The following discourse was given by the Pastor, from the text, “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps!” (1 Pet. 2:21.)

“The Call of the present Gospel Age has been unique. In this Age there is a different kind of justification from that which the world will receive in the next Age.

They will attain actual perfection of body, mind and morals. But now, in His manifold Wisdom God has a different arrangement for us, so that from the time we hear the Lord and accept His conditions we receive justification by faith imputed justification, not the real thing. This does not make us perfect. We have the same brain, the same mind, the same body. It is merely a matter of reckoned righteousness.

But why will God reckon us right when we are wrong?

Because we have an Advocate with the Father, and His robe of righteousness covers us. The world is to have a Mediator by and by; but we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the Righteous. We come to the Father through Him. We give ourselves by consecration to God, realizing that God’s arrangements are all in Christ. When we have done this, the merit of Christ is imputed to us and covers all our blemishes. The robe which God’s children now wear is called a wedding garment.

This pure, white robe is put on by all those who become the disciples of Jesus. We are not appearing in the filthy rags of our own righteousness, but in the perfect robe of our Lord’s furnishing. When we gave up our own wills and God accepted our sacrifice, and we received the Spirit of begetting, we became New Creatures in Christ. Old things passed away; all things became new. This robe covers our flesh, which is imperfect. The New Creature needs no covering, because it is begotten of God. It is only because the New Creature has not yet its new body that it needs this old body as a tabernacle and as an instrument of service. “In this tabernacle we groan, being burdened.”

This was not so with you before you became a Christian (a consecrated follower of the Lord). It is only since we became New Creatures that we are not at home in the body. God has prepared a Heavenly, spiritual body for every one of us who are His people. He will give us this spiritual body in due time; but not until we develop the necessary character in these old bodies. The Father says, just keep this old body for a while, and let Me see how you will make out with it. Let Me see how you will fight against the flesh. Remember, however, that you are not to fight with carnal weapons, but with the weapons of My Spirit.

We have the whole armor the helmet of salvation, the girdle of Truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, the Sword of the Spirit, and the sandals of preparation of the Gospel of Peace with which to fight against the Adversary and the imperfections of our flesh and to resist their encroachments. Our mind is our great battle-ground. We are surrounded on all sides by the imperfections of the old nature, and we are also surrounded by temptations and besetments from without. This makes it necessary for us to wage a continual warfare, to fight a good fight, that we may come off conquerors, yea, “more than conquerors, through Him that loved us and gave Himself for us.”

THE FATHER HIMSELF LOVETH YOU

God is not looking on coldly and indifferently, but “as a father pities his children,” so the Lord pities those who have become His children and are seeking to walk in the footsteps of His Son. He is deeply interested in them. “The Father Himself loveth you.” Oh, that is one of the most precious texts in the Bible, and one of the most wonderful ones as well! We might see how God could feel an interest in us His offspring, but to think that God loves us, if we have become members of the “us” class! “God so loved the world (with a sympathetic love) that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” But this love that God has for the Church is a special love, such as He had for His Only Begotten. These are as dear to Him as the apple of His eye. He sees that nothing shall hurt these. The eye has the attention of the whole mind when it is in trouble. So, it is with God’s care for the members of His Church. We are so glad of this special love which has led God to put the robe of Christ’s righteousness upon us! Our Father is not looking upon us as sinners now. Our imperfect flesh is covered by the robe, but the flesh is not to be preserved. Our bodies have been presented as a living sacrifice. They are to be consumed.

CANNOT HAVE BOTH HIGH CALLING AND RESTITUTION

It is a wrong thought to suppose that God will give us the best of everything for our mortal body, and will so guard us as to prevent any injury to our body. It is the New Creature that the Father is preparing for glory, not the natural man; and He is doing this by means of His precious promises. The old man is perishing. God will not give us Restitution; that is for the rest of the world of mankind in the future.

We who have received the High Calling cannot get Restitution. It is like the child who went to buy a cake with a penny. He wanted the cake, but wanted also to keep the penny. But he could not both keep the penny and get the cake. If he got the cake, he must give up the penny. So, we cannot get the glory of the High Calling and at the same time hold on to earthly things and earthly blessings. We have become heirs of the Heavenly things, and have been begotten again as spirit beings, like the Lord Jesus. Therefore, let us not think that God is offering us also Restitution. We are to sacrifice our humanity. If you find that you have no sufferings for Christ, you have every reason to question whether God is dealing with you as a son.

God delivered up Jesus freely for us all, and He allowed His enemies to smite Him, to spit upon Him, to put a crown of thorns upon His head, to mock and crucify Him. Jesus truly said,

“Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” The Father permitted all this because He was dealing with Jesus as His Son, whom He had begotten to a new nature, and who was demonstrating His worthiness by obedience in the things which He suffered. It will be so with us if we are true to the Lord, even as it is written: “My Son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him; for whom the Lord loveth He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the Father chastens not? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons.”

Continued with next post.