No More! # 2

No More! # 2

When the heart rests on God's I will "remember no more," then there is "no more conscience of sins" (Heb. 10:2) - the terrifying sense of them is removed, and we no longer dread God's judgment upon them.

"You are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God" (Eph. 2:19). Like almost everything in the preceding verses, this one contains a double allusion - a dispensational and experiential. There is obvious reference here to what had been said in Ephesians 2:12, "That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." Then it is said, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off, are made near by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:13). As that "far off" and "made near" included both the separation and then the union of Gentile and Jew, and of men and God, so the terms of verse 18 have a twofold scope.

They, who had previously been excluded from the earthly Jerusalem, are come with a gracious welcome to the heavenly Jerusalem, to find their names enrolled among the firstborn sons of God (Heb. 12:22-23). Gentile believers enjoy equal privileges with Jewish believers, for they have been brought into "the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:16), made joint members of the body of Christ.

But more. By nature, we were strangers to God Himself. We neither knew Him nor  wished to do so - "Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of your ways" (Job 21:14) was the language of our hearts. But when we were renewed and received, the atonement enmity was slain, and God in Christ adored, and we enjoy familiar fellowship with Him. Formerly, we were "foreigners" to the saints, though we mixed with them, we were not of one heart with them - but now, we love them. Previously, we were cut off from the holy angels, but are now fellow citizens with them and they minister to us.

"And Jesus said to her: "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more" (John 8:11). In the above passage, we have viewed some of the benefits and privileges of the saint. here we have that which is addressed to his responsibility. Observe well the order of it - not as the legalist would put it, "Sin no more, and I will not condemn you," but rather, Christ deals with a soul in "grace" and then the application of "truth" to the heart. Note too the perfect balance of it - not a bare, "Neither do I condemn you," and nothing more, as the libertine desires, but the added, "Go and sin no more," to protect the interests of holiness.

The Gospel sets before us a standard of conduct no less perfect than that of the Law. No indulging of the flesh is permitted, no self-pleasing tolerated. Pardon places us under additional obligations to cease doing evil. "Awake to righteousness, and sin not" (1 Cor. 15:34) is the rule set before us. The One who has redeemed us, requires to be obeyed as Lord. The command is peremptory and unqualified. Sin must not be regarded as the natural element of life, nor is commission considered as inevitable. It is not, "Sin as little as possible," but, "Sin no more" - rather sin is to be hated, resisted, and forsaken. There must be a thorough watchfulness over our ways and a resolute determination to live to God's glory. Reformation is the best evidence of gratitude. Turn the precept into earnest prayer. Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. Let the love of Christ constrain you to holy living.

"Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me" (Romans 7:17). The context supplies a vivid description of the fierce and ceaseless conflict which is waged between the two natures in the Christian, and which, in varying degrees of perception, is verified in the experience of every saint. By regeneration, the prevailing disposition and desire of the believer is to be fully conformed to the divine will, but (despite his having been delivered from the dominion of sin) his corruptions prevent the attainment of his longings and efforts, so that he daily fails in the doing of the good he essays, and is lured into that which he hates and seeks to avoid.

Thus, in the eyes of Him who knows the heart, it is not the believer as such who is the guilty agent, but rather the enemy and traitor who lurks in his soul, and therefore, the guilt is not imputed to him unto condemnation, for the gracious tenor of the new covenant accepts the willingness of the spirit and has provided pardon for the weakness of the flesh. The "no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me," traces the actions back to their source, and makes known their real cause, as is the case in 1 Corinthians 15:10 and Galatians 2:20).

~A. W. Pink~

(The End)