The Path to Peace

30 th e path to peace
says, “ Hereby we do know that character, and you are accepted before
we know Him, if we keep His God just as if you had not sinned.
commandments. . . . He that saith he More than this, Christ changes the
abideth in Him ought himself also so heart. He abides in your heart by faith.
to walk even as He walked.” 1 John You are to maintain this connection
2:3-6. “Because Christ also suffered with Christ by faith and the continual
for us, leaving us an example, that ye surrender of your will to Him; and so
should follow His steps.” 1 Peter 2:21. long as you do this, He will work in
The condition of eternal life is now you to will and to do according to His
just what it always has been, – just what good pleasure. So you may say, “The
it was in Paradise before the fall of our life which I now live in the flesh I live
first parents, – perfect obedience to by the faith of the Son of God, who
the law of God, perfect righteousness. loved me, and gave Himself for me.”
If eternal life were granted on any Galatians 2:20. So Jesus said to His
condition short of this, then the disciples, “It is not ye that speak, but
happiness of the whole universe the Spirit of your Father which
would be imperiled. The way would speaketh in you.” Matthew 10:20.
be open for sin, with all its train of woe Then with Christ working in you, you
and misery, to be immortalized. will manifest the same spirit and do
It was possible for Adam, before the the same good works – works of
fall, to form a righteous character by righteousness, obedience.
obedience to God’s law. But he failed So we have nothing in ourselves of
to do this, and because of his sin our which to boast. We have no ground
natures are fallen and we cannot for self-exaltation. Our only ground of
make ourselves righteous. Since we hope is in the righteousness of Christ
are sinful, unholy, we cannot perfectly imputed to us, and in that wrought by
obey the holy law. We have no His Spirit working in and through us.
righteousness of our own with which When we speak of faith, there is a
to meet the claims of the law of God. distinction that should be borne in
But Christ has made a way of escape mind. There is a kind of belief that is
for us. He lived on earth amid trials wholly distinct from faith. The
and temptations such as we have to existence and power of God, the truth
meet. He lived a sinless life. He died of His word, are facts that even Satan
for us, and now He offers to take our and his hosts cannot at heart deny.
sins and give us His righteousness. If The Bible says that “the devils also
you give yourself to Him, and accept believe, and tremble;” but this is not
Him as your Saviour, then, sinful as faith. James 2:19. Where there is not
your life may have been, for His sake only a belief in God's word, but a
you are accounted righteous. Christ’s submission of the will to Him; where
character stands in place of your the heart is yielded to Him, the