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Alienation and Reconciliation
Alienation “...
Being alienated from the life of God ...” (Ephesians 4:18)
To be alienated from the life of God is to be estranged from all
that is decent, honest, and good. It is to be in a state of utter spiritual
ignorance, a state wherein all that is pure has been debauched, and a state
wherein desperate wickedness prevails and where there is a quench less
hatred of God (Romans 1 and 3). Sin has so ruined the natural man that there is not
“ONE” good thing in him (Romans 7:18), his mind is enmity against
God, his every thought only evil continually, and his will is utterly perverse
(Romans 8:7; Genesis 6:5; John 5:40).
The Origination Of Man’s Alienation From God “Wherefore,
as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death
passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5:12)
As to the origin of evil, man is not the proto sinner. That infamous distinction
belongs to the devil. But in the fall of Adam all of his posterity became
as depraved as the devil, for there are no degrees in depravity; it is of
the same extent in fallen angels and men. Man’s corrupted character and his physical deterioration
is owing to his seminal and federal union with rebellious Adam, and Adam’s
sin was no more personal than it was corporate; for by it all men sinned
and were alienated from their Creator. Adam’s spiritual demise was precisely
that of all of his progeny, and from the standpoint of human nature there
is no variation in man’s alienation from God, for all merited the same condemnation
and the same measure of wages was contractually measured to every man (Romans
3:23, 6:23). “But
I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give
an account thereof in the day of judgment.” (Matthew 12:36 )
“So then every one of us shall give account of himself unto God” (Romans
14:12). God’s elect are as sure to go to heaven, as Christ
Himself is in heaven (John 6:37, 17:24), but I hear
the Antinomian say: “A-men, and seeing we are forever saved, it does not matter
how we live in this world.” But Paul rebukes the Antinomian, saying: “What
then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God
forbid” (Romans 6:15). The Arminian goes to the other extreme,
and says: “Man is saved by the work or exercise of his freewill, and that
destiny determining decision is the basis or root of his incessant good works.”
It was in Adam that human freewill brought alienation to the family of mankind,
and robbed man of all his power of spiritual discernment (I Corinthians
2:14; Colossians 1:21). It is true, fallen man has a free-will, but it is in
its every exercise restricted to the carnal, and is utterly impotent to will
the first thing pleasing unto God. The natural man can will to do the greater
or lesser evil, but never to do good; “...There is none that doeth good,
no, not one” (Romans 3:12). The person who claims human
free-will is essential to salvation, bluntly asserts that his will has a
creative power greater than that of God, for salvation is referred to as
a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17), and this new creation is the
glorious product of the infinite agony which Christ suffered for his people
under the curse of the law (Isaiah 53:6; II Corinthians 5:21;
Galatians 3:13).
Reconciliation - An Awesome Audit “And
you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now hath He reconciled.” (Colossians 1:21)
“But
God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from
the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made
free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” (Romans
6:17, 18) Knowing that Christ paid the full penalty of the law
for all whom the Father gave Him in the covenant of reconciliation, and knowing
that God will not demand payment at the hand of Christ, and then again at
the hand of those for whom He died; does not give the redeemed person any
ground for complacency or lukewarmness toward sin, but should cause him
to have an insatiable hatred of sin and never any satisfaction with it. In the reconciling experience the old nature remains
unchanged, and vehemently asserts itself against all that is holy and good.
That is why Paul said: “O wretched man that I am! ...” (Romans
7:24),and it is why the Publican said: “God be merciful to me a sinner”
(Luke 18:13). Both Paul and the Publican knew, being made free
from the condemnation of the law does not make the holiness and justice of
God less exacting. However, both men knew, while they were not beyond the
reach of sins contamination, that Christ on their behalf had eternally nullified
sins power of damnation. The law is a spiritual mirror reflecting the corruption
of human nature. It has no life giving element in it, and is referred to
by Paul, as the “Ministration of death and condemnation” (II
Corinthians 3:7, 9). However, the good news is, there is
a ministration that is antithetical to the ministration of death. It is
a new and living way, wherein the reconciled sinner reflects the glory of
Christ (II Corinthians 5:18; Hebrews 10:20). God’s reconciling
grace never stops with regeneration, for if regeneration was the sum of
God’s reconciling work, then the Antinomian would have the truth, and we
the lie; but Paul unveils the heresy of antinomianism by saying: “Christ
liveth in me,” and by praying Christ would be formed in the Galatians
(Galatians 2:20, 4:19). No mortal man reflected the life of
Christ more than Paul, but he knew he had not attained unto the perfect
image of Christ, so he pressed on toward that glorious and consummate end
(Philippians 3:14).
Reconciliation
is an inclusive term, wherein is found propitiation, and the terminus of
sins condemnation. But let us not read into this divine superlative, the
irresponsibility of God’s elect, for both angels and men are forever answerable
unto God’s decree of holiness. While God has never been at enmity with His
elect, His reconciling of them did not in any sense diminish His anger against
sin. Notwithstanding, God’s anger against their sins committed in violation
of His holy law was judicially atoned for in the person of Christ, and in
so doing, the throne of His advocacy was established; whereby the post regenerative
sins of His people may be mediated (I Timothy 2:5; I John 2:1). Howbeit, let it be clearly understood, forgiveness
of sins cannot be merited by the elect before nor after their regeneration,
for all remission of sin has a singular ground, and that is the shed blood
of Christ (Hebrews 9:22). The atoning power of the blood of
Christ did not stop at Calvary with the redemption of God’s elect, but perpetually
and effectually runs in it cleansing stream to the heart of every penitent
saint (IJohn 1:7), and causes him to more perfectly manifest
his heavenly sonship (Romans 12:1, 2; Hebrews 4:16). An awesome truth which every redeemed person needs
to learn very early in their sainthood is that God is no less angry with
their sins than He is with the sins of the non- elect. Any less view of God
would be foolhardy, and unworthy of His character. God’s chastisement of His
children is not the evidence of decreased love, but of a love that is perfectly
holy and angry with sin. God’s displeasure with sin is sovereign and steadfast,
and is often manifested in anger against His rebellious children, for His
wrath is settled upon their old nature, holding it in check, so as His reconciling
grace may have its perfect work. God’s chastisement of His people is not
incompatible with His love for them (Hebrews 12:6).
(Baptist Herald - March, 1992)
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