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"Nature and Object of Christ’s Death," Final Perseverance of the Saints ch.II (1878)
AUTHOR: | Oliphant, James H. |
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“THE LORD IS THY KEEPER, the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand and upon thy left.” I repeat my proposition, “There is as certain and unfrustrable relation between the sufferings of Christ and the deliverance of his people, as there is between the payment of the price and the delivery of the property thus paid for, ‘Who gave himself for our sins that he might deliver us from this present evil world,’” etc. Not that we might become clear of it if we could, but that “He might deliver us.” Every experimental christian believes that God does seek, find, turn and save his people, and waits not for them to turn or even do anything else, but saves sovereignly. It would have been unlawful to deliver us without first redeeming us, therefore the apostle keeps this order in view. Again, “By one offering he hath forever perfected them that are sanctified whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness unto us” i.e., the Holy Ghost testifies in us and to us of Christ’s vicarious death, and shows us how that our cruel sins received their due in the sufferings of Christ; how that God is satisfied; how that the law is honored, justice fully met with all its claims, as much so as if you had suffered
eternally in hell; how that it was for you and in your stead that Jesus died, and how all this is true and us poor guilty sinners saved. This was Paul’s mind when he exclaimed with triumphant joy, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect.” “It is God that justifies; who is he that condemeth?”
The Eternal Judge solemnly and in all truth and verity (in view of the death of Christ) says of us, “just.” He says this not for anything in or of us, or done by us, but because of what Christ has done for us. “Now,” he continues, “who is he that condemeth?” Where is a power that can unsay what God has said? Where is the court of appeals? Who can say guilty of those whom God justifies? Now if there is no power above God, and none can set aside his decision, then the final salvation of every one so justified is certain, unless God reverse his own judgment, and this he will not do, for
he “is without variableness or shadow of turning;” and besides, he knows who and what he justifies, and there can no evil conduct come from one that he justifies that was not by him foreseen, neither can any evil influence beset them that was not also of him foreseen. Therefore, those whom God justifies are securely “sealed unto the day of redemption.” To say otherwise is to say that God has taken to himself as a bride, and an heir, and a child, one that he knows will desert him and prove unworthy of the relation in the end, or to say he knew not that or whom he is so loving. Now, just
as sure as that God is free of such monstrous imperfections, so sure is the doctrine of the possibility of falling from grace a libel on the character of God.
Paul also assigns the very reason why he justifies, saying “It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again.” Undoubtedly he understood that Christ’s death was the whole ground of our hope, and that in view of his death God could justify, but after showing that Christ has died, thus turning our eyes to the cross where our elder brother and Savior was crucified, he leads us on to his resurrection, as though we were destined to enjoy the same glorious mercy, and that his raising is a pledge to us that our bodies shall participate in the whole of his glory. Then the apostle makes another glorious revelation, saying, “Who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Thus showing that Christ after his death, resurrection, and ascension, is still intently interested for us—“Who also maketh
intercession for us,” as though this gives additional strength to our hope. In all, showing that the heart of Jesus is set for us, to die for us, to raise even to heaven for us, and there before God, like a mighty advocate, to plead for us. All this because we are such poor, erring, sinful
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