| Home Page | Articles by Author | Articles by Subject | Search | Printer friendly version here! This page Copyright © 2001 Peter Wade. You can save this page as a text file from your browser (File / Save As) and read it off-line. It is about 24K. Great Cloud of Witnesses Chapter 1 Abel: Faith's Worship of God by E.W. Bullinger 4. Abel's Faith: The Witness Abel Obtained Though rendered "obtained witness" and "testifying," the verb is the same in both clauses. "By means of which [faith] he was borne witness to as being righteous; God bearing witness to His gifts." We have spoken of the witness which God gave; we have now to speak of the witness that Abel obtained: viz., that he was righteous. We have already emphasised the fact that both Abel and Cain had heard what God had spoken, as to what both men were, by nature, in His sight. Both were exactly the same; both were equally begotten by Adam "in his own likeness" (Gen. v. 3). They were "sons of men" and not (as Adam had been) sons of God: that is to say, sons of Adam, and Eve, as fallen. There was "no difference" (Rom. iii. 21). It is true that Adam had stood in a different category. He had been created (not begotten) in "the likeness of Elohim;" and created in Paradise: but these had both alike been begotten in Adam's own likeness; and were begotten outside Paradise. From this point therefore our object-lesson begins. This is why it is the first great lesson set before us. This is why it stands on the forefront of God's revelation. There had been "some good thing" in Adam, though he was human. But there was "no good thing" in Cain, or Abel. "That which is begotten of the flesh IS (and remains) flesh." And even Paul in later days had to learn the all-important lesson, and confessed "I know (as a solemn reality1) that there does not2 (as a matter of fact) dwell in me, that is, in my flesh, good" (or with A.V. "any good thing"). Thus, boldly and plainly is man's gospel of humanity, and the "Divine immanence" in man, set aside as having no part or place in God's sight. All who are born in the fallen likeness of our first fallen parents, are born with "no good thing abiding in them." It is not a question here, or indeed elsewhere, about what man has done. It is wholly and altogether a question only of what man IS. The most ungodly man that ever lived will regret, and repent, and be very sorry for many things he has done, or left undone. The vast majority, to-day, will own that they are sinners. But, this is only a very small part of the whole matter; so small as to be hardly a part at all. It is an ancient Pagan confession to say "humanum est errare," "it is human to err." It is equally human to regret it. But, here, it is a question NOT of what man had done. Very probably both Cain and Abel had sinned, but it was a question of what they WERE, by nature. As it was with Isaiah, when he saw himself in the presence of God, and in the presence of all that was thrice "Holy"; so it will ever be with all who thus become acquainted with the true character of their human nature. Isaiah's words were "I AM undone." It was not like our "general confession": "We have left undone those things we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done." There may be all this and more; but there is something behind, and something beneath, and something far beyond all this, and that is: "THERE IS NO HEALTH IN US." This is the confession that, we are not only lost sinners; but that we are fallen creatures. We are not only "sons of men," begotten by Adam, but we are born of Eve. She it was who was in the Transgression. Adam was not (I Tim. ii. 13, 14). So that we are doubly ruined: ruined sinners, and ruined creatures. Ruined, not because of what we have DONE, but because of what we ARE. If we had never done anything, good, bad, or indifferent, we should still have no right to re-enter the garden, or to go into the presence of God. We should have no "right to the tree of life," but should be subject to death. We should still need at least a forensic righteousness: that is to say, we should need to be acquitted; to be pronounced "not guilty;" and to be put into a position where our sins would not be imputed to us (Ps. xxxii. 1, 2). But this is, surely, very different from having a Divine righteousness imputed to us! The one is negative, and the other is positive. What we have to ask is: Was the righteousness of Abel the same as that of Abraham's? We read that Lot was "a righteous man" (I Pet. ii. 7, 8), and yet he is not included in this chapter. Abraham himself, from the time of his call in Gen xii., was surely, as righteous as Lot who left him and went toward Sodom. Surely he was, like Abel, forensically, that is, judicially acquitted. In Gen. xiii. God made him further promises, and in Gen. xiv. God had been with him, prospered him, and sent Melchisedek to bless him. But it is not till Gen. xv., that we read of a very different righteousness, which was imputed to him. This was no mere negative blessing of non imputation of sin. It was no mere pronouncement of "not guilty," but it was the positive reckoning to Abraham, as actually having righteousness imputed to him. It was on the occasion of God making a further promise of a son, in his old age, and under very special circumstances which were all contrary not only to reason, or to sight, but to all the laws of nature. THEN, it is written, "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness." What this meant for Abraham in the way of blessing in God's sight we are not told. But it must have been a distinct advance in Divine favour; and it accounts for much that we read of Abraham which we do not find in the case of others who are mentioned in this chapter. This positive reckoning of righteousness is revealed only in connection with Christ in the Gospel. This is why Paul announces his readiness to preach this good news in Rome. For this readiness to announce this good news he adduces four reasons: each introduced by the word for: 1. FOR I am not ashamed of the Gospel. 2. FOR this reason: It is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes God. 3. FOR this further reason: viz, that in this Gospel a righteousness is revealed "from faith to faith": i.e., God has made fresh revelations for the objects of man's faith; and has revealed how man may not only be acquitted but justified. 4. FOR, the conclusive reason which constitutes this as being such good news: that, not only is a righteousness from God revealed, but wrath from God is revealed also, from which this gospel brings the good news of complete deliverance. This is a3 righteousness revealed in the Gospel. It is more than a forensic righteousness. It is something given and received by imputation on the principle of faith. And it is this righteousness, which is imputed to believers now. It is not God's attribute of righteousness; nor is it His acting in conformity with that attribute; but, it is something which He imputes or reckons to the believer. In other words, it is imputed righteousness. In Rom. iii. 25, 26, we find both aspects of the word righteousness, with reference (1) to the time past (in the Old Testament), and (2) now "at this time" (in the Gospel). (1). As to the time past, God was acting righteously in passing over sins, in His forbearing grace, i.e., in judicially acquitting those who believed Him when He spoke at sundry times and in divers manners." (2). As to the present, "at this time." He declares that He is equally just in justifying: i.e., in actually imputing righteousness to him who believeth in Jesus;" who believeth what He has made known about the Saviour. Hence in 2 Cor. v. 21, we advance to a further revelation, viz., that those who believe God now in what He has revealed of Christ are made Divinely righteous in Him. Therefore to believe God in what He says now, in His Gospel, concerning His Son, is not only to be saved from wrath by His power, not only to be acquitted as "not guilty" but to be accounted as positively righteous, by His grace. Romans iv. is therefore a distinct advance in the argument and treats of this imputed righteousness. But all is by faith; i.e., by believing what God has revealed. Abel believed God, and he was judicially acquitted. God bore witness to his gifts by accepting the death of the substituted lamb, instead of the death which Abel deserved as a sinner. Hence Abel was righteous; and stood judicially acquitted before God. But this brings us to a further question, as interesting as it is important. Why is this righteousness, whether forensic or imputed, all made to depend on our believing what God says? Why was not some other condition laid down by God? Out of all the many things which God might have required of man, why is "faith" singled out as the one and only ground of justification, and this, for all time, from that day till now? Is not this question worth asking? From Gen. iv. we see the condition in action; and in the Epistle to the Romans we see it stated and defined Moreover a reason is given that "it is of faith that it might be by grace," but nowhere is any explanation given as to why it should be so, and why faith should be the reason why man should be either judicially acquitted of his sin; or why Divine righteousness should be imputed and reckoned to him. THE EXPLANATION is not given in so many words; but it is placed very clearly before us on the opening pages of the second, third and fourth chapters of Genesis. Faith is made the condition, because unbelief was the cause of Man's Fall, of Sin's entrance, and of Death's appointment for man. This lies on the surface of the history. Eve fell by not believing what God had said. She tampered with the words which God had spoken. She dealt with those words in the only three ways in which man can deal deceitfully with them. (1) She omitted the word "freely" in Gen. iii. 1 .(See Gen ii, 16). (2) She added the sentence "neither shall ye touch it" in Gen iii. 3. (See Gen. ii. 17). (3) She altered the certainty "thou shalt surely die," (Gen. ii. 17), into the contingency "lest ye die" (Gen. iii. 3). Satan's two assurances, "Ye shall not surely die," "Ye shall be as God," were believed; and God's words, having been omitted, added to and altered, were in the end not believed. Thus, by believing Satan's words, was sin brought into the world, "and death by sin." Hence, only by believing God, can man regain life, and sin be put away. (1) Only by believing God in what He has thus revealed about man himself, can the sinner be acquitted, and pronounced "not guilty," and, in this sense (forensically) righteous. (2) Only by believing God in what He has revealed concerning Christ, can man be reckoned as being actually righteous, in Christ, and as having a divine righteousness actually imputed to him. This is THE REASON WHY believing what God says is made to be one necessary condition of justification. Man MUST BELIEVE GOD in what He says in His Word; and he must believe ALL that God says. In what sharp contrast does this set all that goes to make up religion! Religion occupies man entirely with himself: with what he has done, with what he can do. and with what he must do. God would occupy man with HIMSELF, and with what He has said. This it is which gives its character to all "religion" in the present day; "Man's Day." Man is exalted, and God set aside. Man's doings are substituted for man's believing. This is why, on all hands, man's words are substituted for God's words. And as the importance of man's works increases in his estimation, so God's Word decreases. This is why, in the religious world the two great questions which occupy man are: (1) what he must do to be righteous, and (2) what he must do to be holy. It is all "DOING," from first to last, instead of believing God. But the modern, social gospel of humanity is the gospel of the Old Serpent. It is based on faith indeed; but it is faith in the devil's two lies "Ye shall be as God" "Ye shall not surely die." So subtle is the poison of the Old Serpent, that not only does man, to day, in this his "new theology" not believe God's words; but he does not believe in God's Word. This is why he puts forth his utmost efforts to get rid of all that is supernatural in the Scriptures of truth. Here God steps in with His irreversible decree. He lays down the one indispensable condition on which He will ever have any respect to man's doings: or alter His sentence of death on account of man's own self-undoing. MAN MUST BELIEVE GOD Here, in Abel's faith, we have the Way back to God's favour unalterably laid down at the fountain-head of God's revelation of Himself, and of humanity. The only way of access to God is "by faith," i.e, by believing what He has said. Whosoever does that; and takes that first simple step, stands judicially acquitted, as Abel stood. Whosoever believes what God has further promised, in, by, and through Christ, "his faith is counted (reckoned, and imputed) to him for righteousness," as it was to Abraham. "Now, it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but FOR US ALSO, to whom it shall be imputed if we believe in Him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered on account of our offences, and raised on account of our justifying " (Rom. iv. 22-25). Abraham and David believed God concerning His promises in Christ. Hence it is written that righteousness was imputed to them (Gen. xv. 6 and Rom. iv. 3); Ps. xxxii. 2 and Rom. iv. 6). God preached, before, the Gospel unto Abraham (Gal. iii. 8), David spake of Christ (Acts ii. 31); and both believed God. DO WE? Do we believe what God has said about ourselves as ruined creatures; and, are we thus pronounced righteous being judicially acquitted? And, do we go on to believe all that God has said about His promises in Christ, as risen from the dead? and are we thus justified on that account, our faith being reckoned to us for righteousness, yea, a Divine righteousness which is imputed and reckoned to us, so that we are made Divinely righteous in Christ? These are the questions which are solved by the consideration of Abel's faith. It leads us on from "non-imputation of sin," to the imputation of righteousness. It takes us beyond the doctrine of substitution; beyond the sacrifice of an animal for man's sin; and leads the sinner, into the far higher doctrine of his identification, as a saint with Christ. The one remaining question is: Do we go on "from faith to faith"? (Rom. i. 16, 17). Abraham went on. In Gen. xii., xiii, and xiv. he believed God in many things about himself. But in Gen. xv. he went on from faith to faith. He believed God, in another thing: viz., about the promised Seed! It was this faith that was imputed to him for righteousness. Do we thus go on to believe God? We may believe what He has revealed of Christ in Romans, Corinthians, and Galatians but, do we go on "from faith to faith," and believe God in what He afterwards revealed concerning Christ in Ephesians. Philippians and Colossians, and thus "give glory to God''? Is not all this something far beyond mere theological reasonings and scholastic arguments as to what is "the righteousness of God?"4 and about the "law-keeping righteousness of Christ," which were very rife among Brethren a few years ago? Those controversies created much bitterness, and left much confusion behind. But, our subject takes us far beyond all this and reveals to us the blessed fact that Christ Himself, in all that He IS, and HAS, and HAS DONE, is, of God, made unto us who believe Him, "RIGHTEOUSNESS" Instead of rejoicing in this blessed fact, and praising God for all the great things He has done for us, many of His children are engaged in a kind of post mortem controversy; and are dissecting Christ's life and sufferings. Hence, instead of "holding the Head" and living in the "bond of peace," they are biting, rending and devouring each other, the "members." Oh that we may go on "from faith to faith," and believe God in all that He reveals to us as to our identification with Christ, in having His righteousness, His holiness, His perfections, reckoned to us; and all of His boundless grace! Footnotes: 1The verb is oida and it means to know, as a matter of absolute knowledge. Not ginosko, to get to know, by effort or experience. 2The negative is ouk and denies objectively and absolutely, as a matter of fact. It is not mç which denies subjectively, and hypothetically. Moreover, the negative ouk here, is connected with the verb "dwell," and not with the noun "good": "There does not DWELL any good"; not "there dwells not good (or any) good." 3There is no article here, in the Greek. 4 As though the definite article were used in the Greek of Rom. i. 17 and 2 Cor. v. 21. | Home Page | Articles by Author | Articles by Subject | Search | This page Copyright © 2005, Positive Word Ministries Inc. Email us! On the web since October 1995.