By David Shelby Corlett

Chapter 4

THE APPEAL

"Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach."

The writer makes a great appeal to all to whom this truth is given, an appeal to go to Him outside the realm of human effort, beyond its bounds of cultural and refining influences, without the camp of the very highest of human attainments in discipline and effort for self improvement -- Go to Him, the lonely Sufferer -- to Jesus, who suffered without the gate that He might sanctify the people with His own blood.

Here is an appeal based upon a deep human need -- the great need of all Christians to be sanctified by the blood of Christ. What Christian has not been conscious of an inner struggle between the flesh and the Spirit? Who has not felt within a condition which was not satisfying to his own heart and likewise not glorifying to God? Who has not been condemned by the keenness of a sense of impurities within his heart, of the presence of carnal dispositions and affections, which he instinctively abhors and against which he continually struggles? How oft has he cried for deliverance from this distressing heart condition. The appeal of this text comes to you, Go forth therefore to Him outside the camp -- to Jesus who suffered that He might sanctify you with His own blood.

Here is an appeal made by the crucified Christ, He who suffered without the gate that He might sanctify the people with His own blood. With nail scarred hand outstretched to His children He calls them to separate themselves from everything which may interfere with their being fully devoted to Him, and to go to Him outside the camp. Do you not hear His appeal now? You who are forgiven by His blood; you who are brought nigh to God through the blood of Christ; you who are enjoying the blood-bought privileges of sons of God. Hear Him! He calls you to holiness! He calls you to come to Himself outside the gate, out where He died as a lonely Sufferer that He might sanctify you with His own blood. There is no true sanctification without going to Him outside the camp in full consecration and death to all that is carnal and unclean within the heart.

Here is an appeal to a deeper heart union with Christ: "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp." Let us go forth outside the camp? No! No! Mere separation is not sufficient. Let us go forth unto Him -- unto Jesus who suffered that He might sanctify us with His own blood. Nothing less than Christ Himself will satisfy the deepest longings of the heart. No one but Christ can bring us into a state of true heart blessedness; nothing short of a vital heart union with Him will bring us into true devotedness to God. There is no sanctification without the conscious presence of the Sanctifier within the soul.

This is a vital union with Him in blessedness and victory -- a union in which we bear His reproach. But to the heart which is truly devoted to God, to the person who is fully sanctified, the reproaches of Christ are counted greater riches than the treasures of this old world.

Why should we hesitate? Why do we withhold and fail to go to Him outside the gate where He might sanctify us with His own precious blood? For our sakes He sanctified Himself -- He suffered without the gate, that we may be sanctified by His own blood. Go to Him. Rather, come to Him. Come to Him now!

He is waiting to purify your heart, to destroy the old nature of sin within your being, to sanctify you wholly. He is waiting to pour His Spirit upon you as definitely as the Holy Spirit was poured out in His fullness upon the waiting group of believers at Pentecost. To give you His power for your weakness, His strength for your feebleness, His grace for your every need. To give you His purity for the pollution of your nature. He longs to pour His love into your heart, and all His sweetness into your sensitive spirit; to calm your anxieties, to deepen your blessedness, to expand everything that is good in you, to be a stay to you in the midst of the uncertain conditions of life, and a Light in the face of the gathering darkness of sin about you.

Come to Him without the camp; there He will sanctify you with His own blood! Come to Him now!