Spurgeon: July AM
* 07/05/AM
"Called to be saints."
--Romans 1:7
We are very apt to regard the apostolic saints as if they
were "saints" in a more especial manner than the other children
of God. All are "saints" whom God has called by His grace, and
sanctified by His Spirit; but we are apt to look upon the
apostles as extraordinary beings, scarcely subject to the same
weaknesses and temptations as ourselves. Yet in so doing we are
forgetful of this truth, that the nearer a man lives to God the
more intensely has he to mourn over his own evil heart; and the
more his Master honours him in His service, the more also doth
the evil of the flesh vex and tease him day by day. The fact is,
if we had seen the apostle Paul, we should have thought him
remarkably like the rest of the chosen family: and if we had
talked with him, we should have said, "We find that his
experience and ours are much the same. He is more faithful, more
holy, and more deeply taught than we are, but he has the
selfsame trials to endure. Nay, in some respects he is more
sorely tried than ourselves." Do not, then, look upon the
ancient saints as being exempt either from infirmities or sins;
and do not regard them with that mystic reverence which will
almost make us idolators. Their holiness is attainable even by
us. We are "called to be saints" by that same voice which
constrained them to their high vocation. It is a Christian's
duty to force his way into the inner circle of saintship; and if
these saints were superior to us in their attainments, as they
certainly were, let us follow them; let us emulate their ardour
and holiness. We have the same light that they had, the same
grace is accessible to us, and why should we rest satisfied
until we have equalled them in heavenly character? They lived
with Jesus, they lived for Jesus, therefore they grew like
Jesus. Let us live by the same Spirit as they did, "looking unto
Jesus," and our saintship will soon be apparent.