Debtors to His Marvelous Grace

"By grace are you saved through faith."

- Eph. 2:8

     The greatest exhibit of God's wonder working grace will be the glorified Church. No other manifestation of His loving-kindness has ever equaled the perfecting work accomplished in these saints of the Lord. Having in grace chosen not many wise, noble, or great according to the world's rule of values, no flesh may therefore glory in His sight however highly honored. In choosing to work out the special marvels of His grace on material so imperfect, so prone to be otherwise than always pliable in His hands, how greatly God has needed to be an undiscouraged Workman. So often, the clay has broken on the wheel as He sought to make it into a vessel of usefulness and of beauty. But in loving-kindness it has been taken up again and made into yet another vessel. Again, and again, His patience has been manifested according to promise, "He shall not crush a broken reed, nor quench a wick that dimly burns” (Isaiah 42:3 Moffatt). Seven times the just man may fall but, through grace, he "rises up again," assisted by a Hand mighty to save. Truly, "the Lord is long-suffering to us, not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9).

     In all His working, the ways of God are marvelous in our eyes. The marvels of His grace are the proof that God is love. In the operation of His grace toward His people, He not only knows how to steal the bitterness out of life's woes, but He also knows how to discard the unworthy material we so often bring in word and deed, and to preserve the good and commendable. We are not under law, but under grace, and what debtors to that grace we are! In the Old Testament records, where faults and failings are impartially set forth, Moses leaves Egypt, fearing for his life. But when the record appears in the spirit of New Testament grace, what beauty there is in having only his virtues brought to view in the words, "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king." His flight in fear is forgotten and the triumph of faith alone remembered.

     We are under that marvelous grace wherein we are made the righteousness of God through Christ. Our imperfections are all provided for in the finished work of Christ for us. He took our place under condemnation, and we stand with him now in the Holy Presence of God. Jesus went to the cross, bearing our sin; we come from the cross, bearing His righteousness with sins confessed and cleansed from all unrighteousness. It is ours to know that we are now complete in Christ the Beloved One. Do we really believe this and by faith enter into the rest it should bring to us? How many of us have learned to experience this promised rest? We have struggled and wrestled to gain it, while all the time the Word has been clear and simple, that such as have "believed do enter into rest." And what a rest is this! "For he that is entered into His rest, he also has ceased from his own works, as God did from His" (Hebrews 4:3, 10).

     Too often faith falls short of this possible rest and quietness of spirit. So, life goes on in fluctuations between long periods of self-condemnation and too few brief seasons of joy when we cease to keep looking inward at self. The secret of perpetual joy and confidence eludes us, and we are ready to confess to ourselves that too often an unaccountable depression settles down over our spirit, making all expressions of professed joy seem meaningless. We know we should be happy in our knowledge of God's favor, always rejoicing even though outward circumstances are otherwise than calm. We know that our lives should reflect freedom from fear, and bear testimony that we know the One whom we have believed, and that we are therefore able to trust His word in all things. Yet failing to realize the peace and assurance we crave, how easily we can succumb to the Tempter's arguments, and say, "This sweet boon of rest is not for me." We see these possibilities of full assurance taught in the Scriptures, and now and again exemplified in the experience of some we meet, but we conclude that since temperaments differ, ours must be the unfortunate type; therefore, to keep up the effort to reach the goal of our aspirations is all in vain.

     Such conclusions are wrong, and it is well to remember the word of inspiration which says, "Let us earnestly endeavor, therefore, to enter into that rest, that no one may fall by the same example of unbelief" (Hebrews 4:11 - Diaglott) as did Israel of old. It must be remembered that we live in the realm of faith, and that our assurance, our joy and peace, depend not on anything we have done or could do, but on the finished redemption accomplished for us in Christ Jesus. It is from Jesus Himself we receive the primary principle of true faith, "This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent" (John 6:29). What is this but pointing out the great secret we want to know? To believe on Him in the sense intended in this statement is to believe in Him as our justification, appropriate Him as our righteousness, abiding in Him as our life, making Him our peace, and accepting through Him our victory. All we want we may find in Him if we will but seek everything through faith. Such faith will bring us the fixed conviction that we may be hourly victorious, daily victorious, and finally victorious.

     What God has cleansed we are not to turn from as unclean, and what He has made simple we are to be careful not to mystify and becloud with multiplied words. The verbosity with which this life of rest in Christ is so often treated has hindered many from grasping its meaning. Simply stated it becomes beautifully practical, and surely inspirational. Theological discussions of such themes are likely to be wordy, while experimental discoveries of great truths can be presented in language understandable by all. Having this in mind, it affords a great pleasure to pass on the contents of a letter received quite recently from one who has found the secret springs of this great boon of peace and rest. O how simple these wonderful possibilities are when the Lord can come in and speak as never man may speak.

     Let us, then, give ear to the testimony of the writer of this letter. Quoted in part, she says, "I would like to mention here a line of thought I have been following for some time with great help and profit. It is that instead of spending so much time in looking into my own life to find there whether today I have climbed another rung of the ladder of grace, I spend more time in thinking of our marvelous Lord and of His wonders of character. In Him, we see the perfection of all beauty, grace, love, and mercy; the One to whom we may come, finding there One who is perfect in every respect. I like to enumerate the qualities in which He is perfect -- not just glibly skate over the word, giving it no particular thought, but to feel that He is, indeed, perfect in every wonderful quality I can name or understand -- and even then, still to know that we can never exhaust His grace and beauty of character. Why should I look at myself in the light of His glory? What do I expect to find in myself that will ever give me much ground for anything but humility and the feeling that it is Him and not me at all? My puny little efforts pale into insignificance, and more than that, I become so discouraged by looking inside my own heart too closely. But when I look at Him, I see the Son of all grace, the perfection of hope and joy beyond us to probe to its depths. My heart expands and swells in love toward a God and His Son so worthy of all praise and adoration. I find true joy in forgetting self with its failures and its continual disappointments of development. But I feel strong and mighty when it comes to singing His praise, when it comes to thanking God for the evidence we have of His care and our sonship with Him. I become a giant when I attempt to enumerate His blessings, spiritual and material in our daily lives and to thank Him for these things which are never ending.

     “But what shall we say when we realize that we have only touched the fringe of all these blessings? What a breathless view we obtain at times of the future in the presence of such a God! How much time is spent by some of us in simple thanksgiving for these matchless bless- ings? Here I do not need to 'keep my feet on the ground.' We can soar to the heavenlies, feeling that we have fellowship of the rarest with the true Christians of all ages, be they living or gone from this world. I feel, too, that this is not an impractical thing, a thing illusory and intangible, but a definite reality in which we can forget this life with its failures and troubles, its few friends who understand or who, perhaps, are so stultified by the restrictions of the human spirit, by our clumsy efforts to express ourselves, by fear of being misunderstood and laughed at in a multitude of human shortcomings and limitations. Surely this is where we meet God in true fellowship and worship. This is the place where we find true strength: knowing we have a God who never fails, who never weakens or grows weary of our coming to Him. What a God we have! May our thanks ascend like incense daily and our worship grow to full stature. But even in that we shall never reach the end. So once more, my God is an inexhaustible storehouse of grace and glory. Thanks be to His Holy Name."

     In the foregoing letter, the writer could express an assurance that in her experience this happier frame of mind was "not an impractical thing, a thing illusory and intangible, but a definite reality in which we can forget this life with its failures and troubles." In this assurance, thus expressed, there is reality indeed. Such experiences may be new discoveries when a loving providence finds us ready to be led. Others have testified to being lifted out of the fluctuating conditions of doubt and depression and the alternating times when faith triumphed and rested. Proof of this comes to our attention in another letter received by a friend, the writer having passed on some time ago. We are glad to append this testimonial to the above, and quote in part as follows:

     "I was so pleased to get your nice letter, and feel I should reply to it, even though in pencil. I have not your letter at hand to refer to, but I noticed that you mentioned 'our covenant by sacrifice' several times, and I just wonder what it all means to you. I used to think of that as meaning what I was doing, and many an unhappy hour I had thinking how constantly I failed in doing and in not doing. Many a time I surrendered myself to God, but now I think I was always thinking of the 'I' in the surrender (what I would now do or say), and that went on for a long time.

     “Many a lesson God gave me, and I always laid hold of something, but I can now see it was always in connection with something on my part. I could fill a book, dear, with all the gracious things the Lord showed me, and I thought I understood it all, but now 'I have entered the valley of blessing so sweet,' and there is no more 'I' in the business.

     “About eighteen months ago, I was reading and studying Colossians and saw that Jesus was everything. In Him everything in heaven and in earth was centered -- God's will for us the Church, and His Plan for the world, and that He was always well-pleasing to the Father. While thinking about that, it came to me how pure and perfect, how lovely and all-satisfying to God our dear Savior was, and I thought if I were hidden in Him, then I too would be always well-pleasing to our Heavenly Father. It was as if a door opened and that door was Christ our Lord, and I stepped in and was swallowed up in Him, lost in Him, and God found me in Him. What a day I had! All the verses I used to delight in had a deeper, sweeter meaning to me. He had overcome and He counted me as also having overcome. Out of His fullness, I am all that He was and is. “By whom the world is crucified to me and I unto the world.”

     “I see my own weaknesses and failings, but I seek to follow Paul, and glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. The blood of Jesus Christ is always cleansing me, and He has taken me into the Holy of Holies, and made me to sit down with Him, and His banner over me is love. What a difference! I understand what it means to reckon myself dead in the old nature, in a way I never did before. I have entered the joy of the Lord, praise His name!

     Everything has a different look in a way I can hardly describe. The work is done, and all is finished, and I go on following in His footsteps, seeking ever to refer all things to Him and to lay hold...."

     In these testimonies we see illustrated the verities of feasting on Christ. This is the great truth of our standing in grace. If our vision can reach to the utmost of this wonderful provision made for us in Jesus Christ, the days of faltering faith should be over, and the garments of perpetual praise put on. Then will God's goodness bind grateful hearts to Him, and the habit of song will surely be, "Hear what the Lord has done for me."

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