AlwaysLoved
02-13-2009, 04:44 PM
The New Wine
"Neither do men put new wine into old wineskins . . ." (Matt. 9.17a). "Garment" points to the external work of the gospel, for it is visible to men. "New wine" refers to the internal work of the gospel because it is invisible to men. The gospel of God includes two aspects: first, to make Christ our righteousness, so that we may live before God in this righteousness. Nothing needs to be added because Christ has already become the righteousness of God; it is therefore impossible to add anything to it. Not because our good conduct has pleased God; simply because Christ has died and has been resurrected. Being in Christ, we are looked upon by God as acceptable to Him as is Christ himself. We are saved not because we are different from other people, but because we are in Christ. Being in Christ, we can approach God. Having been clothed with Christ, we can live before God and please Him.
The second aspect of the gospel is for Christ to live in us that we may live before the world. According to the spirit, we live before God; according to the flesh, we live in this world. "Garment" tells of how God gives us Christ and has made Him to be our righteousness so that we may live before God. "Wine" speaks of how God gives us Christ and has made Him to be our life and power that we may accept His control and by Him live before men.
Some people complain in the following manner: Indeed, I am saved and have received forgiveness of sins before God; but my daily life is still the same as before. What can I do about it? Please remember that God has not only clothed you outwardly with a new garment in order to cover and adorn you, He has also put inside you a power like that of the new wine which will dissolve all the old things. We should know that salvation has this double aspect: that of the objective which is before God, and that of the subjective which is within us. In other words, there is justification on the one hand and regeneration on the other.
It is absolutely impossible to be regenerated and not be justified, or justified without being regenerated. Justification obtains for us a new position before God, whereas regeneration gives us a new life in us. Some people pay attention only to justification without so much as considering this aspect of regeneration; yet other people over-emphasize regeneration and overlook justification. Because of their misconception none of these people realizes that regeneration and justification happen at the same time, and thus they can hold such prejudiced views. Actually justification and regeneration balance each other well. 19 20 Grace for Grace
In the third chapter of the Gospel according to John, the word "must" occurs a number of times. We will focus on two of them. In verse 7 we find, "Ye must be born anew"; and in verse 14 it reads, "Even so must the Son of man be lifted up." The same word in Greek is used in both cases. What is said in verse 14 is objective, for the Lord Jesus is lifted up that we may receive the forgiveness of sins and be justified. What is stated in verse 7 is subjective, because this will give us new life. Being justified, we have liberty before God; having been regenerated, we have a new life within us.
Some people may speculate within themselves as follows: "I am very much afraid to approach God because I do not know if He will save or not. Will God say to me, ‘Depart from me, you wicked one!’? I am a sinner, I do not know whether God wants me or not." To such people we would say: Do not be afraid, for the Lord Jesus has already come and has died for our sins. He has already satisfied God’s justice, and He has also been resurrected. Today all who come to God through the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. The Lord himself has assured us that "he that believeth on him is not judged" (John 3.18a). Paul also declared that "by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13.39). You who trust in the Lord today are justified. You ought to know that through Him you can come before God with a conscience void of fear because "there is . . . now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8.1).
You know you are saved; nevertheless you feel miserable, because to will is present with you but to do that which is good is not in you (see Rom. 7.18). You have seen changes in the lives of other believers, yet in yourself you see no change. You are saved as much as they are; why then are there changes in them but none in you? Why is your living not much different from what you were before? You cry over your defeats and weaknesses. You ponder over the matter of your salvation. You have to acknowledge that you are saved and that you have eternal life; but being the kind of person as you are, you ask yourself if you are really saved. You can hardly believe so. Therefore, you try harder to do good, to pray, and to read the Bible more, and to discipline yourself more strictly in order to please God. You seem to see some results in three or five days, yet the effect is all in vain when measured by months or years. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus meant when He said we must not mend the old garment with a piece from the new garment; that after being saved, we ought to use the new wine—the power of this new life—to overcome all outward entanglements. The new wine is put within us to give us new life and the power of living.
All who are justified are regenerated. Whoever has the new garment has also the new wine. Hallelujah! God has already put this regenerated life in us; henceforth we are new men. The new wine is the power of the gospel. We have this power in us, causing us to live a victorious life. The question now is, Where is the new wine to be put?
"Neither do men put new wine into old wineskins . . ." (Matt. 9.17a). "Garment" points to the external work of the gospel, for it is visible to men. "New wine" refers to the internal work of the gospel because it is invisible to men. The gospel of God includes two aspects: first, to make Christ our righteousness, so that we may live before God in this righteousness. Nothing needs to be added because Christ has already become the righteousness of God; it is therefore impossible to add anything to it. Not because our good conduct has pleased God; simply because Christ has died and has been resurrected. Being in Christ, we are looked upon by God as acceptable to Him as is Christ himself. We are saved not because we are different from other people, but because we are in Christ. Being in Christ, we can approach God. Having been clothed with Christ, we can live before God and please Him.
The second aspect of the gospel is for Christ to live in us that we may live before the world. According to the spirit, we live before God; according to the flesh, we live in this world. "Garment" tells of how God gives us Christ and has made Him to be our righteousness so that we may live before God. "Wine" speaks of how God gives us Christ and has made Him to be our life and power that we may accept His control and by Him live before men.
Some people complain in the following manner: Indeed, I am saved and have received forgiveness of sins before God; but my daily life is still the same as before. What can I do about it? Please remember that God has not only clothed you outwardly with a new garment in order to cover and adorn you, He has also put inside you a power like that of the new wine which will dissolve all the old things. We should know that salvation has this double aspect: that of the objective which is before God, and that of the subjective which is within us. In other words, there is justification on the one hand and regeneration on the other.
It is absolutely impossible to be regenerated and not be justified, or justified without being regenerated. Justification obtains for us a new position before God, whereas regeneration gives us a new life in us. Some people pay attention only to justification without so much as considering this aspect of regeneration; yet other people over-emphasize regeneration and overlook justification. Because of their misconception none of these people realizes that regeneration and justification happen at the same time, and thus they can hold such prejudiced views. Actually justification and regeneration balance each other well. 19 20 Grace for Grace
In the third chapter of the Gospel according to John, the word "must" occurs a number of times. We will focus on two of them. In verse 7 we find, "Ye must be born anew"; and in verse 14 it reads, "Even so must the Son of man be lifted up." The same word in Greek is used in both cases. What is said in verse 14 is objective, for the Lord Jesus is lifted up that we may receive the forgiveness of sins and be justified. What is stated in verse 7 is subjective, because this will give us new life. Being justified, we have liberty before God; having been regenerated, we have a new life within us.
Some people may speculate within themselves as follows: "I am very much afraid to approach God because I do not know if He will save or not. Will God say to me, ‘Depart from me, you wicked one!’? I am a sinner, I do not know whether God wants me or not." To such people we would say: Do not be afraid, for the Lord Jesus has already come and has died for our sins. He has already satisfied God’s justice, and He has also been resurrected. Today all who come to God through the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved. The Lord himself has assured us that "he that believeth on him is not judged" (John 3.18a). Paul also declared that "by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13.39). You who trust in the Lord today are justified. You ought to know that through Him you can come before God with a conscience void of fear because "there is . . . now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8.1).
You know you are saved; nevertheless you feel miserable, because to will is present with you but to do that which is good is not in you (see Rom. 7.18). You have seen changes in the lives of other believers, yet in yourself you see no change. You are saved as much as they are; why then are there changes in them but none in you? Why is your living not much different from what you were before? You cry over your defeats and weaknesses. You ponder over the matter of your salvation. You have to acknowledge that you are saved and that you have eternal life; but being the kind of person as you are, you ask yourself if you are really saved. You can hardly believe so. Therefore, you try harder to do good, to pray, and to read the Bible more, and to discipline yourself more strictly in order to please God. You seem to see some results in three or five days, yet the effect is all in vain when measured by months or years. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus meant when He said we must not mend the old garment with a piece from the new garment; that after being saved, we ought to use the new wine—the power of this new life—to overcome all outward entanglements. The new wine is put within us to give us new life and the power of living.
All who are justified are regenerated. Whoever has the new garment has also the new wine. Hallelujah! God has already put this regenerated life in us; henceforth we are new men. The new wine is the power of the gospel. We have this power in us, causing us to live a victorious life. The question now is, Where is the new wine to be put?