NOTES BY THE LATE REV. HUGH MARTIN, D.D.
“The righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise: Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, Who shall descend into the deep (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead). But what saith it? The word (that is, the word of faith which we preach) is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart.”—Rom. x. 6-8.
THE Righteousness which is of Faith is here represented as a person speaking, arguing, expostulating, advising. And this not by a mere figure of speech. It is not a mere figure of speech—it is not mere “personification”—that sets the righteousness of faith a-speaking; though, regarded even in that light, it casts an uncommonly beautiful light upon the passage. But it is more. There is more than personification here—there is a person. Little wonder if the Righteousness which is of faith can speak, and actually speaketh, seeing it is none other than the Word—“the Word which was in the beginning, which was with God, and was God.” It is none other than the Second Person of the God-head, as God incarnate, and the Christ of God. For Christ crucified is the Righteousness of God to every one that believeth. Christ is of God made unto us Righteousness. As is said in a preceding verse of this chapter, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” He is “the Lord our Righteousness.” And because He becomes ours by gift on God’s part, and by simple reception or, in other words, by faith on our part He is “the Righteousness which is by faith.”
What has He in this capacity to say? When He would act and speak and speak as the Righteousness of faith, what has he to say? What “speaketh” He?
Right wisely, right powerfully, right tenderly He speaketh. He speaketh to sinners who would be the better of Him as the Lord their Righteousness, infinitely the better of Him—and who never will be the better of anything till they have found and been pleased with Him; and He speaks to them (1) in a double dissuasive, and (2) in a double persuasive.
First—A double dissuasive.
I. “Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven? that is, to bring Christ down from above.” For that would imply that no Saviour has as yet come down from heaven. “But, behold! we bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all mankind: To you is born a Saviour, which is Christ, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. It is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Never say anything “in thine heart” that is at variance with this. Never be in any state of mind or frame of heart at variance with the blessed fact that “when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might obtain the adoption of sons, and (and because we are sons) therefore, also, the Spirit of the Son in our hearts crying Abba, Father.”
II. “Say not in thine heart, who shall descend into the deep? that is to bring up Christ again from the dead.” For He is risen again, in very truth. Death could have no permanent dominion over him—no dominion at all. He conquered death by dying. He was not made a victim. He became a conqueror. And His resurrection is the proof of it. Never think of Him as an incomplete Redeemer. His redemption work is perfect. And His resurrection proves it. He died for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. He finished the work given Him to do. He left none of it for His weak and weary people. “Father,” said He, “I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work Thou gavest me to do.” And in token that the Father is of one mind with Him on this, the very basis of His people’s faith and joy, He raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory that our faith and hope might be in God.
Say not anything in thine heart that it would be right and reasonable to say only on the supposition that Jesus was still the prisoner of death. He is risen. He is ascended. He is within the veil in glory—able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him. Let not thine heart ever for a moment be in a state or frame that would be reasonable, only on the supposition that Christ was not raised from the dead.
Say not then, Who shall go down into the deep? any more than, Who shall go up into heaven? Say neither the one thing nor the other. Speak neither of going up nor of going down—as little the one as the other. I bring near My salvation, and you have no journey to take to reach it—neither up nor down—neither to the right hand nor to the left. Your attitude is that of waiting, not working: waiting as those that wait for the morning, which, behold! how it dawneth, and cometh on, not a whit aided by any works or journeys of yours, but breaking in powerful omnipotent glory in the east, being itself master of the day—yea, the day-spring from on high.
Secondly. A double persuasive.
- “The word is nigh thee—(i.e.)—the word of faith.” Now this implies, O sinner, that Christ’s redemption work being perfect, and sealed as such by His resurrection, your salvation work is a work done at a “word.” That is clearly implied in this persuasive. It has no meaning at all, if it do not imply, that, first of all, and above all, salvation is by grace, seeing all the redemptive work is done already. Ye are saved by grace through faith. And it is of faith that it might be by grace. But faith needs a word to go upon. “Be merciful to me, O Lord, according to Thy Word.” “Remember to me the word on which Thou hast caused me to hope.” The promise accordingly is the word of faith—the word which faith receives—the word which the Spirit makes the means of ingenerating faith, the word on God’s part which answers to faith (or rather to which faith answers) on man’s part in that great transaction in which reconciliation between the angry God and the alienated sinner is effected by the word of the gospel.
Now this “word,” which is all that is needed to thy salvation work (because redemption work is a finished work)—this “word” which is required to be taken home in faith, in order to the taking home of a perfected redemption work (unto the resulting work of our actual individual salvation)—this “word” intended of God to be so received in faith unto our actual salvation, and, in point of fact, so received by every one that believeth;—and therefore very properly called the “word of faith,” the word which faith proceeds upon as true; the word which kindles and calls up faith itself, and then trusts itself to the faith which it has kindled;—this word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thine heart.
Such is the testimony of the “Righteousness of which is faith.” And none can be so deeply interested in the “word of faith” as the “Righteousness which is of faith.” By the word of faith He, the Righteousness of Faith, puts Himself into the possession of every one that believeth and sees of the travail of His soul. And this word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart.
- Oh! says the sinner, I can understand how this word should be in my mouth. I can of myself—alas! only too easily—take it in my mouth and utter it. But that it should be “in my heart,”—that I should know and love the joyful sound,—that I should willingly receive and be in actual possession by faith of the great redemption;—this is another matter altogether, and not competent to this depraved and sinful heart of mine. How can it be true that the “word is in my heart?”
Very good, dear fellow-sinner, very good and very true. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Very true. But consider!
Who, indeed, if He cannot, who speaketh? And is it not in and by speaking that He does it? He who here speaketh is the all-powerful Word who speaketh and it is done. He said “Light be,” and light was. He “calleth the things that be not as though they were.” He bringeth into being by calling into being. His call gives the being to which it calls. His people are a willing people in the day of His power. If He say to you that the word is not in your mouth only, but in your heart, have you any interest to question and gainsay him? He can make this true in the act of saying it. Is it too wonderful—think you?—to be true, though He speak, who came to bear witness of the truth? He can realise it as the case in the describing of it.
For He is acting here as a prompter: yes, as a prompter. That’s the jet and edge and joy of it. And it is faith’s part, and faith’s nature, and faith’s inward instinctive prompting to act on His promptings; not to gainsay and resist them. “When Thou saidst unto me, Seek ye My face, my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, O Lord, will I seek.” So remember Christ’s almighty power over the heart in prompting it—even as complete as an earthly master has over the mouth in prompting it; and see that you “out with” (or confess) the word from your heart, even the word of faith which is preached unto you. Be it yours at once to cry, “My Lord and my God,” or “Lord, I believe; help mine unbelief.”
Yes; go not about to construct, or establish, or find a righteousness. Go not up to heaven; go not down into the deep; go neither up nor down; go neither to the right hand nor to the left: but here—where you are, this moment—here and now—listen to another righteousness—the Lord your righteousness—the righteousness which is by faith—which comes by faith—which is yours by faith. This righteousness (and all the salvation that depends upon it) is yours at a word. And “the word is nigh thee”—nigher than you think. Let the Righteousness of faith himself tell you how nigh—”even in thy mouth and in thy heart.” Oh! doubt not; say not it is too good to be true. If that’s the only style of objection you have to what Jesus Christ says, it’s a very poor one. For grace is poured into His lips, and His words are so good that just on that ground the Father, in infinite admiration of Him, hath done every thing possible to make Him most blessed for evermore. Say not that anything is too good to be true when Jesus Christ—the ever blessed “delight” of the Godhead—hath said it. Rather try and see if it be not thoroughly true indeed. Try and “out with it”—”My Lord and my God”—”Lord, I believe.” In the rich full flow of His goodness, so great as to be telling thee things to which thou canst have no objection, except that they are too good to be true, “out with” (or confess) the word from thy very heart; prompted by Him, yet uttered by you—you, the travail of His soul; He thy regenerating Lord and Saviour, making thee willing in the day of His power. “Saved by grace through faith;” His grace; grace on His part; faith on your part; your faith in the sense that it comes from your believing heart; but His gift in that it is wrought by His Spirit there and prompted by His word there; but altogether such that this other glorious utterance may take place in terms of it, and because of it sealing eternal espousals between Him and you—”My beloved is mine, and I am his.” “My Lord and my God.”
Aye, truly: “Harken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people and thy father’s house: So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord, and worship thou him.”
Yes; and then just proceed upon the truth of it. Try and see if those things be not true, which are and ought to be true because of this. “Being justified by faith, you have peace with God”—have you not?—”through Jesus Christ the Lord.” Yes; and have you not “access by faith into an estate of grace”—(not merely an occasional and fortuitous blessing)—but into an estate of grace, “into the grace wherein ye stand.”—(Are Christians always careful to do justice to this? This, at least, is what you have to do justice to. This is what you have to be thankful for.) Try if you don’t get access just by taking access into “this grace wherein ye stand,” this gracious right and title to all blessings of the everlasting covenant—”even into this grace wherein you stand,” and which is to you a “status” and “estate of salvation by a Redeemer” as truly as formerly you were in an “estate of sin and misery.” And, not only so; but you rejoice in tribulation also—do you not? (would you not rather suffer affliction with the people of God than have all the pleasures of sin to all eternity?) You rejoice in tribulation, because: “tribulation worketh patience: and patience experience: and experience hope: and hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad” in the heart by the Holy Ghost given unto you. Put all this to the proof by proceeding in faith upon the truth of it, and so you find it true. You get access into what of Christ’s fulness you need just by taking access to it by faith; taking your way by faith to the very blessing that you need, asserting that in Christ it is yours—maintaining your assertion against all effort of the enemy to deny it—(who or what is he?—a damned and vanquished foe!)—and the Lord in such case gives his fainting, faithful soldier—fainting through the very efforts of his fidelity—to find that he is not fighting for the wind, for a fancy, for a shadow, but for the faithfulness of God: and thus he finds that the faithfulness of God is in the heavens, and is also a shield and buckler to himself upon the earth.
Oh! to bow the head of the soul; to bend the knees of the soul; to set the silent smiling face of the soul steadfastly towards heaven; and let God speak! Oh! to follow, fearless, where His word leads the way! Oh! to follow and to follow on, nothing doubting—cherishing neither a proud unbelief nor, what is even worse, a humble unbelief, but cherishing just the word itself, because it is “the word of faith.” Thus we would think nothing of our faith, but all things of the word, which is the “word of faith.” Thus would we realize Christ’s great saying, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Dwelling in a realm in which we had learned to silence every voice save the voice of our heavenly teacher, as He speaks by His word and Spirit, the will of God for our salvation, our joy and our duty, we should have the blessedness of the people who in that case truly know the joyful sound and walk in the light of thy countenance, O Lord our God.