Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

Question 32:

“Is it a correct expression, i.e. Scriptural ― to say that the Righteousness of God is His gift, as life is?”

Answer 32:

Romans 5:17 is clear as to this, where it speaks of righteousness as His gift: ― “Much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”

Question 33:

“Does sealing take place immediately on believing; or, is it possible for a person to be a believer and not be sealed in this dispensation?”

Answer 33:

Sealing takes place at once on receiving the remission of sins. “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed (or ί having believed’) ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). Forgiveness of sins is announced by the gospel; I have believed and forthwith I am sealed by the Spirit. We must not confound the state of many quickened souls with that of those who have believed. The action of God in quickening and in sealing are as distinct as possible. He quickens a sinner who wants life; He does not seal a sinner as such, surely; that were to seal him in his sins; nor does He seal a quickened soul in his misery. He does not seal Peter when he cried out

“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5), or when the soul is crying out in misery needing forgiveness. He seals a believer; and “Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty” not doubts, and bondage, and fears.

These two actions of the Holy Ghost are never, as far as I know, synchronous ― they do not happen at the same moment; while on God’s part there is of course no reason why it should not be so. Many cases testify as to this in Scripture,,

The disciples were quickened before the day of Pentecost, yet they were not sealed till then, because before that day they could not know that their sins were all put away. The Samaritans received the preaching of Christ through Philip, they were not sealed till Peter and John came down. (“As yet he was fallen upon none of them.” See Acts 8:5-17.) “There was great joy,” we read, and there is often this without peace from God, in the full knowledge of the remission of sins. Peace is a full and perfect word; it is far more than joy. A soul that has forgiveness and peace with God has been sealed by the Spirit. Paul was quickened by a voice from heaven (Acts 9:4), and yet he did not receive the Holy Ghost till the third day after, when he had gone through all the deep exercises in his soul for the three days (see v. 17). Cornelius was a devout man, one that feared God, and prayed to God always ― a quickened soul. He is told to send for Peter, to hear words of him, whereby he and all his house would be saved (Acts 11:14). God does not call him a saved man, as merely quickened. When Peter comes he does not tell him he must be born again, which as a sinner he needed and had been, but he points him to Christ, and tells him of forgiveness of sins; they accept the message, and the Holy Ghost fell on them at once. You get the same thing in Acts 19; those at Ephesus who were quickened souls had not as yet received the Holy Ghost.

It is not possible for a person to be a believer in the present dispensation without being sealed. There are many quickened souls longing for forgiveness, who are not sealed; but no Christian ever dies and passes away from this scene, where as to personal place the Holy Ghost is since Pentecost, without being sealed. This is why you see cases in which there was no liberty, or peace with God, enjoyed during lifetime, yet they had occasional gleams of joy; when on a death-bed they have got perfect peace with God, and are sealed.

I think we use the word “believer” too indiscriminately, for every state of soul in which God is working. A believer in Scripture language is one who is sealed. Scripture allows but one basis, or normal condition, for Christians, and never supposes a child of God whose sins are not forgiven. When we come to look at the condition of souls we find that in many cases they have not forgiveness, while there is no reason on God’s part why they should not know the pardon of their sins.