Deliverance and the Will of God

Deliverance and the Will of God

Deliverance.

That which God has promised, He is "able also to perform." He "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." Eph. 3:20. He "is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." Jude 24. He gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us, and He did not die in vain. Deliverance is ours. Christ was sent "to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house." Isa. 42:7. Accordingly He cries out to the captives, "Liberty!" To them that are bound He proclaims that the prison doors are open. Isa. 61:1. To all the prisoners, He says, "Go forth." Isa. 49:9. Each soul may say, if he will, "O Lord, truly I am Thy servant; I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid; Thou hast loosed my bonds." Ps. 116:16. The thing is true, whether we believe it or not. We are the Lord's servants, even though we stubbornly refuse to serve; for He has bought us; and, having bought us, He {22} has broken every bond that hindered us from serving Him. If we but believe, we have the victory that has overcome the world. 1 John 5:4, R.V.; John 16:33. The message to us is that our "warfare is accomplished," our "iniquity is pardoned." Isa. 40:2. We have but to shout, as Israel did before Jericho, to see that God has given to us the victory. God "hath visited and redeemed His people." Luke 1:68. Out of Zion has come the Deliverer, to turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Rom. 11:26. "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

"My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
My sin, not in part, but the whole, 
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more, 
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!"

The Will of God.

All this deliverance is "according to the will of our God and Father." The will of God is our sanctification. 1 Thess. 4:3. He willeth that all men should be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Tim. 2:4. And He "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will." Eph. 1:11. "What! do you mean to teach universal salvation?" We mean to teach just what the Word of God teaches,—that "the grace of God hath appeared, bringing salvation to all men." Titus 2:11, R.V. God has wrought out salvation for every man, and has given it to him; but the majority spurn it, and throw it away. The Judgment will reveal the fact that full and complete salvation was given to every man, and {23} that the lost have deliberately thrown away their birthright possession. Thus every mouth will be stopped.

 The will of God is, therefore, something to rejoice in, and not something to be accepted with a wry face, and merely endured. Even though it involves suffering, it is for our good, and is designed to work "for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Rom. 8:28; 2 Cor. 4:17. In the law His will is revealed (Rom. 2:18), and we should, therefore, study it, saying with Christ, "I delight to do Thy will, O My God." Ps. 40:8.

 Here is the comfort of knowing the will of God. He wills our deliverance from the bondage of sin; therefore, we can pray with the utmost confidence, and with thanksgiving; for "this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us; and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." 1 John 5:14, 15. Blessed assurance! Let us ever with glad and humble hearts pray, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

Excerpt from the Original Glad Tidings, by E. J. Waggoner, pages 21-23.