Galatians 2:20-21 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me… The faith which is the life of the soul, is not mere belief of the existence of God, and of those great moral and religious truths which are the foundation of all religion. Nor does the faith of Christ, spoken of here, mean faith in that unseen world which Christ has revealed. Nor is the truth in question either exhausted or accurately stated by saying, the faith which has this life-giving power has the whole Word of God for its object. It is, indeed, admitted that faith has respect to the whole revelation of God. It receives all His doctrines, bows to all His commands, trembles at His threatenings, and rejoices at His promises. This, however, is not the faith by which the apostle lived; or, rather, it is not those acts of faith which have the truth of God in general for their object, which gives life to the soul. The doctrine of the text and of the whole New Testament is, that the soul is saved, that spiritual life is obtained, by those acts of faith which have Christ for their object. Other things in the Word of God we may not know, and, therefore, may not consciously believe, but Christ we must know. About other things true Christians may differ, but they must all agree as to what they believe concerning Christ. He is, in such a sense, the object of faith, that saving faith consists in receiving and resting on Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the gospel, it consists in receiving Christ, i.e., in recognizing, acknowledging, accepting, and appropriating Him, as He is held forth to us in the Scripture. It includes, therefore, a resting on Him alone for salvation, i.e., for justification, sanctification, and eternal life (Romans 3:21-31; Philippians 3:1-14; 1 John 5:1, etc.). The whole scheme of redemption is founded on this truth. Men are dead in trespasses and sin. They cannot be delivered from this state by any works or efforts of their own. Neither can they come to God without a Mediator. Christ is the only medium of access; therefore faith in Him is the indispensable condition of salvation. I. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT CHRIST IS THE SON OF GOD. This includes His Divinity and Incarnation. The faith which has power to give life has the Incarnate God for its object. It contemplates and receives that historical person, Jesus Christ, who was born in Bethlehem, who lived in Judaea, who died on Calvary, as God manifest in the flesh. 1. Any other faith than this is unbelief. To believe in Christ, is to receive Him in His true character. But to regard Him who is truly God as a mere creature, is to deny, reject, and to despise Him. It is to refuse to recognize Him in the very character in which He is presented for our acceptance. 2. A Saviour less than Divine, is no Saviour. The blood of no mere man is an adequate atonement for the justification of sinners. The assurance of the gift of eternal life is mockery from any other lips than those of God. It is only because Jesus is the Lord of glory, the Son of God, God manifest in the flesh, that His blood cleanses from all sin, that His righteousness is infinite in value, sufficient to cover the greatest guilt, to hide the greatest deformity, and to secure even for the chief of sinners admission into heaven. 3. It must also be remembered that it is to the spiritually dead that God is declared to be the author of life. But no creature is life-giving. It is only He who has life in Himself that is able to give life unto others. It is because Christ is God; because all the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Him, that He is the source of spiritual life to us. 4. Spiritual life, moreover, supposes Divine perfection in the object on which its exercises terminate. It is called the life of God in the soul, not only because God is its source, but also because He is its object. The exercises in which that life consists, or by which it is manifested, must terminate on infinite excellence. The fear, the admiration, the gratitude, the love, the submission, the devotion, which belong to spiritual life, are raised to the height of religious affections only by the infinitude of their object. II. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT CHRIST LOVES US. 1. We must not exclude ourselves from the number of those who are the objects of Christ's love. This is really to reject Him as our Saviour, while we admit He may be the Saviour of others. A very common form of unbelief; for unbelief it is, however it may assume the specious garb of humility. God loves His enemies — the ungodly, the polluted; and by loving makes them lovely. Alas! Did He not love us until we loved Him, we should perish in our sins. 2. We must appropriate to ourselves, personally and individually, the general assurance and promise of the love of Christ. III. WE MUST BELIEVE THAT CHRIST GAVE HIMSELF FOR US, i.e., that He died for us. This again includes two things — 1. Faith in His vicarious death as an atonement for sin; and — 2. Faith in His death as a propitiation for our individual or personal sins.Conclusion: If such be the doctrine of the text and of the Scriptures, it answers two most important questions. 1. It tells the anxious inquirer definitely what he must do to be saved. His simple duty is to believe that Jesus is the Son of God; that He loved us, and died for us; and that God for His sake is reconciled to us. Let him do this, and he will find peace, love, joy, wonder, gratitude, and devotion filling his heart and controlling his life. 2. It tells how the Divine life in the soul of the believer is to be sustained and invigorated. The clearer the views we can attain of the Divine glory of the Redeemer, the deeper our sense of His love, and the stronger our assurance that He gave Himself for us, the more of spiritual life shall we have; the more of love, reverence, and zeal; the more humility, peace, and joy; and the more strength to do and suffer in the cause of Christ. (Charles Hedge, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. |
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