January 17

“The one trusting (or having faith in) the Son of God has the witness in himself” (1 John 5:10).

There should be in each true believer a compelling sense of the presence of God; a distinguishing radiance in the life of Christians that is visible and markedly different from those about them. The faith that Peter describes as equally precious as his (2 Peter 1:1), is the faith that he was happy to be crucified for, an expectation that Jesus had revealed to him. Too many Christians rely on the knowledge that they derive from the Bible about Jesus; too few have an encounter with Christ Jesus that leaves a mark upon the countenance. But God acting upon the soul of man must leave a mark that is visible to others; it is its own evidence of true faith. Moses wrote: “and let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us” (Psalm 90:17). The presence of the Lord should be marked on the countenance of the man who stands before Him.

True faith begins with the recognition of the utter helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness and hell deserving nature of man; what Jesus called poverty of spirit, with no sense of self sufficiency or self esteem. This is the first evidence of biblical faith.

Then the true believer is drawn irresistibly further and further into the acquaintance of God until he can finally say that he knows Him, however scantily. That knowledge comes from meditating on God and studying His word, giving all up to the pursuit of Him that alone is holy. God desires to reveal Himself but He insists upon those seeking Him to observe certain protocols; yieldedness to what has already been revealed is one requirement. God has a security system in His word, since if He didn’t, Satan would be able to understand the mysteries therein. But the Word is so put that it can only be revelation to those to whom the Lord wishes to give revelation. One man’s revelation is another’s nonsense.

To know God is to dwell upon Him ceaselessly, to consider His nature, His character and His majesty; but meditation must not be at the expense of study of His Word. To seek God apart from His own self disclosure in the scriptures is not only futile but dangerous. Both the Spirit and the Word must inform the seeker.

The struggle is between the natural man and the spiritual man; the natural must give way to the spiritual if we are to be saved. The natural man is “I”; the spiritual man is Christ; the I must decrease and the Christ increase; that is the principle. The natural man is merely the host of the spiritual man; the vessel that accommodates the spiritual entity; his body the mere tabernacle in which the spiritual dwells.

The role of the natural man is to keep the body functioning effectively through food drink and exercise so that the spiritual may grow in Christ and increase in the knowledge of God. But the spiritual must rule the natural. The natural man is destined for death; he cannot inherit salvation. It is only the spiritual man that is able to be saved.