THE OBLIGATION

He That Saith, "Ought!"

"He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk even as He walked." 1st John 2:6.

This text is a startling statement for even the best of us to ponder! Correct theory of holiness and profession are widely different from outworking of the life and its application to daily life in walking as he walked. "He that saith!" -- that is, testimony, mouth profession. He that claims to be a Christian, a follower of Christ, His representative or disciple even by identification with His visible church, ought to give evidence of such profession by walking as He walked. If a justified man ought, surely a sanctified man ought!

John, the Baptist, cried to his auditors, "Bring forth fruits meet for repentance or answerable to amendment of life" n that is, show by adjusting and making amends for past sin and breaking off present sin, genuineness of your repentance. So we would cry to professors of religion in general, and of holiness in particular, "Bring forth in your lives evidence of a holy life in all manner of holy living."

This epistle (of John) abounds in cautions to be careful that what we say, or profess, and what we do, or possess, agree. For example: "If we say we have fellowship with Him, and (while claiming said fellowship with Him) walk in (spiritual) darkness, we lie and do not the truth." Again, "He that saith, 'I know Him,' and (when making this testimony) keeps not His commandments, is a liar." Once more, "He that saith he is in the light and (at the same time) hateth his brother, is in darkness." "If a man say (profession), 'I love God,' and hateth his brother, he is a liar."

Jesus himself warns, by our words (what we say) we shall be justified or condemned, and for every idle word (even untruthful testimony which claims what we do not possess) men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment. Hence the importance of even holiness professors demonstrating in practice what they say with their lips! Stop! Ponder here in prayerful mood, "I've been saying, 'I "abide in Him," even in the highest sense; if so, I ought to confirm this testimony by "walking as He walked!" How careful we should be that life and testimony correspond!

The chief foes of Christianity have ever been those within the camp, Achan like, professing to "abide in Him," yet 'not walking as He walked." These are the wounds Christ receives in the house of His friends. Says one, "The Christianity of the 'Twentieth Century' is not the Christianity of Christ and the Apostles," and another, "It is both a misinterpretation and misrepresentation." Present day popular worldly (?) Christianity is not "walking as He walked," mis-samples and misrepresents Him to the world, giving erroneous conceptions of His work and great cause to His enemies to blaspheme. Woe to the church because of stumbling blocks!

Nothing so detrimental to the spread of the religion of Jesus in any of its stages as the inconsistencies of professors (especially holiness). O, for conviction here on professors of "full salvation." Untold in time and eternity is the damage done by professors of theoretical holiness. The writer knows of numerous instances where their influence, instead of being like pleasant ointment poured forth, is as a nauseous stench -- active and liberal they are -- pouring out their money like water for the cause, professing at every opportunity, to abide in Him, but so apparently unlike Jesus in tone, manner, look, and temper, that whole communities are poisoned against the doctrine by their pernicious influence. It is sincerely to be hoped such will get right or cease their hypocritical profession. The following example under our observation illustrates the point:

An Amusing Example

We once held a revival of twenty-five days' duration in a western M. E. church, with only one conversion outside of the church, though quite a few in the church were reclaimed and quickened. But what was the reason for so little fruit? A prominent official was glaringly inconsistent. As we dealt with the young men they would hide behind this eminent hypocrite. "See him stand on all the propositions! He is not right. We see his life. When he gets right we will believe in it!" We know if men mean to be right they will push past the inconsistencies of professors; still stumbling blocks make it harder for them to yield. But see the facts: This man professed, "Holiness," "Perfection," "Perfect Love," "Heart Purity," "Soul Rest," "Cleansing from all Sin," "Fullness of the Blessing," etc., etc., and all but "Absolute Perfection." Whatever test was given, he would brazenly stand. It developed he would not speak to his wife nor she to him: he ate alone and so did she; he cooked his meals separately and so did she; he slept up stairs and she down; his laundry was done separately and so was hers; he went to church alone and she went alone; she would not walk nor talk with him nor he with her; he sat in one corner of the church alone and she in the other; she had no use for him and he had no use for her; he looked at her like a thundercloud and she did likewise to him; he had no confidence in her religion and she had none in his; he said she was to blame and she said he was to blame. It was surely amusing, as well as perplexing, knowing these facts, to see them both on their feet at once, testifying to everything in the New Testament. God gave us at last courage to threaten them with His wrath and judgments for perjury in claiming what they did not possess, and they stood no more, but came to the altar and got right with God and each other and celebrated by walking home together. Sometime later God visited the church and town with a gracious revival.

Ought

Ought is a very strong word; it signifies to "owe." We owe it as a debt to humanity and God as well as ourselves, to "walk as He walked." Solemn obligation! To God, to glorify His grace; to man, lest he stumble; and to ourselves, to insure highest happiness, usefulness, and heaven. If we ought so to walk even as He walked, we may. If we may, we ought. If we ought, we can; and if we can, I am persuaded many of us, by God's grace, will.

Ought implies obligation. Obligation on us from God to do or be necessitates power from Him to enable us to be or do. If He says, "Imperative, Present," "Be ye holy," He follows this command by an enabler in the "Present Tense," "I am the Lord which do make you holy." He requires no impossibilities of His creatures. The fact Inspiration says we ought to walk as He walked is indubitable evidence we may at least relatively do so. We cannot conceive of God' trifling with or mocking His poor creatures by holding up for their attainment impossible standards.

In the next chapter we shall show concisely what is not meant.