The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 231

I. TnE rREP.rnATION OF THE CIIRISTIAN, The apostle speaks qf the Christian GIi being 1•reparni for a _i,ul1Jme11t-day. " There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." That day needs a preparation, "For we must a.ll appear before the judgment-...~t of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in hiA hody, SCC<'r,Hng to that he bath done, whether it be good or bad," The thouaht of that judgment. makes strong men tremble. Felix trembled BS Paul the prisoner reasoned 'With him of righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to oome, It is that dread of something after death that makes the murderer's sleep so restless, and that makes the dishonest man's gains like a weight of lead upon his mind. Conscience does, indeed, make cowards of us all. The Christian recognizes that there is a terror in the judgment, as Paul did when he spoke of "the terror of the Lord" (2 Cor. v. 11); but the judgment brings no terror to him. He knows that he too will be judged according to his deeds, that the :fire will try every man's work of what sort it is, and, therefore, he will realize his responsibilities and privileges. But he knows that one thing is certain, and that is that he is safe from condemnation. He carries his pai·don in hi, hand. 'l'he Christian's confidence comes from the very Judge himself who sits upon the throne. That Judge is Jesus Christ himself. But before he would sit to judge men, he came into the world to die for them as their Saviour. To every one who receives him and accept-5 his salvation he gives the white stone (Rev. ii. 17), the token of accept.a.nee and pardon. He becomes their High Priest, their .Advocate with the Father. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus." In Christ! What a sense of security that brings with it I In Christ I Not till we stand before the great white throne, and our names are found written in the Lamb's book of life, shall we fully realize what that means. In Christ I That we.a Paul's great wish for himself. "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the know- ledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him." In Christ I Yes. Jesus is the Ark, into which we may betake ourselves from the dangers of temp- tation and destruction. He is the City of Refuge, to which we may flee from death, the avenger of blood. He is the sure Foundation, on which we may build with perfect confidence all our hopes for eternity, He is the Rock, in the clefts of which we may hide ourselves, and feel that all that concerns us is safe. Your pledge of safety at the jndgment-day is the cha.met.er and promise of the Judge himself. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, bnt have everlasting life." "I H/TW'IJJ whom I have bel,ieved, and am per- Slladed t.ha.t he is a.ble to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." Let it not be atUd that this Wll,falenu l,eads to carelessness; that beca118e we are delivered from condemnation, therefore it does not matter how we live. The verses which follow the declaration that there is no condemnation are the answer to this sug- gestion. "God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, con- <lemned i;in in the flesh : tJ.at tJ.e righ1eouaness of tJ.e Law might be ful,filled in UB, who walk not after tJ.e flesh, but after tJ.e Spirit" (vers. 3, 4). No true Christian ever thought or acted as if, because he was delivered from condemnation, he was thenceforth free to commit sin. If we are Christ's, we have no longer a guilty fear of death and condem- nation, but we have a filial fear that shrinks from offending and grieving our heavenly Father. We are constrained by the love of Christ in our hearts to love what he loves, and to hate what he bates. We are constrained by a feeling of gratitude. We have been bought with a price; therefore we will strive to glorify God in our bodies and l!pirit.s, which .are his. We have the hope of heaven in our hearts; and therefore we aeek to walk worthy of our high calling, to purify ourselves, to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. So far from being a 'Tll,Qtive to carelessness, the Ohristi,a,n'• Bafei,g in CJhrillt is the grand.ut 'Tll,Qtive to holine,a and usejul,ness of life. IL THE PBEPARA'llOlf OJ' TUB CaaISTLESs. At the judgment-day there will be jUJ!t two classei;-thOBe whose names are found written in the Lamb's book of life, and thOfle whose names are not thert,; the Christian and the Christless ; those who are "in Christ," and those who are not. Many are relying upon their moral life, though it ml\y be utterly worldly aod gr,dless, as their hope for eternity. But whatever human expecta- tir.JI1£ r.aay be, Goo'~ Word rnakc;s it very plain how it will fare on the judgment-day with all who are out of Obrist. It is not the fault of God the Father. He so loved 011. vm. 1-89.J THE EPlSTLi OJi PA'UL '1'0 THE ROMANS. 22:)