Righteousness and Holiness
That the Church has been aroused — if it has not yet been thoroughly awakened — to see not only the necessity, but the possibility of a truer life, is a fact that none can deny. And that such an awakening should be accompanied by differences of opinion, is only what the experience of former ages in all similar revivals would lead us to expect. Collision and opposition are among the first evidences of a quickened Church, the characteristics of the earlier stages of returning life; to be followed by a deeper, fuller, and more vigorous vitality, in which bitterness, intolerance and discord shall give way to love, forbearance and harmony. We believe brighter days are near at hand, and that what we have hitherto seen is but the preparation for the realisation of spiritual blessings, such as
the Church has not known since the days of the Apostles.
But “times of refreshing” are also times of danger. One thing we know — the truth hs nothing to lose, but everything to gain, by thorough investigation and the most searching inquiry. But it is especially at such times we need to be reminded that the “weapons of our warfare are not carnal,” and that “the servant of the Lord must not strive “(wrangle), “but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves.”
Again, in our zeal to bring out prominently one particular truth, we may lead some to conclude that we set very little value on other truths equally necessary and important. Nothing is more essential, for instance, to all sound teaching, than that we build on the right foundation; and that we adhere closely to the divine order in which truth is set forth in the Word of God. Happily we live in a day when Christians are not satisfied with
only the first principles of the doctrine of Christ. Many are trying to help on and encourage all those who have apprehended Christ as their Righteousness to know Him more perfectly as their Sanctification.
But we would have our readers never to forget that our first grand need as sinners is not meetness for heaven — holiness, but a judicial title to it — righteousness. There must first be a just ground, a righteous standing, for the sinner to occupy, before there can be purity of heart or holiness of life. In the new creation “these two things are essentially connected. They are not to be confounded, nor are they to be separated. The new man has, after God, been” created in righteousness and holiness of truth (Eph. iv. 24). Righteousness is to holiness what the foundation is to the superstructure. We may be spending our time exclusively on the foundation, by preaching nothing but justification by faith. And we may begin to build the superstructure before the foundation has
been laid, by assuming that all are ready to be instructed in holiness. The enemy in the one case hinders the work already begun, in the other he seeks to prevent its commencement. But let us “not be ignorant of his devices.” Clearly, distinctly, and continually, let us apprehend for ourselves, and let us declare for the benefit of others, that Christ alone, in His death and righteousness, is the ground of our acceptance, and that by His work for us, and not by His work in us, we are justified and saved. “Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” But let us not stop here.
As clearly, distinctly, and constantly, let us bear in mind for ourselves, and make known to all who have thus far apprehended the truth, that Christ Himself — and not merely a work in us which is the effect and not the cause — Christ as a real, present and abiding Saviour, is our Sanctification — the sanctuary of our souls, our Life, in whom we abide and by whom we are possessed. That it is in
this mutual indwelling by His Spirit that our purity and power consists; and that having Him, in whom it has pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell, we may do all things in Him who strengtheneth us, and abound to every good work.