Love to the Uttermost: Expositions of John XIII.-XXI.Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton)
Religion
Love to the Uttermost: Expositions of John XIII.-XXI.
Meyer, F. B. (Frederick Brotherton)
Bible. John -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
(2) The supremacy of Jesus in the heart. There is no longer a double
empire of self and Christ, as in the poor Indian who said to the
missionary, "I am two Indians, good and bad"; but there is the
undivided reign of Christ, who has put down all rule and authority and
power--as in the case of Martin Luther, who said, "If any one should
ask of my heart, who dwells here, I should reply, not Martin Luther,
but Christ."
(3) Peace, which looks out upon the future without alarm, because so
sure that Christ will do His very best in every day that lies hidden
beneath the haze of the future; which forbears to press its will too
vehemently, or proffer its request too eagerly, because so absolutely
certain that Jesus will secure the highest happiness possible,
consistently with His glory and our usefulness to men.
(4) Love. When the Spirit of God really dwells within, there is a
baptism of love which evinces itself not only in the household, and to
those naturally lovable, but goes out to all the world, and embraces in
its tenderness such as have no natural traits of beauty. Thus the soft
waters of the Southern Ocean lap against unsightly rocks and stretches
of bare shingle.
Where love reigns in the inner chamber of the soul, doors do not slam,
bells are not jerked violently, soft tones modulate the speech, gentle
steps tread the highways of the world, bent on the beautiful work of
the messengers of peace, and the very atmosphere of the life is warm
and sunny as an aureole. There is no doubt of the indwelling Spirit
where there is this outgoing love.
(5) Deliverance from the love and power of sin, so that it becomes
growingly distasteful, and the soul turns with loathing from the
carrion on which it once fed contentedly. This begets a sense of
purity, robed in which the soul claims kinship to the white-robed
saints of the presence-chamber, and reaches out toward the blessedness
of the pure in heart who see God. There is still a positive rain of
smut and filth in the world around; there is a recognition of the evil
tendencies of the self-life, which will assert themselves unless
graciously restrained; but triumphing above all is the purity of the
indwelling Lord, who Himself becomes in us the quality for which holy
souls eagerly long.
XI
Three Paradoxes
"I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."
"The world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me."
"Because I live, ye shall live also."--JOHN xiv. 18, 19.
The Bible and Christian life are full of paradoxes. Paul loved to
enumerate them; they abound also in the discourses of our Lord. Here
are three.
The Master had declared His purpose of leaving His apostles and friends
and returning to His Father: but in the same breath He says, "I will
not leave you desolate; I come to you."
Again, He had forewarned them that He would be hidden from them; yet
now He tells them that they would still behold Him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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