I REPEAT what I’ve said before, how our author has done such an excellent job stringing together precious scriptures to weave the fabric of his message. He’s accomplished that once again in today’s reading as we close Chapter 26 of the Complete Green Letters) on the Principle of Position – Sins and Conscience. As I read this portion, a few additional precious gems came to mind:
Though I may fall, I shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds with His hand. Psa. 37:24 (my paraphrase)
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, to the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever. Psa. 30:11-12
WE have much to be grateful for in the salvation and sustaining grace of our God, …And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. 1Th. 5:23-24 KJV.
OUR author ended the last consideration saying, “The Lord Jesus did not pray that Peter might not sin, but, having fallen, that his faith would respond to His Lord’s advocacy.” Our battle with sin is going to be an on-going reality as long as we remain in the flesh. It need not have dominion over us (Rom. 6:1-14ff), and a day will come when we will be fully delivered from the presence of sin. In the meantime, we have the confidence that our Advocate is praying even now for his very own, even we who have believed, that our faith not fail, that we may grow in knowledge, grace, and perseverance. As such, we can be confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in [us] will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Phil. 1:6
SO, with that, let us get to the close of this chapter and the further instruction to be gained therein.
IN the joy of the Lord,
Joe
Neh. 8:10, Isa. 30:15 & Job 2:10
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Chapter 26—Sins and Conscience – Part 5, conclusion
The Lord Jesus did not pray that Peter might not sin, but, having fallen, that his faith would respond to His Lord’s advocacy. His faithful intercession kept Peter from self-centered despair, giving him grace for true repentance, deep sorrow for his sin, purity of conscience, and restoration of fellowship.
Position
At rest in our position in the Lord Jesus, we can depend upon the Holy Spirit to take us through all that is required for our growth in the purpose of God. “Inasmuch, then, as we have in Jesus, the Son of God, a great High Priest who has passed into Heaven itself, let us hold firmly to our profession [confession] of faith. For we have not a High Priest who is unable to feel for us in our weaknesses, but one who was tempted in every respect just as we are tempted, and yet did not sin. Therefore let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our times of need” (Heb. 4:14–16, Wey.).
We must face the fact that there is going to be constant need, even as we are more fully learning to hate (reject) self and love the Lord Jesus. In that God is “just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26), He is free to utilize even our failures as He develops our condition” … All things work together for good to them that love God…” (Rom. 8:28). In all that we go through we are taught more fully to reject self via the cross, and to abide in Christ via our position. At the same time, we are to count more upon His advocacy and rejoice in the privilege of our fellowship with the Father. Moreover, we thus become better fitted to understand and minister to our weaker brethren, knowing full well what they are going through. “…When thou art converted [restored], strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32).
If we turn from our position of rest to fight against sin, and work to improve our condition, we have stepped off the rock of grace into the swamp of self-effort. But as we turn from self to abide in our Lord at the right hand of the Father, we find that He has dealt with both the principle of sin, and our sins.
We can rest in the fact that His work of atonement is never repeated, as His Word assures us: “‘And their sins and offences I will remember no longer.’ But where these have been forgiven no further offering for sin is required” (Heb. 10:17, 18, Wey.). We depend upon the fact that His work as Advocate is never interrupted, “seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25).
“Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience…” (Heb. 10:19–22, NASB).
