June 20
“For the death that He died He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so, consider [or reckon] yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:10-11)
Continuing quoting from The Green Letters, we learn more of the importance of considering ourselves to be dead to sin and alive to God:
IDENTIFICATION (continued)
J. Penn-Lewis: “If the difference between ‘Christ dying for us’ and ‘our dying with Him’ has not been recognized, acknowledged, and applied, it may safely be affirmed that the self is still the dominating factor in the life” (Memoir, p. 26). (p. 33-34)
Reginald Wallis: “God said in effect, ‘My child, as you reckoned on the substitutionary work of the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation, now go a step farther and reckon on His representative work for your victory day by day.’ You believe the Lord Jesus died for your sins because God said so. Now take the next step. Accept by faith the further fact that you died with Him, i.e., ‘that your old man was crucified with Him’” (The New Life, p. 51) (p. 34)
James R. McConkey: “Because He died ‘death hath no more dominion over Him,’ and because of our union with Him ‘sin shall not have dominion over you,’ even though it is present in you. Our ‘reckoning’ ourselves to be dead to sin in our Lord Jesus Christ does not make it a fact – it is already a fact through our union with Him. Our reckoning it to be true only makes us begin to realize the fact in experience” (The Way of Victory, p. 16) (p. 34)
CONSECRATION
It might be good to stress several points just here. (1) Never was a believer brought into healthy spiritual maturity by pressure meetings, and constant exhortation, nor before he was prepared by the Spirit. (2) Healthy progress is based on the apprehension, understanding, and appropriation of the truths in Christ that make for real growth. (3) The experiential aspect of all truth, and especially these so called deeper truths, is closed to all but the needy heart. Until one is aware of his need to progress spiritually, he will never be brought beyond the birth truths – a mere babe in Christ.
The subject of consecration seems to be badly misunderstood by so many believers. Many, especially those young in the Lord, have been victimized time and again in this manner of surrender, or commitment. The bludgeon most commonly used is: “The Lord gave all for you, now the least you can do is give your all for Him!” The believer is exhorted and pressured to…consecrate and re-consecrate, surrender and re-surrender, commit and recommit himself to Christ! Why is it that after a while the believer comes to dread such meetings and messages? There are a number of reasons for all this frustration, floundering, and failure; and, praise the Lord, there are scriptural answers available to all who need and want them.” (pp. 35-36)
To be continued.