I cannot save and sanctify myself; I
cannot make atonement for sin; I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what
is wrong, purify what is impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the
sovereign work of God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has
made the perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing
it? The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe
things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of
God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith on it.
If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce the most unscriptural
kind of life—an isolated life, with my eyes focused solely on my own holiness.
Beware of that human holiness that is not based on the atonement of the Lord.
It has no value for anything except a life of isolation—it is useless to God
and a nuisance to man. Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord
Himself. We cannot do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on
the foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited
in practical, unassuming ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity
of God is on my side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in
perfect agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in
the atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the
supernatural grace of God.
Beware of the human holiness that denies
the reality of the natural life—it is a fraud. Continually bring yourself to
the trial or test of the atonement and ask, “Where is the discernment of the
atonement in this, and in that?”
