Holy in Christ: Thoughts on the Calling of God's Children to be Holy as He is HolyMurray, Andrew
Religion
Holy in Christ: Thoughts on the Calling of God's Children to be Holy as He is Holy
Murray, Andrew
Holiness
What Christ was and won was all for us. The power which suffering was
proved to have in Him to work out perfection, the power which He
imparted to it in sanctifying Himself through suffering, is the power of
the new life that comes from Him to us. In the light of His example we
can see, in the faith of His power we too can prove, that suffering is
to God's child the token of the Father's love, and the channel of His
richest blessing. To such faith the apparent mystery of suffering is
seen to be nothing but a Divine need--the light affliction that works
out--yea, _works out_ and actually effects the exceeding weight of
glory. We agree not only to what is written, 'It _became_ Him to make
the Author of salvation perfect through suffering,' but understand
somewhat how Divinely becoming and meet it is that we too should be
sanctified by suffering.
'He chasteneth us for our profit, that we should be made partakers of
His holiness.' Of all the precious words Holy Scripture has for the
sorrowful, there is hardly one that leads us more directly and more
deeply into the fulness of blessing that suffering is meant to bring. It
is _His Holiness_, God's own Holiness, we are to be made partakers of.
The Epistle had spoken very clearly of our sanctification from its
Divine side, as wrought out for us, and to be wrought in us, by Jesus
Himself. 'He which sanctifieth and they which are sanctified are all of
one.' 'We have been sanctified by the one offering of Christ.' In our
text we have the other side, the progressive work by which we are
personally to accept and voluntarily to appropriate this Divine
Holiness. In view of all there is in us that is at variance with God's
will, and that must be discovered and broken down, before we understand
what it is to give up our will and delight in God's; in view of the
personal fellowship of suffering which alone can lead to the full
appreciation of what Jesus bore and did for us; in view, too, of the
full personal entrance into and satisfaction with the love of God as our
sufficient portion; chastisement and suffering are indispensable
elements in God's work of making holy. In these three aspects we shall
see how what the Son needed is what we need, how what was of such
unspeakable value to the Son will to us be no less rich in blessing.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account