The Tupelo journal., 1904-03-11

a life of faith. Surely here is a Christian
experience which is not and
yet an experience which every disciple
OF Jesus should desire and seek after.
Jesus wants and expects His followers to
reckon themselves dead unto sin, and
alive unto God in Christ Jesus"
1 is a second experience generally
L OF the Christian to realize that he
is dead to sin and alive to God in
Christ Jesus. The first experience
comes at conversion, when, like Bun
vans Christian, we come to the cross
n the awful burden of sin which we
have been carrying about rolls from
u shoulders and disappears in the
open grave before the cross, and we
realize that Jesus blood has cleansed
us from all sin. But then the
battle with sin. AS with Christian,
we go out on our way rejoicing, light
hearted and free. and forgetful almost
h a we have ever Sinned or can ever
sin again. And Satan lets us alone
for a time, and we begin to think
that we have rid ourselves of him for
ever, but the willy enemy of mems
souls is only waiting until the first
joys OF the Christian experience have
worn away, and the desires and appe-
tites of the old man. the flesh. have be-
gun to cry again for recognition and
indulgence. Then he m with his
allurements and temptations. and
draws the Christian awayinto sin. Then
doubts and fears and distress Of
soul. We have gotten into the hilly
country of the Christian life. 1t Is up
and down. In sin to-day. Repent
ance, and confession and forgiveness
tomorrow. And so it goes. Satan
having dominion over us. Sin having
conscious claim upon us. The flesh
constantly having victory over us. But
this is not what Jesus intended should
be the experience of the Christian. lie
came to give complete deliverance from
sin, but that can be realized only as
the soul comes to understand that he
is dead to sin. and risen with Christ
into newness of life. When he De-
gins to understand this marvellous and
glorious truth, and, understanding 1t.
gives it practical expression in his life,
then he begins to know what it is to
cruelty the flesh. with the appetites
and lusts. and to feel thai sin and
Satan no longer have dominion over
him.
A ND by this we do not mean that
~ the Christian will reach a condi-
ton of absolute sinlessness. While
we remain in the flesh. with its sinful
tendencies and possibilities. we shall
not be free from sin. There is a uis-
tinctiOn between a state of absolute
sinlessnesS and a consciousness that
sin and the devil have no longer any
claim upon OR dominion over one.
The former belief holds that a condl-
ton in the Christian life is reached
where it is absolutely impossible 10
commit sin, while the latter, recog-
nizing the possibilities always of COM
hitting sin, yet finds complete deliv-
erance and victory in Christ Jesus, and
the fact that 1.-The old man." with it's
affections and lusts, has been crucifed
with Him, and hat there has been a
resurrection to a new life of purity and
holiness in Him. l remember hear
ing that great expositor of the Bible.
Rev. G. Campbell Morgan, speaking on
this very point, say that within the
body of his natural flesh were all the
possibilities of a murderer, or a Grim
inal, or a licentiate. Why was he not
a murderer? He could not claim It
was because of what he had done for
himself. But it Was because of the
mercy and grace of God. He knew
within his heart there vas the ability
to hate, and the anger to Stay, if he
gave it free play. He could not say
that he was free from such possibll-
tiles, but he could humbly say that
in Christ Jesus he was dead to such
and alive to the things of God.
And this is where Paul stood, when he
declared that he was cruciied with
Christ, and that "the life which he
lived he lived in faith, the faith which
is in the Son of God" There was no
room for boasting. There was no
to claim that he could no long
sin, but being dead to sin in theory,
he was, by the help of the risen Christ,
to live the new and holy life in Him.
THIS second Christian experience, his
/ realizing not only that Jesus has
died for our sin but that we have died
with Him and have risen with Him,
marks the life of victory and blessing.
Crucihed with Christ. On the cross with
Christ. All, Christian! do you realize
what it was that put your Lord on that
cross? Somehow you have gotten beyond
the cross. You realize that Jesus died on
the cross to ave you, but now that you
are saved, you think of the cross and
Jesus dying on the cross in connection
the unsaved and sinful world. But
let u go back and look, with tear-dimmed
eye and humble heart, upon that cross |
and as we contemplate it let us try to
understand its deeper meaning. Let us
forget all about the sinful world. Let
us stand alone before hat cross. 1t was
my sin that put the Christ upon that
cross. 1t was my sin which He bore upon
cross. My guilty soul was on that
with Christ. If it were not so how
can l hope or expect that my sin has
been atoned for? If there was any par
ticle of sin not on the cross with Christ,
then was it not atoned for. But it was
all there. Christ became sin for us.
Our sin was with Him on the cross.