Identification of the Godly # 1

Identification of the Godly # 1

"That every one who sees the Son, and believes on Him, may have everlasting life" (John 6:40).

There is a seeing of the Son which is necessary for a saving faith in Him. That sight of Him is far more than an intellectual perception, being an experiential revelation of Him in the soul. The majority of professing Christians have nothing better than a natural notion and image of Christ in their brains; but those who behold Him to their everlasting well-being, are granted a spiritual and supernatural sight of Him.

That raises the vitally important question, How may I be certain that the latter is my case? By the effects produced. The sinner is brought to realize his desperate and dire need of Christ, and made sensible that He alone can meet his desperate case. Christ can only be effectually seen in His own light (Psalm 36:9). As the sun cannot be seen except by its own light, neither can the Son of righteousness be beheld, unless He arises upon us with healing in His wings. He whose eyes were formerly blinded by sin - is not given a spiritual and inward sight of Him who is fairer than the children of men. By that sight, Christ is beheld as an all-sufficient Saviour for the vilest of sinners; and the heart is drawn out irresistibly to Him. He is now seen as a perfectly suited Physician to heal, Prophet to instruct, Priest to cleanse, and King to subdue His enemies.

1. A spiritual sight of the Son begets FAITH in Him. It cannot be otherwise, for such a view of Christ compels confidence in Him. When the Lord Jesus performed His first miracle at Cana and "manifested forth His glory," we read that His disciples "believed on Him" (John 2:11). A revelation of Christ puts unbelief quite out of countenance. While unbelief prevails, it says, "Unless I shall see in His hands the print of the nails...I will not believe" (John 20:25); but when Christ appears, faith exclaims, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). When a man's eyes are opened to see the King in His beauty - his heart at once closes with Him. "Those who know Your name will put their trust in You" (Psalm 9:10).

2. A spiritual sight of the Son works REPENTANCE and sorrow for sin. It is written, "They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son" (Zech. 12:10), which is fulfilled in the experience of every one whose eyes have been opened by divine grace. "Was it possible for you, O believer, to kook upon this glorious Son of righteousness without a watering eye and a mourning penitential heart? Did not the heart, that was harder than a flint, become softer than wax, melting beneath the warm fire of the love of God manifested in Christ?" When Job saw the Lord, he abhorred himself and repented in dust and ashes (Job 42:5-6).

3. A spiritual sight of the Son inspires HOPE. The unregenerate, even the hypocrite, has a "hope," but when a person is supernaturally illumined by the Spirit, he perceives that his hope rests on a rotten foundation, and he is obliged to forsake his refuge of lies. Now he is horrified over his enmity against God and terrified at the imminent prospect of suffering His wrath forever. His awful sins stare him in the face, and his expectation of escaping the just punishment of them expires. But a revelation of Christ to the soul changes his despair into a lively hope, and his fervent longing now is "to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better" (Phil. 1:23).

4. A spiritual sight of the Son engenders LOVE to Him, not only for His bounty, but chiefly for His beauty. This it is, and this alone - which breaks the power of natural enmity against God. Nothing but a revelation of Christ will win the heart to Him. "Whom having not see (by sense), you love" (1 Peter 1:8). Was it not so with Saul of Tarsus? Filled with prejudice and hatred against Christ and His followers, a sight of Jesus made him immediately drop the weapons of his rebellion and cry, "Lord, what will you have me to do?" (Acts 9:6). It is possible to have a discovery of Christ made to the soul - and yet not love Him, His people, and His precepts. I may indeed mourn the feebleness and fickleness of my love - yet I certainly would not do so if I still hated Him!

~A. W. Pink~

(continued with # 2)