CHRIST KNOWN IN THE HEART OF THE BELIEVER
Nothing but the work of Christ can satisfy the conscience, and nothing but the Person of Christ can satisfy the heart. There be many who enjoy a purged conscience, who do not know a satisfied heart; they trust in the work of Christ, but do not know a living Christ as the satisfying object of the heart. All that my conscience can take account of, whether it be my sins or my sinful state, what I have done, or what I am, all finds its answer in the death of Christ. His work has expiated my sins and removed them for ever from the sight of God, and brought to an end my state of sin before God; He no longer identifies me with that which He has condemned in the death of His Son and I am justified and accepted in the life of the One who is risen and gone up as man into the glory of God.
The knowledge of this should create in my heart affection for the One who in His· great love went into death for my sake, and attach me to Him in the place into which He has gone.
But I need an object for my heart or I shall be self-centred, living to myself, and turning to the world to seek satisfaction in the things of the world. Alas! is not this the case with many saints today? God has given me in His blessed Son an Object for my heart, whose love I know, whom I can love, whom I can trust, One to whom I can speak, and who speaks to me, to whom I can turn for sympathy and help at all times, and whose love, sympathy and succour I can always count upon. “The Son of God ... has loved me, and given himself for me”, Gal 2: 20. Let us then each seek to appropriate His love, to cultivate intimacy with Him, and thus grow in acquaintance with Him.
“If one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again”, 2 Cor 5: 14, 15. We could not live to a dead Christ. It must be to a living Person, who is ever present to us, and who commands our affections. It is to be feared that to many Christ is like a friend who is dead and gone. They trust in His finished work and are assured that in the end they will go to heaven, but they have lost Him as the present Object for their hearts. Hence they are not satisfied nor devoted to His interests here, but are living to themselves. This is a serious loss to such, both now and in the world to come.
The Spirit has come down from Christ glorified to keep Him ever present to us as a living object to our hearts. “The world sees me no longer, but ye see me”, John 14: 19. “In that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you”, v 20. “He that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him”, v 21. Therefore to us He should not be as one dead and gone. By the Spirit, living communications are maintained between Christ in heaven and His saints on earth. And on the first day of the week, He makes Himself present to us in the breaking of bread and comes to us. Let us then seriously ask ourselves the question, Do I know Christ as the present satisfying Object for my heart, or am I content to go on only trusting in His work to give me a passport to heaven when I have done with this world? Rather let us seek to go on to know the Lord and to serve Him here.
From Mutual Comfort vol 14 (1921)