The Old Nature Must Disappear: by T.
Austin-Sparks
My little
children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is
formed in you...
(Galatians 4:19).
The profaning of the Lord's Name,
and the taking away of His glory, is the inveterate habit and course of the old
creation nature. Should you see any of the old creation getting into the realm
of the things of God, what is the result sooner or later? That man takes the
glory, and dishonors God. Is not that the tragic, dark story of "the
Church"; man in his old creation powers and life pressing into the things
of God, and making a name for himself? The Church has been the happy hunting
ground of men for reputation, position, influence and all such things. The
flesh always does that. It takes God's glory away, it profanes God's Name. In
order that that might not be so there must be a new creation, where all things
are of God. I see the appalling state of things today amongst the Lord's people
everywhere; death, weakness, limitation, defeat, failure, inability to stand
up, to go on; and, without being critical, censorious or judging, you have to
come to the conclusion as you speak with so many, that the measure of Christ is
pathetically small. Sometimes when you speak about the Lord to people, who have
borne the name of Christian for many years, they gape at you as though you were
talking a strange language.
Let us ask the Lord that, so far as we
are concerned, there may be an increase of Christ in every way. Let us seek
grace for any fiery furnace in the light of the explanation, that it is neither
what is of Christ that is being tested in us, nor any good within ourselves,
but that what is not Christ should disappear, that it should be Christ, only
Christ. At last this universe will know nothing but Christ. He will fill all
things, and that will be a great day! May He be fully formed in us.
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