In this deeply interesting chapter, which describes the beginning of the work of the Lord in Europe, we have not a full statement of the word of the Lord which Paul spoke to the first convert Lydia, or to the awakened jailor. At Thessalonica, the next place however, to which the Spirit guides these servants of the Lord, we have a sample of the manner of Paul’s preaching. “And Paul as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you is Christ.” (Acts 17:2, 32And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 3Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. (Acts 17:2‑3).)
These are few words; but do they not speak a very different gospel from that which is now generally preached? We will inquire what this difference is, in what it consists. You will observe the effect of this gospel was also altogether different from the preaching of this day. It was then immediate salvation, known and enjoyed, as we shall find by the first inspired letters written to the church in Europe. Or, even in this chapter, was not Lydia fully blest the first day, and the jailor in one night? Now weary years of uncertainty. (Acts 16)
One point of contrast is this. Paul preached then what Christ must needs do; while the preacher now, mostly preaches what man must need do. Just as if when God commanded Moses to lift up the brazen serpent, and it came to pass that whosoever looked at it lived: and, if instead of this, someone had declared the very opposite, and directed the bitten Israelite to look at his wound, and try to heal it. In one case there would have been immediate relief, in the other all the physicians in Israel could not save the bitten one from death. Jesus said “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Or, as we were saying the other night, to a number of colliers: Do you not see a difference between these two plans, or methods of escape, when you are deep down in the dark mine, and a death spreading explosion takes place. Let one man stand at the pit’s mouth, and cry down a lecture of directions, what efforts you are to make to escape, you are to do your utmost to try to escape; a man might weary himself in the dark workings, or vainly try to climb the shaft. But, hark! the engineer, who well understands the nature of the mine, and its awful depth of darkness, what does he say? “The cage must needs go down to the very bottom: and it must needs rise again to the very top, and bring the men out, or they are lost.” The cage goes down, down, the men are brought up out. Yes, out of darkness and death, into life and light. Is there a collier but knows the engineer is right, and the other talking man at the pit’s mouth is wrong? Now which of these methods of escape did Paul first preach in Europe? Did he stand at the pit’s mouth and tell the sinner down in darkness, what he must do? Did he tell him to fast down there, and observe days, and penance, and rites, and ceremonies, and prayers; and get intercession of saints, and struggle in the darkness of sin and death, never, never to know, he was out, but only hope, the hope of despair, of weary years of darkness to be helped, if help can come of sacraments dispensed by men in deep darkness, like, and with themselves.
Does Paul open the scriptures and declare that thus must the sinner do, to get saved from the pit? No, Paul by the Spirit of God says, “Christ must needs have suffered.” Yes, for this He came down to this world of sin and darkness. All scripture declares that He must needs suffer. All types of scripture point to the atoning death. The Lamb of God must be killed, His blood must be shed. No other victim could meet the just judgment of God on our sins. As no deliverance was possible to the men in the pit, but the cage descending to take them out, so no salvation was possible to sinners guilty before God, but the death of the eternal Son. He must be lifted up. Propitiation must be made, or mercy cannot be shown. Ah, did ever any being descend so low as the Holy One of God? As man forsaken of God? See Him on that cross, bow His head and give up the ghost. See Him the Lord of all, yet laid in death; delivered for our offenses. But this was not all. As the cage that was let down was also drawn up, or none that were in it could have been saved out of the pit; so Paul not only preached that Christ must needs have suffered, but also “and risen again from the dead.” Yes, He who was delivered for our offenses was also raised again from the dead for our justification.
The anxious reader, however, may be ready to say, But how am I to know that He suffered for me? that He bare my sins, was delivered for my offenses? How can I be certain that I am justified—that God accounts, or reckons me, justified, righteous before Him?
As this was the manner of Paul’s preaching—that is the showing from scripture the need of the suffering and death of Christ, and His resurrection from the dead; and more, that all this had been done; yes, all that must be done had been done, “and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.” Look up to the right hand of the Majesty on high, who is He in all that glory? The very Jesus who has done all that was written in the scripture; all that need be done, that must be done for your salvation. All is done, “It is finished.” He said it. There can be no doubt as to this, for God hath raised Him from the dead, and received Him up into glory. Could there possibly be a greater proof that all that must be done, both to glorify God and expiate our sins, has been done than God has given in raising our Sin-bearer from the dead? So that the apostle in another place said, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things.” (Acts 13:38, 3938Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38‑39).) Now we may be quite sure, when God says by His servant, “Be it known” that what He says is true. God says, “Be it known.” Yes, it, the very thing the anxious soul desires to know, forgiveness of sins. All that must be done, has been done by Jesus, and now God proclaims to you through Him forgiveness of sins. Do you believe Satan, or God? If you believe God, well, God says all that believe—are justified from all things. Do you believe that Jesus must needs suffer; that nothing short of this could have purged your sins? Without shedding of blood there could be no remission. Do you believe that all this has been done; done once for all, for God has raised from the dead that once bleeding Jesus forsaken on the cross? There God was glorified, and therefore now in righteousness He proclaims forgiveness of sins. Yes, blessed be God, He says, “be it known.” Did you not say, how can I know? God says, all that believe are justified; that is, are accounted righteous before Him, therefore it is rather how can you not know? for what He says must be true. You believe God, and he says you are justified. How can you doubt?
We heard of the death of an eminent person, who had been a preacher many years. He said something like this: “I have sought to serve the Lord for many years, and yet I have not the comfort or assurance I desired in this my dying hour.” One with him said, “You forget that Jesus Christ is the Savior, and that He says, ‘Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out.’” He said, “I have read that a thousand times, and never before saw its meaning.” He believed on the Lord Jesus, and Jesus said, he had everlasting life. The mistake was a very common one, trying to serve God in order to get life, instead of believing God, and thus knowing that he had eternal life. We think we hear you say, “I am a poor unworthy sinner, but I do believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But I wonder how I may get everlasting life and know it.” Jesus says you have it. Well may you say, I never saw that before.
Equally certain are those other words of Jesus, words which have been blest to so many souls; we cannot dwell on them too much. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24).) Do you hear His word? do you believe God that sent Him? Then Jesus assures you, that you have everlasting life, shall not come into condemnation, but that you have passed from death unto life. Now why should you doubt Him? Can anything be more certain than that which Jesus saith? If you believe God that He sent Jesus to suffer the death of the cross for your sins; that God hath raised Him from the dead for your justification; you have everlasting life, you are justified from all things, and, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” We do not hope to be justified, but being justified we have peace with God. Yes, and God says, “Be it known unto you,” yes, to every believer God says, “Be it known.” Be it known that your sins are forgiven: be it known that you are justified from all things: be it known that you have peace with God. Be it known that Jesus hath made peace by the blood of the cross—His own precious blood. Be it known to you, He says it, “peace unto you.” “To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.”
Such was the gospel preached at first by the apostles. However pleasing to man’s unbelieving heart, to tell a lost sinner he must serve the Lord all his life, and so hope to attain to eternal life at last; yet it is not the gospel Paul preached in Europe. It was the glad tidings that what must be done to vindicate the holy, righteous, Majesty of God, had been done by the Lord Jesus Christ.
And for our further comfort be it noticed, that this gospel, the word of the Lord that Paul was wont to preach, is shown in his Epistle to the Romans, to be on the ground that we are not capable of serving the Lord, and keeping His law, in order to be saved; but that sinners in this world, Jews or Gentiles, have been tried, and found utterly guilty and lost before God.
Since all are guilty, if God deals with us on the righteous principle of law, it is plain He must and can only condemn all. But now His righteousness is revealed on another entirely different principle: justifying freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. What is this principle, so entirely apart from law which only can condemn? It is no less than the death of Jesus, the holy One of God made sin for us. The Sin-bearer bearing our sins in His own body on the tree. The Just One dying for the unjust, to bring us to God. That blessed Substitute delivered for our offenses, and raised again from the dead for our justification. And thus all for whom He died as Substitute are justified by Him, through Him, and in Him.
Fellow believers, is there any uncertainty about this? Has not God glorified Him, who was our Sin-bearer on the cross? “The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Is there one sin, one of yours or ours, still left on Him, to be judged, or expiated? How could He be in the glory with one of our sins left upon Him? Impossible! Then equally impossible that one should be left on us, for they were laid on Him.
No, the gospel that Paul first preached in Europe gave certainty, immediate certainty, whether to a worshipping Lydia, or a poor heathen jailor; and to all that believed in each of the cities where he first preached in Europe. How blessed for us in these last days to be able to go back to these divine certainties as first preached in Europe. The certainty based on the word of God of sins all forgiven, of our being justified from all things, of our having peace with God. “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
In our next we hope to look at the effects of this gospel of certainty as seen in the first assemblies of God in Europe.