by

James Payne

Man is under the law of his Creator and is therefore responsible to God for obedience to that law. Owing, however, to his sinful nature as the result of the Fall, he is totally unable to discharge that responsibility. He is like a man owing £1,000 but has not a penny with which to pay. But his inability does not cancel his liability; he is still responsible for the debt, even though he may refuse to acknowledge it.

Man is therefore responsible to a holy God for an undischarged debt; hence his consignment to the confines of hell; neither can he come out thence till he has paid the very last mite; so his confinement is eternal. Such is man’s present and future state apart from Christ.

For a number whom no man can number, however, Christ became Surety in the everlasting covenant-even before man fell. (Eph. 1). The responsibility therefore for the debt-obedience to the law and the penalty for its breaking-falls now upon the Surety, who has fully discharged it. He obeyed the law as their representative and has paid the penalty for their failure as their substitute. Hence he confers on them the reward of perfection, viz: eternal life.

Man’s responsibility therefore can only land him in eternal perdition; but the Surety’s responsibility for all the people of God will land them safe in eternal glory.

Man in consequence of the Fall became “dead in trespasses and in sins” (Eph. 2:1). “She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth” (1 Tim. 5:6). Man therefore lives naturally but is dead to everything Godly; “alienated from the life of God by the blindness that is in him” (Eph. 4:18). Now, “the dead know not anything.” That is as true in the spiritual sphere as in the natural. But those given into the hands of the Surety are quickened and made alive. “God, who is rich in mercy for His great love wherewith He loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ (by grace ye are saved)” (Eph. 2:4-5). “It is the Spirit that quickeneth” through the Word. Those who “obey the Truth through the Spirit” are already “born again . . . by the Word of God” (1 Pet. 2:22 and 23). It has pleased God to accomplish this “by the foolishness of preaching.”

Paul says “the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God.” If he does not receive them, then he rejects them. This is natural to him -it is his nature to reject the things of God. It is only when by God’s grace he is given a spiritual nature (a new heart) that such rejection is broken down. Being thus born again, he receives the Lord Jesus Christ and knows the great privilege of sonship.

Being made alive such become aware of their responsibility and of their debt; so are ready to receive the good news that through Jesus Christ is preached unto them the forgiveness of sins. They acknowledge that they have nothing to pay; so the Lord frankly forgives them all because all has been paid in the death of Christ. “He died for all (of them) that they which live (having been quickened) should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15).

Because of His love manifest in the payment of the debt, they love Him; follow Him; serve Him; live unto Him; they “show forth the praises of Him who hath called them out of darkness into His marvellous light.” “The love of Christ constraineth us.”

Their love may grow cold; they may “forget God their Saviour” but His word to them will be, “I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions and as a cloud, thy sins; return unto Me for I have redeemed thee.” The responsibility for their salvation is entirely His. He undertook it in the everlasting covenant. He therefore “has power over all flesh that He should give eternal life to as many as the Father has given Him.” And He says, “They shall never perish; neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father which gave them Me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.” “This is the Father’s will that hath sent Me that of all that He has given Me I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day” (John 6: 39).

This is wonderfully exemplified in Ezekiel’s vision of the dry bones. The Lord propounded the question, “Can these bones live ?“ I remember many years ago a preacher saying, “If Ezekiel had been an Arminian he would have said ‘Yes, if they like’. But his reply was, ‘O Lord God, Thou knowest’. It is useless for us to bid the dead do anything. Ezekiel did not. He declared only what God would do. God only can raise the dead. When they hear the voice of the Son of God, they live. Hence we are commanded to declare to them what the Lord has done and when through the Word they hear the voice of the Son of God, they are quickened into Divine life and henceforth live unto God and praise Him for all that He has done.