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Our Standing in Christ Jesus.
pp. 71 - 74
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the
man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit is no guile"
(Psa.xxxii.1,2).
The apostle Paul suffered much and had many diverse experiences: yet he was always
rejoicing. His state of mind is reflected in the words "Rejoice in the Lord always: and
again I say, Rejoice" (Phil. 4: 4).
We have to admit that we do not always rejoice. We do not always radiate that joy
and gladness which should characterize the Christian. To what extent is this due to a lack
of faith? If we hold firmly to the faith, and have no doubts about our standing in Christ
Jesus, should this not be reflected in our daily lives?
Where are doubts likely to arise?
Firstly, if we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, we should not doubt
our salvation. Some may say, "There are times when I do not feel saved". Do we rely
for our salvation on our feelings? Or is our faith based on the finished work of Christ?
Our feelings, like the weather, vary from day to day. It may be that our health or
circumstances cause us to feel `down' at times, and if we tend to rely on our feelings, we
shall be unstable.
David knew what it was to feel `down' at times. He had sinned and he confessed his
sin in Psa. 51: In verse 12 of that Psalm he prays, "Restore unto me the joy of Thy
salvation, and uphold me with Thy free spirit". Our salvation is certain and sure, but we
may not always experience the joy of our salvation.
Secondly, our failure to rejoice every day may result from the problems of the pilgrim
pathway. The classic example is the experience of Israel as they wandered for forty years
in the wilderness. Were they always happy? Was their faith firmly based on the word of
God? There are summaries of Israel's experiences in the Psalms, such as Psa.106:&107:
Our personal lives may differ from the wilderness journey of Israel, but there may be a
parallel. We may face the problem of meeting our material needs, or we may be worried
about health; either our own health or that of a near relative or friend. If the burden
seems too heavy for us it is not easy to "Rejoice"; but cannot we ride through the storm
more easily if we have complete faith in the providential care of our Heavenly Father?
The object of this article is to consider the `facts'. What is our standing? What are the
conditions (or facts) that do not change with the varying experiences and circumstances
of the pilgrim pathway? If we can establish the `facts', we may have a firm foundation
on which to build, and we shall not be tossed to and fro as we encounter daily problems.