THE HERALD
of Christ's Kingdom
VOL. XXIV OCTOBER 1941
NO. 10
Table of Contents
What Is the Jewish Outlook --After the War?
THE GOLDEN AGE
"Hope"
"Homeward Bound"
The Letter to the Colossians
The Perfecting of the Saints
In the Banqueting House with My Beloved
Recently Deceased
MEN AND
women whose faith rests in the Bible as the inspired Word of God well know that in His
unerring wisdom and matchless grace there is destined a glorious future for Israel:
"For
this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, saith the Lord;
I will put My laws into their mind,
And on their heart also will I write them; And I will be to them a God,
And they shall be to Me a people;
And they shall not teach every man his fellow-citizen,
And every man his brother, saying,
Know the Lord:
For all shall know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them.
For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And their sins will I remember no more."
- Heb. 8:11-12, R. V.
Notwithstanding
the apparent hopelessness of the Jews today, there are yet to be found both Jews and
Christians who cling to the "promises" with a tenacity which will not let go.
They know that sometime-sometime soon, they think-the glorious promises to both the
Christian Church arid to Abraham's earthly seed will be fully performed. Yet from the
purely human point of view, the solution of "The Jewish Question" promises to be
more baffling than ever. This is well illustrated in an article by Benjamin Aksin in the
September "Harper's Magazine." Mr. Aksin is a leader of the New Zionist movement
and an authority on foreign affairs. The following paragraphs are condensed from his
article.
Early in
1940 a gathering of Jewish refugees from Czechoslovakia was held in London. The main
speaker was Mr. Jan Masaryk. He delivered a beautiful and generous speech. It ended on a
note of promise: "When I return to Prague, you. ladies and gentlemen, will return to
Prague with me!"
The
concluding sentence received wide publicity. All over Bohemia and Moravia the German
authorities spread the story of Masaryk's pronouncement, accompanying it with appeals to
rally to Germany's cause, and warning that in case of German defeat the Jews would return
and clam, their former possessions.
That the
argument was not entirely lost upon a great many Czechs and Slovaks can be easily
deduced from the reaction of Czech authorities in London. Headed by Dr. Benes, and Jan
Masaryk, they began inquiring whether a humane solution could be found for these refugees
other than their return to Czechoslovakia. Not stopping there, these liberal Czechs, never
before impressed by the need for Jewish emigration from Europe, suddenly embarked on a
search for an outlet which could absorb many of the Jews who remained in Bohemia and
Moravia.
But will
these Jews want to leave their native land once Nazism is defeated? Realistic observers
know that this desire will be overwhelming among most Jews of Central Europe, just as they
know that most of the statesmen of Europe will be glad to see them go. The intolerant
statesmen would push them out with a kick and a curse, the liberal ones would try to help
them to a better life elsewhere. All of them would welcome a large scale exodus of Jews.
It seems that Jews and Gentiles in Europe are unanimous on this point.
Why should
this be so? To explain it, let us take once more the case of Czechoslovakia. There still
live today almost 300,000 Jews. Another 70,000 are refugees. Pre-war Czechoslovakia had at
least 110,000 Jewish breadwinners. Practically all of these bread-winners rave been
squeezed out of their positions in economic life. Some of these positions have fallen
into the hands of Germans or Hungarians. But most, the pennywise occupations and trades
have been allowed to pass into the hands of the Czechs and Slovaks and Ruthenians.
A group of
Czechs and Slovaks and Ruthenians numbering, with their dependents, in the hundreds of
thousands, with their relations and friends well in the millions, are now clinging to
these jobs. Deeply unhappy over their present lot, anxiously awaiting the hour of
liberation, they nevertheless are jealously guarding the miserable inheritance which they
have been permitted to keep after the economic liquidation of the Jew. They regard as an
enemy any one who suggests that some of thes jobs be turned over to the Jews whose place
they have inherited, or that they make room for the Jews if and when new and better jobs
are created. Their attitude undoubtedly constitutes bad economics, but it represents,
just as undoubtedly, potent mass-psychology.
This is why
the Germans are able to use the Jewish argument even now, when the subjected foreign
populations should have become thoroughly disillusioned and immune to German
propaganda. They visualize a resurrected liberal Czechoslovakia. What should its leaders
do? Reintegrate the Jews in their possessions and jobs, throwing out the non-Jews who in
the meantime had occupied them? Merely to ask the question is to perceive its utter
unreality as a matter of practical politics, whatever the rights and wrongs involved.
* * * * *
Thus we find
able, liberal, well-disposed state men pondering "The Jewish Question," and
freely confessing their inability to solve it. Like all the problems which will present themselves ere this present conflict
ceases, this one is without human solution. But it is our confidence still that the hour
of man's dire extremity will prove to be the hour of God's opportunity. We are acquainted already with One concerning whom it is written:
"The
government shall be upon His shoulder:
And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." -Isa. 9:6.
May our
faith flicker less, our reliance in Him grow
more sure, our acquaintance riper. When we read concerning Him:
"Of the
increase of His government and -of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David,
and upon His Kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with
righteousness from henceforth even for ever," and humbly take our place with men and
women abler than ourselves who know not how it
is to be done, let us nevertheless rest in the sure Word of God, and know that in ways
beyond our present vision it will certainly be done. "The zeal of Jehovah of hosts
will perform this." - Isa. 9:7.
"When memory of battles
At last is strange and old,
'When nations have one banner
And creeds have found one fold,
"When the Hand that sprinkles
midnight
With its powdered drift of suns,
Has hushed this tiny tumult
Of sects, and swords, and guns,
"Then hate's last note of discord,
In all God's world shall cease,
In the conquest which is service,
To the Victory which is peace."
"There is a palm, called the Comb
Spine Palm, which grows in the midst of dense forests. It has a crown of leaves so heavy
that the slender trunk is wholly unequal to the task of supporting it. Yet by a beautiful
provision the tree is enabled to stand erect and grow upwards. A stem, or continuation of
the trunk, rises to a considerable height through the leafy plume that generally
terminates the growth of other palm trees. This stem is furnished at the end with hooks or
grapnels, by which it lays hold upon the giant branches of some overshadowing tree, and
is thus supported and rendered stable. This anchor thrown on high entering within the
leafy curtain of the growth above, keeps the palm from falling or being blown away.
Behold an image of the Christian's
hope! He, too, has a crown, "an exceeding great and eternal weight of glory,"
which his own feeble powers are not able to sustain. But just such a means of support as
we have described has been given him. When heart and flesh fail, and his spirit sinks
within him, he may reach the arm of a confident hope far above, and thus lay hold on the
immutable promises of God. "Hope of salvation," "hope in Christ,"
"a good hope through grace," this steadies and strengthens the soul. A happy,
steadfast expectation of eternal life proves to the child of God an unfailing stay.
Anchors are generally cast below, but that of the Christian is thrown on high. Thus the
Apostle says of those who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before them,
"which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which
entereth into that within the veil." - Heb. 6:18, 19.
-
Selected.
"The
putting off of my tabernacle cometh
swiftly." - 2 Pet. 1: 14, R. V.
The Christian finds nothing in such
thoughts to make him sad. Every mile-stone marks the growing nearness of his home. Before
us lie the ages of eternity. Ages filled with a blessedness of personal enjoyment and
rapturous ministry which defy tongue to tell or heart to picture. The dim outlines
already sketched stir the heart with ecstasy; but what will the completed picture be, when
God fills in the details with His own hand! Take
heart, fellow-sufferers and fellow-workers, our redemption draweth nigh. Day is
breaking. 'Now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed.' " "Think
of Stepping on shore and finding it heaven! Of taking hold of a hand and finding it
God's hand. Of breathing a. new air and finding it celestial air. Of feeling invigorated
and finding it immortality. Of passing from storm and tempest to an unbroken calm. Of
waking up and finding it Home!" - Selected.
Col. 1:15-18
"That in all things He might
have the preeminence." - Col. 1:18.
THE GROSSER
forms of error with which the Church at Colossae was afflicted, we judge were temporary,
but the truths set forth b the writer of this letter for the correcting of those errors
are eternal, and therefore as valuable for the Church today as they were the day of their
writing. Our anointed Lord in His relation to our heavenly Father and all creation, and
His triumphant supremacy over the latter in every particular, is the theme of our
present study. Paul would set Christ in the heavens, a brilliant light, to obliterate by
His shining all the flickering light philosophers had supplied by their feeble groping
after truth; not because all so-called "light" was darkness, but because
"when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part must be done
away." It was especially necessary that there be eradicated the teaching that all
creation came from a company of beings, half human, half spirit, who must be appeased by
the worship of the creatures they governed. Paul's teaching was equally antagonistic to
the associate thought prevalent at the time that all matter was of itself evil and that
therefore the seat of sin was in material things.
How Jesus Revealed the Father
The
existence of a kingdom of evil was undeniable, for all at one time had been more or less
under its sway. Paul was writing to a little company of those who had been delivered
from that bondage and had been "translated into the Kingdom of the Son of His
love." (R. V.) This Son he now describes, in a phrase familiar at the time, as
"the image of the invisible God." (Col. 1:15; 1 Cor. 11:7; 2 Cor. 4:4; Heb.
1:3.) Alexandrian Judaism had much in its teaching about the "Word," the
"Logos," described as "the image of God"; but the Judaistic vision of
the "image" was as befogged as was that of the God who from eternity had
"dwelt in darkness" (1 Kings 8:12; Job 9:11; 23:8, 9; Psa. 11:1; 89:46; Isa.
45:15; Exod. 33:20; John 1:18; 5:37; 1 Tim.
1:17; 6:16) so thick that "no man hath seen God at any time nor can see Him,"
even though He Himself is "the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation,
neither shadow that is cast by turning." (James 1:17, R. V.) Jesus as the
"Word" (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 1:1; 5:7; Rev. 19:13), made audible the divine
mind. As the "Image" He made visible the divine attributes. In the title,
"Son of God," both of these are comprehended, for when the Son is described, as
in Hebrews 1; Proverbs 8:22, 30, 31, or His life recounted, as in the Gospels, the Father
is being revealed. Jesus was not a "shadow" (Heb. 11:1), "a rough outline
such as a carpenter would draw with a piece of chalk, or such as an artist delineates when
he is about to make a picture," but "the very image" of His Father, as one
would speak, referring "to a painting or statue which is finished, where every part
is an exact copy of the original."
It is
manifest that Satan hates not only the Original, but also the Image. "If our good
tidings is veiled, it is veiled in them that are perishing: in whom the god of this world
hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the good tidings of the glory
of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them." (2 Cor. 4:3, 4, R.
V., see margin.) He will hate us too in proportion as, though having "borne the
image of the earthy, we bear the image of the heavenly." While the Apostle in this
last text is speaking of our resurrection change, yet he elsewhere exhorts that this work
be in progress, and that even now we are to be "change l into the same image,"
"for whom He [the Father] did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to
the image of His Son." (1 Cor. 15:49; 2 Cor. 3:18; Rom. 8:29.) And to whatever extent
we bear the likeness of our Father, to that extent we will have the hatred of Satan.
He who
during His earthly ministry never once mentioned the "name" of His Father, most
effectively "declared," or "interpreted" (Rotherham) that name (John
1:18; 17:26) by manifesting the Father's graces. For those who recognized this revelation,
the speculations and philosophizings of centuries lost all interest. The reality had taken
the place of unprofitable guesses and reasonings. "Peradventures, whether of hope or
fear, are not knowledge. What we poor men need, is a certitude of a God who loves us and
cares for us, has an arm that can help us, and a heart that will. The god of 'pure theism'
is little better than a phantom, so unsubstantial that you can see the stars shining
through the pale form, and when a man tries to lean on him for support, it is like leaning
on a wreath of mist. There is nothing. There is no certitude firm enough for us to find
sustaining power against life's trials in resting upon it, but in Christ. There is no
warmth of love enough for us to thaw our frozen limbs by, apart from Christ. In Him, and
in Him alone, the far off, awful, doubtful God becomes a Gad very near, of whom we are
sure, and sure that He loves and is ready to help and cleanse and save." "My
soul crieth out for the living God."
Five times
in one sentence (Col. 1:15-17) Jesus, Himself the Creator of all else except the Father,
is set in a class by Himself in contrast with the entire creation, "all things."
The Greek word translated "first" (Col. 1:15), used to distinguish Jesus from
all the rest of creation, carries the thought of supremacy as well as priority, though the
latter is the primary meaning of the word. All expositors are clear that the real meaning
of the expression is that He preceded all others. Paul leaves no room for argument on the
matter when in the next verse (Col. 1:16) he gives as proof that Jesus was
"first," the fact that "all things" were created "by
Him"-"in Him,". (R. V.) etc. That His existence had a beginning, none can
deny. Much space is saved us in that we have not the necessity of laboring, as all
Trinitarian commentators must do, to explain away the implication that Jesus Himself was
a creature -- a created being. That truth is further averred by the phrase, "first
born."
Jesus-Pre-eminent of All Creation
Among the
Hebrews the first-born son had preeminence in the household as to the estate and title,
and in the absence of his father was the officiating priest; thus in every respect
representing the father. "Without Him (the First-born as the Father's representative)
was not anything made that was made." Things heavenly and things earthly, things
visible and things invisible, even to the highest of these, "thrones, dominions,
principalities, all things were created by Him and for Him."
The first
statement of this verse is stronger than the second, "all things were created by
["through," R. V.] Him," for the first asserts that "all things were
created in Him." When the Father brought
into existence His "only begotten Son," all creation was planned, as also their
future existence as a natural sequence of the creation of this "First born of all
creation." This arrangement, the following verse (Col. 1:17) asserts, is continuous,
and, by inference, to be eternal, saying: "In Him
all things consist" (Barnes: "are sustained"; Rotherham, and Revised
Version margin: "hold together"; Diaglott: "have been permanently
placed.") Present day men of science devote years of study that they may determine
the size of the largest star and the smallest particle of matter, at the same time seeking
to discover the laws of nature by which they operate and hold together in their course.
The true, the Bible science, simply states "All things were created in Him and
through Him and for Him, and in Him all things [regardless of size or distance] are held
together." Visit the farthest star within range of the most powerful telescope, and,
not hesitating there, send your imagination beyond into regions as yet unexplored by the
human mind; then, returning, take up the microscope to marvel at its revelations; but not
content with its meager scope pass on again into imagination's unlimited realm. Nowhere
will you have found a body too large or a speck too small to be included in these
"all things." When He was created, all these were in Him in the sense that He is the second Adam (1
Cor. 15:45), "in Him [the First born of every creature] was life" (John 1:4),
and God's purposes for Him would not have been complete if that life had not been bestowed
on others; all were through Him in that though He was the Creator, He was merely acting as
the representative of the Father; all are for Him that for eternity His power might
guide their course and use, His righteousness taking pleasure in them - they were
created for His pleasure. It may as truly be said of the Son as of the Father: "Thou
art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all
things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created." - Rev. 4:11.
Col. 1:18 --
"And He [this One regarding whom greater things could not be said without making Him
equal with God (John 11:29;14:28) He] is the
Head of the Body, the Church" -- our Head. And during the :wo thousand years of our
history, individually and collectively, oh, how often, we have indicated, not by word so
much as by act, that we doubted His power and His wisdom to manage our little affairs. How
often we have felt that matters were "too hard," too intricate, for Him to
overrule -- He who can "work all things after the counsel of His own will." Have
we not often heard the Lord say to us, "Oh thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou
doubt?" "And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there
shall be no end ["no boundary" a Moravian Version reads], upon the throne of
David and upon His Kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with judgment and with
righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts shall perform
this." (Isa. 9:6, 7, R. V.; Dan. 7:14; Zech. 9:11; Matt. 8:27; Mark 1:27; John 3:35;
Eph. 1:22; 1 Pet. 3:22.) "The whole course of human affairs and of natural processes
is directed by Him who died upon the cross! The helm of the universe is held by the hands
which were pierced for us. The Lord of Nature and the Mover of all things is that Savior
on whose love we may pillow our aching heads." "In the world but not of
it," with our antitypical Joseph over both us and it, there shall surely be corn in
our sacks and a Goshen to dwell in. Though the darkness of night covers all about us, can
we not see the form of our Beloved drawing nearer in the darkness of the sea? He is
saying, "It is I; be not afraid."
Jesus--Our Head
Under
various figures, the Vine and branches, Chief Corner-stone and temple stones, etc. (John
15; Isa. 28:16; 1 Pet. 2:5), the relationship of Jesus and the Church is shown, each
symbol giving its particular lesson. We should not let the dictum regarding the mixing
of metaphors deter us from fully profiting by each picture. Among them all, none is more
beautiful, more profitable, more necessary, than the one Paul uses here -- that of
headship over a body, representing one phase of that "all power in heaven and
earth" that is His. (Matt. 28:18.) By experience we know, however, that His absolute
authority is exercised in gentleness and with consideration, the same gentleness that will
continue to characterize His dealings, as well as those of all associated with Him,
throughout the next Age. The Greek of Revelation 2:27 equally well permits the rendering
by Rotherham: "He shall shepherd them with a scepter of iron," shepherding
with all the kindness their condition will permit, and all the iron firmness that is
needed. In headship is implied absolute power and authority, His interest in us, our
complete submergence in His will, our insufficiency, uselessness, without Him, and His
humility and graciousness in being willing to express His perfection through our
weakness. He is the seat of life and the center of unity.
The members
of the Body would not perform their mutual services (Eph. 4:15, 16) without the free
functioning of a head. He who creates and governs all must precede all else. As the vine
is before the branches, He who is our Life must be first-"He is before ail things,
. . . the beginning [Greek: "first and source"], the first born from the dead
[the awakening of sleeping Lazarus and others falling far short of the "birth"
to full life] that among all He might have the pre-eminence." There would be no
beautiful vine if the life of the parent stalk did not flow through it -- no tendril
would lay hold upon the supporting trellis, no grape ripen to royal fruitage. But ours is
the case of no ordinary vine, no ordinary body. Dead in trespasses and sins, we must have
a life giving Savior, and not only that -- He who died that we might live must also be
the "first born from the dead; that in all things He might have the
preeminence."
Jesus--the Sustaining Power of the Universe
Throughout
this passage there is an emphasis at each reference to our Lord that is impossible of
reproduction in the English. As an illustration: In the phrase, "He is," the
pronoun "He" is emphatic -- the rendering, "He Himself" approximates
it-and the verb "is" emphasizes not only pre-existence, but also absolute
existence. "'He was before all things' would not have said so much as 'He is before
all things.' We are reminded of His own words, 'Before Abraham was, I am.'" Even with
the assistance the emphasized versions, the Diaglott and Rotherham translations, give us,
it is to be feared we who do not know the Greek can never grasp all the forcefulness of
the language Paul uses in his endeavor to establish the pre-eminence of our Lord, He who
is, eternally established preeminent, the creating, ruling, sustaining power of every
particle of matter and every law regulating every feature of an eternal universe. The ages
without end will see no flaw in that rulership to mar the "pleasure" of the
Father who has entrusted it to Him. It is not to be wondered at that "they that are
with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful," called by One who is all-wise in His
judgment and who has absolute foreknowledge, and chosen because they have made their
calling and election secure by being faithful though "tested in all points."
Surely one point of that testing will be as to whether Jesus actually, not merely
theoretically, is supreme in their lives, as He will eventually be acknowledged by all in
all the universe.
The
eighteenth verse is paralleled by Ephesians 1 :22, .which according to the Diaglott and
Moffatt translations should read: God hath "subjected all things under His feet; and
constituted Him a Head over all things for the Church." (See also Winer's
"Grammar of the Idiom of the New Testament," pages 211, 211.) There are too many
stars and too many specks of dust in the universe for our intelligence to grasp how each
is regulated for the benefit of the Church, either as to their present or their future
inheritance; but we can have the faith to grasp this as truth -- as another of our
unnumbered reasons for gratitude to the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Romans 8:28
can be true only in a universe governed, shepherded, by a loving and all-powerful Head.
Can we have the grace to live a life that will bear testimony to an enduring faith in the
assurance that because Christ is Head over all things for the Church, therefore "all
things do work together for good to the called"? "All things are yours, and ye
are Christ's, and Christ is God's." (1 Cor. 3:21; 1 Tim. 6:17; 2 Pet. 1:3.) Surely it
pleases us as it pleases the Father "that in Him should all fullness dwell."
CHRIST, ALL IN ALL
"In
Christ all fulness dwells: from Him proceeds
All fallen man, poor, wretched, guilty, needs.
In Him the contrite, bruised in spirit, find
Whate'er can heal the sorrows of the mind --
Forgiving love, that saves from blank despair,
Rich grace, that banishes each anxious care,
Soft pity, that relieves the bursting sigh,
And truth, revealing joys that never die.
Thrice happy they, who to His Word attend,
His favor seek, and on His strength depend.
'Tis theirs to know His heart-consoling voice,
To share His smile, and in His name rejoice.
To them, reclaimed in mercy from the fall
And heav'nward marching, Christ is all in all:
In want, their treasure-in distress, their stay
In gloom, their day-spring-vigor, in decay--
'Mid foes, their guard-in solitude, their guest
In storms, their hiding place-in toils, their rest
In bonds, their freedom-their relief, in pain
In life, their glory-and in all things, gain."
"The Lord make you to increase
and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To
the end He may stablish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." -- 1 Thess. 3:12, 13.
THESE words
are addressed to saints; and saintship, despite the beliefs of many, is not conditioned
upon being perfect in thought, word, and deed, but upon covenant relationship with God.
During this Gospel Age that covenant is one of sacrifice, made possible by our Redeemer,
through whose merit our offering is reckoned perfect-"a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable unto God." (Rom. 12:1.) Evidently, then, it is the saints of this Gospel
Age, foreknown in the purpose of God, to whom reference is made in Psalm 50:5, where we
read: "Gather My saints together unto Me: those that have made a covenant with Me
by sacrifice."
The
Scriptures indicate that God does not cov\enant with sinners (John 9:31); therefore,
before He could enter into a contract directly with one who is by inheritance a sinner,
some provision must be made whereby that one can be considered righteous in His sight.
Such a provision was made; and for that reason Paul could say, "There is therefore
now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus."
This of
course does not mean that we have become sinless, or that we will ever become sinless so
long as we are under the necessity of operating through these imperfect human bodies.
Paul, painfully aware of this fact, tells us that though his whole desire was to do that
which was right and perfect, evil was present with him. He could not do the things that he
would; and he cries, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of this body
of death?" Then he gives the answer -an answer that has comforted the heart of every
true believer who, like Paul, has dedicated his life to the good fight of faith: "I
thank God [for deliverance] through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I
myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh, the law of sin." (Rom. 7:24, 25.
Thus he intimates that it is from the standpoint of his heart's desire, his will, that God
judges him and not according to the misdeeds of his flesh.
The Apostle
John also recognized this same fact and declared in his first Epistle (written about 90 A.
D., when he was nearing the close of his long saintly warfare) that "If we say we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He
is faithful [having promised] and just [satisfaction for our sins having been provided]
to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:8, 9.
In the light
then of these facts as they indicate our actual human imperfection on the one hand, and
our God-given righteousness (through satisfaction having been made for our sins) on the
other hand, what are we to understand from the
words of our text? Is it not enough that we be counted righteous in God's sight? Does
not righteousness alone meet or fulfill His purpose concerning us?
No, there
can be no reason for reckoned justification as an end in itself. Justification is the
standing God grants us for the purpose of enabling us to present ourselves an acceptable
sacrifice, which, when accepted by the Father, qualifies us to receive the begetting of
His Holy Spirit. By it we are begotten to a lively hope-a hope of attaining the divine
nature if and when we prove truly responsive to the operation of His Spirit working in
us that which is well pleasing in His sight. To receive justification and then fail to do
God's will in consecration is to receive the grace of God in vain. God's revealed purpose
in the arranging of a period of time between the First and Second Advents of our Lord,
was the selecting and perfecting of a class who become saints through a covenant of
sacrifice that obligates them to follow in the footsteps of their Lord; and if faithful in
the performance of this covenant, they are promised a share in His glory and dominion.
"He that will come after Me," said Jesus, "let him deny himself and take
up his cross and follow Me." "For if we suffer [with Him]", says the
Apostle, "we shall also reign with Him." - Matt. 16:24; 2 Tim. 2:12.
The Actually Just and Reckonedly Just
Both Made Perfect Through Suffering
We read
concerning our Lord (who was declared to be holy, harmless, and undefiled, as a man)
that "He learned obedience by the things which He suffered," and thus was
"made perfect." (Heb. 5:8, 9.) It is evident, therefore, since Jesus was already
perfect as a man, that this perfecting accomplished through suffering relates to a New
Creation of which Jesus is the Head; and if such a work was necessary in the case of
Jesus, we can begin to realize what a great transformation must also take place in us if
we are to be like Him and see Him as He is. This transformation is not a perfecting of
these physical bodies, but has to do with the development and characteristics of the new
creature which is to be clothed with the nature of God Himself.
"Whom
He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He
might be the first born among many brethren." (Rom. 8:29.) The significance of this
Scripture is much greater than the contemplated change in nature; it indicates a
transformation, a development never attained in any other creation; and, in the very
nature of things, such a development could not be attained except by the method God is
using.
The Lord Make You to Increase
The first
thing we notice in our text is that our development is God's work. We are apt to forget
this and take upon ourselves a responsibility that we are wholly unable to carry-a
supervision and work that belongs unto God. The Jews under the Law, obligated themselves
to an arrangement which required that they commend themselves to God by their own works
in righteousness, but they soon discovered that this could not be done. The Law made no
allowance for human frailty -it was "thou shalt" and "thou shalt
not"; consequently they were burdened, heavy laden; the agreement they had made
through Moses was a yoke hard to bear.
When Jesus
began His ministry, He offered the Jews release: "Come unto Me, ye that are weary and
heavy laden," said Jesus, "and I will give you rest; take My yoke upon you and
learn of Me, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Those who were Israelites
indeed, who were conscientious in their endeavors to keep the Law, could appreciate
somewhat the graciousness of the opportunity that was being offered them, but the rest,
being insincere, were blinded. We, as Christians, must take heed that we do not burden
ourselves in like manner and so become discouraged through a misconception of what is
required of us.
Satan is
adept at putting darkness for light; and, as indicated by our Lord's temptation in the
wilderness, he knows how to employ Scriptures to mislead us. The following Scriptures
could very readily become stones of stumbling if not rightly evaluated in the light of
the context or of other Scriptures: "Work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling" (Phil. 2:12); "Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven is
perfect" (Matt. 5:48)
"Every
man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure" (1 John 3:3)
"Whoever abideth in Him sinneth not" (1 John 3:6; "He that committeth sin
is of the Devil." - 1 John 3:8.
It is not
the intention here to convey the thought that these admonitions of the Word do not mean
what they say, for they do; they constitute the ideal or pattern toward which we must
strive, and we dare not lower the standard. But in what sense can we attain to such a
degree of perfection? Are we to understand that unless our every thought, word, and act
measure up to the divine perfection, we cannot please God or be of the glorified Bride
class? It will be recalled that the Galatians were having trouble along this line and Paul
says (Gal. 3:3), "Are ye so foolish, having begun in the spirit are ye now perfected
in the flesh?" One of the things we do well to note in this connection is that three
of the above cited texts are from the same Epistle of John in which he says, "If we
say we do not sin, we deceive ourselves." Yet in this same Epistle he also says,
"Whosoever is born [begotten] of God doth not commit sin; for His seed remaineth in
him: and he cannot sin, because he is
begotten of God."
One thing is
sure John is not here contradicting himself, but stating facts which, when rightly
understood, are in perfect harmony. All of God's work being perfect, it follows that that
which is begotten of God must also be perfect; but we have this treasure in earthen
vessels. Satan would like nothing better than to imbue us with the idea that if we rely
upon Christ, we need never err in thought, word, or deed; and he could point us to the
words of Paul where he says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth
me." (Phil. 4:13.) One imbued with this idea of perfect works, if honest, must
certainly become burdened and discouraged; and the more conscientious he is, the more
hopeless he will become; for these statements do not refer to the flesh, but to the new
will, the desires and intents of the heart.
Growth Necessary
Our text
aids us to a correct understanding of this matter. That which is begotten of God in us,
which in the very nature of things is perfect, must nevertheless grow or be developed and
rounded out; otherwise it can never come to the birth as intended. If this were not
true, then our Lord need never have gone through three and a half years of trial and
suffering in order to be made perfect or complete. Likewise, as members of His Body, the
moment of our begettal might also have been the moment of our birth, for God is not
perfecting these human bodies but a new creation in Christ Jesus. Another point that is
well to keep in mind is that God does not do the things for us that we are able to do for
ourselves. If we were able to perfect ourselves, Paul would never have said "The Lord make you to increase and abound"; consequently, we may
be sure that if we gain a place in the heavenly Kingdom, the glory of that achievement
will not belong unto us, but to the Lord. Paul would have us understand that we are
"God's workmanship" "created in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:11), and that it
is "God who worketh in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure."
It is only
when we are fully aware of this fact that we can be in the right condition of mind and
heart to seek help from God, and to yield ourselves fully to the working of His Spirit
within. Even our Lord, perfect though He was, realized that of Himself He could do
nothing; and in this meek and humble attitude, was the perfect lump of clay with which the
Father might work out His own designs. The more fully we realize that our perfecting is
dependent upon God, and then emulate our Lord's example of reliance upon Him, the better
He will be able to work in us also.
An
appreciation of this fact will make us realize that we must let God shape our
course-direct our path; that we must yield ourselves fully to the operation of His Spirit,
which is the only agency that can or will transform us into the image of His Son. It is
impossible for us to know what we need in the way of experience or chastisement; or what
things may constitute means of grace unto us. We do not even know how far we may have
progressed in the building of character; but if we continue to cooperate by yielding
ourselves wholeheartedly to His will, we may fully trust Him to finish the work He has
begun in us; for this is His promise.
Love the End Sought
This then is
the thought expressed in our text "The Lord make you to increase and abound in
love." But why does He say "love"? Why not faith, hope, understanding of
doctrine, etc.? Because love is the only thing that is an end in itself. According to
Paul's words to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 13) love is the only thing which lasts that will
make us acceptable in God's sight. Paul shows that we might possess many things which are
admittedly necessary aids in perfecting love, and they be valueless unless they bring
about that end. To depreciate knowledge or faith or hope or pure doctrine would show a
lack of appreciation for the helps God has given us. The rightly instructed child of God
can have no sympathy with the attitude that views doctrine as only a "bone of
contention," and so steers off its discussion on the grounds that it tends to
controversy. This does not mean that we may use doctrine to club our brethren with, but we
should "contend earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints." The
Dark Ages are a monument to the results of false doctrine.
While God is
not concerned with the perfecting of these old bodies of ours, yet through His
overruling providence, they are very valuable to us by way of exercise in our
development as New Creatures, in that our cooperation with God is involved to a large
extent with our struggle to keep these bodies under and bring them into subjection to His
will. In all probability this struggle is as necessary to our development as is the
struggle of a larva to emerge from its cocoon that it may be developed into a perfect
butterfly.
Example Better Than Precept
A point we
do well to note in our text is the stress that is put upon example to inculcate the grace
of character. "The Lord make you to increase and abound in love, one toward another
and toward all men even as we do toward
you." It is generally conceded that example is much more effective as a teacher
than precept. One of the things in which Jesus found fault with the Pharisees was that
they told others what to do but did not practice what they preached. Jesus did practice
what He preached; as the Apostle says, "He left us an example that we should follow
in His steps." Had Jesus done like the Pharisees, the effect of His teachings would
have waned long since, for there would not have been the same incentive to conform our
lives to His teachings. Jesus' own example was the most lasting and effective lesson He
could give us and Paul, following in His footsteps, could say, "even as we do
toward you." Jesus not only left us a good example in Himself but He saw to it that
we should have good ex\amples in the lives of the Apostles and the special messengers
unto the Church. Also those whom the Church elect to the office of elder are admonished
that they should be ensamples to the flock.
Our text
also indicates that our brethren should come first in our love in so far as mankind is
concerned. As a former Pilgrim used to say, "Love should be appropriate to its
object." God and Christ have first call upon our love, then our brethren. The
elements of worship and adoration which enter into our love for God would not be proper if
exercised toward our brethren; likewise, there are elements in brotherly love which could
not be bestowed upon on: enemies. The elements of pity, forgiveness, and compassion which
are praiseworthy when exercised toward our enemies, would be wholly out of place in our
love for God.
Channels of Grace
There are a
number of channels through which God operates by His Spirit in making our love to increase
and abound; and inasmuch as He requires our cooperation in this work, it behooves us to
acquaint ourselves with these channels. First and foremost in this respect would come
the Word of God. The development of the new creature and its needs is very much like that
of the physical man in its requirements. There must be food on which to build or grow;
water with which to cleanse and renew the body fluids; air with which to oxygenize and
purify the blood; exercise to keep the various functions of the body healthy and active;
and rest to recuperate the physical powers. If any one of these is omitted man cannot
maintain a normal degree of health but will sicken and die.
The Word of
God is the source of nearly all our food and drink in spiritual development; if,
therefore, we neglect study and meditation upon the Word, we bring about starvation and
thirst, and eventually death. The New Creature's breath of life (God's Spirit) is also
supplied us through the Word. Jesus said, "The words that I speak unto you, they are
spirit and they are life." (John 6:63.) Then, too, faith (without which there can be
no growth or development) "cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."
(Rom. 11:17.) Hope, which Paul tells us is the anchor to our souls within the veil, is
based upon the promises of God's Word. Likewise, joy and peace exist because of belief in
that Word; for we read that "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written
for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have
hope." "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that
ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit." - Rom. 15:4, 13.
It is
evident also that the Word is the basis for our love: for we are "begotten by the
Word of Truth" and God's Spirit is received through that begetting. Furthermore, the
nourishment we receive through feeding upon the Word of Truth, makes us to grow and to be
filled with the Spirit; and the more of the Spirit we have, the more fruitage our lives
will show, for God's Spirit cannot fail to bring forth fruit unto life. Paul tells us
(Gal. 5:22) that "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance"; and since through the Word we
receive the Spirit, the Word must of necessity be the basis for love and all spiritual
grace. "But as touching brotherly love, ye need not that I write unto you," says
Paul (1 Thess. 4:9), "for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one
another." And when Paul says, "Now abideth faith, hope, love," he
intimates that this is the order in which these appear in our lives; for "the hearing
of the Word brings faith" (Rom. 11:17); "faith is the basis of things hoped
for" (Heb. 11:1) and "hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God [by this
means] is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us." -
Rom. 5:5.
Other means
of grace, and therefore agencies of development, that might be cited are God's
providences, directing our course in life; His chastenings, more often designed for our
upbuilding than as punishment for sins; and fellowship with those of like precious faith,
which often constitutes an excellent means for the exercise
of Christian character. In this connection we would also note the Scriptural badge
of a Christian: it is not some form of dress or a rosary hung about the neck, nor even a
cross and crown pin which some of us are pleased to wear. No, "By this shall all men
know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love
one to another." Aside from this sign, all other badges are of very little
significance.
Effect of Example
In addition
to the many admonitions to love which the Bible sets forth, there is recorded for us God's
own example in love; and if we will continually hold that example up before our minds,
and meditate upon the glory and beauty of the Father's character revealed therein, the
Apostle tells us we will be changed into the same image. "We all with open face, beholding
as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the
Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor. 3:18.) Thus we see it is God's Spirit operating upon
our minds and hearts when we study and meditate upon His Word, that brings about this
transformation in our lives; and therefore it is God who makes us to increase and abound
in love.
The supreme
act of love for all time would seem to be God's gift of His only begotten Son. "God
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish." Even Jesus' own sacrifice upon the cross could not equal this
manifestation of love bestowed upon the enemies of righteousness. But even so, God's love
and grace lid not end here, for not only did He sacrifice the dearest treasure of His
heart, but He has also set before us the greatest prize that could or will ever be offered
to any of His creatures. "Behold, what manner of love the Father bath bestowed upon
us, that we should be called the sons of God. . . . Beloved, now are we the sons of God,
and it cloth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we
shall be like Him." - 1 John 3:1, 2.
When we are
really able to believe that God has bestowed such love upon us, it begets great hone in our hearts: a hope that
transcends every other hope ever conceived. And in this connection the Apostle gives us a
rule by which we may gage the degree of this hope which we possess. He says, "Every one that hath this hope in him
purifieth himself even as He is pure." (1 John 3:3.) True faith and hope will cause
us to put forth every effort to become godlike; and although we are rewarded according
to our faith, yet God judges the quality of that faith by the effort we put forth to bring
both mind and body into subjection to the perfect law of love.
It is
manifest that the Scriptures agree with the saying that "Actions speak louder than
words"; for we read, "Hereby perceive we the love of Christ, because He laid down His life for us: and,"
continues the Apostle, "we [following in His footsteps] ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren." Real love finds ways to express itself. John says (1 John 3:17)
teat "Whoso hath this world's goods and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up
his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" "My
little children let us not love in word neither in tongue merely; but in deed and in
truth."
Divine
providence would perhaps rank second in importance as an agency in the work of
establishing our hearts in love. When Paul says that "All things work together for
good to them that love God," he is simply telling us that God, through His providences, is supervising and
overruling all circumstances and experiences of life that in any way affect us. So, if
we accept all our experiences as coming from the Father, and are rightly exercised
thereby, they will unfailingly work out to our good. Satan may seek to harm, and foes may
hate and friends may scorn, but if God be for us who
can be against us?
Many of our
experiences come to us as chastenings; not necessarily for wrongs done, but often as a
spiritual tonic. "Ye have forgotten," says Paul, "the exhortation which
speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord,
nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom He receiveth." Peter says, "Beloved, think it not
strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing
happened unto you but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings: that,
when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." And again,
Paul says, "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous:
nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that
are exercised thereby." Thus the Lord works in us to make us to increase and abound
in love.
While love
constitutes an end in itself, yet it is also a means to an end. This is made clear in our
text by the Apostle when he says, "To the end He may stablish your hearts unblamable
in holiness before God, even our Father, at the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ with
all saints." It is not enough that the image
of love be developed in our hearts, we must be unswervingly fixed in love and
righteousness. The trials and difficulties which attend the end of our course are no doubt
intended to accomplish this in us. And if by faith we realize this, we can patiently
endure and rejoice, for it is a wonderful thing to confidently expect that the Lord
will stablish our hearts in holiness, and to know that He will present us before the
throne of His glory without spot or wrinkle or any such thing.
God the Great Photographer
The
processes in connection with photography serve to illustrate the steps that are necessary
in our development as new creatures. The uncoated film might represent us in our fallen
state, unfit for the Lord's purpose. The coating of silver nitrate, which makes the film a
suitable material or ground for the photographer's use, might represent the steps leading
up to our justification, which make us available material for the Father's use.
Insertion of the film in the camera and exposuree
to the light rays which carry the image desired, might illustrate the steps of
consecration, bringing us into Christ, and the Father's acceptance begetting us as new
creatures, children of the light.
The image is
now on the film; but if it were to be exposed to the light of day it would be ruined it
cannot endure unlimited light. The same would be true of us: if we should be ushered
immediately into the Divine presence following our begettal, we could not endure. God's
covenant will not bring forth premature births. After exposure, the film must pass through
a developing process which brings out the picture distinctly so that every detail stands
out clearly. This very fitly illustrates the development that takes place in us, the
development that brings these new creatures up to perfection so that every detail of
the image of Christ stands out.
After
exposure the image is on the film, but will not develop of itself. Proper development is
dependent upon the knowledge and skill of the photographer, who must at times exercise
considerable patience with films that curl and twist. After our exposure to the light of
truth through which Go begets us, our minds possess a new image, which, nevertheless,
requires development. How thankful we should be that the one responsible for our
development has all the knowledge, skill, and patience to meet every condition. When
the photographer sees that he has a perfect image, he proceeds to stablish or fix that
image so that no amount of exposure or light will cause it to fade. God does the same
thing with us. He causes us to pass through experiences that fix in our hearts the
righteousness which will for all time retain that perfect image of love, so that no amount
of exposure or temptation can ever mar that image in the least degree.
One other
point which makes the illustration still more comprehensive is the object or purpose to
which this film when completed will be put. When the photographer has his film fully
developed and fixed, he then can print any number of copies of the original. This printing
process is accomplished by the infiltration of light through the film. When God has
finished with the development and establishment of the one hundred and forty-four
thousand, the light of the glory of His character will flow through them to perfect His
image in the willing and obedient of mankind so that all who will may- know and reflect
His glory.
The
experience of the Church, and events in the world indicate that. our Lord is present, and
that for some time now, He has been trying the hearts, sifting us as wheat, that He might
demonstrate who are the ones that are established in love and who still come short of that
image. If under the tests and trials that come, sifting us as wheat, we find that we are
not fully established, we must not lose courage or give up the fight, but must remember
that "He who has begun a good work in us will also finish it" if we will
continue to trust Him and in meekness strive to do His will.
"Now
the God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after
that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect,
stablish, strengthen, settle you. To Him
be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
"He brought me into the banqueting house,
and His banner over me was love." - Song of Solomon 2:4.
THE SONG of
songs"-so begins the Canticles, or Song of Solomon. Various interpretations of this
book are to be had, a few relegating it to a place in Jewish literature of little
importance to present day readers, but for the most part it has been considered very
properly classed among the inspired writings comprising the Old Testament. In this
interpretation of the poem it becomes a beautiful idyllic presentation of the reciprocal
love of Christ and His espoused Bride. It is an exchange, throughout, of affectionate
devotion expressed in language peculiar to the era in which it was composed. Oriental it
may be in language, and in the symbolisms employed, but its interpretation by the Spirit
makes it as universal as the call of the Bride from every land and tongue. In this fact
alone we have the best of all evidence of its divine inspiration. Of all literature the
Bible alone speaks alike to all kindreds, peoples, and tongues.
"My
Beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand." Thus speaks the
prospective Bride in this Song to those who have inquired of her, "What is thy
Beloved more than another beloved, 0 thou fairest among women?" How beautifully
significant is the description of her Beloved given in her reply! What lessons may we
not find in her words as we apply them to the "Beloved" whom we adore -- the
Bridegroom of our hearts.
"My
Beloved is white." This whiteness is to her the primary and outstanding feature of
His excellence, drawing from her lips this tribute of praise. No marvel that she must say
of Him, "His mouth is most sweet: yea, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved,
and this is my Friend." Is this not the same vision of Jesus in His purity by which
we too are drawn toward Him as our Beloved, our Friend, as, out of a world of sin and
imperfection we behold Him, "the Lamb of God
without spot or blemish," "holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from
sinners." So was He when He dwelt among men, and when John saw Him amid the glories
of His revelation on Patmos Isle: "His head and His hairs were white like wool, as
white as snow." (Rev. 1:14.) On the Mount of Transfiguration, where His disciples
beheld Him in a foreshadowing glory, "His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment
was white as the light." - Matt. 17:2.
Throughout
all ages men and women have known a deep yearning for such purity and holy whiteness. What
truly repentant sinner in any age has not been moved to grateful tears by God's assuring
promise, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow"? David
longed for this kind of purity, as may be seen from his prayer, "Purge me with hyssop
and I shall be clean; wash me, and [ shall be whiter than snow." (Psa. 51:7.) True
penitence and purity always reach out for this whiteness of character, while true love
pleads for it. more and more as closer fellowship with Jesus increases. Those who live
closest to the spotless Lamb of God will ever be seeking to be pure even as He is pure.
Their petition will be, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right
spirit within me." - Psa. 51:11.
As the
desire for cleansing and purity is the foremost desire of the penitent, so continued
growth into the holiness and whiteness of Christ's character becomes the habitual
yearning of the mature saint. None are so keenly and painfully aware of imperfections in
the presence of a holy God as those who attain maturity in spiritual vision. To such, the
promise, "They shall walk with Me in white," takes on an inspirational character
potent in its cleansing power. By faith there is rejoicing now in the assurance that,
through the sin atoning blood of the Lamb of God, all the past is forgiven and put under
that blood; there is the present joy of being accepted in Christ, and standing complete
in Him, with "no condemnation, no not a whit." But that which is reckoned by
faith, wonderful and glorious though it be, can never mean the acme of joy. Beholding the
perfect righteousness of Christ, seeing Him "white as the light," we become the
more conscious of our own imperfections and unworthiness. In that light, every revealed
spot or stain of sin discovered is a fresh pain and grief' to the sensitive heart. Yet
herein is encouragement, for with this love for righteousness, purity, and whiteness,
which nearness to Christ inspires, from Him will also come the faith and courage to cry
out,
"O wash
me Thou, without, within,
Or purge with fire, if that must be;
No matter how, if only sin
Die out in me, die out in me."
There is a
sublime intent in the words of the Apostle Paul when he says, "Christ also loved the
Church, and gave Himself for it, . . . that He might present it to Himself a glorious
Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and
without blemish." (Eph. 5:25, 27.) No one should miss the reiterations of Scripture emphasizing the
fact that above all other considerations a love of righteousness and a corresponding
hatred of evil is the supreme test of character. Those best prepared, therefore, to
enjoy a place in the banqueting house of our Beloved, and under His banner of love, are
those who, with the spirit and the understanding, affirm in truth, "I shall be
satisfied when I awake in Thy likeness," and only then fully satisfied. As in faith
such contemplate the glorious state of final perfection and holiness as these exist in
the character of God, and into which, faith believes His love and power can bring them,
what hope and joy are theirs. It is only such pure-hearted ones who may now approach
with confidence into the presence of God. Only such as press on with assurance toward this
glorious end will stand at last in that pure white light shining from the Great White
Throne.
Like their
Beloved, whose whiteness they delight in, so it shall be said of all who dwell with Him
in the light which no man may approach unto, "Because thou hast loved
righteousness, and hated iniquity, therefore God, even thy God, bath anointed thee with
the oil of gladness above thy fellows." (Heb. 1:9.) Oh the inexpressible joy awaiting
these in that hour when, "without spot or wrinkle or any such thing," they stand
before the throne of God, "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding
joy." - Jude 24.
"Depth of Mercy, Can It Be"
Well might
we ask, how can it be, that unworthy as we are, we may yet confidently hope to be
finally "conformed to the image of God's dear Son"? How can it be possible
that we shall surely be "changed from glory to glory" until we may stand
unafraid and unblemished in His presence? Ah, it is for the accomplishing of this
transformation that we must find ourselves in His banqueting house today. If faith in an
ultimate completion of His work of grace in us is to be known, we must needs be in that
happy relationship with Him where His voice is heard and His presence blessedly felt.
Men may tell us we are Christ's special people, and we may affirm it ourselves. Multitudes
have thus assured themselves that they could say, "My Beloved is mine, and I am
His." Yet we are told, "Many are called but few chosen," and that not every
one that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom. "Many," our Lord says,
will come to Him "in that day" believing they have done works that would merit
for them a place at His side, to whom He will say, "I never knew you." How
needful then is the true witness of the Spirit bearing testimony to sonship in God's
family.
But what is
this witness? and how may we be sure we have it? Above all other things is there first
need for a true appreciation of redeeming love. The typical bride suggests this in saying,
"My beloved is white and ruddy." In this expression lies the inspiration to
holiness, and the secret of our fervent hope of being made like our Beloved. Such
spotless holiness, such dazzling light, clothing Him as a garment, would only affright us,
and crush all hope from our hearts ere faith could grasp the reality of its possible
attainment for ourselves, were He not also presented to us as "ruddy." Here is
the great truth seen by Paul when he wrote, "I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave Himself for me." -
Gal. 2:20.
Truly,
"the love of Christ constraineth us." We praise God that Jesus is not only His
spotless Lamb, but also "the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world,"
"and hast redeemed us to God by His blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation." (Rev. 13:8; 5:9.) He is the Paschal Lamb slain for us, and His
blood is "the blood of the Everlasting Covenant," sprinkling the door-posts of
our hearts. At the right hand of God our Surety stands, yes, even there, "in the
midst of the Throne," revealed as "a Lamb that had been slain." It was
"'while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"; therefore, "much more
they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by
One, Jesus Christ." - Rom. 5:8, 17.
The Bible
abounds with illustrations drawn from things familiar to us in the present life, and by
these we are taught the profound facts of our spiritual life. Human fairness of face is
enhanced by the rosy hue of glowing health, which bespeaks the vibrant flow of life
imparted by the blood. So it can be with the expression, "My beloved is white and
ruddy." Through the transparent purity of His matchless character we see the
crimson of His precious blood, the blood that cleanseth us from all unrighteousness. He it
is who in His loving-kindness "washed us from our sins in His own blood."
Contemplating these acts of His love for us as we abide in His banqueting house, realizing
as did the Apostle that "He loved me, and
gave Himself for me," we affirm in
humility and confidence,
"I've
found a friend in Jesus, He's everything to me;
He's the fairest of ten thousand to my soul!
The 'Lily of the Valley,' in Him alone I see,
All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole."
Have we said
the best witness of relationship to Jesus Christ is found in a true appreciation of
redeeming love? This is unquestionably true. There is no place in Christian life for
lukewarmness. Not until we love Him back with the warmth of love wherewith Christ loved
us, can we know the sweetness of betrothal to Him. The Bride of Christ will never forget
Calvary. That great sacrifice will never become a dim or fading vision to the Church in
glory. The song of the redeemed proves this to be true. It comes to us wafted from the
court of heaven: "And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof: for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy
blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our
God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." - Rev. 5:9, 11.
Ah, yes, in
heaven, the song will be "a new song." It will not be a refrain extolling what
the redeemed have done. It will be a song of Jesus and His work, "Over there."
So it is here and now with those whose hearts are wholly His. Those who sing of self
testify by their song that their eyes have not beheld the matchless beauty of our
Bridegroom. Where the song extols the merits and doings of self, the grace and work of
Jesus have not been visualized with clearness. When the song is exclusive, and tuned to
the strain of anything short of the love of Jesus -- an all embracing love, the voice
will never be heard in the choir whose singing came through the opened door of heaven to
John on his Patmos Isle. Only those who have spent probation years in the banqueting house
under the banner of His deep, pure, boundless and all-inclusive love, will be prepared
to fill the courts above with the "new song."
"We Would See Jesus"
Have we
entered into something of this vision of our Beloved, and have we known the joy of
confident hope that what we have committed to Him He will keep for us until we see His
face? If so, would we assist others to the same point of vision, where the eyes are fixed
on Jesus, and the song is all of Him? No one can experience this fervent love of betrothal
without yearning to have others share in this blessing and in His affections. The heart
that glows with fervent love for Jesus grows sensitive to any spurning of His espousal
love. No one can, therefore, ardently love Him and yearn for purity and righteousness for
himself and not feel intensely interested in seeing others likewise blessed. But how shall
the helping hand be given? Never by lifting up human standards congenial to the natural
mind. Not by t},, compulsions of dogma or ritual. By none of these did Jesus teach that
men would be drawn to Him. What He said was, "And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all unto Me." (John 12:32.) Men may speak and stir multitudes.
Profound themes may attract the intellectual for a time, but deep down in the hearts God
would reach in this day of grace, there will be found the same old-time request, "We
would see Jesus." And they who have found Him as He is portrayed by the typical
bride's delight in Canticles, "My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten
thousand," will ever direct all eyes to Him.
Then, again,
if we are ourselves "looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith,"
looking unto Him for the impartation of His pure whiteness to us, it must follow that in a
greater and greater measure our lives will "express the beauties of true
holiness." As a result that small part of the world in which we move will be richer
because we are in it. The life we live before others is potent for good or ill!
"From
scheme and creed the light goes out;
The saintly fact survives;
The blessed Master none can doubt
Revealed in holy lives."
Each child
of God owes it to himself to "take time to be holy," and he owes it to all who
come under his influence to walk in righteousness, lest "that which is lame be turned
out of the way," or the scoffer be given opportunity to discount the practical
possibilities of a holy life, and so reproach be brought upon the name we bear. Only they
who live near to Christ will be able to rise to a proper discharge of heaven-sent
responsibilities and be vessels meet for the Master's use. Then the influence flowing
out will breathe the fragrant spirit of our Savior-Bridegroom. And what is this but
reaching the place where "the life of Jesus made manifest in our mortal flesh"
testifies to having been in His banqueting house of love?
Receiving and Reflecting the Beauty of the Lord
The Apostle
Paul rejoiced to bear about in his body "the marks of the Lord Jesus." These
were the brands left by lash and stones in his flesh. But he carried other
"marks" identifying him with Christ. His was the spirit of his Lord and Master
received under His banner of love. He received that spirit in large measure and reflected
it everywhere. This should be true of us all. The pure, undefiled religion, the religion
of Jesus, has its springs in His loving redemptive sacrifice, and, like Mary's alabaster
perfume, its fragrance leaves the altar-sweetness behind. What a privilege it is to be a
faithful Mary, a true Barnabas, a comforter of the brethren! How laudable it is just to
be where duty calls, move perhaps amid uncongenial surroundings, as Jesus ofttimes did,
and like Him leave the healing touch where so much needed, without ostentation or
coldness of manner, giving the quiet yet effective rebuke to sin and unloveliness, and
by the power of influence, imparting a more loving and patient tone to voices made
impatient through trials and difficulties. Such influence should leave those visited,
with thoughts lifted to higher visions, and hearts opened to heaven for more of God's
sweet presence. What joy to live and speak and act in such a way as to make Christian life
attractive and desirable to those we meet along life's pathway, thereby giving to others a
desire for its benefits and beauties, and imparting to them a hope of reaching higher
ground than before known. What priceless blessing we may ourselves receive in the
banqueting chambers of love, and what a privilege to reflect its effects on life and
character as testimonials of the grace and love of God.
Of those who
shall stand with our beloved Bridegroom in the realms of immortality it is written,
"They shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy." But to walk then with
Him in white, we must walk now as He walked, leaving an example of walking in love. When
we say, "My Beloved is white," that whiteness, that purity, must attract us as
nothing else can do. There must be no satisfied spirit as though His perfections had been
attained as yet, but there must be a steadfast determination to obey the inspired
admonition to leave behind the first principles and go on to perfection. This is not
optional, but imperative if God's transforming work is to be completed in us. Happy are
they who have been captivated by the hope of being finally perfected in His likeness, and
to whom the vision is magnetic and impelling. Such are they who find "the
hundred-fold" of blessing Jesus promised for the present life.
But beyond
the personal joy coming to the one living under the benign influences of our Beloved's
whiteness, there is that other boon. "If we walk in the light as He is in the light,
we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us
from all sin." Yes, that whiteness pervades our fellowship in all its features. No
dark cloud anywhere. Discord must vanish before that light. Living in the light of His
countenance there will be fellowship "like to that above" in very deed. In the
house of our pilgrimage-fellowship with the Father, fellowship with our blessed and
precious Bridegroom, and heaven-like nearness with all God's children similarly related
to Him-what a heritage! What will it be to see our Beloved face to face! Surely we shall
exclaim in unison then, as we should be doing now in provoking unto love and good works,
"My Beloved is white and ruddy, the fairest
among ten thousand."
"O! the
rapturous heights of His love,
The measureless depths of His grace!
My soul all His fullness would prove,
And live in His loving embrace."
- Contributed.
Mrs. Allie M. Horton, Granville, Ohio - (April).
Dr. W. L. Nutt, Chicago, Illinois - (September).
1941 Index |