Can I be a child of God, and be thus?'

Back to Man's religion & God's religion 3

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Perhaps you are a poor, tempted creature—and 
your daily sorrow, your continual trouble is that 
you are so soon overcome—that . . .
your temper,
your lusts,
your pride,
your worldliness, and
your carnal, corrupt heart
are perpetually getting the mastery. 

And from this you sometimes draw bitter conclusions. 
You say, in the depth of your heart, "Can I be a child 
of God, and be thus? What mark have I of being in 
favour with God when I am so easily—so continually 
overcome?"

But the Spirit reveals Christ—taking of the things of 
Christ, and showing them unto us—applying the word 
with power to our hearts, and bringing the sweetness, 
reality, and blessedness of divine things into our soul. 
It is only in this way that He overcomes all unbelief 
and infidelity, doubt and fear, and sweetly assures
us that all is well between God and the soul.

Faith keeps eyeing the atonement—faith looks not 
so much to sin, as to salvation from sin—at the way 
whereby sin is pardoned, overcome, and subdued.