1. In the preceding sermons I have treated sufficiently of faith and
love; and of crosses and afflictions, the promoters of hope. Faith,
love and affliction bound the Christian's life. It is unnecessary that
I should further discourse on these topics. As they--or anything
pertaining to the life of the Christian--present themselves, reference
may be had to those former postils. It is my purpose now briefly to
make plain that the sum of all divine doctrine is simply Jesus Christ,
as we have often heard.
2. This epistle lesson treats not of faith, but of the fruits of
faith--love, unity, patience, self-denial, etc. Among these fruits,
the apostle considers first the discipline of the body--the
mortification of evil lusts. He handles the subject here in a manner
wholly unlike his method in other epistles. In Galatians he speaks of
crucifying the flesh with its lusts; in Hebrews and Colossians, of
putting off the old man and mortifying the members on earth. Here he
mentions presenting the body as a sacrifice; he dignifies it by the
loftiest and most sacred terms. Why does he so?
First, by making the terms glorious, he would the more emphatically
urge us to yield this fruit of faith. The whole world regards the
priest's office--his service and his dignity--as representing the acme
of nobility and exaltation; and so it truly does. Now, if one would be
a priest and exalted before God, let him set about this work of
offering up his body to God; in other words, let him be humble, let
him be nothing in the eyes of the world.
3. I will let every man decide for himself the difference between the
outward priesthood of dazzling character and the internal, spiritual
priesthood. The first is confined to a very few individuals; the
second, Christians commonly share. One was ordained of men,
independently of the Word of God; the other was established through
the Word, irrespective of human devices. In that, the skin is
besmeared with material oil; in this, the heart is internally anointed
with the Holy Spirit. That applauds and extols its works; this
proclaims and magnifies the grace of God, and his glory. That does not
offer up the body with its lusts, but rather fosters the evil desires
of the flesh; this sacrifices the body and mortifies its lusts. The
former permits the offering up to itself of gold and property, of
honor, of idleness and pleasure, and of all manner of lust on earth;
the latter foregoes these things and accepts only the reverse of
homage. That again sacrifices Christ in its awful perversions; this,
satisfied with the atonement once made by Christ, offers up itself
with him and in him, by making similar sacrifices. In fact, the two
priesthoods accord about as well as Christ and Barabbas, as light and
darkness, as God and the world. As little as smearing and shaving were
factors in Christ's priesthood, so little will they thus procure for
anyone the Christian priesthood. Yet Christ, with all his Christians,
is priest. "Thou art a priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek." Ps 110, 4. The Christian priesthood will not admit of
appointment. The priest is not made. He must be born a priest; must
inherit his office. I refer to the new birth--the birth of water and
the Spirit. Thus all Christians become priests, children of God and
co-heirs with Christ the Most High Priest.
4. Men universally consider the title of priest glorious and
honorable; it is acceptable to everyone. But the duties and the
sacrifice of the office are rarely accepted. Men seem to be averse to
these latter. The Christian priesthood costs life, property, honor,
friends and all worldly things. It cost Christ the same on the holy
cross. No man readily chooses death instead of life, and accepts pain
instead of pleasure, loss instead of gain, shame rather than honor,
enemies rather than friends, according to the example Christ set for
us on the cross. And further, all this is to be endured, not for
profit to one's self, but for the benefit of his neighbor and for the
honor and glory of God. For so Christ offered up his body. This
priesthood is a glorious one.
5. As I have frequently stated, the suffering and work of Christ is to
be viewed in two lights: First, as grace bestowed on us, as a blessing
conferred, requiring the exercise of faith on our part and our
acceptance of the salvation offered. Second, we are to regard it an
example for us to follow; we are to offer up ourselves for our
neighbors' benefit and for the honor of God. This offering is the
exercise of our love--distributing our works for the benefit of our
neighbors. He who so does is a Christian. He becomes one with Christ,
and the offering of his body is identical with the offering of
Christ's body. This is what Peter calls offering sacrifices acceptable
to God by Christ. He describes priesthood and offering in these words:
"Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ." 1 Pet 2, 5.
6. Peter says "spiritual sacrifices," but Paul says our bodies are to
be offered up. While it is true that the body is not spirit, the
offering of it is called a spiritual sacrifice because it is freely
sacrificed through the Spirit, the Christian being uninfluenced by the
constraints of the Law or the fear of hell. Such motives, however,
sway the ecclesiasts, who have heaped tortures upon themselves by
undergoing fasts, uncomfortable clothing, vigils, hard beds and other
vain and difficult performances, and yet failed to attain to this
spiritual sacrifice. Rather, they have wandered the farther from it
because of their neglect to mortify their old Adam-like nature. They
have but increased in presumption and wickedness, thinking by their
works and merits to raise themselves in God's estimation. Their
penances were not intended for the mortification of their bodies, but
as works meriting for them superior seats in heaven. Properly, then,
their efforts may be regarded a carnal sacrifice of their bodies,
unacceptable to God and most acceptable to the devil.
7. But spiritual sacrifices, Peter tells us, are acceptable to God;
and Paul teaches the same (Rom 8, 13): "If by the Spirit ye put to
death the deeds of the body, ye shall live." Paul speaks of mortifying
through the Spirit; Peter, of a spiritual sacrifice. The offering must
first be slain. Paul's thought is: "If ye mortify the deeds of the
body in your individual, chosen ways, unprompted by the Spirit or your
own heart, simply through fear of punishment, that mortification--that
sacrifice--will be carnal; and ye shall not live, but die a death the
more awful." The Spirit must mortify your deeds--spiritually it must
be done; that is, with real enjoyment, unmoved by fear of hell,
voluntarily, without expectation of meriting honor or reward, either
temporal or eternal. This, mark you, is a spiritual sacrifice. However
outward, gross, physical and visible a deed may be, it is altogether
spiritual when wrought by the Spirit. Even eating and drinking are
spiritual works if done through the Spirit. On the other hand,
whatsoever is wrought through the flesh is carnal, no matter to what
extent it may be a secret desire of the soul. Paul (Gal 5, 20) terms
idolatry and heresies works of the flesh, notwithstanding they are
invisible impulses of the soul.
8. In addition to this spiritual sacrifice--the mortifying of the
deeds of the body--Peter mentions another, later on in the same
chapter: "But ye are ... a royal priesthood ... that ye may show forth
the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light." Here Peter touches upon the preaching office, the
real sacrificial office, concerning which it is said (Ps 50, 23),
"Whoso offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifieth me."
Preaching extols the grace of God. It is the offering of praise and
thanks. Paul boasts (Rom 15, 16) that he sanctifies and offers the
Gospel. But it is not our purpose to consider here this sacrifice of
praise; though praise in the congregation may be included in the
spiritual sacrifice, as we shall see. For he who offers his body to
God also offers his tongue and his lips as instruments to confess,
preach and extol the grace of God. On this topic, however, we shall
speak elsewhere. Let us now consider the words of the text.