By Lewis Sperry Chafer
III. The Believer’s Responsibility
The present dispensation, which is bounded by the two advents of Christ, is easily confused with the age which has gone before—that of fifteen hundred years, when God was dealing specifically with the nation Israel—and also with the coming age, when God will be dealing again with His people Israel for a period of one thousand years. Utterly different divine economies are designed for these three distinct ages—that which is past, that which is present, and that which is future. One of Covenant theology’s most distracting errors is the attempt to run these ages or dispensations into one unchangeable, continued story.
As there is a divine economy for each of these periods, there is a corresponding requirement for human conduct in each age. Here, again, much theology has misguided Christians. Each age-responsibility, on the human side, reflects the existing relationship between God and His people.
During the past age God was governing Israel in the land, and on a basis of human merit. Though ample provisions were made for a complete restoration for those who failed at any time to comply with the law which was then required, the restoration was unto the blessings provided by the covenants which existed and this restoration was far removed from personal salvation.
During the coming age Israel, as to covenant relationship which governs their conduct, will be under a new covenant, one designed to supersede the Mosaic Law which they failed to keep (Jer 31:31); yet it is revealed that the Mosaic Law will be in force with all its features including the Sabbath day requirements (cf. Deut 30:8; Isa 66:23), and thus they continue the legal merit system.
In the present age the manner of life or conduct expected of the believer is in harmony with his exalted standing in Christ, which standing has been set forth to some extent in the previous portion of this thesis. The details may be restated here since reference is to be made to them. It has been pointed out that there are three times in the experience of the believer when mighty changes are divinely wrought, and these are:
1. At the time of salvation or regeneration.
a. The saved one is forgiven all sin—past, present, and future, and to a completeness which is suitable to the sphere of heaven; that is, he is prepared for the presence of God in heaven.
b. He is constituted by a spiritual birth—regeneration—an actual son of God, an offspring of God.
c. He is perfected to the extent of a complete pleeroma which is no less than the pleeroma of the Godhead bodily, which is the pleeroma of Christ Himself (cf. Col 2:9). In such a perfecting the believer is said to be “perfected forever” (cf. Heb 10:14) and he is “made the righteousness of God” (cf. 2 Cor 5:21).
2. At death. Should he die, the child of God who now sees through a glass darkly, shall see face to face, and as he now knows in part he will then know even as he is known, which is a measurement of the present knowledge of God (cf. 1 Cor 13:12).
3. At the resurrection and rapture of believers (cf. 1 Thess 4:13–17; 1 Cor 15:51). The believer receives then his eternal body, which is his own earthly body glorified. And it makes no difference whether he has gone from this life by death and resurrection or whether, being alive and remaining unto the coming of the Lord, he is translated or raptured directly into glory—the body is transformed with that standardized result: a body “like unto his glorious body”; that is the present, glorified, resurrection body of Christ in heaven.
The completeness of these mighty transformations is reflected in the truth revealed that the believers form the bride of Christ; all believers shall have been so changed that they can take their place in that unchangeable glory and quality, and Christ will take eternal delight in His bride, never, indeed, to be ashamed of her. Such a quality and glory is incomprehensible to any mortal mind now. Of the perfection of the bride it is written: “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Eph 5:25–27).
The aim of the discussion up to this point has been to present the marvelous position into which the Christian is placed through his identification with Christ. Because he is thus placed before God as the Son Himself, the believer is not only “accepted in the beloved,” but is justified forever; that is, through his identification with Christ and his position in Christ the saved one is accepted, and stands on the merit of the Son of God forever. He is perfected “once for all” and is clothed with the righteousness of God—all this because he is in Christ. This is incomprehensible to a finite mind and therefore human language fails to express it completely. However, the words of Scripture are clear and sufficient: “accepted in the beloved,” “justified for ever,” and “we shall be like him” in the glory.
At no time are these marvelous positions held before the believer as something yet to be attained. They are the present possession and position of one that is saved. They constitute his salvation what it is. No payment or works of righteousness on the part of an individual could secure such immeasureable values as are represented in these “riches of grace.” It all is what God’s infinite love prompts Him to do for the one who puts his trust in Him. All this comes in the range of the lavishing of His infinite love.
In the face of such disclosures it is natural enough for one who is conscious of his own unworthiness to hesitate before coming to the full realization of such a grace upon himself, but it still is a matter of believing the Word of God. Thus far the discussion has attempted to present the believer’s marvelous position through his identification with Christ, and this body of truth is properly termed positional truth. Over against all positional truth is that which is rightfully styled life truth, wherein an appeal is made to the saved one for a manner of life which adorns the doctrine he represents in his salvation and for a walk worthy of the calling whereunto he is called. It could hardly be otherwise. Naturally, an exalted position calls for a corresponding exalted manner of life. Because of this the manner of life anticipated from the Christian is as far above that required under the merit system of the law—whether it be in the Mosaic age or in the coming kingdom—as heaven is higher than the earth.
It requires no special insight to observe or recognize that a merit system—such as the law is and ever must be—has no application to one who through the marvels of divine grace has attained to the merit and standing of Christ. One should not be surprised to find that the New Testament repeatedly declares that, in his salvation, the redeemed one is saved from every feature of the legal merit system, nor should one be surprised to find that an exalted manner of life is held before the child of God which is as high as heaven itself.
The Christian, though perfected forever in Christ, has nevertheless a life to live in the world as long as he remains here. The real problem which confronts him, as stated before, is not one of how he should live to the end that he might be accepted and perfected before God, but rather how an accepted and perfected person should live after these stupendous realities are accomplished by the grace and power of God. Until these vital distinctions are comprehended and received as true, there will be no progress made in the extensive field of truth which directs Christian life and service. Until positional truth is recognized and received to the extent that the saved one acknowledges that he is saved and therefore perfected on no other ground than that, on his part, he has believed on Christ to the saving of his soul and, on God’s part, he is perfected and justified forever, there will be no right motive in the believer’s heart.
It could not be denied truthfully that the mass of professing Christians have been deprived of the knowledge of positional truth, and because of this, have never conceived of any other motive for Christian conduct than that they are obligated to make themselves acceptable to God by their own works of righteousness. In consequence, being thus deprived of the knowledge of positional truth, they are correspondingly ignorant of all that enters into life truth. This distinction between positional truth and life truth constitutes one of the most vital distinctions between the law system and that of grace. The Jew failed because he sought his righteous standing before God by means of the works of the law, being “ignorant” of the truth that God has provided all the standing and merit in and through Christ that His holiness could ever require. Because of this ignorance, the Jews went “about to establish their own righteousness,” and did not submit to or come under the bestowed righteousness of God (Rom 9:30–10:4), though the Jew had the example of Abraham before him.
The question, as above stated, of motive in the Christian’s life is paramount. Evidence that the life of the child of God is intended to be as high and holy as his standing in Christ is seen from a careful consideration of the Scriptures which set forth that manner of life. The body of Scripture on this subject is not given to the Christian as a law to be observed; but as the Christian, of himself, could never construct a suitable guide for his actions, God has graciously provided the needed directions to what constitutes the reasonable action and life of the one that is saved. So far from being commandments, they are rather beseechings. One may command a servant, but it is fitting to beseech a member of one’s own household and of equal standing. A selection from these Scriptures will serve to indicate the reasonable manner of life for one who is saved. That these Scriptures present what is humanly impossible in every instance is evident; still God is not unreasonable when He holds before the believer a manner of life which is wholly beyond human ability, since He has provided the enabling power of the indwelling Holy Spirit for everyone who is saved and from whom this manner of life is expected.
This at once introduces a line of teaching which is greatly neglected, and few indeed of those who are saved have come to realize that their ability has been divinely augmented by the indwelling Holy Spirit and they are therefore able to do what the Spirit enables them to do. Only a limited selection of the Scriptures which indicate the reasonable manner of life for the one who is perfected in Christ can be introduced here. A close consideration of each paasage cited is enjoined, that it may be seen how a life wholly impossible to human ability is anticipated. These passages are as follows: Ephesians 4:30: “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God”; Ephesians 4:1: “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called”; John 13:34: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another”; 2 Corinthians 10:5: “Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
To contemplate such a supernatural life apart from the enabling power of the Holy Spirit is to confront that which is wholly impossible. God in His grace has provided through the death of Christ salvation from human limitations and from the power of the sin nature, to the end that the believer—in spite of the world, the flesh and the devil—may live to the glory of God in every situation into which he may be placed. This pathway of faith as related to the Christian’s daily life cannot be elucidated now. (The entire volume of the author’s treatise He That Is Spiritual is devoted to this extended doctrine.)
In concluding this particular thesis, it may be restated that the present divine purpose is that of “bringing many sons unto glory” (Heb 2:10) and of fitting them to be dwellers in the third heaven. To this end they are mightily changed from the present fallen estate of men on earth, are forgiven all sin, constituted actual sons of God, clothed in the righteousness of God, perfected forever, and justified. They are yet to have a body like Christ’s glorious body and to be conformed to His image. Their perfection is to be of such an exalted degree that they are to serve as the bride of Christ, in which He will eternally delight. Even in this world the saved ones are given the perfect standing before God of Christ Himself and are therefore expected to walk worthy of such perfection, even to “shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
Dallas, Texas
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