6. "Of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things." Rom. 11:35

Nor Satan, nor fallen angel, nor ‘rebellious man, can hinder this word being true. The past, the present and the future of all things, also, must each pay tribute of glory to Him. But there is, an "of," a "through," and a "to" Him who, is here spoken is the indefeasible birthright of each heavenly Christian alone, is already His in principle, and should be his actually in practice.
On principle, I, as a Christian, am of Him, thus: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world" (John 17:14-16). My origin as a Christian cannot be of the world (present corrupted state of things upon earth), nor of earth at all. It is of the Eternal Son of God, as Son of Man, glorified in heaven. My life is in Him, and thus I am of him. I- of Him, Himself.
The "through" Him, or mode of this being made good, brings in Christ’s revealing of Himself to me by faith, and the giving thereby a new nature “born of the Spirit “(John 3:6). “Born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.... The word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you" (1 Peter 1:23-25).
The "to" Him (conformity to the blessed One’s own principle, who was "obedient unto death, the death of the Cross;" for He came to do God’s will), is the secret of all that blessing: “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to (His) purpose. For whom He did foreknow, he also did predestinate (to be) conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren" (Rom. 8:28, 29). A "to" Him which will land us in the glory close to the person of the Beloved.
In practice, alas! how do we come short of Paul’s consciously attained measure: "To me to live (is) Christ, to die (is) gain" (Phil. 1:21). As to those that subscribe to this confession, may they do two things: 1st. Let them study such words as those in Rev. 3:15-20; and Rom. 14:6-2, etc.
But, 2ndly, May they, at once, take up Paul’s axiom for well-doing: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing (I do), forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of our high calling of God in Christ Jesus “(Phil. 3:13,14).
When a man works from his own energy, his own plans are sure to come in; and then Will follows- something for himself in the end, which he pursues. It is just this drawing out of human energy, which has been the canker-worm of religious activities in our own generation. It has plunged those that sought to be doers and not hearers only, into worldliness and selfishness; often, I am persuaded, without their knowing how.
On the other hand, our deliverance, and our safety are found in humble seeking of a right object. To seek to do God’s will, and that only, will bring light whereby to judge all by-paths, and all false energy. And it must be so; for God is faithful, and those that honor Him, He will honor. Those that seek to do His will, who mistrust themselves, and seek to give themselves to God in Christ, they shall have light and purified ways too.