Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-01-09
CHRISTIAN ENDEAvoR.
sopic For the Week Beginning
-Comfncnt by Hev. y. u. DOYLE

-Comfaent by Rev. =. II. Doyle.
Torie.-The indvelling presence. Col. /. 2l.2o;
Gal. II, 20.
The topic refers to the indwelling Of
Christ in the believer heart. This is
truth Of Scripture that is not sufficient
ly recognized and emphasized The
atonement Of Christ, by which we are
feconciled to God, is constantly dwelt
upon, and rightly so, but too many
Christians ignore the second great and
blessed truth that Christ dwells in us to
keep us faithful to God and to assure
us of our hope Of eternal glory. Christ
died to justify us. He lives within us
TO sanctify us, and sanctifcation is nee
essary to complete and perfect justifi-
cation.
That the Bible teaches the doctrine
Of the indwelling Of Christ and the
Holy Spirit in the heart of believers
cannot be denied. Paul declares that
Christ dwells in tire Colossians. he
prays that Christ may dwell by faith
in the hearts of the Ephesians and tes.
titles that he himself no longer lived
after he had been crucified with Christ,
but that Christ lived in him. Such Ian
guage can mean but one thing, and
rightly understood and appreciated it
is one of the most precious doctrines of
the word Of God. 1t teaches us that, in
addition to His saving us by His death,
Christ keeps ms saved by His life in us.
There are two phases of the indwell-
ing of Christ that are presented to us
in the topical references-GD Christ in
us as our life and (2) Christ in us the
hope of glory.
/. Christ in us as our life. Gal. ii,
20, 81 am crucified with Christ, and it
is no longer / that live (R W, but
Christ liveth in Inc, and the life which
I now live in the flesh / live by the
faith of the Son Of God, who loved me
and gave Himself for me-" Here is
Pauls doctrine Of the indwelling Christ
as the life of the Christian. Paul has
ceased to live He has died with Christ,
and as result Christ lives in him and
does through him that which he would
have him do This is the only real and
true conservation of ourselves to Christ
This is the only way in which we can
live the real Christ life after we have
been saved. We must abdicate the
thrones of our own lives and place
Christ upon them as our King and give
Him complete control of our lives.
Thus, and thus only, can we live a
blameless life before God and advance
toward that perfection of life, our sane
tification, which is the final goal of
Christianity.
Q. Christ in us the hope of glory.
"Christ in us the hope of glory" (C9l
1, 27). This, says Paul. is ''the riches
of the glory of the mystery among the
gentiles. And what mystery-Christ
in the hearts and lives of gentiles, the
hope of their glory The glory referred
to here is future, eternal glory. 1t ia
future, but it is certain. 1t can come
only through Christ. Man has como
short of the glory of God. Christ sup
plies the shortness and makes it posi-
BILE for man to glorify God and as n re-
suit to enjoy Him forever, and this is the
glory for which the Christian hopes. and
which will be realized in Christ.
Bible Readings. .-Ex. xxx, 45, 40;
Eek. xxxvi, 26, 81; Jer. xxi, 33;
John vi, SO; xiv, 90; xvi, Z; Rom. vi.
6-12; Gal. iv, 10, 20; Eph iii, 1419;
Col iii, 10; Thess. V, 10; Tim. iii,
16; John ii, 1-6; iv, IL.