The nature and conditions of Christian life.
"The life which I now live in the flesh I live in the faith of the San of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
I. THE NATURE OF THIS LIFE. There is a mystery surrounding the origin of all life. There is mystery, too, in regeneration (John 3:8). Yet spiritual life is due to the quickening power of the Holy Spirit, through the Word, "making all things new." The first effect of regeneration is faith; and the life thus begun is sustained by the indwelling of the same Spirit through all the stages of a sanctified experience, till it shares in the glorified life of the Redeemer in heaven.
II. THE CONDITION OF THIS LIFE—IT IS LIFE "IN THE FLESH." That is, in the body. All life—physical, intellectual, moral—is exposed to risk of some sort. Frost or lightning may blight flower or tree; disease may undermine animal life; madness may attack intellectual life. So Christian life is exposed to many risks, simply because it is life "in the flesh," that is, in a body with passions and appetites prone to evil, and in a world with many seductions that appeal to the senses. Yet we must not regard the body with ascetic aversion, as if it were the sole cause of the soul's embarrassments. It is God's wonderful workmanship; it is the temple of the Holy Ghost, to be kept free from defilement; and it is and ought to be the willing servant of the immortal spirit in all the various activities of Christian life.
III. THE MEDIUM OF CHRISTIAN LIFE—FAITH. Faith is not merely the instrument of our justification, but the root-principle of our life. It is the principle which maintains this life in its constant exercise. We "live by faith;" we "walk by faith;" we "stand by faith;" we "overcome by faith;" we are "sanctified by faith;:" we are "kept by faith" through the power of God unto the final salvation. As the principle which unites the soul and the Saviour, it is the conduit which carries the mighty supplies of grace into the soul.
IV. THE EXTERNAL SUPPORT OR NURTURE OF THIS LIFE. "The Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
1. All life finds its nurture or support in sources external to itself, which it assimilates to its own inner growth. So it is in the animal and the vegetable worlds. Thus the soul finds its support in the Bread of life who came down from heaven. It is not faith that supports this life. Faith is nothing apart from its object.
2. It is not the Son of God; merely who is the support of this life. He might be only "Guide, Philosopher, and Friend," as in Socinian theology; but our life could find no adequate fulcrum or paint of support in the Son of God thus regarded. The apostle emphasizes
He is no Saviour to me unless he is my High Priest, my Substitute, my Surety.
V. THE APOSTLE'S ASSURANCE OF HIS PERSONAL INTEREST IN CHRIST'S WORK. He does not use terms of generality, such as "he gave himself for us," but "for me." Thus he added assurance to his faith.
VI. THE LIFE IN QUESTION IS DESIGNED TO BE MANIFEST. It is life to be lived. "The life which I now live in the flesh." Life may be secret in its origin, but it comes forth into visible display. We cannot see the life of the tiny seed-grain cast by the husbandman into the ground, but it gradually makes its way to the surface through all obstacles. Thus our life is to be an open life. We are not to "hide our light under a bushel;" we are not to bury our talent in the ground; but as "ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him." It is the duty of the saints to be witnesses to the Lord; it is their privilege to glorify him; it is their glory to reflect the image of his blessed character.