The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-09
FAVOR GIVES ACCESS.

acceptable ana holy servant, that ia.
brlel was enabled 10 say Of himself: u
am Gabriel that stand In the presence Of
the Lorf' luke |. l9.
FAVOR GIVES ACCESS.
In all of these instances. You can readily
see that 1t Is the favor which gives access
TO and continued audiences in the pres
cnce of the King. which Is the underlying
thought OF the expression. How clearly,
then. the term when applied to our rela.
tionship to God In Christ. brings before
us the thought Of entire acceptance, and
how it aWakens desire to know the bless
ing Of such q standing before God.
Given such u consciousness, can you not
see how II would serve as a foundation for
efficiency In service: inspiring-the faith,
that He who sent US. ever keeping us in
His favor. will supply our recurring needs?
All. friends, 1t is precisely because so
| many Christians do not know that they
abidingly stand In Gods love- and thus
have moi claims which is theirs. that the
marvellous fullness Of that grace has not
ministered to them OF Its abundance. and
they have had no power to meet u lost
worlds heed. 1t is difficult. know. when
conscious of our defilement and sin. to
say with all the confidence of faith and
fullness Of meaning, IL stand before the
Lord" These were the words Of an arch
angel II Is true. But men can use them
Gospel OF Gods grace reveals concerning
| our standing before God In Christ: But
| God. who Is rich in mercy for His great
love wherewith He loved US even when We
were dead In sins. hath quickened US to-
gether with Christ (by grace ye are saved)
! and hath made us Sit together in heaven
| ly places In Christ Jesus: that In the ages
! to come He might strew the exceeding
MS in Christ Jesus (Eph.. II; 40.
| What wonderful thought is here my
ihroSSsa viii With low love "a Tor us even even while Se we
sent His only sonNthe true Corn e RI Of Of
Wheat"-down into the soil Of our curse.
! that uniting us with Himself He might
| lift us up into His life. and Identifying us
with HIS own person, seat us together
His presence there gives to us the true
measure Of His acceptance: but IL We. too,
are seated there In Him. does It not af-
ford us knowledge of the measure of our
own acceptance as we'll? And how this
fits in with the whole range of truth along
this line. For instance. We are conscious,
and while in this world ever shall be, of
the imperfections and faultiness Of our
fleshly natures and earthly walk. Yet
| true ground OF our confidence when he
writes: But of Him are ye in Christ
| Jesus, who Of God is made unto us wis.,
dom. righteousness. sanctiflcatlon and re-
brought before us the blessed fact that in
Gods sight "As He is. SO are We in this
| world"
GOD HAS DELIVERED Us.
! Oh. beloved. God has delivered u.s." ac-
cording to His own declaration, "out Of the
hand Of our enemies that We might serve
| Him without fear in holiness and right.
life" Q.uke. !. "A. 75). Can you not clearly
see that. while our own righteousness can
never give us any ground Of confidence
! while we serve. yet, remembering that We
Il
Of Christ" we may walk before Hin and
! serve without fear because We do II in Il
! holiness and Righteousness which is no,
our own but His ?
God in Christ gives us title to every posi-.
tion and real blessings which are intended
to MI our hearts In peace and Joy
strength and love-in short. with all the
blessings which We need for. our own in
dividual comfort and to equip us for our
| work in the world
Note how this truth Is developed In the
New Testament. Paul declares that /,
was 1.-The grace of God that brought sal.
vation." But that very grace. which was
manifested even to lost men becomes. as
we receive Christ, the element in which
We dwell So the Apostle writes again
"By whom H. q. Christi also We have ac.
cess by faith into this grace wherein "
stand and rejoice In hope of the glory ol
God.
What does he mean? Simply this. thai
while walking in this world 1t Is our privl
iege to believe that our souls have beer
introduced by Christ through faith,i into
the free. undeserved favor of God, ana
that there We live. So that Divine grace
or favor envelopes us as an atmosphere
and as the nat natural air Is one of the medi
to the blood. so In higher sense, tho
grace of God, holding in itself all thai
Is needed to vitallze. strengthen and sus
tain the soul. Is the atmosphere in which
= inh In Il
to appropriate as his own-God's gracious
provision for his soul.
This lis in harmony with another pass
age: But But grow row in the grace ana knowi
ll Pet. Ill. lS. r. W. Many Christian.
have been led, by the reading OF Kins
James Version (Which msplaces the de
finite articlel; into miseoneeption Of the
as though II read "Grow in gracious dis
positions and In the knowledge of oul
Lord But, while the apostle would nc
doubt. have Christians grow in gracious
in his primary thought just here, "Whal
he desired was that believers SHOULD
grow in the grace and knowledge of oul
ia ana bS ne veh alone out beS sae co
grow. grow In holiness. grow In spiritua
power. Before this. In this same epistle
the apostle had pointed out our standing
In grace. and the provision which Goo
had then made for our growth.
GODS POWER EXERCISED.
"Grace and peace be multiplied unto yol
Though the knowledge 0lterally, full
knowledgel of God and of Jesus our Lord
Seeing that His divine power hath grant
e.l unto us all things that pertain unto liz,
and godliness through the (fulD knowl
edge Of Him that hath called US unit
glory and virtue. whereby are given untt
US. exceeding great and precious promises
that BY these ys might be partakefs Of II,