Change Is Christ's
Christ is the answer to the question of how to remove sin and find reconciliation with God.
James Stalker delves into the concept of forgiveness and the removal of defilement through the Gospel of Christ. He emphasizes how conscience, like a stern guide, leads us to Christ, who has the power to heal and cleanse us from all sin. Stalker highlights the transformative power of Christ's yoke compared to the burdensome yoke of the law, and how only those who have experienced a defiled conscience can truly appreciate the cleansing power of Christ's blood. Ultimately, he portrays the journey of conscience finding peace and reconciliation at the foot of the cross.
Text
"Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered"
(Ps. 32:1).
Can this defilement be removed? This surely is the question for every child of Adam; for what conscience is there which has not been stained with sin? It is a question which the conscience itself cannot answer. Conscience prescribes our duty and rewards us if we perform it. If we fail, it fills us with alarms and forebodings, but it cannot tell how these may be removed. This honor belongs to the Gospel of Christ. Like the law, conscience is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. Conscience may be compared to a stern guide, who gives a lantern to a cripple and orders him to go the way which the light reveals on pain of death; but it has no concern for his pitiful inability to surmount the difficult path. It is Christ who heals the cripple, putting strength into his feet and anklebones, so that he walks and leaps and praises God. Yet it is questionable if anyone can appreciate the blood which cleanseth us from all sin who has not felt the shame and pain of a conscience defiled, or if anyone can understand the easiness of the yoke of Christ who has not felt his bones broken by the yoke of the law. Though conscience does not of itself know the way to reconciliation, yet it wanders restless and excited till it catches sight of Calvary, when its eye kindles like that of the exile who sees on the horizon the cliffs of his native land; and, when it reaches the cross, it pitches its tent there forever.
Sermon Outline
- The Question of Conscience
- Can sin be removed?
- The law cannot answer this question
- The Gospel of Christ is the answer
Key Quotes
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” — James Stalker
“Conscience may be compared to a stern guide, who gives a lantern to a cripple and orders him to go the way which the light reveals on pain of death;” — James Stalker
“Though conscience does not of itself know the way to reconciliation, yet it wanders restless and excited till it catches sight of Calvary,” — James Stalker
Application Points
- We must look to Christ to heal us from sin and give us the strength to follow Him.
- The law is meant to point us to Christ, not to save us from sin.
- Reconciliation with God is found through the blood of Christ on Calvary.