THE KNOWLEDGE OF
GOD
"It is quite one of the "signs of the times" that the
Godhead is becoming a subject of discussion; and the doctrines connected with
the Trinity and the Virgin birth, are considered as open questions, not
affecting the standing or faith of a Christian. But there is another question
which lies beneath this. The real question is: How many of us really know the
God whom we worship? Is it not the case with very many that it is " the unknown
God?"
The true knowledge of God lies at the foundation of the revelation
of the Mystery. Hence it is the great keynote of the Epistle to the Ephesians;
and is the link which unites the three Prison Epistles (Ephesians, Philippians,
and Colossians), and binds them to the Epistles to the Thessalonians where, in
that typical Church (1 Thessalonians 1:7, RV), we see the wonderful effect
produced by the true knowledge of God in heart and life. In the Epistles to the
Romans, Galatians, and Corinthians it is the knowledge of man which is made
known; but in the Prison Epistles it is the knowledge of God which is revealed.
In the former three it is man, and how he is justified. In the latter three it
is God, and how He is revealed. Hence, one of the blessings enumerated in
Ephesians is that God "hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence,
having made known unto us the mystery ( or the secret) of His will"; which
means His secret purpose (vv. 8, 9): and the measure of this blessing is
declared to "according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself"
(vv. 9, 10).
This knowledge of God is to be obtained, not by reasoning,
but by revelation; not by intellectual attainment, but by Gods gift.
Hence the prayer that follows on this is that "God... may give unto you the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM" (v.17). In the Epistle
to the Philippians, which is reproof for failure in respect of Ephesian
teaching, the opening prayer is that their love to one another as members of
the one Body "may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment"
(Phil. 1:9).
This full knowledge of God is revealed and found only in
the person of Jesus Christ. Hence in Phil. 3:10 the Apostle declares that
between our being "found in HIM " in regeneration grace, and our being made
like HIM in resurrection glory, our whole time is to be filled up with the
pursuance of one thing, and that is still Christ, and is expressed in the
strong desire "that I may get to know HIM" (v. 10).
In Colossians we have
the same prayer as in Ephesians 1:17, but it is in its blessed object and
effect on ourselves. "I Pray," the Apostle says, "that ye might be filled with
the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding" (v.
9).
Why?
"That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing,
being fruitful in every good work" (v. 10). Thus, not only is our walk secured,
but all the wondrous truths connected with the Mystery are bound up in the true
knowledge of God.
But, how are we to get to know Him? Who can tell us?
When we come to this, which is the root of the whole matter, every thing and
every man fails us. Articles, Creeds, and Confessions of Faith alike fail to
give us this full knowledge of God which is so essential to our faith and walk.
They are all only mans impressions, inferences, and conclusions drawn
from Scripture; and have themselves to be judged by Scripture. Whatever of
truth there may be in them; or however useful, or even necessary, they may be
in their proper place, they can never take the place of the Word of God. Only
in the person of the Living Word, and in the pages of the Written Word, can we
get to know God.
We do not, therefore, now propose to discuss doctrines,
or to use any non-scriptural expressions; not even such words as "Trinity" or
"Unity", or Ecclesiastical terminology. These are the things which divide the
members of the One Body, instead of uniting them. These introduce the seeds of
strife and contention. These have been the causes of controversies and
martyrdoms. But, if we confine ourselves to the Word of God, and that alone,
both writer and readers may, and will, all learn together what God has revealed
concerning Himself. We shall not seek to draw any conclusions, or to discuss or
revise any creeds. We shall give only the evidence of Scripture in the words of
Scripture; and use only Scriptural terminology. What we have to do in this
matter is not to teach, but to learn; not to consider doctrines, but facts; and
not to resort to reasoning, but to revelation. It is not a question of our
understanding what God may mean, but of believing what He has said.
As
to our understanding, it is very limited, even as to the natural things of this
world. Our hearing is limited; our eyesight is limited. All things great or
small, high or low, distant or near, are all only relative; they are all
matters of degree. It is the same with the words as well as with the works of
God. Whatever line of study we may pursue; whatever work of creation we may
study; whatever subject or doctrine we may take up, we go on until we come to
the end of human understanding - we reach the limit of intellectual power. We
come, as it were, to a wall of adamant which we can neither pierce, nor pass,
nor climb; and we return with these words impressed upon our hearts - "We know
in part". If this be so in our study of the works and words of God, how much
more must it be so in our efforts to get to know God Himself.
In
revealing Himself at all He has, at once, to condescend to our capacities. He
has to use language which must be understandable by us; but which can never
fully reveal Himself; for that which is finite can never explain the Infinite,
hence, God must necessarily (by figure of speech called Anthropopatheia) speak
of Himself as a man, for so only could we comprehend. Hence, both as to person
and actions, everything is spoken of after the manner of men. This is why we
read of His "nostrils". His "bosom", and of His repenting, and of other human
actions. But all these are only Figures of Speech by which we can alone obtain
an idea of the reality. It is for the same reason perhaps that He speaks of
Himself as being three separate Persons; for with our finite capacities we can
never comprehend the infinite.
We must therefore take the Scripture
language, and, instead of reasoning about the literal words, we must rejoice in
the truths that are revealed. Though we may not be able to understand them or
explain them; we are, by grace, enabled to believe them and experience them."
Man was once wholly ignorant as to what light is. And ignorant infidels
ridiculed the idea of light being created before the sun. but since the
discovery of the Prism and, more recently, by it of what are called, and known
as, the X-rays, and the N-rays, and Radium, all theories about light have been
cast into the melting-pot; and no scientist would, to-day, venture to define
the nature of light. "God is light." This metaphor explains to us that light
represents God. And when, in the absolute darkness of a specially-darkened
chamber, we recently saw, after the eye had got accustomed to the darkness
(which was a long time), we saw the shining forth of a piece of radium, a
thousandth part of a millimetre: then, in the silence of that darkened chamber
one felt almost in the presence of God. There it shone in all its glory and
solitude; and there it is shining still. And the man of science, who allowed us
to see it, confessed that these were his own feelings.
But far short of
this wonderful modern discovery, it has long been known that the rays of LIGHT
are threefold. We have the Heat rays, which are felt but not seen. We have the
Light rays, which are seen and not felt, and we have the Actinic ray, which are
known only by the effects of their chemical action (as in Photography), being
neither seen nor felt.
Even so it is with VAPOUR. We have it, invisible
in the air, visible in the form of water, experienced in its effects.
In
Numbers 6:24-26 we read, in the Aaronic BLESSING, the same threefold reference
-
.. "JEHOVAH bless thee and keep thee.
.. "JEHOVAH make His face shine
upon thee.
.. "JEHOVAH lift up His countenance upon thee and give thee
peace."
In Isaiah 6:3 we have the same threefold reference in the cry of the
SERAPHIM :-
"Holy, Holy, Holy, is Jehovah Sabaioth: the whole earth is full
of His glory."
This is exactly what we see in Revelation. When we come
to the Word of God, we have GOD the Giver of the Word: the Word given (CHRIST
the Living Word), and the written Word revealed by the SPIRIT, and communicated
by Him to our hearts. Now there are two ways in which we may pursue this study
of the revelation of the knowledge of God. We may take separate single passages
of Scripture in which the Father, Son, and Spirit are all mentioned in relation
to their respective activities, and we may afterward take separate subjects,
and then see how, in three different and unconnected passages, these activities
of Father, Son, and Spirit are set forth. Let us first confine ourselves to the
consideration of single passages, with the three activities of God. We avoid
the use of the Latin word "Person", because it is not Biblical, and is
calculated to introduce ideas into Scripture, and thus hinder us in drawing our
knowledge out of the Scripture.
In these Scripture statements the Three
are revealed in many ways, and in various order.
1. As to Gods
Covenant
In Haggai 2:5 we read: "According to the WORD that I covenanted
with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my SPIRIT remaineth with you; fear ye
not."
2. As to Creation
In Psalm 33:6 we read: "By the WORD of JEHOVAH
were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the BREATH ( or Spirit) of
His mouth."
3. As to the Commission of the Messiah
In Isaiah 48:16 we
read: "And now, ADONAI JEHOVAH, and His SPIRIT, hath sent ME."
4. As to
Incarnation
In Luke 1:35 we read: "PNEUMA HAGION shall come upon thee, and
the power of THE HIGHEST shall overshadow thee: therefore that holy thing which
shall be begotten also shall be called Gods SON."
5. As to His
Baptism
We read in Matthew 3:16,17 how He was consecrated for His office of
prophet: the SPIRIT of God descending upon Him; and the voice of the FATHER,
saying "This is My beloved SON."
6. As to Crucifixion
In Hebrews 9:14 we
read: "How much more shall the blood of CHRIST, who through the Eternal SPIRIT
offered Himself without spot to GOD, purge your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God."
7. As to Christs Ministry
In Acts 10:38 it
is revealed, by the lips of Peter, "How GOD anointed JESUS of Nazareth with
PNEUMA HAGION and with power."
8. As to the Promise of the Comforter
In
John 14:26 we have "The Comforter, who is the HOLY GHOST, whom the FATHER shall
send in MY name, he shall teach you all things."
And in John 16:16 we
have the same truth: "HE (the Spirit) shall glorify ME, for he shall receive of
Mine and shall show it unto you. All things that the FATHER hath are Mine;
therefore, said I, that He (the Spirit) shall take of Mine and shall show it
unto you."
Yes, "all things". All things revealed later by Him in the
Epistles specially addressed to the Church of Christ, which is His Body. All
things essential to the members of that Body for their salvation and
instruction; all things necessary for their safe conduct to glory shall be
taught in the school of spiritual experience by the promised Spirit of God, for
the benefit and the blessing of all who have been given to Christ by the
Father.
9. As to the Provision made for Gods Children
In Romans
8:16,17 we learn what wonderful provision is made for the teaching and training
of the living children of God: "The SPIRIT Himself beareth witness with our
spirit that we are the children of GOD; and, if children, then heirs - heirs of
God, and joint heirs with CHRIST."
10. As to the New Standing of Gods
Children
In telling us how the sanctification and justification of His
people are secured, we have the revelation of the same God in 1 Corinthians
6:11. After speaking of the vileness of those who had been taken out of
natures dark pit of mire and clay, the apostle says:: "And such were some
of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the
name of the LORD JESUS, and by the SPIRIT of our GOD."
11. As to the
Experience of Gods Children
In every part and stage of a divinely
wrought experience the same God is revealed as being engaged. We read in 2
Corinthians 1:21,22: "Now He who established us with you in CHRIST, and hath
anointed us, is GOD; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the
SPIRIT in our hearts." 12. As to the Workings of the New Nature
In the
heavenward aspirations of the new nature we see the same God working and
securing them. In Galatians 4:6 we read: "And because ye are sons, GOD hath
sent forth the SPIRIT of His SON into your hearts, crying, Abba [ie., my]
FATHER." Here the gift of the Sonship spirit implies the Giver, the Holy
Spirit.
13. As to their access to God
In expressing the nearness to which
they were brought who had once been "far off", we are told in Ephesians 2:18,
"For through HIM (Christ; see v. 16,17) we both (Jews and Gentiles) have access
by one SPIRIT unto the FATHER."
14. As to the Activities of the New
Nature
In Philippians 3:3 the New nature by which we worship and serve God
implies the Holy Spirit, the Giver. "We are the circumcision, who serve (or
worship) by GODS SPIRIT, and rejoice in CHRIST JESUS, and have no
confidence in the flesh." Here we learn that it is only by the New nature,
which is the gift of the Holy Spirit, that we can worship the Father, or
rejoice in Christ Jesus.
15. As to the Calling of Gods Children
In
2 Thessalonians 2:13,14, we learn how the Thessalonian saints owed all their
blessings to the Divine work which had been wrought within them: "We are bound
to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God
hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of THE
SPIRIT and belief of the truth; whereunto He called you by our gospel, to the
obtaining of the glory of our LORD JESUS CHRIST."
16. As to the Election of
Gods Children
In 1 Peter 1:2 the election of those believers to whom
Peter wrote is declared to be "according to the foreknowledge of God the
FATHER, through sanctification by the SPIRIT, unto obedience and sprinkling of
the blood of JESUS CHRIST."
17. As to the Hope of Gods Children
In
Jude 20, 21, we have the same God revealed (the gift given of the Holy Spirit,
implying, of course, the Giver); "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on
your most holy faith, praying by the Holy SPIRIT, keep yourselves in the love
of GOD, looking for the mercy of our Lord JESUS CHRIST unto eternal
life."
In all these and other similar Scriptures we have not a creed to
confess; not a dry doctrine to preach: not a theory to reason about; not a cold
dogma to propound: but Divine Truth for us to feed upon, to live upon, to
experience; and Divine facts to rejoice in. We have to do with, and get to know
our God, Who reveals Himself as the living God, loving, saving, succouring,
keeping, preserving, guiding, and blessing His children with all spiritual
blessings. (but these children, alas, instead of getting to know Him, are taken
up with themselves; they are occupied with their own blessings instead of with
the Blesser. Hence it is that they are lost in themselves, and never really get
to know the God with Whom they have to do. They will reason about His Person,
instead of rejoicing in what He says and resting in what He has done. They thus
come to regard Him as a God afar off, instead of as the One Whom we have, and
Whom we know; and with Whom we have to do.)
With some He is altogether
impersonal. Those who know nothing of Him coin a new name for Him, and speak of
Him as "Providence". Thus they lose the blessed fact that He is their Provider.
He reveals Himself as the FATHER for His people in His eternal love and
purpose; the SON with His people in present grace and future glory; and the
SPIRIT in His people, recreating, restoring, and comforting them.
This,
however, brings us into another branch of our subject.
In Relation To His
Children
Having considered the revelation of our God, in what He has made
known of Himself, we are now in a position to know how He has revealed Himself
in relation to ourselves, as His children. And, if we include Old Testament
Scriptures addressed to Israel and not directly to the members of the Church of
God in the Epistles, it is because there is a blessed application which is
infinitely more true of us as Gods children. Thus while the
interpretation belongs to , and remains true of Israel, it falls far short of
what is true, now, of the Church. If that which is spoken of Gods favour
to Israel is true; how much more true is it now of the members of the spiritual
body of Christ?
Interspersed with dispensational truth and teaching
addressed to Israel, and even to the Gentiles, there are Divine statements
which are eternally true independently of all persons and all times. We may not
give up these. That would be a very wrong way of dividing the Word of Truth.
Therefore, in quoting now and again passages from the Old Testament, it must
not be supposed that we are forgetting or neglecting the Divine precept to
rightly divide the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
In our former paper we
confined ourselves to passages where Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all
equally engaged in the salvation and blessing of each member of the One Body.
But we now wish to approach the subject from another standpoint. Instead of
taking one passage with three different statements, we will take one subject or
statement, with three different passages of Scripture. For example, as
to:
(1) The Family of Church of God
1. We have the FATHER
blessing it with all spiritual blessings. "ALL," not some; not many; but "all".
"All" that He hath wherewith to bless; and "all" that are needful for them to
receive. These "blessings" are not entrusted to the keeping (or losing) of the
individual members of that One Family, but
2. The SON is revealed as
holding all these blessings in inviolable security. They are said to be not in
us; but "in Christ" for us (Ephesians 1:3). So that, He as the head of the
body, fills "all" the members of the body with "all" blessings as they may need
them, and as they are able to bear and to use them (v.23). This is the filling
up of the ellipsis, "all in all," which, otherwise, is a meaningless
expression. Then we have
3. The SPIRIT revealing and communicating all
these blessings to us, and in us, according to the will of the Father and the
work of the Son (1 Corinthians 2:10).
(2) The Quickening of
Gods Children
1. The FATHER quickeneth them (John 5:21).
2. The
SON quickeneth them (John5:21). and
3. It is the SPIRIT that quickeneth
(John 6:63)
(3) The Relationship of Gods Children
1. The
FATHER says to each one of these, "thou shalt call me my FATHER, and shalt not
turn away from me" (Jer. 3:19). And we call Him "Abba", ie., "my Father" (Rom.
8:15).
2. The SON saith, "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me"
(John 6:37).
3. The SPIRIT assures us that all these are "kept by the power
of God through faith unto salvation! (1 Peter 1:5).
(4) The Teaching
and Training of Gods Children
1. Of the FATHER, Christ said: "They
shall all be taught of God, Everyone therefore that hath heard and hath learned
of the Father cometh unto Me" (John 6:45).
2. Of the SON it is written:
"They came to Him again; and as he was wont, He taught them again" (Mark
10:1).
3. Of the SPIRIT it is written: That the deep things of God can be
learned only"in the words...which the Holy Ghost teacheth" (1 Corinthians
2:13).
(5) The Inheritance of Gods Children
1. It is
provided for them in the purpose of the FATHER; and "predestinated according to
the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will"
(Eph. 1:11).
2. It is procured and possessed in the SON "in whom we have
obtained an inheritance" (Eph. 1:11). Our right and title to it being only the
merits of His righteousness.
3. The SPIRIT is the "earnest of our
inheritance", the seal which we received on believing (Eph.
1:14).
(6) The Searching in and for Gods Children is similarly
spoken of.
1. The FATHER: "O Lord, thou hast searched me out, and known
me" (Psalm. 139:1).
2, The SON declares: "I am He that searcheth the reins
and the heart" (Revelation 2:23).
3. The SPIRIT searcheth all things, yea,
the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:10).
(7) The Salvation of
Gods Children
Oh! what a wonderful work Salvation is. It is a
great, grand, definite fact; a work
wrought out by the FATHER,
wrought
for us by the SON, and
wrought in us by the HOLY SPIRIT.
Salvation
is not a mere subject to be preached about; but it is a blessed reality to be
enjoyed and experienced. It is not the salvation of man, but "the Salvation of
God" (Exodus 14:13; 2 Chronicles 20:17; Jonah 2:9). It is Gods Salvation
which He has procured and secured for His people. It is not an "offer" to be
bandied about and rejected or accepted by man; but it is an accomplished fact,
Divinely purposed, Divinely prepared, and Divinely imparted.
It flows
for us from the Will of the Father.
It flows to us through the Work of the
Son.
It flows in us by the Witness of the Holy Spirit.
This is the
teaching of Hebrews 10:7-15.
There we see that
The will of the FATHER, is
the source of our salvation,
The work of the SON is the channel of it,
and
The witness of the SPIRIT is the power of it.
This we have more fully
set out in verses 5-15.
In verses 7 and 8 we learn that it was the WILL
of the Father that His people who were chosen in Christ before the foundation
of the world (Ephesians 1:4) should be saved by the WORK of the Son; and that
the WITNESS of the Holy Spirit should reveal this to them in the Word, and in
their hearts: and thus be "testified in due time" (1 Timothy 2:6).
This
tells us that our salvation, as saved sinners, had its origin in the will of
God in eternity past. It was no after-thought consequent on mans fall.
"Lo, I come to do THY WILL." This was written of Christ "in the volume of the
book".
Hence, when He came, this was His one great object. Not to "found
a Church"; not even to save us because we were lost, or needed salvation; but
because it was the Fathers will that His people should be saved. The one
recorded utterance of Christ that broke the silence of those thirty years was
to bear witness of this great fact. Twelve years rolled by before we have one
recorded word; and then eighteen more years passed away before another syllable
is recorded. The first and only recorded utterance during those thirty years
was addressed to Joseph and Mary: "Wist ye not that I must be about MY
FATHERS BUSINESS?" (Luke 2:49). And when His last words were uttered on
the Cross: - "It is FINISHED", - What was it that was finished but the work
which it was the Fathers will that he should do; and the Fathers
business that He came to be about? This tells us that our salvation did not
depend on "the will of the flesh, or on the will of man, but on the will of
God" (John 1:13).
Sinners are often exhorted: "Save your souls"; "Get
right with God"; but, alas! what ignorance it displays both of God and of His
great salvation. The fact that the will of God is its source sends us back to
eternity past, and to the volume of eternitys book, in which, what is
true physically of the natural birth is infinitely more true of the spiritual.
So that we can truly say, as saved sinners:
"Thine eyes did see my
substance, yet being unperfect (not imperfect!); and in Thy book all my members
were written which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of
them" (Ps. 134:16). In the margin it is: "What days they should be fashioned."
Yes, He knew "the days", "the due time", in which it should be testified: on
the Cross by the Son, and in our hearts by the Spirit. This lifts our salvation
entirely out of the hands of man; takes our feet out of the miry clay; and sets
them on the rock of Gods will, Gods work, and Gods
word.
To carry out that "will", and accomplish that "work", and fulfil
that "word", the Son of God came forth from the bosom of the Father. And He
accomplished all. This is why "it behoved him to suffer" (Luke 24:46; Hebrews.
2:17). This is why "He must needs go through Samaria" (John 4:4). This is why
He must "needs have suffered" (Acts 17:3). He came not to do His own will, but
the will of the Father (John 6:38). And He did it. If He did not, then it is
useless for us to attempt it; or to try and supplement it wherein His work is
deficient!
The channel by which Gods salvation comes to us is
"through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all"(Heb 10:10). And
even this body was "prepared" by the Father (v. 5). It is not through the
Church, not through the Sacraments; not through any religious rites and
ceremonies and ordinances; not through any "works of righteousness which we
have done"; not through our prayers or penitence, tears or trials - but
"through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10).
And the reality of it all, the means by which we realize this finished
salvation, is "the witness of the Holy Ghost", in the Word, and in our hearts.
"Whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness to us" (Hebrews 10:15). Thus our Salvation
is lifted, at once, right out of our hands. The more we consider this the more
perfect and complete is the witness and the evidence.
(8) The Faith of
Gods Children
For if we see that faith is the hand which takes what
God gives, then we are left in no doubt about the fact that
.. It is the
"Gift of God" the Gather (Ephesians 2:8)
.. It is the "Grace" of Christ
(Galatians 3:22), and
.. It is the "Fruit" (Galatians 3:22), and "Word" and
"Will" of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12: 9-11).
Our readers must amplify,
and dwell upon, all these three-fold Scriptures, and feed on the precious
truths which they reveal. We can only collect and present them: we can do no
more, Each must feed upon them for himself. We ourselves are under the same
great necessity.
(9) The Hope of Gods Children
If we have a
good hope through grace,
.. It is owing to the Fathers "abundant
mercy" (1 Peter 1:3).
.. It is Christ Himself "who is our hope" (1 Timothy
1: 1).
.. It is "through the power of the Holy Ghost" that it abounds in us
(Romans 15:13).
(10) The Love of Gods Children
If we speak of
love, and if we are the objects of Divine love (Ephesians 1:4), then
.. We
are loved by the FATHER; for it is His love which is shed abroad in our hearts
(Romans 5:5).
.. We are loved by the SON who loved us and gave Himself for
us (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:25, etc.,)
.. We are loved by the SPIRIT,
by which love we are to strive together in prayer (Romans 15:30).
(11) The
life of Gods Children
If we possess eternal life, then
.. Our
hope of it is based on the fact that GOD (the Father), that cannot lie,
promised it before the world began (Titus 1:2).
.. Our possession of it is
because the life which God hath given to us "is in His SON (1 John 5:11).
.. Our enjoyment of it is secured to us by the fact that it is wrought in us by
the power of the SPIRIT (John 6:63).
(2)The Comfort of Gods
Children
If we are, in any measure, enabled to enjoy the consolations of
the Gospel, it is because the whole Godhead is engaged in our behalf to bring
us unto the blessings wherewith we are blessed.
.. It is the FATHER of
mercies, and the God of all comfort, who comforteth His children in all their
tribulations (2 Corinthians 1:3,4).
.. It is the LORD JESUS CHRIST who was
sent on purpose "to comfort all that mourn" and "heal the broken-hearted"
(Isaiah 70:2; Luke 4:19).
.. It is the HOLY GHOST who gives "rest" to all
who walk in "the fear of God and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost" (Acts
9:31).
Oh what a God we have! Oh what a God to know! How important is the
Word which thus reveals Him to us; not in the form of a creed to be rehearsed,
but in all the blessed activities put forth
FOR us
TO us, and
IN
us;
It is the provision He has prepared for us Himself; conveyed to us in
Christ; and shed abroad in us by the Holy Spirit. From all this we learn that
the Salvation about which the multitude so glibly talk and sing is not some
wretched thing to be obtained or produced by us, but is a grand reality.
Wrought FOR us by God the Father.
Wrought TO us by the Son
Wrought IN us
by God the Holy Ghost
It is a Salvation in which our every want is
supplied; our warfare is accomplished, our sin cancelled, our preservation
sure, fleshly ordinances abolished, and final triumph assured. It is a
Salvation secured by the FATHERs eternal love, by the SONs
redeeming work, and by the SPIRITs regenerating power. It is a Salvation
in which GOD THE FATHER is the childrens portion; GOD THE SON is their
title to that portion, and GOD THE SPIRIT is the power to read their title
clear, and to enjoy their blessed portion. It is Eternal Salvation; for the
FATHER will never forsake them (Heb. 13:20), the SON is always with them
(Matthew 28:20), and the SPIRIT is ever in them. It is a Salvation which is
well called "the Way" (Acts 9:2; 18:26; 19:9; 22:4,22; 24:14), for
.. THE
FATHERS voice is heard behind, saying: This is the Way; walk ye in it"
(Isaiah 30:21).
.. THE SAVIOURS voice is heard before, saying: "I am
the Way, No man cometh unto the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).
.. THE
SPIRITS voice is heard within, witnessing of the voice of the Father and
of the Father and the Son.
And what is the revelation of this wondrous
provision for?
It is all to bring a poor lost sinner unto God. "Through Him
(CHRIST), we have access by one SPIRIT unto the FATHER (Ephesians 2:18; 3:12;
Romans 5:2).
"Christ hath once suffered for sins, the just for the
unjust, that He might BRING US TO GOD" (1 Peter 3:18).
Yes! to GOD. Not
to a Church, not to a priest, not to Sacraments, not to Ordinances, not to
anything short of Himself. Not only is He "the Way" to God, but He leads us in
the Way; and actually brings us to God. Through Him we, who "were once far off,
are now made nigh" (Ephesians 2:13).
"So near, so very near to God,
Nearer we cannot be;
For, in the Person of His Son,
We are as near as
He."
Yes, "through Him"; not through a Church: by one Spirit, not by a
sacrament: brought unto the Father, and not unto "a state of salvation". Yes,
"through Him". through Christ, we have access; and "by one Spirit". Without the
work of Christ the will of the Father would not have been done for us. Without
the witness of the Spirit the Fathers grace would not have been known by
us; and the Sons love would have had no charm for us. Of the
Spirits witness we sing:-
"And every virtue we possess,
And every
victory won,
And every thought of holiness
Are His alone."
"By one
Spirit we both have access"; i.e., both Jew and Gentile. And it is "by on
Spirit" that, both "the Son of God" was led through suffering, and "the many
sons are brought to glory" (Hebrews 2:10).
· The Son was begotten by
pneuma hagion (Luke 1:35, Matthew 1:18).
.. He was anointed by the Spirit
of the Lord (Isaiah 51:1, Matthew 3:10).
.. He was led by the Spirit into
trial (Matthew 4:1).
.. By the Spirit he cast out devils (Matthew 12:28);
and
.. By the Spirit He offered Himself to God (Hebrews 9:14).
Even so
with the "many sons",
.. They, too, are begotten by the Spirit (John
3:5)
.. They, too, are led of the pneuma (the new nature) which is begotten
by the Spirit (Rom. 8:14).
.. All their graces and gifts are the fruit of
the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).
.. Their faith is the gift of the Spirit (1
Corinthians 12:11).
.. Their hope is through the power of the Holy Ghost
(Romans 15:13).
.. Their prayer is by the Spirit (Romans 8:26).
Thus, again, we see how the whole Godhead is revealed, as engaged in procuring
and securing the access of all His children unto Himself. Here we have no
presentation of dry doctrine; no assertion of empty dogma; no rehearsing of a
lifeless creed; no following of tradition, or production of a theory; but a
blessed and glorious and experimental reality.
It is all "through Him",
through Christ, "by whom we have access into this grace wherein we stand"
(Romans 5:2).
It is in Christ that all our blessings are treasured up: it
is through the power of the Spirit that they are conveyed and communicated to
us: and it is by the Fathers love they are given to Christ for us.
This is "the grace wherein we stand".
OUR
APPREHENSION OF GOD
1. The Spirits Direction of the
Heart
Now let us see how the two Epistles to the typical "Assembly of the
Thessalonians" assume the knowledge of all this precious revelation as the
present possession of the saints who were addressed. They are not taught it as
a doctrine; but they are to realize it, and experience it, and enjoy it as a
prayer.
It is the knowledge of their election by God (1 Thessalonians
1:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:13), and of His revelation of Himself in Christ by the
Spirit, which made those believers so remarkable for holiness of life and for
missionary zeal. These two grand facts were the necessary outcome of the
possession of all this Divine truth.
This truth, like a precious seed,
brought forth this precious fruit. Their holiness of life was not produced by
holiness conventions, or by any outward methods of any king. Their missionary
zeal was not produced by missionary Missions or Exhibitions; or by any working
upon their natural feelings. But both were the working out of that truth which
had been first worked in (Philippians 2:12,13). The power of such truth as this
could not be stifled. It needed only guidance and control. It did not need
exciting. It could be produced only by the Word of God received into the heart:
and, fed upon there, and assimilated, resulted in spiritual strength,
manifested in holiness of life, and witnessed in zeal for Gods
service.
It is instructive, therefore, for us to notice the closing
prayer on behalf of the "Church of the Thessalonians" (2 Thessalonians 3:5),
which sums up their spiritual apprehensions and attainments:-
"The LORD (the
Spirit) direct your hearts
Into the Love of GOD (the Father)
And into the
patience of CHRIST."
It is the Lord, the Spirit, who is named first, because
it is He who directs the "heart".
Jeremiahs prayer confesses
this:
"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself;
It is not
in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23).
So also we read
in Proverbs 16:9.
" A mans heart deviseth his way;
But the Lord
directeth his steps."
And Proverbs 19:21,
"There are many devices in a
mans heart;
Nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall
stand."
Here, we have mans natural heart laid bare; the impotence of
man to direct his own heart manifested; and the need of the Lord the Spirit to
direct it revealed.
It is this that raises the hostility of the natural
man. It is very humbling to be told these truths. It is the very last thing
that the natural man will admit. He thinks he can direct his own way. Yes, and
in his long prayers he actually takes upon himself to direct the Lord as to His
way, and as to what He ought to do: even implying that if he had the direction
of the affairs of the world and of the church he would soon have things very
different from what they are! This cannot be denied: for it may be constantly
discerned in prayer-meetings where the flesh bears sway. Oh, how difficult is
the lesson; and how it needs the direction of the Spirit, the Lord of all power
and might to bring the natural man down to his knees, and to humble him in the
dust. This is where the very act of prayer is intended to put us. But man (in
his usual perversity) turns this low place into a throne, whence he would fain
direct to the Almighty as to what He ought to do! and, giving an onlooker the
impression that, if God had half the compassion which those who pray have, all
would soon be put right!
Such is the arrogance of the old nature even in
the child of God. But it is the Lord alone who can lay us low and cause us to
cry out -
I am ignorant - teach Thou me.
I am perplexed - Counsel
me.
I am all astray - Direct thou me.
I am blind - Enlighten me.
I am
weak - Strengthen me.
I am deceived - Deliver me.
Here comes in the
Divine counsel:
"In all thy ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct thy
paths" (Proverbs 3:6)
It is the one great work of the Spirit to
direct the heart. The Lords work is always heart work. Mans work
always has regard to "the outward appearance". His effort is to direct the life
and the walk. Man ever begins at the wrong end. He begins outside, in the main
hope of working inward. He cleanses "the outside of the cup and the platter",
while within all is uncleanness. His aim is to reform the life. He sweeps and
garnishes it; but it is only to prepare the heart for the abode of evil spirits
(Luke 11:24-26). All this is religion: and it is the one object of religion to
direct the flesh: and by the use of Rules and Directories to try and make the
flesh bring forth spiritual fruit. But it is all in vain. It is mans
heart that is at fault. It is "not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a
man... for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders adulteries,
fornication, thefts, false-witness, blasphemies; these are the things which
defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man" (Matt.
15:11,19,20). This is what man would designate the "teaching of Jesus". But it
is the teaching that the natural man will not have at any price. Man directs
not only his own way, but does his best to direct the ways of all others. His
religion belongs to the flesh, and is made up of ordinances on and for the
flesh. "Touch not, taste not, handle not", are "the commandments and doctrines
of men", and sum up his religion.
Oh! how opposite to all this is the
direction of the Lord the Spirit. He reveals to us our hearts. He can show us
that we are not only lost sinners, but ruined creatures. He shows us our sins
and follies, and frailties and infirmities, and weaknesses and errors, and
faults and failings. He causes us to mourn over our sins, to be ashamed of our
follies, and to hate all evil ways, that we have no desire to find fault with
our brethren. He directs our hearts to the righteousness of God which covers
us; to the wisdom of Christ which governs us; to the holiness of the Spirit
which adorns us; to the power from on high which strengthens us; to the newness
of life which animates us.
Mans religion begins with the flesh;
continues in corruption; and ends in death. But the Lord the Spirit directs us
to Christ. His work is to glorify Christ (John 16:14). That work begins with
Christ in His grace; continues in Christ in His life; and ends with Christ in
His glory. It is all to do with the heart, and not with the flesh; with the new
heart, and not with the old heart. The old heart is so defiled that it cannot
be cleansed; but the new heart, which the Spirit gives, is Divine, and needs no
cleansing.
It is with this new heart that man believes unto
righteousness (Romans 10:9,10). It is in this new heart that Christ dwells by
faith (Ephesians 3:17). It is the new heart which is "in the hand of the Lord,
as the divisions of water [are in the hand of the gardener]". (Proverbs 21:1).
It is the new heart, which, having its Head and treasure in heaven, has also
its home and seat of government there (Philip. 3:20).
To our great and
glorious Head in Heaven the Lord the Spirit, ever directs our hearts. By this
we may know whether we are under His Divine direction. By this we may test all
that we hear, and all that we read.
The measure in which we are occupied
with Christ, and with our completeness in Him. is the measure in which we are
"filled by the Spirit". By this we may test these words which are here written
by the writer and read by the reader. The one question is: Do they glorify
Christ? "He shall glorify Me", were the Saviours words (John 16:16). By
this we may know, discern, and detect the Holy Spirits
handiwork.
Mans work will be ever found to direct our thoughts to
ourselves; it will be always to direct our attention to our walk, or to our
acts, or to our experiences; or to introspection of some kind. Mans work
will ever end in reasons for glorying in ourselves. But the Spirits work
will ever glorify Christ, and humble ourselves to all that we read and all that
we hear, we have to apply this touchstone. We have to ask the one question:
DOES THIS GLORIFY CHRIST? This is the one test. It will never fail to tell us
whether we are under the direction of the Lord the Spirit, or not. For there
are other spirits who would control us. Yes, control,
that is their own word for their work.
The Corinthian Saints were
specially warned against another spirit, ie., a different spirit,
which (thank God) they had not received (2 Corinthians 11:4). This tells us
that there are other spirits at work for our deception and misdirection. For
can such a warning be groundless? Is there no such duty as the "discerning of
spirits", and of "trying or proving the spirits" devolving on us? These spirits
would deceive us to-day, even as the old Serpent "beguiled Eve through his
subtlety". Hence the apostles fear lest our "minds should be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3).
We are
dealing with realities, not with theories or hypotheses; and these warnings are
actually needed in very truth in the present day. They "are written for our
learning". The vast majority of Christians, the moment they see any so-called
"revival" work or any spirit-manifestation, immediately jump to the conclusion
that it is, and must be divine, and of the Holy Spirit; notwithstanding the
fact that there is nothing in the Scripture with which many of these modern
extravagancies can be compared. Things are recorded in the Word as the work of
the Holy Spirit of God. "Confusion" is seen, of which "it is written", "God is
not the author" (1 Corinthians 14:32,33).
The presence of certain
individuals is often necessary to produce certain desired results; and these
men and women are used in the same way as mediums are used. Doubtless they are
often mediums for the work of "another spirit", which, let us pray God, we may
never receive. Oh, to be directed by Gods own Holy Spirit, the Lord. His
direction is utterly opposed to all the designs and desires of the natural
mind. He may lead us into trials and experiences in which our creature ruin may
be discerned beneath our sinner ruin; and in which our faith shall be proved to
be genuine. This direction, here, is the special work of the Lord the Spirit,
and yet the whole God head is engaged in it.
Of Jehovah the Father it is
said He "will guide thee continually" (Isaiah 48:11).
Of Jehovah-Jesus, the
Great Shepherd of the sheep, it is said "He guideth me" (Psalm 23:13).
Of
Jehovah the Spirit it is declared that "He will guide you into all truth" (John
16:13).
Of His people now it is most blessedly true, as it was true of
Hezekiah: of whom, and of his people it is written: Thus the Lord saved
them...and guided them on every side" (2 Chronicles 32:22).
So that,
whether enemies abound, or days be dark, or Satans assaults be many, or
doubts and fears increase, even then we shall be, and must be, "more than
conquerors" through Him who loveth us. And the Lord the Spirit will ever direct
our hearts into His love, and not into our infirmities; and we shall say, not
"When I sought to know this it was too painful for me" (Ps 45:16). but,
"So
foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before Thee.
Thou hast holden
me by my right hand.
Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel,
And afterwards
receive me to glory, Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
And there is none upon
earth that I desire beside Thee" (Ps. 45:22-25).
And we shall say again
-
"This God is our God for ever and ever; and He will be our guide even unto
death" (Ps. 38:14).
2. Into the Love of God
We have seen how
the true knowledge of God is revealed only in "The Scriptures of Truth"; and
how it is imparted only by the direction of the Holy Spirit. He who inspired
this revelation in the Word must inspire it in our hearts also; or it can never
be experimentally known. Hence the importance of that Scripture which has
already engaged our attention (2 Thessalonians 3:5).
"The Lord (the Spirit)
direct your heart
Into the Love of God,
And into the patient waiting for
Christ."
The love of God is a grand reality. But we can know it only by
the direction of the Lord the Spirit. Then we learn that this love to us is
only in Christ; and, only to us as being in Christ. Out of Christ, "The Lord is
a man of war". Apart from Christ the guilty will be by no means cleared. It is
only misleading the poor world to tell it that "God is love", unless we tell it
that this love is only in Christ. It is preaching only part of the gospel. The
good news is that God is "a just God", and that though He is justice and
righteousness itself, yet He is the SAVIOUR of all then that believe His
testimony which He has given concerning His Son. He cannot be known apart from
the Son. Hence it is that the direction of the Lord the Spirit is essential to
the knowledge of the love of God. It is only as He sheds this love abroad in
our hearts that our enmity is slain; and that we are compelled to love Him,
because He first loved us (Romans 5:5; 1 John 4:19). As the Lord, the Spirit,
directs our hearts into this love of the Father, we learn that IT IS ETERNAL;
and hence knew no beginning; and is everlasting and knows no ending. He tells
us that we were "chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world". and that
this was "in love", and was "according to the good pleasure of His
will".
We could never have known this but by the further and later
revelation of the Spirit in Ephesians 1:4,5. For if we direct our own hearts we
always and very naturally, direct them to ourselves; and then, of course, we
see no reason why God should love us at all: then we become occupied with
ourselves, and sink lower and lower in the slough of despond, until we end in
despair. That is the end of our own self-direction. But when the Lord the
Spirit directs our hearts, He never directs them to ourselves; no, nor to
Himself, nor to His own work in us; but into the love of the Father to us; and
the work of the Son for us.
Then it is that we receive His own precious
revelation in Ephesians 1:4,5, and willingly confess that if God did not love
us before we were born, He has certainly seen nothing in us to draw forth that
love since we were born.
As we are thus directed, we are assured again
and again that this love is not manifested towards us because of anything we
have ever felt or done (Titus 3:5); not because we first loved Him, but because
"He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).
In the ages of eternity past this
love is revealed in its activity as going forth to us, while yet unborn. And
after were born, His care for us was shown while as yet we cared not for Him;
and while our hearts were as yet an enmity with Him.
As the Spirit
directs our hearts into this love, we learn, further, that IT IS SOVEREIGN:
that God never goes out of or beyond Himself for a reason why He should love
us. This was so even with Israel (Deuteronomy 7:7,8). How much more must it be
so with us? Moreover, this love being to us, in Christ, there is no reason why
it should ever change or be withdrawn. The Father is always well-pleased with
the Son; and the Son does always those things which please the Father. If the
Fathers love were shown towards us because of what we are in ourselves,
the wonder would be, not why it should not be withdrawn, but why it was ever
set on us! But, being toward us, in Christ, we can understand why "neither
death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate from the
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38,39).
We can
understand, also, why the Lord Jesus, "having loved His own, loved them unto
the end". To the end of what? Not only to the end of time, but to the end of
all their sins and weaknesses, frailties and infirmities, doubts and fears,
sorrows and sufferings. Though we may change a thousand times a day; though our
circumstances and feelings and moods may change; though we may err and wander
and go astray, yet "He abideth faithful", "He changeth not".
Moreover,
the Fathers love does not change merely because it is weak, but because
it is strong. It sweeps every hindrance out of the way. It breaks down every
barrier. It bears with the most impatient and rebellious.
Human powers
fail to understand it. Divine utterances in human language fail to convey a
true and full sense of it to our finite faculties. We may rejoice in the fact;
we may praise God for the revelation of it; we may give thanks for the
communication of it; but we cannot apprehend it. The Spirit Himself, the Giver,
is the gift of the Father. Without this gift of the Spirit we should never be
directed into the love of the Father, or the preciousness of the Son. By this
gift we are directed unto both the one and the other; and into the enjoyment of
every needful blessing beside. All praise and glory be unto the Lord the Spirit
for His gracious direction into the love of God, and His blessed assurance that
it is ours for ever and for ever. But the direction of the Lord the Spirit is
not only into the love of God, but into
3. The Patience of
Christ
This is the alternative rendering in the A.V. margin; and the
rendering in the text of the R.V. Moreover, it is the literal and correct
rendering of the Greek.
But this literal rendering of the words does not
convey the fullness of their meaning.
The word "patience", in the Greek, is
interesting and instructive. The etymological meaning of the verb is to remain
under; hence to endure, or sustain. It occurs seventeen times, and the various
ways in which it is rendered will bring out its meaning more fully. It is
rendered abide, once; tarry behind, once; endure, 11 times; take patiently,
twice; patient, once; suffer, once. Hence the noun ( as in the passage we are
considering), which occurs 32 times, is rendered patient continuance, once;
enduring, once; patient waiting, once; and patience, 29 times. Even though we
render it patience, we cannot eliminate the idea of waiting or endurance.
Indeed, so strong is this underlying thought that it is akin to, if not almost
equal to, hope. Compare 1 Corinthians 13L18, "Faith, Love, Patience" (i.e.,
Hope).
The patient waiting then, of the A.V., is a rendering which cannot be
improved.
Next we note that the construction is exactly the same as in
the preceding clause. "The love of God" is Gods love, which He has to us.
So the patient waiting of Christ must be Christs patient
waiting.
Until the renewed offer of the kingdom (Acts 3:19-21) had been
finally rejected (Acts 28:25,26). Christ is seen "standing" (Acts 7:56). But,
after the rejection was complete He is stated to have "sat down (Hebrews
10:12,13), "from henceforth expecting till His enemies shall have been placed
as a footstool for His feet." This is "Christs patient waiting; and as we
are directed by the Lord the Spirit, we shall enter into the full meaning of
Christs present position SEATED, and at rest, with reference to all His
work in the procuring our salvation; and patiently EXPECTING the realization of
all connected with our "blessed hope".
Hence this direction of the
Spirit will include our own endurance and our own patient waiting.
Christs patience will be reflected in us. It will, like Gods love,
be shed abroad in our hearts. Our love is Gods love thus shed abroad; our
patience is Christs patience; and it is the Spirits work to
manifest both in our experience, and to direct our hearts into them,. It is a
blessed provision for poor impatient believers to be directed into "the
patience of Christ". And it is done by the Spirit opening out to our hearts
such a Scripture as Romans 14:3-5, "For even Christ also pleased not Himself;
but, according as it standeth written, The reproaches of those who
reproached Thee fell on Me". For, as many things as were before written
for our instruction were written in order that through patience, and (through)
the comfort which the Scriptures bring, we might have hope. Now the God of
(this) patience, and of this comfort, give you to think (or mind) the same
thing with one another ACCORDING TO CHRIST JESUS." Mark these last words, and
the margin of the A.V., "after the example of Jesus Christ". Ah! there is no
example of patient waiting like His, and our hearts need directing unto it,
because there is so little in it in ourselves. It is not merely the example of
His patience when on earth. That was perfect, whether towards His enemies or
towards His own disciples, ever so slow to learn. It is not merely His patient
waiting for the Fathers will in doing the Fathers business, though
this was wonderful. In Matthew 11., when His ministry, from mans point of
view, seemed to end in failure:- in the doubt of John (vv. 1-6), in the
accusation of the people (vv. 16-19), in the unbelief of the cities wherein
most of His mighty words were done (vv. 20-24): it is then, and at such a
moment, that we read (vv25,26), "AT THAT TIME Jesus answered (i.e., prayed) and
said, Father, I thank Thee.... Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in
Thy sight." Here was patient waiting for the Fathers time and the
Fathers will.
Ah! what need have we to be directed into such
patience as this of Christs, when we seem to see no fruit of our labour.
But, as we have said, it is not merely such patient waiting as this which is in
question here. What must it be now, while seated at the Fathers right
hand? What patience must be needed now, while His enemies rejoice in His
absence; while the bulk of His people do not believe in His coming at all; and
while those who do believe in it know little or nothing of this waiting and
expectation of His return, and , by their prayers, imply that He has no
compassion or care as to the results of His own work compared with what they
have? Their hearts are not directed, either into Gods love or into
Christs patience, by the Lord the Spirit. They do not know the God whom
they preach, or the God to whom they pray.
The God of the Pulpit is -
An
impotent Father,
An disappointed Christ. and
A defeated Holy
Spirit!
But the God of the Bible is -
An almighty Father,
A
satisfied Christ, and
A victorious Holy Spirit,
able to break the hardest
heart and to subdue the stoutest will.
Oh what need for this direction
of the Spirit into a true knowledge of God, which He has revealed in the
Scriptures, and manifested in our experience! What need, we repeat, for us to
be directed into fellowship with Christ, so that we may know something of what
it means to be seated and at rest as to our works, and our peace with God; and
hence to have our hearts set free, and at liberty to go forth to Him, "from
henceforth expecting" the long looked-for day when we shall be "Received up in
Glory".
May the Lord the Spirit direct our hearts ever more and more into
this blessed experience, that we may know what is meant by "the patience of
Christ", and apprehend something of what is meant by our own patient waiting
for Christ.