Biblical Essays
CHRISTIANITY – WHAT IS IT?
We have endeavored to hold up the Bible as the Church’s supreme and all-sufficient guide, in all ages, in all climes, and under all circumstances. We now desire to hold up Christianity in its divine beauty and moral excellence, as illustrated in this well-known passage of Holy Scripture – Philippians 3. We seek to lift up the Bible, and not a system of theology deduced from it. We desire to consider Christianity, not a peculiar form of human religiousness.
We seek not to enter into the defense of men or their systems. Men err in their theology and fail in their ethics; but the Bible and Christianity remain unshaken and unshakeable. This is an unspeakable mercy. Who can duly estimate it? To be furnished with a perfect standard of divinity and morals is a privilege for which we can never be sufficiently thankful. Such a standard we possess in the Bible and in the Christianity unfolded in the Bible. Men may err in their creed and break down in their conduct, but the Bible is still the Bible, and Christianity is still Christianity.
We believe that this third chapter of Philippians gives us the model of a true Christian. It is not to Paul the apostle, nor Paul the gifted vessel, that we look, but to Paul the Christian (John 17). “Our citizenship is in heaven;” and we should never be satisfied to propose for ourselves any lower object than Christ. It does not matter in the least what a man's position may be. He may be a scavenger or a prince; he may stand at any one of the many gradations between these two extremes – it is all the same, provided Christ is his real and only object. It is a man’s object, not his position that gives him character.
Paul’s one object was Christ. Whether he was stationary or traveled; whether he preached the Gospel or gathered sticks; whether he planted churches, or made tents, Christ was his object. By night and by day, at home or abroad, by sea or by land, alone or in company, in public or private, he could say, “One thing I do.” And remember, this was not merely Paul the laborious apostle or Paul the raptured saint, but Paul the living, acting, walking Christian – the one who addresses us in these words, “Brethren, be ye followers together of me.” Nor should we ever be satisfied with anything less than this. True, we fail sadly; but let us always keep the true object before us. Like the school-boy and his copy, he can only expect to succeed by keeping his eye fixed on the head-line. His tendency is to look at his last written line, and thus each succeeding line is worse than the preceding one. So it is in our own case. We take our eye off the blessed and perfect head-line, and begin to look at ourselves, our own productions, our own character, our interests, and our reputation. We begin to think of what would be consistent with our own principles, our profession, or our standing instead of fixing the eye steadily upon that one object that Christianity presents, even Christ Himself.
But some will say, “Where will you find this?” If by this question it is meant, where are we to find it among the ranks of religious systems of men, then it will truly be difficult. But we have it in the third chapter of the Epistle to the Philippians. This is enough for us. We have here a model of true Christianity, and let us always and only aim at it. If we find our hearts going after other things let us judge them. Let us compare our lines with the head-line, and earnestly seek to produce a faithful copy thereof. Although we may have to weep over constant failure, we shall in this way always be kept occupied with our proper object, and in this way our character is formed. Let us never forget, it is the object that forms the character. If money is our object, then our character is covetous; if power, we are ambitious; if books, we are literary; if Christ, we are a Christian. Here it is not a question of life and salvation, but only of practical Christianity. If we were asked for a simple definition of a Christian, we would at once say, a Christian is a man who has Christ for his object. This is simple. May we enter into its power, and exhibit a more healthy and vigorous discipleship, when so many in this age are minding earthly things.
We shall close this hasty and imperfect sketch of a wide and weighty subject, with a line or two on the Christian’s Hope.
The third and last point presented in our chapter is characteristic of the other two. The Christian’s standing is to be found in Christ; the object of the Christian is to know Christ; and the hope of the Christian is to be like Christ. How beautifully perfect is the connection between these three things. No sooner do we find ourselves in Christ as our righteousness, than we long to know Him as our object, and the more we know Him, the more ardently shall we long to be like Him, which hope can only be realized when we see Him as He is. Having a perfect righteousness, and a perfect object, we want just one thing more, and that is to be done with everything that hinders our enjoyment of that object. “For our conversation [or citizenship, (Gr) not (Gr) Phil. 3:20], is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself” (emphasis added).
Putting all these things together, we get a complete view of true Christianity. We cannot in this essay attempt to elaborate on any one of the three points above referred to, because it may be truly said that each point would demand a volume to treat it fully. But we would ask the student to pursue the marvelous theme for himself. Let him rise above all the imperfections and inconsistencies of the religious world in this age, and gaze on the moral grandeur of Christianity as exemplified in the life and character of the model man presented to our view in this chapter. And may the language of his heart be, “Let others do as they will, as for me, nothing short of this lovely model shall ever satisfy my heart. Let me turn away my eye from men altogether, and fix it intently upon Christ Himself, and find all my delight in Him as my righteousness, my object, my hope.”
Thus may it be with us all, for Jesus’ sake.
