PAUL'S COMMISSION
PAUL’S COMMISSION
The Lord Jesus Christ in heavenly glory sent His servant Paul to “open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me” (Acts 26: 18).
The first item in the commission is to “open their eyes”. This brings before us the plain fact that none are convicted of sin except by the grace of God. It is not natural for any of us to be brought to a sense of our true condition before God; it is as great a miracle as the raising of a dead man when a child of Adam begins to feel the burden of sin. When a man comes into anxiety about the need of his soul it is a great miracle — it is the finger of God.
Those whose eyes are opened really know that they are sinners before God. Many will say, “We are all sinners”; they have been taught to say so, and there is enough Christian light abroad to make people willing to admit in word that they are sinners. But it is not a reality to them; they are not a bit troubled about it. If you tell a man that his house is on fire, it makes a great impression on him; it is too serious a matter to trifle with. If his children are stricken down with some deadly disease, he will spend his last penny to get the best advice and the most suitable things for them. If he finds that his money is in a bank that is not trustworthy, he will not leave it there. But when it is a question of his soul, and of the affairs of eternity, he will admit that his condition is bad and his peril great, and yet he is not sufficiently concerned even to take the matter into serious consideration.
The man of the world says: “The subject of religion is one on which there is great difference of opinion, and we do not [p. 47] really know what to believe; we have serious intellectual difficulties as to believing anything at all”. But this matter has nothing whatever to do with the intellect; it is purely an affair of the conscience. Do you want more evidence to convince you that you are a sinner? Do you want stronger proof that you are not right with God? Let the still small voice of conscience speak in the secret chambers of your soul.
It is not a question of your mind being convinced by an intellectual process, but of your giving in to God and taking your true place before Him. Job had intellectual difficulties for a long time. If you want to see a masterpiece of philosophical argument read the book of Job. Job and his three friends discussed these matters until the Lord came in and asserted His place in Job’s conscience; then the discussion was silenced, and the intellectual difficulties vanished like shadows of the night before the sun. Then Job cried, “Mine eye seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes”. If you get into the dust and ashes of self-judgment your soul will get blessing from God.
The next item in the commission is “to turn them from darkness to light”. It is not enough that men should find out they are sinners; they must also be shown God’s way of salvation; for when the eyes of sinners are opened they often say: “I must reform my life, I must change my habits; I must sign the pledge; I must join the church; I must take up some good work; I must give something to religious causes”, and so on. They think that by this they will get into God’s favour, and that their sins will be blotted out. All this is darkness, because such things as these have no efficacy to cleanse from sin — they do not bring salvation. You must have the salvation question settled before you begin to think about serving God. You may change your manner of life by an act of your own will. A piece of lead might be made to look like a five-shilling piece. It might be a perfect imitation, but it would be of no value. That is [p. 48] like a mere outward change of life. It will not do. Salvation is a divine work; it is of the Lord; and without the salvation of God you will perish.
Salvation has been secured by the precious atoning work of the Son of God. There will be multitudes in glory that no man can number, and if they were asked how they got there, each one would point to the Lamb in the midst of the throne, and say, “He did it”. He bore the judgment of God and went into death, and He is now in resurrection-triumph at the right hand of God. The very fact that He is seated on the throne of God proclaims the value of His work, and if you rest on that work it will secure to you a purged conscience. May Jesus’ precious work be the present and eternal resting place of your soul!
But another says: “It is not works that I wish to have, but I want to be sure that the Spirit of God has really wrought in my soul; I want to feel the evidences of His working in my heart”. In this case the darkness is all the more subtle because there is an element of truth connected with it. It is true that there must be a work of the Spirit of God in the soul, and indeed without His work none would ever be convicted of sin. But the first work of the Spirit is rather to make you feel that you are utterly unfit for God and deserving of hell. This is the Spirit’s work when He awakens a sinner, and if you are convinced of this, it is the best evidence that the Spirit has wrought in you. Spiritual experiences and emotions are very blessed, but they are not the foundation of faith. People are often deceived by their feelings and experiences, and Satan can go a long way in imitating these things. It is something outside ourselves which brings assurance, even the Word of God. Innumerable scriptures assure the believer of eternal safety and blessing, and these scriptures are unchanging. Whether you are groaning in the valley or singing on the mount with God, His Word remains unchanged. It was the key of promise that opened the dungeon of Doubting [p. 49] Castle; but, thank God, we have something even better than promises. If God had given us promises, I trust we should not have doubted Him, but He has given us more. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and died upon the cross to put away the sins of all who believe on His name. God has raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in heavenly glory. These things are not promises, they are accomplished facts. Before Christ came it was a time of promises, but the gospel today is a proclamation of facts.
There is another form of darkness which troubles many. They are not sure that theirs is the right kind of faith. Such persons are unconsciously making a saviour of their faith — taking the crown from the brow of Jesus and putting it on their faith. The wrong kind of faith is faith which rests in a wrong object. If your faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ it is the right kind of faith. Faith is the eye that looks at Jesus, and the fact that you see beauty and attractiveness in Him is the proof that you have faith. Then turn from the darkness into the light. What glorious light! Light shining in a Saviour’s face! May that glory shine upon you even now!
“From the power of Satan unto God”. Many souls have really been convicted of sin, and have bowed in secret before God with desire to be saved, but they have not got the blessing because there is something from which they cannot break away. Something of the world holds them. They are not prepared to turn from the things which keep them from Christ and from God. It may be worldly friends, or some form of pleasure; it may be reading, music, drink, gambling — a thousand different things in a thousand different cases; but whatever it is that thus keeps the soul from turning to God, it is “the power of Satan”. The prodigal had to arise and go to the father; he had to turn from the far country and the husks. There is a decisive moment when, by God’s grace, the sinner turns to Him; the misery and pressure [p. 50] of sin become greater than the pleasure it affords, and the goodness and grace of God are so known that the soul turns to Him. This causes joy in the presence of the angels of God, for it is really the recovery of the lost sinner, and shows that God has, in some measure at least, got His right place in the sinner’s conscience, and in the confidence of the sinner’s heart. It sets God free to bestow on him all the blessings of divine love and grace. The moment you really turn to God, your reception and the blessings you receive must be measured altogether by what is in the heart of God.
“That they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me”. It is a great thing when we give God His right place, and are prepared to receive from Him — prepared to be needy and helpless sinners, and to take in simple faith His priceless gifts.
Another scripture declares that “through this man is preached unto you forgiveness of sins: and by him all that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13: 38, 39). Nothing could be plainer. Will you believe this good news, and receive the pardon of which it speaks? Those who receive the forgiveness of sins also receive a heavenly “inheritance:”
You must either inherit with Christ or with the devil. There is a place prepared for the devil and his angels, and those who do not receive forgiveness of sins will inherit with him. Believers will be with Christ and like Him for ever; they will inherit with Christ. Thus they can truly sing
“With Him we love in spotless white,
In glory we shall shine,
His blissful presence our delight,
In love and joy divine”.
“All taint of sin shall be removed,
All evil done away,
And we shall dwell with God’s Beloved,
Through God’s eternal day”. (147:2)