Expositions of Holy Scripture: Ephesians; Epistles of St. Peter and St. JohnMaclaren, Alexander
Religion
Expositions of Holy Scripture: Ephesians; Epistles of St. Peter and St. John
Maclaren, Alexander
Bible. Ephesians -- Commentaries; Bible. Epistle of John, 1st -- Commentaries; Bible. Peter -- Commentaries
And notice, too, how there is suggested here also, the blessedness of
that faith, inasmuch as it is a faith _in_ Christ. The New Testament
speaks in diverse ways about the relation between the believing soul
and Jesus Christ. It sometimes speaks of faith as being _towards_ Him,
and that suggests the going out of a hand that, as it were, stretches
towards what it would lay hold of. It sometimes speaks of faith as being
_on_ Him, which suggests the idea of a building on its foundation, or a
hand leaning on a support. And it sometimes speaks, as here, of faith
being '_in_ Him,' which suggests the folded wings of the dove that has
found its nest, the repose of faith, the quiet rest in the Lord, and
'waiting patiently for Him.' Such trust so directed is the one condition
of such tranquillity. Then, again, note a Christian is all that he is
because he is 'in Christ.' That phrase 'in Him' is in some sense the
keynote of this Epistle to the Ephesians. If you will look over the
letter, and pick out all the connections in which the expression 'in
Him' occurs, I think you will be astonished to see how rich and full are
its uses, and how manifold the blessings of which it is the condition.
But the use which Paul makes of it here is just this--everything in our
Christian life depends upon our being rooted and grafted in Jesus. Dear
brethren, the main weakness, I believe, of what is called Evangelical
Christianity has been that it has not always kept true to the
proportionate prominence which the New Testament gives to the two
thoughts, 'Christ for us,' and 'Christ in us.' For one sermon that you
have heard which has dwelt earnestly and believingly on the thought of
the indwelling Christ and the Christian indwelling in Him, you have
heard a hundred about the Sacrifice on the Cross for sins, and the great
atonement that was made by it. Those of you, who have listened to me
from Sunday to Sunday, know that I am not to be charged with minimising
or neglecting that truth, but I want to lay upon all your hearts this
earnest conviction, that a gospel which throws into enormous prominence
'Christ for us,' and into very small prominence 'Christ in us,' is lame
of one foot, is lopsided, untrue to the symmetry and proportion of the
Gospel as it is revealed in the New Testament, and will never avail for
the nourishment and maturity of Christian souls. 'Christ for us' by all
means, and for evermore, but 'Christ _in_ us,' or else He will not be
'_for_ us.'
III. Lastly, a Christian may be a saint, and a believer, and in Christ
Jesus, though he is in Ephesus.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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