Trumbull begins this chapter by saying that he believes
that the most dangerous heresy of then and probably
now is "the emphasis in the professing church itself,
on what we do for God, instead of what God does for
us." There is the subtle, all-pervading presence of that
thing: the emphasis in the church on what we do for
God.
May God make very plain to us all in this hour some-
thing about the grace of God. This mistaken emphasis
looks in exactly the opposite direction from grace. Not
that Christian works have no place in the Christian's
life. You know they have. But they follow the grace
of God; they do not precede it; and they are never the
condition of God's grace.
God's grace is not about God's attitude toward us but
His activity in our behalf. Grace means His tremen-
dous, omnipotent activity; the dynamite of Heaven
accomplishing things in our behalf, wholly indepen-
dent of what we are and what we do. Three things
God's grace does for us to show us what grace is:
1 The resurrection of the body--
Behold I tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trum-
pet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incor-
ruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Cor 15:51,52
2 The deliverance from the general bondage of cor-
rupttion in which all creation is at this time--
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God. Romans 8:21
3 And our blessed hope of being caught up to meet
the Lord in the air--
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord. 1 Thes 4:16, 17
Do you notice that all three of those great verbs are
passive voice, not in the active voice?
Listen to Ephesians 2--You hath he made alive, who
were dead in trespasses and sins...God, who is rich
in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
even when we were dead in sins, made us alive to-
gether with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;) and hath
raised us up together.
Paul says, He hath raised us up together, and made
us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding
riches of his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest
any man should boast. Grace according to God's idea.
How much of that work does God do? The most of it?
Pretty nearly all of it. NO! ALL! Grace does not share
anything with man. Grace is not a joint effort. Grace
is not co-operation. Grace is jealous--as God is. Grace
means "God does it all." and it was done for us nine-
teen centuries before we were born.
Romans 4:5: To him that works not, but believes on
him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness. To him that works not--just keeps
absolutely still and simply believes on Him who justifies
the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness.We did
not bear our own sins. "Behold the lamb of God which
takes away the sin of the world" That's why grace says:
"Done:
Finished!"
Reader, we will continue along this line tomorrow. The
author of the book, Victory in Christ, was one of the
busiest, most compassionate Christian of his time, in his
later life. Early on he wore out himself and everyone
around him. I want to learn what it means to rest in the
finished work of Christ! We are on this journey together!
that the most dangerous heresy of then and probably
now is "the emphasis in the professing church itself,
on what we do for God, instead of what God does for
us." There is the subtle, all-pervading presence of that
thing: the emphasis in the church on what we do for
God.
May God make very plain to us all in this hour some-
thing about the grace of God. This mistaken emphasis
looks in exactly the opposite direction from grace. Not
that Christian works have no place in the Christian's
life. You know they have. But they follow the grace
of God; they do not precede it; and they are never the
condition of God's grace.
God's grace is not about God's attitude toward us but
His activity in our behalf. Grace means His tremen-
dous, omnipotent activity; the dynamite of Heaven
accomplishing things in our behalf, wholly indepen-
dent of what we are and what we do. Three things
God's grace does for us to show us what grace is:
1 The resurrection of the body--
Behold I tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep,
but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trum-
pet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incor-
ruptible, and we shall be changed. 1 Cor 15:51,52
2 The deliverance from the general bondage of cor-
rupttion in which all creation is at this time--
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God. Romans 8:21
3 And our blessed hope of being caught up to meet
the Lord in the air--
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord. 1 Thes 4:16, 17
Do you notice that all three of those great verbs are
passive voice, not in the active voice?
Listen to Ephesians 2--You hath he made alive, who
were dead in trespasses and sins...God, who is rich
in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
even when we were dead in sins, made us alive to-
gether with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;) and hath
raised us up together.
Paul says, He hath raised us up together, and made
us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding
riches of his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest
any man should boast. Grace according to God's idea.
How much of that work does God do? The most of it?
Pretty nearly all of it. NO! ALL! Grace does not share
anything with man. Grace is not a joint effort. Grace
is not co-operation. Grace is jealous--as God is. Grace
means "God does it all." and it was done for us nine-
teen centuries before we were born.
Romans 4:5: To him that works not, but believes on
him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted
for righteousness. To him that works not--just keeps
absolutely still and simply believes on Him who justifies
the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness.We did
not bear our own sins. "Behold the lamb of God which
takes away the sin of the world" That's why grace says:
"Done:
Finished!"
Reader, we will continue along this line tomorrow. The
author of the book, Victory in Christ, was one of the
busiest, most compassionate Christian of his time, in his
later life. Early on he wore out himself and everyone
around him. I want to learn what it means to rest in the
finished work of Christ! We are on this journey together!
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