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Life Through the Living One

By James H. Brookes

Chapter 5

Life Received.

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be liſted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only be gotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned, [or rather, judged]: but he that believeth not is condemned [or judged] already, be cause he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”¹

Truly these are great and precious words, surpassing far in value all the words of all the philosophers and poets and statesmen who have ever lived. They assure the troubled sinner, if, like Nicodemus, he is perplexed by the doctrine of the new birth, that his difficulties may come to a speedy end. He that hath everlasting life enters of course into the kingdom of God; but he that believeth hath everlasting life; therefore he that believeth enters into the kingdom of God, and hence he that believeth is born again, or born from above. The inquirer, then, need not harass his mind with questions about regeneration, but turn his thoughts singly and entirely to the Lord Jesus Christ. When Moses at God's command lifted up the serpent of brass in the wilderness, God's promise was, “that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.”² The bitten Israelites were not told to look upon the wounds made by the fiery serpents, nor to look upon Moses, the representative of the law, nor to reason about the connection between looking and living, but to look upon the uplifted serpent, made in the likeness of that which had inflicted the deadly stroke, even as God, sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. If they looked, they showed that they believed God's word and trusted God's promise.

“Even so must the Son of man be liſted up.” Jesus had just exclaimed, “Ye MUST be born again,” and now He adds, “Even so MUST the Son of man be lifted up.” The one must makes the other must a necessity, and both are necessary to regeneration, or the reception of eternal life. But, blessed be His name for ever and ever, although He purchased salvation at such an immense cost to Him self, to us it is absolutely free, " without money and with out price.”³ The way by which it is received is so simple, so easy, so nigh at hand, the believer wonders his heart does not break with penitence and love, every time it is presented to his mind. There may have been many an idiot in the widely-extended encampment of the Israelites, struck by the fangs of the fiery serpents, but if he had sense enough to look, he lived. There may have been many a little child, moaning in its mother's lap from the poisonous bite, but if it was old enough to follow the mother's glance, to notice the mother's pointed finger, to heed the mother's voice bidding it look, it lived. To this day it is only, Look and live; Believe and live; for it is a sweet truth we are accustomed to sing in the sweet hymn—

“There is life for a look at the Crucified One;
There is life at this moment for thee;
Then, look, sinner, look unto Him and be saved,
Unto Him who was nailed to the tree.”

Matt, the idiot boy, on the coast of England had learned enough to know that he owed a debt to God which he could not pay, and he was weeping for fear God would shut him up in prison. A Christian lady took his trembling hand in hers, and gently said, “No, Matt, you need not be shut up in prison, for Jesus has paid your debt.” Down into his darkened mind glanced the soft light of the gospel, and when He saw the wondrous truth that Jesus died on the cross in his stead, he lifted his streaming eyes to heaven with the joyful cry, “Man that paid, Matt says, Thank you, thank you.” Then and there he was born again; then and there he received eternal life, for he had looked upon the Son of man lifted up; and if he had possessed sufficient intelligence he might have walked down the beach, singing in the gladness of exulting faith,—

“Jesus paid it all;
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain;
He washed it white as snow.”

But these mighty words of Jesus tell us why the Son of man was lifted up: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It is a mistake to suppose that Christ came down from heaven in order that God might love us; He came down because God did love us, and so love us, with a love so deep, so amazing, so unchangeable, so unutterable, He “spared not His own Son”⁴ the shame, and humiliation, and rejection, and agony that attended upon every step of His lonely and sorrowful path from the manger of Bethlehem to the cross of Calvary. It is needless to add that “Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour.”⁵ His too was a love most ardent, self-sacrificing, boundless, eternal, and “which passeth knowledge.”⁶ The redemption of poor sinners was more to Him than the glory which He had with the Father before the world was, for He emptied Himself of it; more to Him than the joys of heaven, for He left them all; more to Him than life, for

He says, “I lay it down of Myself;”⁷ more to Him than the shining of God's countenance, for when God “made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin,”⁸ He willingly leaped into the awful abyss of wrath and gloom, out of which arose such a wail of distress as never shook the earth before, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?”⁹

The offering and the sacrifice thus presented on the cross, God has accepted as a sweet smelling savour; and the proof of its acceptance is furnished to angels, men, and devils, in the fact that God has raised Him from the dead. Nothing can be added to the efficacy of that atoning sacrifice; nothing can be added to the completeness of that finished work; nothing can be added to the value of that precious blood. Any attempt to add something of our own, in the way of feelings, repentance, good resolutions, charitable deeds, or ecclesiastical ordinances, that salvation may be rendered more certain and secure, is an insult to God, a dishonour to the Lord Jesus Christ, and a grief to the Holy Spirit.. “Can you tell me,” said an unhappy sceptic to a happy old saint, “just what is the gospel you believe, and how you believe it?” She quietly replied, “God is satisfied with the work of His Son—this is the gospel I believe; and I am satisfied with it—this is how I believe it. “Said another lady to another unhappy man, “There is a great difference between your religion and mine; yours consists of two letters, D-O, and mine consists of four, D-O-N-E.”

In the nature of the case, since the work which Christ accomplished to bring life to dead souls, is finished, life can be received only by accepting it, by believing in Christ, by trusting in Christ, by coming to Christ, which all mean one and the same thing. Hence, when the religious Jews asked Him the question, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me HATH everlasting life.”¹⁰ Hence too. His tender and comforting invitation to those who are toiling to be saved, and are burdened with cares and fears and troubles, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”¹¹ If any imagine that He will not receive them in all their labour, and with all their load of sin, let them think of the woman“ which was a sinner,” who fell at His feet with out a prayer, without a word, to whom He said, “Thy faith hath' saved thee: go in peace.”¹²

So it was always when the Lord Jesus was here on the earth. He never refused healing nor salvation to any who believed in His power and willingness to restore health or to forgive sin. He never turned any away disappointed, no matter who they were. There were many who thought themselves too good for Him, and with these He had nothing to do except to rebuke their pride and self righteousness and fatal delusion; but oh, how gracious He was to all who came to Him as needy and sinful. “The Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them;”¹³ and He proceeded to vindicate His reception of them, simply, and only on the ground of the joy it gave Him to seek the lost, and to bestow life upon the dead. “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost,”¹⁴ was His word of defence; and trust in His love found a way at once to His bosom, and to the infinite resources of His power. It might be a wasted finger reaching no further than the hem of His garment, as when the poor sick woman came timidly through the crowd, after she had suffered many things of many physicians for twelve wearisome years, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse; yet the feeblest touch of faith thrilled His heart, and immediately brought forth the assurance, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole [saved thee].”¹⁵

So it is still, for look where we will throughout the New Testament, the salvation of men is made to turn upon their faith in Jesus Christ. Peter was preaching to the Roman centurion Cornelius and his household, and having told the story of the death and resurrection of the Son of God, he said, “To him give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word,”¹⁶ showing that it was testimony which the Spirit of life approves. Paul was preaching to the Jews, and, having told the story of the death and resurrection of the Son of God, he said, “By Him all that believe ARE justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”¹⁷ Paul and Silas were preaching to the Philippian jailor at midnight, who cried out in his distress, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”¹⁸

Precisely the same testimony is found all through the inspired Epistles. “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth.”¹⁹ Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood; . . . . that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. . . . Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”²⁰ “To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the UNGODLY, his faith is counted for righteousness.”²¹ “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”²² “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) or, who shall descend into the deep? (that is to bring up Christ again from the dead ). But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”²³

These texts are taken from a single Epistle; and it may show the prominence attached to the truth that life is received through faith alone, when it is stated that the words translated believe, believing, and faith occur about five hundred and sixty times in the New Testament. It is not faith and something beside, it is faith by itself which receives life, as it is written, “Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus;”²⁴ “whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God;”²⁵ “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast;”²⁶ “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”²⁷

The sinner who wants to be saved is not asked to lift his hand, to move a foot, to wait a moment, to be saved, but just as he is, with all his sins upon him, and his hard and unhappy heart within him, he is permitted, and implored, and commanded to believe that Christ is able and willing to save him, and that God for Christ's sake will pardon him straightway; for “this is His commandment, That we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ.”²⁸ Nothing can be gained by delay, for sooner or later, the troubled inquirer must take God at His word, and, without the least shred of righteousness of his own, trust in Christ to give him everlasting life. “Neither is there salvation in any other'; for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”²⁹

Since the death of Christ on the cross, since He suffered the penalty of sin, since He met the demands of God's law, since He paid our debt to the last farthing, it is no longer the sin question but the Son question with a lost world. “He that believeth is not judged: but he that believeth not is judged already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” There is no sin so dark and deep the precious blood of Jesus cannot wash it away; and the chief of sinners who believes ought to be as sure that all of his sins are blotted out, as if he had been guilty of none, and that he too may say with other blood-washed sinners in the confidence of a simple and unquestioning faith, “Herein is love with us made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as He is, so are we in this world.”³⁰

Listen to His loving assurance, which sounds out in His word, as if the very tones of His voice could be heard, as if He stood personally and visibly revealed in the presence of the troubled soul, as if the kindly glance of His eye were piercing the gloom and the sorrow, “Verily, verily, I say unto You, He that believeth on Me HATH everlasting life.”³¹