by Fenter Northern
If you are a New Testament Christian, and there is no other authentic kind,–dramatic differences have reshaped your life. Difference the New Testament speaks of as your sanctification. The basic meaning is set apart. But I find that a bit limited because it essentially includes being set apart for a purpose. That purpose is revealed by Jesus in that great sermon to which all other valid sermons are anchored. He spoke of the single Christian purpose as glorying the Father. He said this: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” The total Christian life is to be a testimony before the world that the Lord, God omnipotent reigns and you are His child.
The Christian is repelled at the magnitude sin has expanded to in the public, so much without shame. But stop and think. What if all the desolation about us had happened in a world where God had never broken through and shown His love for righteousness? What if there was no Bible or better hope for tomorrow, no promise of heaven had ever been made by One risen from the dead, nor a fear of hell to be shunned. Suppose the hydrogen bomb had never been pre-dated by a Man risen from the dead who said, “I will be with you always, even unto the end of the world.” All of us are sinners, but Christians know by the vow of God that because Jesus died for the penitent sinner’s sins, even if hell reigns about us we can go to the grave with unspeakable comfort. If Jesus had not become the historical savior of the world we would still be in our sins, without any hope. Then what would we do when our conscience hammered our hearts with guilt and there was nothing, absolutely nothing that could atone or ease the pain? And this pain above all pain — what if, when you lost one dearer to you than anything else on earth, and as you followed the slow drive to the grave, there had never been a sunrise of light shining from that empty grave with no angelic voice having come from within saying, “Go tell them He is risen.”
Let’s thank our God there is a difference; It has been the joy vibrating in the heart of every Christian in every age who have been repeatedly pummeled by the iron fists of wickedness. Something has happened. The New Testament is filled with “but now” “however,” and “therefore” that lift the dark clouds of sinful oppression that tend to blot out the hope of mankind.
We Christians must be careful. Paul said “examine yourselves.” We are all tried to see if our faith is gold, silver, precious stone, or wood, hay and stubble. No one is immune to strange and difficult trials that try the soul, however God leaves such here for a purpose, Only those tried in fiery trials, who through prayers and the grace of God will walk the streets of heaven. Jesus says He will help us, that we can make it.” Others just like you and I have been subjected to worse horrific trials and made it, and so can we, so let’s keep hope burning in the furnace of our souls.
If we would stop and think, we would discover there are unsearchable riches for the Christian fight… One of those unsearchable riches Paul called, “Christ in you.” That means when Satan is raging we have an advocated, Jesus Christ the righteous upon whom we can call to help us through any dark and stormy night, —-we are not alone.
That is a resource beyond description, What if there was no one and we had to walk the dark valley all by ourselves, if that was true Paul says we would be the most miserable of all people. But it is a lie, a demonic lie. Because God, who cannot lie, has vowed to us, that our sun does not set forever when we come to the end of the day. No demon or power of hell can rob a child of God of that. In Jesus Christ we have come to a banquet feast, where the marriage of the Lamb has come, and we are His guests.
God help us, and He will, when we face the last enemy, face it with chin up high. May we keep this foremost in our mind:
Just as I am, without one plea
But that Thy blood was shed for me
And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee
O Lamb of God, I come! I come.