The Pathway to Life In God # 1

[A little different than hymns, etc., but I feel that this is most important as it honors our Heavenly Father, our Holy Spirit and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Pray you will enjoy. This is rather long and I will post in installments for your ease.]

The Pathway To Life In God

~Jessie Penn-Lewis~

This booklet is in the form of a Bible study, which is aimed at presenting in some degree our death with Christ on the subjective side of the Holy Spirit's dealings with the individual. In a preface to the first edition, Mrs. Penn-Lewis wrote, "There is no desire to dogmatise or to systematise, but only to show in the main the experimental pathway. The Holy Spirit is not bound, and leads along this road in a thousand different ways. The writer earnestly prays all to whom the booklet is not of present use, to put it aside until God in His own time and way becomes His own interpreter.

There is so much loose thinking and teaching abroad today concerning the experimental side of the Christian life, that the sober, biblical approach of these pages is recommended to all, who are anxious to see His working in and through them. May His abundant blessing be upon this message as it is scattered far and wide.

The Pathway to Life in God

"Circumcision is nothing; neither is uncircumcision; but a new creature. And they who press forward in this path, peace be on them" (Galatians 6:15-16).

"Thou wilt show me the path of life" (Psalm 16:11).

The Work of Redemption

1. Why a new life was needed.

Our condition by nature.

"Death passed unto all men, for that all sinned" (Romans 5:12).
"Ye were dead through your trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1).

2. How a new life became possible

By the gift of the only begotten Son of God.

"God hath sent His only ... Son... that we might live" (1 John 4:9)

By the atoning death for sinners of the Son of God.

"Him Who knew no sin ... made to be sin on our behalf" (2 Corinthians 5:21).
"Whom God purposed to be a propitiation" (Romans 3:25).
"That... He should taste death for every man (Hebrews 2:9)

By the death with Him of all for whom He died.

"One died for all, therefore all died" (2 Corinthians 5:14)
"His own self carried up our sins ... to the tree, that we having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness" (1 Peter 2:24)

By the union with Him in life,of all who died in Him.

"Joined to another, even to Him Who was raised from the dead" (Romans 7:4)
"Raised with Him through faith in the working of God, Who raised Him" (Colossians 2:12)
"Quickened us together with Christ ... raised us with Him" (Ephesians 2:5-6)

By His taking back to God all who live in Him.

"Christ died ... that He might bring us to God" (1 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 2:13)

By becoming the source of life to all believers.

"Every one that taketh hold of the Son, taketh hold of life" (1 John 5:12)
"If, when ... enemies ... reconciled to God by death of His Son ...saved, by sharing in His life" (Romans 5:11)

By giving the Holy Spirit as the imparter of life.

"Jesus ... exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath poured forth this" (Acts 2:33).
"The Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus ... shall quicken" (Romans 8:11)

The Holy Son of God took our nature upon Him, carried it to the Cross, and died in the sinner's stead. The only way back to God is through that Cross as the gate to life.
After such a costly plan of redemption, wrought out by the Triune God "How much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" (Luke 11:13)

The Subjective Work of the Holy Spirit

"He saved us by the washing of the new birth, and by the renovation of the Holy Spirit shed on us by Jesus our Life-giver" (Titus 3 :4-6)
"The Spirit of truth ...shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you" (John 16:13-14)

The Holy Spirit is given to apply to sinners the finished work of Christ, and is now moving over a world lying in the shadow of death, seeking to work into each soul individually, first the death, and then the Risen Life of Christ.

Let us trace:
1. How the Holy Spirit deals with souls dead.

As the convicting Spirit,
"He ... .will convict the world in respect of sin" (John 16:8)
"The wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus" (Romans 6:23)

As the revealing Spirit,
"He shall testify of Me" (John 15:26)
"Behold, the Lamb of God which beareth away the sin of the world" (John 1:29)
"Having made peace through the blood of His Cross" (Colossians 1:20).

Calvary - the place of Life

"I, if I be lifted up ... will draw all men unto Myself" (John 12:32).
"The Word of the Cross ... is the power of God" (1 Cor. 1:18).
The Spirit draws the sin-burdened soul to the place called Calvary. The message of life through the death of Another received into the heart, gives peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Spirit breatheth ... thou canst not tell whence ... whither ... so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).
"It is the Spirit that quickeneth" (John 5:24).

The Experience of the New-born Soul

"One thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25).
"Begotten again ... of incorruptible seed" (1 Peter 1:23; James 1:21).
The breath of God quickens the dead soul; access to God is restored, and the way is open to the Throne of grace... "Behold he prayeth" (Acts 9:11). The Spirit of adoption prompts the cry "Father". The Bible is like a new book, for the new-born soul longs for the spiritual milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:2), that it may grow thereby. There is joy and peace in believing, new desires, new hopes, and the soul seems to walk in an entirely new world.

But a babe in Christ is yet "carnal" in some degrees, because of the limit of its spiritual power of apprehension, but it will become "spiritual" more rapidly, if it learns clearly the basis of the new life in Christ, as taught by Paul to the Roman converts. For the Scripture does not separate with a long interval the forgiveness of sins, and that vital fellowship with the death of Christ which delivers from the bondage of sin. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "I could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, not with meat; for ye were not yet able to bear it ... for ye are yet carnal" (1 Corinthians 3:1-3). And to the Romans, "Are ye ignorant that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?" (Romans 6:3).

II. How the Holy Spirit deals with believers.

"The desire of the flesh fights against the Spirit, and the desire of the Spirit fights against the flesh; and its variance tends to hinder you from doing what you wish to do. But they who are Christ's have: crucified the flesh ...let your steps be guided by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:17, 24, 25).

~Jessie Penn-Lewis~

(continued with # 2)