“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we
stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but
we glory in tribulations also.”—ROM. v. 2, 3.
THE joy of the Lord is a subject that goes to the heart of many. Some
are rejoicing in the Lord, while others are longing to be partakers of
it; it is a gift after which their heart is yearning.
Let us consider the real foundation of true, solid, well-founded joy. In
these two verses there is a description of the joy and its power. There
is the joy, for “we rejoice in hope of the glory of God,” and there is
the power of that joy, for it rises above the troubles of life, and we
rejoice “even in tribulation.” There is, therefore, such a bright hope
of the coming glory, that we may go on our way with a thankful heart,
rejoicing in the Lord; and there is such a manifestation of the love of
Christ in the soul by the power of the Holy Ghost, that the distress of
tribulation is overpowered, and even in the midst of sorrow there may be
an abiding joyfulness in Christ Jesus the Lord.
Observe the foundation of this joy, and see how it is the consequence of
our sure standing in Christ Jesus. When we rejoice in hope of the glory
of God, and rejoice even in tribulation, this joy is the consequence of a
previous transaction, and the result of our occupying a new position. We
have had access, or admission, and are now standing in His grace. It is
the standing in that grace that is the foundation of the joy of hope.
This leads us to the question, “What is the grace?”
The word “grace” has different meanings in Scripture. Sometimes it means
the inward work of God the Holy Ghost in the soul, as when it says, “Grow
in grace.” {55a} But this cannot be our standing-ground, for the simple
reason that it is imperfect and variable. But this is not the only
meaning of the word, or nearly so, for it is used for any great gift of
love and mercy bestowed in God’s free favour on His people. We have to
consider what is the free gift or favour into which we have had access,
and which is now our standing-ground. This question the context must
decide; and it seems to me impossible to study that context, without
coming to the conclusion that the grace here referred to is that which
must ever be the real resting place for those who are convinced of sin, a
righteousness imputed in the free grace of God. {55b}
This, then, is the grace in which we stand, the grace of imputation, the
gracious gift of a righteousness reckoned, counted, or imputed to us when
we do not deserve it; the marvellous mercy through which we are accounted
righteous, accepted as righteous, beloved as righteous, and finally saved
as righteous, although we are not really so in fact, and although we are
conscious in our own hearts of matter for the most profound humiliation
before God. Who can wonder that we rejoice in hope when we are placed in
mercy on such a standing-ground as that?
This, you observe, is a work _for_ us, and not _in_ us, and therefore
never varies. The work _in_ us is perpetually changing. It is a
progressive work, and its progress is sometimes much more rapid than at
others. But the work _for_ us does not go up and down with the work _in_
us; it is unchangeable, like God Himself. The righteousness imputed is
the righteousness of God, and therefore perfect and unchangeable. It
changeth not for the simple reason that He changeth not, and therefore
always, in cloud as well as sunshine, in dark days as well as bright, in
the hour of tribulation as well as in the season of unmixed prosperity,
in the times of deepest humiliation as well as in those of emotion and
encouragement, the justified believer may rejoice in Him, and triumph in
the God of his salvation. It is this that gives its security to hope,
this that makes us sure of its never failing. If we were relying on all
the varied changes of our own feelings, there might be joy one day and
despair the next; but while we stand in the grace of imputed
righteousness, our hope has a foundation that can never give way, and
therefore we may accept the joy without a fear, and rejoice in hope of
the glory of God.
What is the great principle within the soul which constitutes our
standing in this grace?
To this question we shall find an answer in the words of St. Paul, “Thou
standest by faith.” {56} And this is exactly what is taught us in this
passage. In verse 1, we are taught that it is by faith that we are
justified; and then, in verse 2, we learn that it is by faith that we
have access into this grace wherein we stand. From first to last,
therefore, it is a matter of faith. The whole secret of our standing,
and of the joy that follows from it, is found in that one word “trust.”
Trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your finished Sacrifice and your living
Lord, and you stand on the rock. Let your trust rest on anything else,
on your feelings, your thoughts, your experience, your intentions, or
your religious efforts, and you will be no better than men endeavouring
to walk steadily on the waves of the sea. But trust Christ _as_ you are,
_where_ you are, and that without putting even your own trust between you
and Him, and you may go on your way rejoicing in Him, and need never
cease to give thanks for a foundation so solid and a grace so free.