There can be but one final test as to what shall be accepted and what shall be rejected, and that must be made by the individual alone before God (Rom. 14:22).  In connection with any such question we may ask, “Is the real work of redemption hindered, or its true basis rejected?  Is this a direct denial of the truth, by which souls will be hindered, or is it a counterfeit which may decoy them away from their only hope in the priceless blood of the Cross?” Beyond this, a child of God may safely be “all things to all men that he may save some.”

The Christian can see more of beauty in the world, make larger use of its learning, and more fully appreciate its good, than can the children of this age:  yet he must now, above all things else, be content with his limited commission, and be jealous of the interests of his Lord and King.  Much of his present perplexity would be relieved if he could but realize that he is temporarily tenting where an enemy rules, and where he is the object of that enemy’s fiery darts, yet hedged about by the omnipotence of God; called to bear the one message of redemption by the Cross, in the capacity and hidden dignity of an ambassador from the throne of the Most High; even now possessing a glory which shall soon be unveiled in the presence of his Lord; waiting that morning when his Lord shall come again and receive him unto Himself.

Chapter XII.

The Believer’s Present Victory.

An exalted position is usually accompanied with great responsibility.  This is certainly true, according to Scripture, in the case of the believer in his heavenly position.  For when he is seen as a citizen of heaven, and a partaker of those associations, he is also required, both by Scripture and by reason, to “walk worthy of the calling wherewith he is called.”  The statement of these heavenly demands upon the child of God forms a distinct body of truth, and there are at least three such bodies of truth in Scripture, each appearing as a rule of conduct for some special people in some particular time.  The Mosaic Law was given primarily to God’s ancient people through Moses; but it has a message still, as it reflects the holiness of God and prepares for the salvation which is in Christ.  So the “Sermon on the Mount,” with the injunctions of John Baptist, and the early teachings of Christ were given with the coming kingdom age in view and, therefore, form an important revelation in regard to that time when “all shall know the Lord from the least unto the greatest.”  Though there are some common principles running through all these separate teachings, that Scripture which applies directly to the people of this parenthetical age of the Church will be found only in portions of the Gospels and in the Epistles of the New Testament.