WE should be careful never to separate the practice of holiness from the doctrines of grace. They go hand in hand and are to be severed, no, not for a moment. This were antinomianism— “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness,” than which nothing is more abhorrent. Indeed, the grace of God which brings us salvation teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. This is stated in a striking-passage in Titus 2:11-1411For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:11‑14). Let us never lose sight of it.
We do well to glory in the fact that it is by grace we are saved—not at the expense of righteousness, but in virtue of it, as the Cross of Christ abundantly declares. And we do well to avow, in the clearest language, that we have no confidence either in our own holiness of life, or in our good works. These things, right in their place, are not a contribution on our part to the ransom price of our deliverance.
Every shred of the glory of our salvation belongs to Christ alone. But while taking our stand thus on the ground of free grace let us not forget that without holiness no man shall see the Lord, and that “the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” It is only a delusion to think they will (Heb. 12:1414Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: (Hebrews 12:14); 1 Cor. 6:9-109Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9‑10)).
God is holy and He expects His children to be holy also. “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Holiness is a characteristic feature of His family and one of the spots of His children. If needs be, He passes them under wise and loving discipline that they might be partakers of His holiness (Heb. 12:1010For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. (Hebrews 12:10)). He sits as a refiner, watching the process, purging away the dross, so that His image may be reflected more brightly in their life and ways.
But we still have “the flesh” in us, unchanged, not subject to God, and as bad as ever. It is not taken away as some dream. We have, indeed, been created anew in Christ Jesus, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, but even this does not change for the better the nature of “the flesh,” much less take it away. Thank God we are not debtors to the flesh, to live after the flesh. Would you know its works?
They are described in Galatians 5:19-2119Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19‑21). Into any of the evils named there “the flesh” would plunge us if it had its way. And sometimes it succeeds. Then Satan triumphs and Christ is wounded and dishonored. How grievous when a child of God falls into sin! David the king fell into it—at ease upon the housetop “at the time when kings go forth to battle,” and his own soldiers had taken the field against the foe (2 Sam. 11). Solomon fell into it when in his old age he suffered “outlandish women” to steal away his heart from the God of his fathers (Neh. 13:2626Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did outlandish women cause to sin. (Nehemiah 13:26)). Uzziah fell into it when prosperity lifted up his heart with pride and made him forget the commandments of the Lord and the sanctity of the presence of God (2 Chron. 26:1616But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. (2 Chronicles 26:16)). Peter fell into it when, on being challenged, he swore that he did not know Jesus. So has it been with many others. Oh, the bitter anguish of it when the saint who has thus fallen is awakened out of his sinful dreams! He becomes conscious of his sin, of the dishonor done to the Lord whose name he bears, of the occasion he has given to the ungodly to fling taunts against the profession he once made. God is ready to forgive, but there are sins the scars of which are never wholly taken away on earth, even though the wrong-doer weep bitter tears, as Peter did.
Beware of tampering with sin, beware of allowing your mind to rest on it lest it lure you to destruction. Achan saw the wedge of gold, the shekels of silver, and the goodly Babylonish garment among the spoils, then he coveted them, and then he took them, and hid them in his tent. He saw, he coveted, he took. Such were the successive steps in the pathway of ruin. But his sin found him out. There was no escape, and the end—“All Israel stoned him with stones” in the valley of Achor (Josh. 7).
And there is Samson too. Man of faith though he was, he in an evil hour laid his head in the lap of Delilah and was shorn of the locks of his Nazariteship. In that same hour he lost his strength, though he moist it not, and fell into the hands of the Philistines, who put out his eyes, hound him with fetters of brass, made him grind in the prison-house and brought him forth to make sport for them on their high day. Alas for Samson! How are the mighty fallen! Oh, let us beware of the first step in the slippery paths of sin.
Do these lines meet the eye of one who has sinned—some secret sin, perhaps, unconfessed and unforgiven? I need not ask if you are happy. You cannot be unless your conscience is still in its stupor. If that be so, what a state is yours! But if conscience is aroused—if your sin is like a burning fire shut up in your very bones—if it haunts you day and night, then let me ask, What are you going to do? There is One, whose name I need not mention, for you know it well, there is One, I say, whose love for you remains unchanged. He can help you and none other can. Sooner or later you must come back to Him. Let it be sooner, that the tender yearnings of His faithful heart may be the sooner satisfied. His door is open, go in and speak to Him about that sin of yours.
And that is what David did when, under the prophetic ministry of Nathan, his eyes were opened to see the enormity of his sin and his conscience was worked into an agony. He went into the secret place of prayer and his broken and contrite heart poured out to God its cries and tears. Read the 51St Psalm—you know it well—nevertheless take up your Bible and read it again; it will do you good. It may be like the lance of the surgeon thrust into the throbbing, burning, festering sore. Ah, it was heart-work with David, as his words plainly show—steeped as they were in penitential grief. Let it be so with you. Keep nothing back. Great as your sin has been, His grace is greater. And “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:99If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)). Precious words!
And in due time He will restore to you the joy of His salvation—in due time, I say, for His perfect love is blended with wisdom that never errs. Forgiveness always follows confession, and you may have the comfort of it, but you cannot easily forget the grief you have caused Him who loves you and whose name you bear. Bitter herbs had to be eaten by the Israelites with the lamb roast with fire. But be not afraid. Leave yourself in His hand. There is none so firm, so tender, as His. Who knows, when those lost joys are restored, but what your mouth may be once more opened to teach transgressors His ways; and sinners shall be converted unto Him! So said King David, and you may be able to say the same.
It is good for us all to remember that “if we call on the Father” ―if we invoke His holy name and are indeed in His family, then are we under His government. He judges according to every man’s work. This is not the final judgment, for into that the believer never enters. From judgment in that sense he has been set free by the atoning work of the Saviour. In such a connection “the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment unto the Son.” But the Father does judge among His children—encouraging, correcting, rewarding according-to His unerring wisdom. And “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”— words not to be passed over too lightly. It is an undeviating principle in the ways of God. If a man sows to the flesh, of the flesh he reaps corruption—sorrow, distress and other ills. So it was with David. His sin was forgiven, but the sword never departed from his house. So with Solomon—adversary after adversary arose and disturbed the peace of his kingdom. So with Uzziah, he was smitten with leprosy, which clung to him all his after life. But if a man sows to the Spirit, of the Spirit he reaps life everlasting. Blessing after blessing shall flow into his cup, not in the shape of material things perhaps, but blessings such as are given by the Holy Spirit of God. May grace be given to us to pass the time of our sojourning here in fear—not slavish fear, but holy, filial fear that will lead us to watch and pray lest we fall into sin, grieve the Holy Spirit of God, and bring upon ourselves the discipline needed for our correction.
W. B.