Perfect Comfort, Hope, and Faith

To receive light over Christ manifested in the flesh immediately gives perfect comfort to everyone who is seriously battling against sin. Heb. 12. Then we understand in truth that we can hope to succeed in really gaining victory over everything. Then we realize that there is a purpose in hoping and believing in something so great!

However, for all superficial “Christians” and for all those who live in false liberty (freedom from having to keep God’s laws), to receive light over this would only bring sorrow and grief. It would only tell them that they, too, ought to fight earnestly the same battle that Jesus fought, which such people don’t desire in the least. They are more than thankful if they can avoid it! They don’t have the attitude of mind for such a noble and arduous battle.

If Christ didn’t have the same flesh as we (which He did), it would have been comfortless, hopeless, and impossible for us to believe in true victory. Then there would be nothing left but a constant repetition of the forgiveness of sins—which, of course, is exactly how believers generally live.

When people say that the only thing we can rely on is the blood, they really mean the forgiveness of sins. They mean that victory is not possible. If such people speak about victory anyway, they don’t really mean it. When all is said and done, people believe in defeat. After defeat they trust in the atonement, believing in the forgiveness of sins.

Moreover, as long as people do not understand (believe in) the great mystery of godliness, they have no meaningful or substantial reason for believing in real, personal victory over all sin.