.

The man who is in the Spirit tramples down the flesh and labors to keep
it under. When the flesh, for awhile, prevails, he laments his fault
and weeps concerning it, for he is not the willing servant of the
flesh, but the Spirit in him strives for the mastery and he greatly
delights in its sway. The man who is in the flesh trusts to the flesh.
He looks to his own works for salvation. His prayers, his tears, his
almsgivings–these are to save him. But the man who has the Spirit of
Christ counts all his good works to be dross and dung. He trusts in the
Lord through the Spirit. He trusts in the blood and righteousness of
Jesus Christ and builds his hope upon the mercy of God in his Redeemer.
The man who is in the flesh worships in the flesh. His eyes must be
pleased with the peculiar dress of the minister and the architectural
beauty of the place of assembly, while his ears must be regaled, if not
with sound of flute, harp, sackbut and psaltery, yet with the swell of
organs!

His nose, also, must be gratified with sweet incense. He worships in
the flesh, looking to crosses, altars and priests. While the man who
has the Spirit utterly abhors these idols and desires not to see, but
to believe, not to smell, but to think. The sound of the Truth of God
is better to the spiritual man than tinkling bells and the noise of
pipes and bellows.

He wants something for his soul to think upon, something to love,
something to stir his affections, something to strengthen him for
goodness and to cast down the power of evil in his nature. Being a
spiritual man, he worships God in the Spirit. To him the hillside is as
holy as the meeting house. He counts one place as sacred as another.
Neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, does he worship the
Father, but he worships God in spirit and in truth.

He will not yield to be judged by others in meats, drinks, new moons
and holy days. He scorns to stoop to priests, but believes himself and
each Believer to be a priest unto God. He makes each garment a vestment
and every meal is, to him, a sacrament. To him all things are
sanctified by the Presence of the eternal God. He lives in the Spirit
and, wherever he moves, he abides in fellowship with the unseen Lord.
He recognizes spiritual things where others see them not. He is swayed
by spiritual motives. He seeks after spiritual objects. And while the
poor creatures of the earth, like so many moles, toil to bury
themselves under its surface and heap up gold and silver, and say,
"These are your gods, O Israel," this man is thankful for his food and
raiment, and the comforts of life. But he feels that these are not his
God, nor is anything which can be seen worthy to be the object of his
pursuit.

He derives his pleasure from springs above and drinks in draughts of
life, not from this poor dying world, but from the ever-living and
Eternal God. Blessed is the man who has come to this! We must all come
to it, or we are none of Christ's. Do not think I am setting up some
sublime standard. I am not. I am keeping to the level of the text. "If
any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His."

III. And now I want you, for a few minutes only, to meditate upon THE
EVIDENCES OF HAVING THE SPIRIT,

for some will say, "Have I the Spirit?" Yes, I trust all will make the
enquiry. My Hearers, you either have the Spirit or you have not. See to
it! If you have the Spirit, in the first place, as it is the Spirit of
Christ, it has led you to Christ. Have you, then, been clean delivered
from all confidence in yourselves? Have you been brought to the foot of
the Cross and made to see that there hangs your only salvation? And are
you trusting solely and entirely in the blood and righteousness of
God's crucified Son? If you are, you have the Spirit of Christ, for the
Spirit that leads a man to faith in Christ is the Spirit of Christ. You
could not have come to Christ if you had not been drawn, and none will
draw you but the heavenly Father by His Spirit. If you are resting
wholly upon Jesus you have His Spirit.

I will ask you another question. Do you feel in your soul a desire to
honor the Lord Jesus? Do you love to hear Him extolled? Can you say
that you hate everything which robs Him of His Glory? Do you love that
sermon best which most exalts Jesus? Have you ever felt that you could
die to crown our Lord's most blessed head? Do you now fall at His feet
and adore Him with your heart's truest love? Then you have the Spirit
of Christ, for He delights to glorify Christ by taking of the things of
Christ and showing them to us!

Again. If you have the Spirit of Christ it will make you like Christ.
Like Christ, first, in relation to God. Christ lived for God. When He
was but 12 years old, He said, "Know you not that I must be about My
Father's business?" And all His life long He could say that the zeal of
God's House had eaten Him up. His meat and His drink were to do the
will of His Father who had sent Him. Beloved, is that how you feel
towards God? Then you have the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ
is a Spirit of prayer. It kept the Son in constant communion with the
Father. You constantly find the Lord Jesus in converse with God. If you
have the spirit of sonship as Christ had, you will be much in prayer,
too, and you will thus prove that you have the Spirit of Christ.

Christ's worship of God was always spiritual. You never find Him
worshipping otherwise than with His whole heart and soul. The
traditions of men, their different watches and observances were nothing
to Him–He walked with God and dwelt in Him–and needed not these
childish ordinances. His was a spiritual life. Is yours so? Our Lord
Jesus Christ towards God was always true. He was a faithful witness.
You never find Him flinching a word. He was full of love, but how He
could thunder against false-hearted men! "Woe unto you, Scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites!" Elijah was never more terrible against Baal
than was the loving Savior against ritualistic Phariseeism–for towards
His Father glowed a holy zeal and a sacred detestation of everything
that would dishonor His beloved name.

Have you the Spirit of Christ in you? The Spirit of Christ was towards
men a fullness of love. He was ready to do good to all. He fed the
hungry. He healed the sick. He never considered Himself but spent His
life for others, laying Himself out for them. They would have made Him
a king in their momentary enthusiasm, but He needed no kingdom. It was
kingdom enough for Him to help the miserable and succor the wretched.
Do you feel in your soul a love to men for God's sake? Can you forgive
them when they do you wrong? Can you pray for your enemies? Can you
follow His

command who said, "I say unto you, That you resist not evil, but when
they smite you on the one cheek, turn to them the other also"? Then I
trust you have Christ's Spirit.

But on the other hand, are you indignant when you are insulted? Are you
pettish and ready to resent every little thing? You have not the Spirit
of Christ if it is so! The Spirit of Christ is a gentle, forbearing,
tender Spirit–stern, as I have told you, for God and for His
Truth–but tender as a child towards the infirmities, sorrows and
weaknesses of mankind. The Spirit of Christ is upright for that which
is true and holy, but bending down towards that which is ready to die.
Do you know the Spirit of Christ? Read His life and you will see it
there. Have you such a Spirit? Do you long to be perfect, like Jesus?
For if you have not the Spirit of Christ, you are none of His.

My time will fail me if I continue much longer and therefore I will
close this head by saying that if we have the Spirit of Christ it will
show itself by its operations in our hearts. We shall feel it moving
within us. It will make us hate everything that is evil, false, unholy.
It will move us to repentance of all that we have done amiss towards
God or man. It will make us brave and courageous for God and for His
Truth. If the Spirit of God is in us, it will move us to joy in God, to
hope in God, to delight in God. Fellowship with God will become
necessary to us. Prayer to God will be one of our most delightful
exercises and the praise of God will be our dearest enjoyment. The
indwelling Spirit within us will make us spiritual, move us in
spiritual directions after spiritual things and we shall thus be
spiritual men to the praise of God! But if we are not this, we are none
of Christ's.

IV. The last point is THE SAD CONSEQUENCES OF NOT HAVING THE SPIRIT.
These are consequences for

which nothing in this world can compensate. "If any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." Everything is gone if we are
"none of His." Supposing it had said, "He is not a favored disciple."
Well, one would have been sorry to miss the opportunity of the place
nearest to the Master. But this is far worse–it says, "he is none of
His." The Lord does not own him at all! "No disciple of Mine," says
Christ. "No, if he has not My Spirit he is none of Mine." He is a lost
sheep, but Jesus says he is "none of His." Whoever he may belong to, he
does not belong to Christ. If he has not Christ's Spirit in him, he is
"none of His."

Whatever body he may be a member of, he is no member of Christ's body,
for the Spirit dwells in all the members of that body–and he who has
not that Spirit is none of His. "None of His." The words wound my
heart! They are like a dagger to my soul! "None of His!" "None of His!"
Ah, if I am none of His because I have not the Spirit, whose am I? I
beseech the man who has not the Spirit of Christ to look that question
in the face! He who died upon the Cross disowns you. He who is risen
into His Glory disowns you! What misery is this! When He comes in the
Glory of the Father and calls His sheep to His right hand, that they
may enjoy eternal blessedness in His company, He will say, "I never
knew you." If you, dear Hearer, are none of His, then whose are you?

YOU are the devil's! Awful thought! Terrible words to use. But it must
be so. There are two proprietors of men, two rulers whom they serve.
"You are of God, little children," says the Apostle. But of others he
says they lie in the Wicked One and are heirs of wrath. There are two
classes of men–the heirs of wrath and the heirs of God–if you are
none of Christ's you are the prisoner of condemnation! My dear Hearer,
what are you if you are not Christ's? You are a waif, a stray, a wreck
drifted out to sea, soon to sink forever! And where are you if you are
not Christ's? On the way to judgment, on the road to eternal
condemnation! If you are not His, you are going as fast as time can
carry you away, away, away to the gloomy land where ray of hope will
never pierce the midnight darkness! Away, away, away, where despair
lasts for eternity!

O God, it is a dreadful thing to live a moment in an unforgiven state.
"He that believes not is condemned already, because he has not believed
upon the Son of God." If you were set up for an instant upon the top of
St. Paul's Cathedral, poised in the air upon the cross with none to
hold you up, how dreadful would be your feelings as you looked beneath
you and knew that the next gust of wind would sweep you down to sure
destruction! Sinner, you are now in a similar position! If you are none
of His you are now in awful peril! You stand over the mouth of Hell
upon a single plank and that plank is rotten! You hang over the jaws of
Perdition by a slender thread and the angel of Justice is ready to cut
that thread in two. "None of His! None of His!"

Oh, how dreadful to live none of His and to die none of His, and to
have this for your epitaph–"NONE OF HIS!" And then to wake up on the
Resurrection morning and see the King in His beauty on the Throne and
to know that you are none of His! To cry to the rocks to hide you, and
to the hills to cover you, for you are none of His! Then to be

brought out before the Great White Throne resplendent in its holiness
and hear the fact announced so that all may hear, that there is a
Savior but you are none of His! Ah, what will it be to see the pit open
her mouth to devour you and, descending forever, to understand that you
are none of His!–

"You sinners, seek His face,

Whose wrath you cannot bear.

Bow to the scepter of His Grace,

And find salvation there."

If you look to Jesus by faith, the Spirit is with you as you look.
There is life in a look at the crucified Redeemer. Trust Him! Trust
Him! Trust Him!

And may the Lord constrain you, now, to live as you have never lived
before. May you now begin the spiritual life, for if you have not the
Spirit of God, you are none of His!

PORTION OF SCRIPTURE READ BEFORE SERMON–Romans 8:1-23.
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Paved With Love