Daily Living In Victory
Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me" (John 14:6). And the apostle John wrote, "He that hath the Son hath life" (1 John 5: 12). Paul wrote, "For to me to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21). "Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" (Galatians 2:20). "I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me" (Philippians 4:13).
The active exercise of living faith in Christ is the one great essential to obtaining and maintaining an experience in the Lord that will bring increasing satisfaction in this life and ultimate deliverance from this world when Christ comes. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him" (Hebrews 11:6). "This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4). "God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Romans 12:3). Faith is a gift of God to every man-rich and poor, high and low, free and bond, wise and simple. It is man's duty to nourish and exercise this faith. Though it be as small as a grain of mustard seed, it can grow and be used to move mountains of evil and build temples of righteousness.
However, it is not merely faith, but primarily the object of true faith that counts most. Faith in God, in Christ, in the promises of the Holy Scriptures, and in all God's plans and agencies for the accomplishment of His purposes is what we need. It is what we must have if we are to be victorious. Let us now see how faith makes us righteous and holy in God's sight.
HOW MAY A SINNER BECOME RIGHTEOUS?
Romans 5:1-"Being justified [forgiven and made righteous] by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Acts 13:38-39- "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, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."
If you will read the story of the Pharisee and the publican in Luke 18:9-14, you will note that the publican sought forgiveness of sin. "God be merciful to me a sinner," he cried. Jesus adds this comment, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified." In other words, the "forgiveness" that the publican sought, Jesus called "justification." This includes also the merciful gift of righteousness, which God counts to the credit of the repentant sinner for the simple reason that he has no acceptable righteousness of his own! The great store of righteousness upon which God draws, when imputing (counting) this undeserved credit, is the righteous life of our Lord Jesus Christ.
A man may have been unjust, but by faith he may be counted as just. When an unjust man is thus accounted as a just man, he is "justified." He is forgiven all past sins. God gives him credit as a righteous person (through Christ). Then he has peace. He is counted as though he had never sinned at all.
This justification comes by faith in the blood of a righteous Christ.
Romans 3:24-25- "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."
1 John l:9- "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The cleansing from unrighteousness is through the blood of Christ.
The sinner is condemned to eternal death for the violation of God's eternal law. The substitute death of another sinner would not atone. No angel of glory could die to save man. Since the divine law is as sacred as God Himself, only one equal with God could make atonement for its transgression.
So Jesus came, lived a sinless life, and "died for our sins according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3); and it is He "whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [satisfaction] through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God" (Romans 3:25). Thus do we exercise faith in the blood of a righteous Christ whose righteous life answers for our unrighteous and unjust past. "To declare, I say, at this time, His righteousness: that He [God] might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).
Matthew 11:28- "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,"
At conversion, Christ satisfies the claims of the sacred, unchangeable law by counting His righteousness to the sinner's credit. The past is forgiven, not because the sinner has obeyed God's law, but in spite of the fact that he has not obeyed. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Romans 3:28)
The gracious gift of forgiveness God offers free. It is ours to exercise faith to the point of taking the gift. "Lay hold on eternal life" (1 Timothy 6:12). This is a definite spiritual action and transaction. We give God our sins and He gives us forgiveness. It is by faith that the just shall live (Romans 1: 17).
"Do we then make void the law through faith?" This is a very good question. Paul answers, "God forbid: yea, we establish the law" (Romans 3:31). We are forgiven that we might from henceforth be obedient children, walking blameless in all the commandments of the Lord. This life of victory begins by faith in Christ's righteousness. It continues by faith in Christ's righteousness. It ends by faith in Christ's righteousness. It is Christ –Christ –Christ - first, last, and always. He alone is the Saviour -in the beginning, through life, and at death. And faith in Him is the connecting link.
