THE BEGINNING OF A BLISSFUL ETERNITY

^[p. 96] THE BEGINNING OF A BLISSFUL ETERNITY

It is not possible for a believer to be entirely free from doubts and misgivings until he sees that his righteousness and his place with God are set forth in Christ. When he does see this it settles every question, and puts the soul altogether beyond the reach of the enemy.

Let me put this matter in a very simple way. Suppose you were to die and to pass the judgment-throne, and that you found yourself on the other side of death and judgment without a stain of sin upon you, and not only “whiter than snow”, but in all the acceptance and beauty of Christ, and with the smile of God’s eternal favour beaming upon you, would you not be sure that every question was settled? Would you not be able to say, “Thank God, this is the beginning of a blissful eternity”? Would you not be assured of the love and favour of God?

Well, now, let me turn your eye to another Person. You are not actually beyond death and judgment, but Christ is. In deep, divine love He entered into death and bore the judgment of God. He “was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification”. All that was due to us passed upon Him; He has endured and exhausted it all, so that the believer can sing

“Death and judgment are behind me”.

And now Christ is our righteousness; we are received by God in all His acceptance. Thus we enter into everlasting favour. We think not of ourselves, but of Christ. I am not beyond death and judgment, but Christ is, and I am ^[p. 97] entitled to know by faith that He was raised for my justification. What a blessed answer to every doubt and fear is found in that risen Christ!

If you read Romans 4 and 5 you will see how wondrously God has wrought that we might know Him and trust Him as the God of our salvation. We believe on God “that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead”. It was God who gave Him to die; and when all the blessed work of atonement was finished God raised Him from the dead for our justification, so that “being justified by faith” we might “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. God has settled every question in His own way and at His own cost. We believe on God; it is not only that we believe texts of Scripture, but we believe on God.

We believe on God (Romans 4: 24)

We have peace with God (Romans 5: 1).

We are reconciled to God (Romans 5: 10)

We joy in God (Romans 5: 11)

These four things give us in a very full and blessed way the portion of the believer. God is the object of his faith and the source of his joy. He has begun with God, and that is the beginning of a blissful eternity.