I cannot save and sanctify myself; I cannot make atonement for sin;
I cannot redeem the world; I cannot right what is wrong, purify what is
impure, or make holy what is unholy. That is all the sovereign work of
God. Do I have faith in what Jesus Christ has done? He has made the
perfect atonement for sin. Am I in the habit of constantly realizing it?
The greatest need we have is not to do things, but to believe
things. The redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great
act of God which He has performed through Christ, and I have to build my
faith on it. If I construct my faith on my own experience, I produce
the most unscriptural kind of life— an isolated life, with my eyes
focused solely on my own holiness. Beware of that human holiness that is
not based on the atonement of the Lord. It has no value for anything
except a life of isolation— it is useless to God and a nuisance to man.
Measure every kind of experience you have by our Lord Himself. We cannot
do anything pleasing to God unless we deliberately build on the
foundation of the atonement by the Cross of Christ.
The atonement of Jesus must be exhibited in practical, unassuming
ways in my life. Every time I obey, the absolute deity of God is on my
side, so that the grace of God and my natural obedience are in perfect
agreement. Obedience means that I have completely placed my trust in the
atonement, and my obedience is immediately met by the delight of the
supernatural grace of God.
Beware of the human holiness that denies the reality of the natural
life— it is a fraud. Continually bring yourself to the trial or test of
the atonement and ask, “Where is the discernment of the atonement in
this, and in that?”
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