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Notice —

I. THE DEEP SOURCE OF CHRISTIAN STEADFASTNESS. "Anointing" is the means of "establishing" — i.e., God confers steadfastness by bestowing the unction of His Spirit.

1. Notice how deep Paul digs in order to get a foundation for this common virtue.

(1) From beginning to end of Scripture "anointing" is the symbol of the communication of the Spirit. Note the felicity of the emblem. Oil smoothes the surface, supples the limbs, is nutritive and illuminating, and is thus an appropriate emblem of the secret, silent, quickening, nourishing, enlightening influences of the Spirit.

(2) And inasmuch as here this oil of the Divine Spirit is the true basis of Christian steadfastness, the anointing cannot be consecration to apostolic or other office, but must be the possession of all Christians. "Ye," says John, speaking to the whole democracy of the Christian Church, "have an unction from the Holy One."

2. This anointing is derived from, and parallel with, Christ's anointing. The "Christ" is the Anointed One. "He that establisheth us with you in the Anointed, and hath anointed us, is God." Does not this mean, "Each of you, if you are a Christian, is a Christ"? You, too, are God's Messiahs. On you the same Spirit rests in a measure which dwelt without measure in Him, and consequently you are bound to a prolongation of part of His function. Christians are prophets to make God known to men, priests to offer up spiritual sacrifices, and kings over themselves, and over a world which serves those that love God.

3. It is plain, therefore, how this Divine unction lies at the root of steadfastness. We talk a great deal about the gentleness of Christ; but we do not sufficiently mark the masculine features of the Christ who "steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem," and was followed by that wondering group, astonished at the rigidity of purpose that was stamped on His features. That Christ gives us His Spirit to make us inflexible in the pursuit of all that is lovely and of good report, like Himself. We are all too like aneroid barometers, that go up and down with every variation of a foot or two in the level; but if we have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in us it will cut the bonds that bind us to the world, and give us a deeper love. The possession of the Spirit sets a man on an isolating stool, and all the currents that move round about him are powerless to reach him, If we have that Spirit within us, it will give us an experience of the certitude and the sweetness of Christ's gospel, which will make it impossible to "cast away the confidence which has" such "recompense of reward." When storms are raging they lash light articles on deck to holdfasts. Let us lash ourselves to the abiding Christ, and we, too, shall abide.

II. THE AIM OR PURPOSE OF THIS CHRISTIAN STEADFASTNESS. "He stablisheth us with you" into or "unto Christ." Our steadfastness, made possible by our possession of the Spirit, is steadfastness —

1. In our relation to Jesus Christ. What Paul here means is —

(1) A fixed conviction of the truth that He is the Christ, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, and my Saviour.

(2) In regard to Christ of our trust and love. He loves ever; we therefore should be steadfast in our answering love to Him.

(3) Habitual obedience, which is always ready to do His will. So we answer Him "Yea!" with our "Amen!" and having an unchanging Christ to rest upon, rest upon Him unchanging. "Be ye steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord."

2. Such steadfastness has for its result a deeper penetration into Christ and a fuller possession of Him. The only way by which we can grow nearer to our Lord is by steadfastly keeping beside Him. You cannot get the spirit of a landscape unless you sit down and gaze, and let it soak into you. You cannot get to know a man until you live with him. "As the branch cannot bear fruit except it abide in the vine, no more can ye except ye abide in Me."

III. THE VERY HUMBLE AND COMMONPLACE SPHERE IN WHICH THE CHRISTIAN STEADFASTNESS MANIFESTS ITSELF. It was nothing of more importance than that Paul had said he was going to Corinth and did not, on which he brings all this array of great principles to bear. The highest gifts of God's grace and the greatest truths of God's Word are meant to regulate the tiniest things in our daily life. It is no degradation to the lightning to have to carry messages. It is no profanation of the sun to gather its rays into a burning-glass to light a kitchen fire with. And it is no unworthy use of the Divine Spirit to say it will keep a man from precipitate decisions as to little things in life, and from changing about without a sufficient reason. If your religion does not influence the trifles, what is it going to influence? Our life is made up of trifles. If your religion does not influence the little things, it will never influence the big ones. "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much."

2. And you can do no good in the world without steadfastness. Unless a man can hold his own, and turn an obstinate negative to temptation, he will never come to any good at all, either in this life or in the next, and there is only one infallible way of doing it, and that is to let the "strong Son of God" live in you, and in Him to find your strength for resistance, for obedience, for submission.

(A. Maclaren, D. D.)

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KJV: Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;

WEB: Now he who establishes us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God;