Tag Archives: William Romaine

But not so much as he deserves

16 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in Faith, Love, William Romaine

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“By him they expect a continual supply of all their temporal and spiritual needs, and therefore on him they would have their eyes ever fixed—looking unto Jesus. While by faith their eyes are kept steady upon him, they will be discovering something new in this wonderful God-man, and receiving something out of his fullness, to strengthen their hopes, and to inflame their affections. He will grow more lovely in their sight, fresh beauties will discover themselves, new worlds of delight will appear: for all the glories of heaven and earth shine in their fullest lustre in his person. The believer sees them at present: for by faith he can see him that is invisible, and although he has not such a perfect vision, as they have, who standing round his throne see him face to face, yet he hopes to enjoy it soon: and he has even now this peculiar pleasure in viewing the glories of his God and Saviour, that he can truly say of him–” this is my beloved, and my friend,” here I fix, and on him I rest; I want to look no where else for any good, since it all meets and centres in one object: for it hath pleased the Father and the eternal Spirit, that all fullness should dwell in the Son of God, and he is my beloved Saviour, and my dearest friend; he is the chief among ten thousand in my affection, yea he is altogether lovely. The more I live by faith upon him, the more I love him: for I experience such tender compassion in his heart, and such a kind concern for me and my interest, that the love of Christ constrains me to love him again. He endears his person to me by continual favours. I do love him, but not so much as he deserves, I would increase, and abound more and more in love to him, as his mercies increase and abound to me but a grateful sense of them, and love to him for them, are his own gifts, for which as well as for his mercies I must be content to be indebted to him for ever and ever. Lord shed more of thy precious love abroad in my heart: enlarge it in true affection to thee, and make all that is within me bless thy holy name.”

William Romaine, Treatise Upon the Life of Faith.

When compared with the self-centered drivel which often passes for preaching (I do not believe that the pulpit was better in Romaine’s day; good preachers are rare; great preachers are “rarer than radium” (Dylan Thomas’ wonderful line)), this paragraph (among) is a gem. Here are a few brief observations. Consider the first sentence:

By him they expect a continual supply of all their temporal and spiritual needs,
and therefore
on him they would have their eyes ever fixed—
looking unto Jesus.

Romaine constructs this sentence to further concept: by him, on him, looking unto Jesus. He then moves to develop the proposition, creating emotional content (not merely emotional affects) by repetition and development (in many ways the sentences are structured like Hebrew poetry. When laid out like verse on the page, it reads like the poetic from Whitman will later exploit):

While by faith their eyes are kept steady upon him,
they will be discovering something new in this wonderful God-man,
and receiving something out of his fullness,
to strengthen their hopes,
and to inflame their affections.
He will grow more lovely in their sight,
fresh beauties will discover themselves,
new worlds of delight will appear:
for all the glories of heaven and earth shine in their fullest lustre in his person.

Romaine effortlessly moves among doctrines, the sight of faith, the ultimate sight of God, hope, joy, love, the object of faith.

He weaves pastoral application in the doctrine and rhapsody:

The more I live by faith upon him,
the more I love him:
for I experience such tender compassion in his heart,
and such a kind concern for me and my interest,
that the love of Christ constrains me to love him again.

It is good counsel to note that love and faith flow from one to the other. It is not uncommon for one to complain that he feels very little love for Christ. Perhaps the trouble flows from very little faith in Christ.

Note also the structure: (1) Proposition, based upon experience, the I exercise faith, the more I love. (2) He repeats the proposition by means of amplification. ‘Live by faith’ becomes ‘experience such tender compassion in his heart and kind concern for me and my interest.” The love of the first proposition becomes “the love of Christ constrains me to love him again.”

He not only exhorts and teaches, he stops and prays in the midst of his teaching. Nothing in his prayer sounds artificial: it is spontaneous and flows directly from his instruction and application. It comes from both conviction (I do not love Christ sufficiently) and hope (and yet God will hear my prayer);

Lord shed more of thy precious love abroad in my heart: enlarge it in true affection to thee, and make all that is within me bless thy holy name.

I deeply appreciate that he speaks of the love of Christ without becoming maudlin, trite or affectionless. He states love held and desired, but he also gives content to that love.

Another aspect is the density of information. Romaine makes the information digestible by means of elegant writing, imagery, and emotional content; but he does not waste his words. Everything moves forward toward his goal of explaining and encouraging faith.

“nothing can perfectly satisfy it, but”

22 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by in 1 John, Christology, Desire, Glory, William Romaine

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1 John 2:12-14 divides believers into little children, young men and fathers. William Romaine explains that Fathers are those who have gained a knowledge of Christ, which drives them with greater desire to know him more. We see this in many areas of life: a friend introduces us to some-thing, an artist, a writer, a sport, their friend. At first we may care little, but as we come to know a bit we find something to desire and so we seek to know more. Now in most things, the initial curiosity is soon exhausted. Those who become obsessed with a musical act for many years look sad to others. The object of interest simply does not warrant the attention.

It is not so with Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). The creature is all derivative; the original is in God. Thus, a true knowledge of God in Jesus Christ can only serve to drive a greater knowledge (which leads to the mystery of the boring preacher — it takes a special skill to make dull an exposition of God’s majesty and work).

Romaine notes that the mark of maturity is an increased desire for God:

This is the character of those believers who are stedfast in the faith, and are become fathers, able now to teach others also. They have attained to that knowledge of Christ, which is life eternal, and they are daily pressing forward. What they already know of him increases their desire to know more. And by being always conversant with him, (for without him they can do nothing) they have continual opportunities of making new discoveries. In him are laid up treasures of every thing that is great and good. His riches are unsearchable, infinite, and eternal. There is no coming to the end of them. Believers are persuaded of it, and therefore they try to dig deep into this golden mine: It is all theirs. The farther they go, the more is their faith strengthened, and the more precious Christ becomes; for they find such an excellency in the knowledge of Christ Jesus their master, that their souls hunger and thirst to know more of him. The more they attain, the more their appetite increases, and nothing can perfectly satisfy it, but the full enjoyment of Christ in glory, when they shall know, even as also they are known. Till that blessed time come, they will be growing in grace and in the knowledge of God their Savior.

This is the distinguishing mark of these fathers, they are pressing forward. They have not yet attained to the perfect knowledge of Christ, but they are going on to perfection; and they make an happy progress. God meets them in, and blesses the means, which he has appointed for their daily growth.

William Romain, Treatise Upon the Life of Faith

Temptation and Faith

10 Saturday Aug 2013

Posted by in Faith, Jude, William Romaine

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It is a peculiar thing, knowing that

…without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6

For we seem to always seek to live on our own resources. As we grow in faith, we become complacent. We think we have matured. The thought comes to mind, we can stand alone. But the temtpation needs a justification: One wants to be neither a dependent nor a leach. Indeed, in human relationships, one who seeks to much from others is rightly condemned (2 Thessalonians 3:6-12).

Yet, when it comes to one’s relationship with God in Christ, such self-reliance is precisely wrong. The trouble with our excess dependencies upon other human beings is that in such relationships we seek something which need — yet comes only from God. Human beings are necessarily dependent, contingent creatures.

That God requires of us – faith – also supplies our greatest need. In our state of dependency upon God we must honor God and do ourselves good:

“They are strong in him, living upon his promised strength, and by faith receiving it. They live not upon any thing in themselves, but whatever they stand in need of, and whatever they have a promise for, that they expect shall be be given them by the power of God their Saviour. They see themselves poor helpless creatures, full of continual wants, and no means in their own power to supply them. The sense of this empties them of self-greatness and self-dependence, and the abiding sense of this keeps them humble and dependant upon Christ. Thus the Lord teaches them how to live out of themselves, and to be always receiving out of the Saviour’s fulness grace for grace. They have his infinite storehouse to repair to, in which there is treasured up for them every thing, that they can possibly want. Happy for them, their God has promised to supply all their needs out of the riches of his grace in Christ Jesus, and by faith they have an abundant supply to the praise of that God, who keepeth his promise for ever.”

William Romaine Treatise upon the life of faith.

And yet, as we grow in our dependence upon Him we think ourselves to be strong; we think we can walk alone, that we can gin up the fruit of the Spirit; we think that love, joy, peace now springs from us. But such thoughts are futile and we fail. God in his mercy may even see us fall that we know ourselves to be reeds and not oaks (as Richard Sibbes put it).

And it is exactly upon this point that temptation falls. Temptation must draw us off from faith — for in faith we have strength: not our own, but the strength of Christ:

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, Jude 25.

Such power resides in Christ that we can never fail in his power. The power of grace that begins the Christian life continues the Christian life:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

Romaine explains it thus:

“He that is able to keep believers from falling, will keep them until they receive the end of their faith, even the salvation of their souls. Thus the life which Christ begins by his grace, he continues by his strength; and every act of this spiritual life is from him. The will, the power is his : for he doeth all, and in all. These young men were so well assured of this, that they lived upon Christ for strength, and they received it; they were strong in him. Their faith viewed him in his exalted state with all power in heaven and earth, and engaged as their covenant head to use it for them, to make them and to keep them alive to God.”

And thus temptation must first land on faith. It must come as a whittling knife, and then it comes in boldness:

“When the enemy sees them thus strong in the Lord through faith, it stirs up his devilish malice, and makes him burn with envious rage. He leaves no temptation untried to draw them from Christ. He is well skilled in cunning wiles and sly devices for this purpose. He does not begin with tempting them to open sin; that would at once discover his wicked design: but he artfully tries to sap the foundation, and to weaken their faith. If he can get them from their dependance upon Christ, he carries his point; and too, too often he succeeds”

What then must be the defense? Faith — for only faith can succeed:

“Oh beware, reader, of every thing suspect it, let its appearance be ever so fair and good, which in the least tends to weaken thy fast hold of Christ. Cleave to him with full purpose. When the thought arises, Whether thou art in Christ, because of such failings, thou wilt know from what quarter it comes, and wilt immediately resist it. So that the temptation will make thee stand faster: it will drive thee closer to Christ, make thy dependance stronger on his blood and righteousness; put thee upon making more use of him, as thy intercessor and advocate with the Father, and help thee to live more out of thyself by faith upon him. Thus Christ becomes precious, thou art more humbled. The snare is broken, and thou art delivered.”

“Treatise upon the life of faith.” What strange alchemy of Christ: to be humble is to be a tower; to be dependent is to be strong without bound.

The Paradox of Strength

22 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by in 1 John, Faith, William Romaine

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I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. 1 John 2:14

How are these young men strong?

The abiding sense of their own weakness keeps them dependant upon him, so that the more they feel of their helplessness, the stronger they grow: because they live more upon Christ for strength, which illustrates that seeming paradox of the apostles, “When I am weak, then am I strong”—when I am most sensible of my own weakness, then am I strongest in the Lord, his strength is then perfected in me. And his strength is put forth in the effectual working of it by believing. It is not, neither can it be inherent in them, who without Christ can do nothing, but it is brought in by faith; nor does faith bring it in to lodge it, or lay it up in store, till it shall be wanted, but when it is wanted, faith then regards the promise, looks up to Christ to fulfil it, and receives strength out of his fulness. And being his, freely promised, and freely given, it is therefore called the strength of grace, “Thou therefore “my son, says Paul to Timothy, be strong “in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” Strong faith gets strong grace from Christ, according as it is written—” All things “are possible to him that believeth :” for according to his faith it shall be done unto him. If his faith reach to the full extent of the promises he shall find all things possible, which God hath promised, yea he shall be able to do all things, through Christ strengthening him.

Romaine, William. “Treatise upon the life of faith.”

May The Lord Discover it to Thee

29 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in Biblical Counseling, Discipleship, Faith, William Romaine

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“But if thou hast received no improvement from reading thus far—what is the reason? Perhaps thou art under some of the temptations here described. Search and see. And whatever it be, either in doctrine or experience, which hinders the increase of thy faith, may the Lord discover it to thee, and enable thee to overcome it, that thou mayest be no longer a babe unskilful in the word of righteousness, but mayest grow up to be a young man strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”

Romaine, William. “Treatise upon the life of faith.”

What, is this not comfort enough

21 Friday Jun 2013

Posted by in 2 Corinthians, Faith, William Romaine

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Therefore, reader, for thine own sake, and for the glory of God, take heed what thou buildest thy faith upon. Beware of making any thing that sense reports to thee, the ground of it, but rest it upon that which abideth for ever.

True faith is believing the word of God, on that it rests. And strong faith is not staggering at the promises through unbelief, but living upon Christ to make them good. There’s thy object. Look at him. And since he is thine, thy Saviour and thy God, make use of him as such, and trust body and soul, and all things belonging to them in his hands, and among the rest, thy comforts. Let him give them to thee as seemeth him good.

Set not thy heart upon them, nor follow him, as the multitude did for the sake of his loaves and fishes, and the dainties that he gave them, who, when these were with-held, soon forsook their kind benefactor. Thou art by faith to make up all thy happiness in him, and in him Only; and he himself being thine, let him give thee or take away what he will besides, thou hast enough.

What! is not this comfort enough, that thou hast got the pearl of great price, the infinitely rich, inestimably precious Jesus? Who has the wisdom of God to contrive what is best for thee, boundless love to dispose him, and almighty power to enable him to give it thee, and he has promised it; canst thou desire more? Walk then with him by faith, and not by sight.

Romaine, William. “Treatise upon the life of faith.”

Faith, Sight and Joy — William Romaine

01 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in 2 Corinthians, Faith, William Romaine

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for we walk by faith, not by sight.
-2 Corinthians 5:7

It is odd, “faith” — in a religious sense — applies commonly to the most vague sorts of opinions. Any sort of intuition, hope, hunch can constitute faith. When we use the word “believe”, we use it refer to those things of which are not sure — if we had been evidence we would “know”.

However such a vague, almost proposition free opinion has nothing to do with Christian faith. There are many who profess “belief” — but there are precious few who truly believe in the end. Faith which fetches salvation is not an opinion but an apprehension: “the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).

William Romaine notes that faith is something so certain that supersedes even sense:

“If the poor weak believer should say, I am convinced of this, and I should be glad to have my faith fixed upon such a foundation as changeth not; then let it rest upon the word of God, which is the only ground of believing, and is therefore called the word of faith, upon which faith is built, and by which it is nourished and grows up. It is the work of faith to believe what God hath spoken, and because he hath spoken it: for his word changeth not. It abideth the same for ever; therefore, what it truly reports, stands upon an immoveable rock. Sense and feeling may report things contrary to it, but the believer can silence them with, God hath spoken it; for his faith has evidence of things not seen, and does not form its judgment by the things which are seen, but by the things which are not seen. Generally speaking, faith judges the very contrary to what sense does, and will not believe what sense perceives. Abraham against hope believed in hope so do all his children.”

Now some would read this and say that to believe is obviously to deny reality. In fact language such as this would lead one to pit “science” against “faith”. Such a contrast would be faulty — faith does not deny either the physical universe or the regularity of God’s operation within the universe. What Romaine means is that faith can see the working of God in overcoming the Fall and reconciling human beings in love:

“They believe the pardon of sin, victory over sin, and the death of sin, the immortality of the body, though crumbled to dust and atoms, the second coming of Christ, and the eternal state of happiness or misery. Faith looks at God’s word, calling the things which be not, as though they were, and is commonly forced to contradict sense. Sense judges from what it sees—Faith from what God says. Sense is governed by what appears—Faith by what God says shall be. Sense looks inward—Faith looks outward. Faith can answer the seeming contradictions, which sense opposes to it, from the word of God which cannot be broken. And when sense is ready to despair, and all its fine frames and feelings are gone, then the believer can still trust in the Lord, and have a good hope because of the word of his grace.”

Romaine does not claim that “faith” denies the beating of his heart or the rising of the sun. Rather faith sees more than sight; it can see the work of God in salvation.

Romaine, who is not writing for skeptics but for believers, next moves onto the matter of joy and belief. Joy, he explains, flows from faith — it is a fruit, a benefit of faith:

“But perhaps thou art ready to say, it is written, that there is great joy and peace in believing, yea joy, unspeakable and full of glory. True these are what faith produces, and not what it is. These are the fruits of faith, which it brings forth in most abundance, when it is kept distinct from sense. The more simple faith is, the more it eyes Christ the object of faith, and the word the ground of faith, the more clear and distinct will its actings be, and consequently it will bring greater peace into the conscience, and more joy into the affections. But still these fruits are not faith; no more than the fruit is the tree. The fruits do not go before faith, but follow it, and grow from it. This is God’s order. He gives- us his word to be the ground of our believing, and by believing all things promised in the word are made ours, then we go on comfortably, and are happy; but when sense is put in the place of the word, then the consequence is, that weak believers have got a changeable rule to judge of themselves by, which hinders them from being established in believing, and from attaining the promised peace and joy.”

Romaine, William. “Treatise upon the life of faith.”

William Romaine on How Christ Enlightens the Mind

27 Monday May 2013

Posted by in Lord's Supper, Ministry, Prayer, William Romaine

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Paul prays in Ephesians 1 that the hearts of the Ephesians be enlightened:

15 For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
16 I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

How does effect this change — what means does God use to enlighten the heart? This is the way of discipleship and change. William Romaine explains that such change takes place by means:

The answer is, God has established the means of grace for this very purpose, of which his word is the principal: For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light: And when his good Spirit accompanies the hearing or reading of the word, then it is indeed a lantern unto our feet, and a light unto our paths. Then the word discovers to us the wretched darkness of our natural state, strips reason of all its high and divine titles, and thereby humbles us before God, and brings us low before his foot stool, waiting upon him in all the the means of grace, and particularly in prayer, that the light of the glorious gospel of Christ may mine into our dark and sinful hearts. To expect this light without the use of the instituted means is enthusiasm; and to expect to keep this light, after you once have it, •without continuing in the use of these means, is the very madness of enthusiasm. In them God has promised to be found of those that seek him. Out of them you have no promise; and you may as reasonably hope God will create a new light for you to read by in the night, as that he will enlighten you without the established means, without prayer, and the word and sacraments.

William Romaine “The sure Foundation. Two discourses, preached before the University of Oxford, April 11, 1756, in the morning at St. Mary’s, and in the afternoon at St. Peter’s.

First there is the content: the word of God. Second there is the Spirit’s application of the word sought and effected through prayer. Finally, there is the use of baptism and the Lord’s Supper to draw out the picture and to present Christ.

When we see these means we see the right basis of the work of ministry: whether preaching, teaching or counseling the Word of God is brought to bear upon one’s heart. No opinion, however “useful’, has within it the power to effect the change. This would be some version of bare human reason. Second there must be prayer that the Holy Spirit will apply the Word. This is the basis of spiritual discipline.

Note: Romaine’s critique of “reason” comes at the high point of the Enlightenment. Reason at this time was the belief that human thinking was capable without revelation was capable of knowing all things — including everything which could be known of God. Romaine is not advocating that one be “unreasonable”.

Second, “enthusiasm” refers to the opposite extreme: the idea that one can simply get some sensation and knowledge often even without words or content; an immediate (without any means) contact with God.

True Faith Says

21 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by in Faith, Union With Christ, William Romaine

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Romaine notes that true faith produces true union (which is the point of Wilkinson https://memoirandremains.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/the-one-office-of-faith/ ). Now, such true union necessarily produces true effects. To be joined to Christ by faith produces life, it produce fruit. A dead faith is dead ultimately because it does not acquire life from Christ. Salvation is the benefit Christ confers by means of faith. Salvation flows from the relationship with have with Christ:

“It may be known from the effects. Dead faith brings forth nothing. Living faith is fruitful. It produces a hearty trust in the truth of what God hath spoken, and a quiet reliance on the faithfulness of what God hath promised. It gives him credit for the finished salvation of his Son, and puts honour upon his record concerning it; whereby peace is received into the conscience, and love into the heart. Upon which there follows a settled dependence upon this reconciled God and loving Father, for the fulfilling of every promise, and this is improved by daily experience. He that trusteth in the Lord is never confounded. God is faithful. His promises cannot fail. Blessed is the man that trusteth in him. The Lord God will be a sun and a shield unto him: the Lord will give him grace and glory.

As for the hypocrites, it is not so with them. The Holy Spirit was not the author of their faith. It was a fancy of their own, formed in their heads, without any warrant from God. There was no life in it, and no living effects from it. There was the form, and nothing more. They made a profession, but never came to any enjoyment. They had no vital union, and therefore they could not have any real communion with Christ.”

William Romaine. “Treatises on the life, walk, and triumph of faith.” Thus, a hypocrite is like one who claims to know some famous man, but knows him not at all.

Wilkinson explains the relationship has such great intimacy that it is an adoption — it is not mere knowledge, but is a familial bond:

“It is worthy of attention, also, that it is in virtue of this relation to Christ that we are admitted to the high privilege of sonship to God; and that our sonship has a dignity and blessedness which even that of Adam in his state of innocence had not, inasmuch as our exalted Head and Lord, the Incarnate Son, owns us as His brethren, and associates us with Himself in His high and holy purposes. In many passages of the New Testament, a marked prominence is given to the blessing of adoption, as immediately consequent upon our receiving the Saviour, and being accepted in Him; and it is re–‘ ferred to as a part of the Divine “counsel” which shows forth the abounding riches of the grace of God. Thus St. Paul writes to the Ephesians, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.” (i. 5, 6.)”

Henry Wilkinson Williams. “Union with Christ.” While the hypocrite only pretends at knowledge, the one possessing true faith has come into his final home.

I knew a child who had moved into an adoptive family after a lifetime of foster care. Within a couple of weeks of her move — which had brought her to her “own” room (something she had never had before) — she asked if her room was “still there”. For the one who comes to true faith, the room will not be lost — it is still and always will be “there”.

True faith is the faith of a son adopted into a family who trusts no more upon the criminals he knew in the street nor his own “wits” and prowess. True faith secures union with Christ — and then seeks nothing apart from that union. True faith says, “Christ is enough”.

If we go on at all

25 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by in Biblical Counseling, Discipleship, Faith, Galatians, John, Philippians, Union With Christ, William Romaine

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It is easy to forget that all the Christian life must and can be only in Christ — in union and comunion with him. We forget this because we easily fall to the idea that our life is a doing of some-thing or other as a bare act, which, if performed, satisfies God. Such thoughts dishonor our Lord and suffocate our faith.

Sin suffuses through the entire human life, because sin — in one aspect — is the absence of the life of God. The human being without God is twisted, unnatural, sullen, without true hope or love. Redemption is to be in Christ.

Consider Paul’s words here; note the language to “be found in him”:

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-
10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Phil. 3:7-11. Or in Colossians 3, our life is with Christ in God: “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). Our Paul writes elsewhere: our life is now the life of Christ in us: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20.

The Christian life can never be a life without Christ, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).

Sin is death necessarily. The death does not lie in the bare action — it lies in the Godlessness of sin. The Sahara desert has many attributes – especially that it contains no water. One dies of thirst in the desert, not because one does not move hand to mouth, open in the mouth and swallow. One dies because there is no water. Without water, the action is lifeless; it is a charade, a parody of drinking. Without God, even our best acts can never be more than parodies of life.

Yes it is worse to not do “good works” — and yet such good works will fall short of the beauty they were meant to convey:

VII. Works done by unregenerate men, although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others; yet, because they proceed not from a heart purified by faith; nor are done in a right manner, according to the Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they are therefore sinful and can not please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God. And yet their neglect of them is more sinful, and displeasing unto God.

Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 16.

In short, our life must be in and through Christ. Our life must be in love and fellowship of union and communion — and that union and communion can be only be conveyed and received by means of a lively faith. As Romaine writes

“If we go on at all, it is by communion with him. We can receive only out of his fulness, grace for grace, to make us willing and able to go forward. Our fellowship with him is in every part and in every moment of our walk, and this is as necessary as our fellowship with the air and elements of this world is to every thing that concerns our natural walk. Our wisdom to guide our steps, our progress in the way, our courage and strength, our warfare and victory, every grace and every blessing is received by faith, and is the effect of our communion with Jehovah Jesus. We trust in his word, we rely on his arm, we wait on his faithfulness, and so go forward; for he makes good what he had promised to give us in our walk, which confirms the peace of God, establishes our hearts in his love, increases our faith, and thereby makes our daily walk more comfortable to us, and more glorious to him.”

William Romaine “Treatises on the life, walk, and triumph of faith.”