“Believe in God…IN ME…also.” John 14:1 And John 14:19, “Because I live, ye shall live also.”
IN REVIEW: With respect to THE MATTER SPOKEN OF, we have learned it is the way of Christ to deliver His fearful saints by instructing them to look away from themselves and their circumstances by focusing their faith on God in HIM as GOD HIMSELF. It is His conscious awareness that He Himself is sufficient to remedy heart troubles and administer peace to His disciples and nothing BELOW Him. Hence, He spoke to them of “these things” in John chapters 14-16, that in Him alone they would discover real peace. See John 16:33. This was the teaching of Paul, “God was in Christ, reconciling the (elect) world unto Himself,” II Cor. 5:19. Also, “God was manifest in the flesh,” II Tim. 3:16. Christ’s words, “Believe in God…IN ME,” reflect the way He saw Himself as the only sufficient foundation for solid peace and comfort of soul, in view of this present world circumstance.
Regarding THE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER, Jesus Christ is the PERSONATOR of God being the “face” of God and the “glass” in which we “behold…the glory of the Lord,” II Cor. 3:18. We, considered as “saints in Christ Jesus” are “chosen IN HIM” that is the “true God and eternal life,” UNCONDITIONALY without any merit or ability of our own. In time we are “given an understanding” by Free Grace, that we “may know Him that is true…even His son Jesus Christ.” See Phil. 1:1; Eph. 1:3; & I John 5:20. In this we discovered a description of Gospel faith which goes beyond believing there is only “one God” Who is revealed in the Person and work of Jesus Christ because Gospel faith has a real “substance” to it according to Heb. 11:1. It is in the following LESSONS TO BE LEARNED, We hope to unfold this “substance” in the experience of Gospel faith.
FIRST: THE LIFE OF BELIEVING IN CHRIST IS NOT ONLY FROM CHRIST BUT IS ACTUALLY IN CHRIST. It is one of, if not the primary “spiritual blessing” of “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Heavenly places IN CHRIST,” Eph. 1:3. Christ Himself, being “the true God and eternal life” is a safe place for the child of God to be. Even a “heavenly place IN CHRIST,” HIMSELF! This has everything to do with the Apostle's word to the Colossian saints: “Ye are complete IN HIM, which is the head of all principality and power,” Col. 2:10. How could it be otherwise, since “all the fullness of the Godhead” dwells bodily in HIM? See, Col. 2:9. No wonder Paul went on to express: “Your life is hidden with CHRIST IN GOD,” Col. 3:3. All that God is, is bound up “bodily” in Jesus Christ. This is the excellency of Christ. Which is none other than the infinite excellency of the One True and Living God. The infinite excellency of “God” dwelling within the Person of Christ in all the “FULLNESS” thereof, I say, is the SUBSTANCE OF GOSPEL FAITH!
Jesus Christ is the SUBSTANCE of the Gospel faith. Not only does Gospel faith come from Christ as a gift of grace (Eph. 2:8-9) but Gospel faith is only found IN CHRIST Himself. He is the very sum total of Gospel faith and nothing BELOW Him will afford any comfort to a troubled soul. The exalted Redeemer, Prophet, Priest, and King of the saints, is the OBJECT of their faith having been “given an understanding that they may know Him that is true.” We need not wonder why Christ instructed His troubled disciples to “believe in God…IN ME…also!” He is the only sufficient OBJECT for their faith to rest upon.
Beyond this, there is one more truth we must be graciously brought into an EXPERIENTIAL UNION with. Not only is Christ the SUBSTANCE and the OBJECT of our faith, but He is also the ACTOR of it, to the same extent and degree He is the “author and the finisher” of our faith! By virtue of our Eternal Union with Christ, we are not only found IN HIM but we are brought to discover that He is found IN US! Hear the Apostle speak of those saints “to whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory,” Col. 1:27
To the same extent that Christ is the substance and the object of our faith, He is also the ACTOR of it. The nature of the saints’ Eternal Union is such that Christ’s life is our life. His light is our light, and HIS FAITH IS OUR FAITH! The Apostle spoke of this very experience to the Galatian saints saying, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life I now live in the flesh I live by THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, Who loved me and gave Himself for me,” Gal.2:20. The very faith by which we trust in Christ while we live “in the flesh” is “the faith OF THE SON OF GOD” TRANSACTED by Christ Himself Who lives in us. It is HIS FAITH, worked in us, focusing upon the only fit object with “all the fullness of the Godhead” as the SUBSTANCE of it!! Christ Himself is the “author” of our faith. No man has Gospel faith until it is given to him by the OBJECT of his faith! Further, a man’s faith is best described by the OBJECT of it. Hence, Christ is both the AUTHOR and the OBJECT of Gospel faith. Certainly nothing BELOW Him.
THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED: Christ is the substance, object, and actor of our faith. In short: “When Christ, who is our life” appears to us as He is in Himself, being all-sufficient to meet our every need, “then shall we appear WITH HIM IN GLORY,” which is how Col. 3:4 reads, based on the previous verse declaring “our life is hidden with Christ in God.” When He “appears” to us as He is in His own truth, it is then that we recognize our very life is, in fact, “HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD!” And, when this gracious discovery occurs, we gladly put off our old man with our self-righteous fleshly deeds and realize we have been brought by our Heavenly King to “put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him,” Col. 3:9-10. It is then, when Christ “appears” to us as “the TRUE GOD and (our) eternal life,” it becomes clear to us, that nothing BELOW Him is sufficient to meet our needs. It is then that He ALONE becomes “all and in all” to us in our personal experience of life, Col. 3:11. The entire book of Colossians is about this glorious truth. These sublime truths bring new meaning to our Savior’s words, “Because I live, ye shall live also,” John 14:19.
The Lord Christ being our Helper, we hope to examine five more LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE MATTER, next message. Let us pray to that end.
It is my unspeakable joy to serve you in this manner.
FIRST: THE LIFE OF BELIEVING IN CHRIST IS NOT ONLY FROM CHRIST BUT IS ACTUALLY IN CHRIST. It is one of, if not the primary “spiritual blessing” of “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Heavenly places IN CHRIST,” Eph. 1:3. Christ Himself, being “the true God and eternal life” is a safe place for the child of God to be. Even a “heavenly place IN CHRIST,” HIMSELF! This has everything to do with the Apostle's word to the Colossian saints: “Ye are complete IN HIM, which is the head of all principality and power,” Col. 2:10. How could it be otherwise, since “all the fullness of the Godhead” dwells bodily in HIM? See, Col. 2:9. No wonder Paul went on to express: “Your life is hidden with CHRIST IN GOD,” Col. 3:3. All that God is, is bound up “bodily” in Jesus Christ. This is the excellency of Christ. Which is none other than the infinite excellency of the One True and Living God. The infinite excellency of “God” dwelling within the Person of Christ in all the “FULLNESS” thereof, I say, is the SUBSTANCE OF GOSPEL FAITH!
Jesus Christ is the SUBSTANCE of the Gospel faith. Not only does Gospel faith come from Christ as a gift of grace (Eph. 2:8-9) but Gospel faith is only found IN CHRIST Himself. He is the very sum total of Gospel faith and nothing BELOW Him will afford any comfort to a troubled soul. The exalted Redeemer, Prophet, Priest, and King of the saints, is the OBJECT of their faith having been “given an understanding that they may know Him that is true.” We need not wonder why Christ instructed His troubled disciples to “believe in God…IN ME…also!” He is the only sufficient OBJECT for their faith to rest upon.
Beyond this, there is one more truth we must be graciously brought into an EXPERIENTIAL UNION with. Not only is Christ the SUBSTANCE and the OBJECT of our faith, but He is also the ACTOR of it, to the same extent and degree He is the “author and the finisher” of our faith! By virtue of our Eternal Union with Christ, we are not only found IN HIM but we are brought to discover that He is found IN US! Hear the Apostle speak of those saints “to whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory,” Col. 1:27
To the same extent that Christ is the substance and the object of our faith, He is also the ACTOR of it. The nature of the saints’ Eternal Union is such that Christ’s life is our life. His light is our light, and HIS FAITH IS OUR FAITH! The Apostle spoke of this very experience to the Galatian saints saying, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but CHRIST LIVETH IN ME: and the life I now live in the flesh I live by THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, Who loved me and gave Himself for me,” Gal.2:20. The very faith by which we trust in Christ while we live “in the flesh” is “the faith OF THE SON OF GOD” TRANSACTED by Christ Himself Who lives in us. It is HIS FAITH, worked in us, focusing upon the only fit object with “all the fullness of the Godhead” as the SUBSTANCE of it!! Christ Himself is the “author” of our faith. No man has Gospel faith until it is given to him by the OBJECT of his faith! Further, a man’s faith is best described by the OBJECT of it. Hence, Christ is both the AUTHOR and the OBJECT of Gospel faith. Certainly nothing BELOW Him.
THE LESSON TO BE LEARNED: Christ is the substance, object, and actor of our faith. In short: “When Christ, who is our life” appears to us as He is in Himself, being all-sufficient to meet our every need, “then shall we appear WITH HIM IN GLORY,” which is how Col. 3:4 reads, based on the previous verse declaring “our life is hidden with Christ in God.” When He “appears” to us as He is in His own truth, it is then that we recognize our very life is, in fact, “HID WITH CHRIST IN GOD!” And, when this gracious discovery occurs, we gladly put off our old man with our self-righteous fleshly deeds and realize we have been brought by our Heavenly King to “put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him,” Col. 3:9-10. It is then, when Christ “appears” to us as “the TRUE GOD and (our) eternal life,” it becomes clear to us, that nothing BELOW Him is sufficient to meet our needs. It is then that He ALONE becomes “all and in all” to us in our personal experience of life, Col. 3:11. The entire book of Colossians is about this glorious truth. These sublime truths bring new meaning to our Savior’s words, “Because I live, ye shall live also,” John 14:19.
The Lord Christ being our Helper, we hope to examine five more LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE MATTER, next message. Let us pray to that end.
It is my unspeakable joy to serve you in this manner.
Dan O’Dell, S.S.,
Weslaco, TX., Jan. 28, 2024.
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