The Life of Faith 493
Upon arriving at this restful position the believer shall find that all
he heretofore had lost for the Lord’s sake has today been restored. He
has gained God, and therefore everything belonging to God belongs
to him as well. What the Lord had withdrawn before he now can
properly enjoy in Him. The reason why God at the beginning had led
him through many sorrows was because his soul life lay behind
everything, seeking and asking too much for himself, desiring even
things which were outside God’s will. Such independent action had
to be circumscribed by God. Now that he has lost himself—that is,
his natural life—the Christian is in a position to enjoy the bliss of
God within its legitimate boundary. Not till today was he qualified to
be rightly related to His joy. Hereafter he can thankfully accept
whatever is given him, because the eagerness to secure something for
self has already been put to nought; he does not petition inordinately
for that which was not bestowed upon him.
Such a child of God has advanced onto a pure ground. Where
there is mixture there is impurity. The Bible views impurity as
something defiled. Before one reaches this ground of no mixture he
cannot express a pure walk. He lives for God yet also lives for self:
he loves the Lord but loves himself as well: his intention is unto God,
yet simultaneously he aims at self-glory, self-pleasure, self-comfort.
Such a life is a defiled one. He walks by faith but also walks by
feeling, he follows the spirit but also follows the soul. While he does
not in fact reserve the larger portion for himself, nonetheless this
smaller portion held back is sufficient to render his life impure. Only
what is pure is clean; anything mixed with foreign matter becomes
defiled.
When a believer has experienced the practical treatment of the
cross he finally arrives at a pure life. All is for God and in God, and
God is in all as well. Nothing is unto self. Even the tiniest desire for
pleasing one’s self is crucified. Self-love has been consigned to
death. The present aim of existence becomes single: to do the will of
God: so long as He is pleased, nothing else really counts: to obey