CHAPTER 1
[p. 415] CHAPTER 1
I think it should be a great encouragement to us that the Spirit should see fit to give us a picture of the church (or of Christianity, if you will), not only in the order of the early days, as seen in the early chapters of the Acts, but, too, when things were not in that order.
The apostle brings before us here that in which he could find his satisfaction, when the most painful elements had come in — such elements as you see in chapter 2 and in chapter 3 particularly — “Many walk [not simply few] of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ”, etc. That was what the church had come to to a large extent. They were not heathens, nor Jews; but in practice they were the enemies of the cross of Christ. If that were the state of things then, it is the state at the present moment. It is what profession has come to; the mass of Christendom are in practice the enemies of the cross of Christ.
What I understand by that expression is this: people who sanction the flesh are the enemies of God’s testimony. The cross of Christ means that God has set aside the flesh in the cross, and those who sanction it in divine things are enemies of all the testimonies converged in the cross.
If that was the outward state of things at the beginning, and is still the outward state of things, we may take the other side, and we may find that in which the heart of the Lord can find satisfaction.
The epistle to the Philippians shows it. Philippi was a fragment of the church, and there, in a general state of declension, the heart of the apostle could find [p. 416] satisfaction. You cannot find a greater privilege than to give satisfaction to the heart of Christ. The church is here to answer morally to what Christ is there. Every trait of Christ will be set forth by the church in glory and it should be so here now.
It is important to see that that is the connecting link between the church in glory and the church now. The apostolic church comes to an end when the Spirit leaves it, and only corruption is left. In the meantime “Jew and Gentile are builded together by the Spirit”. What supplants it in the millennium is the Holy City. But the body of Christ is the connecting link between the present and the future. That is just as real now as then, and then, as now. The moral thought of the body is that in which He Himself is set forth, e.g., you cannot penetrate into my mind: all that anyone knows of me is that which is set forth in my body; they may see the expression of my mind in my eye, and in my words. The body is that in which the intelligence of man is set forth. “His body is the fulness of him which filleth all in all”. That will be true hereafter of the Holy City, but it is true now.
“Christ in you, the hope of glory”, that is Christ set forth in the church. That was the intention of the church — to be the reflex of Christ in glory, to be the presentation of Christ in the very scene where He was rejected. That is what the body is set here for, not that we are to be seen, but Christ; not simply Christ in the individual, but Christ in the company.
In this epistle chapter 2 is the company — the Christian circle.
Chapter 3 is the race — the idea of that is individuality, not the company.
Chapter 4 is the bearing and attitude of one who is running the race, what is suited to one who is running the race of chapter 3.
There are two marks of the Christian — the calling and the race — which come out in Hebrews. Chapter 10 [p. 417] is the calling and chapter 12 is the race. In Philippians you have in chapter 2 the company, and that is connected with calling; in chapter 3 the race.
The great point for us to be exercised about is how far we are answering to the mind of Christ with regard to the calling, and as to how far we are in the race. The race implies that there is something to be attained, there is a good “Looking off unto”, etc.
Previous to speaking of the Christian circle in chapter 2, the apostle unfolds in chapter 1 the whole outward state of things at the moment, and it is what corresponds to what we are conscious of at this moment. We should be thankful that the Spirit has opened up to us the outward state of things as here: there is nothing covered up, but the whole state of things at Rome is all laid bare to us. I am thankful it is so. If you see all this now the next thing is to be ambitious that there should be too what answers to chapter 2. If it were not for the word of God we could not understand the outward state of things at present. But seeing that, we must remember “the arm of the Lord is not shortened”, but our desire be to answer to chapter 2 — the circle. You can never run the race unless you know something of the calling. In Hebrews you get, first the calling, and then the race. That is a point of great importance.
If I speak for a moment of the outward state of things it is opened out in connection with three associations — Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome — the three centres of the Spirit’s activity. It is interesting to compare what comes out here with what comes out in the close of the Acts. It is evident that Rome had become the centre of the Spirit’s activity, the place of testimony.
Jerusalem. What opposed the testimony there was the religious element. It was from without — from the scribes and Pharisees.
God’s testimony is Christ in glory. There is a [p. 418] great principle in the word of God — God never displays anything till first a testimony has been given. You see it through the whole Scriptures. With the fathers — Abram, Isaac and Jacob — the promises were first given in testimony; then comes the display. So with the people in Egypt. First was the testimony, and then the display. The testimony of this moment is Christ in glory. God has no other testimony now, every testimony centres there. Christ is not displayed until first the testimony is given of Him here. The object of the church and of the Spirit being here is that there should be a full testimony to Christ in glory. That is the light of our hearts. “We, beholding the glory of the Lord”, etc. (2 Corinthians 3: 18). We are conformed to His image that we may be here in the testimony of His glory. Testimony consists not in what people say, but in what people are. There is a testimony connected with gift, but testimony as a divine thought is what we are. I can prove it from Scripture. The men to whom the promises were given — their testimony was not in what they said, but in what they were — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob — “sojourned”, “for he looked for a city”, etc. (Hebrews 11: 8 - 10).
Moses, too, what was his testimony? He chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God”, Hebrews 11: 24 - 27. He chose to be identified with the people of God in reproach. Our privilege in the absence of Christ in glory is to be identified with His rejection. And if we are in the light of His glory, we shall be identified with His cross; we have no continuing city here.
I am perfectly convinced of the truth of this. If we are in the light of Christ in glory, it must come out in the saints in their moral superiority, what men are governed by here, and to all they have to pass through, and there must be identification with His reproach.
Speaking of Jerusalem, the testimony of the apostles, as you may see in the Acts, is of Christ in glory.
“Whom God hath exalted”. When Paul was brought out he does not set aside that testimony, but something is added. It is a greater testimony. He has greater light. He preached that He was the Son of God. I can understand with the twelve, they had known Him after the flesh, and as risen and exalted the Holy Spirit had come down. They reported what the Holy Spirit had taught them. That is not Paul’s ministry, because he had not known Him after the flesh. He was revealed to him from glory as the Son of God; Galatians 1: 15, 16.
Now the element which opposed the testimony of a risen and exalted Christ was the religious element, and it came from without. We have only that in a modified form today because the Jew has been set aside for his opposition, and scattered over the whole earth.
Again at Antioch, it was the religious element, but from brethren, the Jewish element within. The opposition within is often more trying than that from without. If Satan is not able to stamp it out, he will try to spoil the testimony. That was the work of the enemy at Antioch. That came to an end, the matter was happily settled at Jerusalem.
At Rome you do not find the opposition of the religious element without, nor prominently the Jewish element within, but the opposition of the world power — stirred up by Jews. The world power had the testimony of God in bondage, the vessel of it was in prison. That identifies it with the present time. The opposition in our time is the world power, not in the literal way the Philippians knew it, but the world power dominates the testimony; it is under the patronage of the world power. It was ordained of God, and we have to pray for rulers, etc., but it was never God’s intention that it should control and order the testimony. More or less from that time to now the testimony has been in bondage. What spoilt the [p. 420] Reformation was that it accepted the domination of the world power and the testimony was held in bondage by it.
I just refer to a few points in the chapter. Verses 12 - 20. I ask one question. What possible satisfaction could the apostle find in Rome in the general state of things there? He was in prison, though what came to pass in the providence of God was that the apostle was vindicated; it was manifested that he was not bound as an evil-doer, but that it was in connection with the testimony, “bonds in Christ”. God allowed it to be so ordered that the testimony was not marred. The effect of that was remarkable; it was to give impetus to the preaching of the gospel. But even in the preaching, the motives were not all pure (verses 15 - 18). There is a deal of mixed motive in connection with the testimony here. Not a state of things to afford satisfaction to the heart of the apostle. But his great heart carried him above it all. It is great grace that this state of things should be opened out to us. He saw that it would work to his salvation (verse 19) personally, that Christ might “be magnified”, etc. His salvation was not deliverance from prison, but has a much larger sense, complete deliverance from all the power of the enemy, and the way of it was through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Christ Jesus, so that “Christ might be magnified ... whether by life or by death”. He was certainly a very special vessel of God’s testimony. “For to me to live is Christ”; he was so transparent, so governed by God’s testimony, that not Paul was seen in the apostle, but Christ was seen in him. Even the state of things at Rome, which must have been exceedingly trying to his spirit, “yet would turn to his salvation”.
But now as to his thought in regard to the saints. It is blessed to see his confidence in God in regard to himself, but what he desired and expected on the part of the saints at Philippi — what was this confidence in [p. 421] which he could find satisfaction? (verses 23 - 30.) Now one point which strikes me is the remarkable way in which the heart of the apostle goes out to the saints. He is in a strait, yet determines to remain for their sake. He partook in the affection of Christ which so strikingly comes out in the gospels. There is nothing more beautiful than to see the affection of Christ coming out in a vessel — here working in him, the prisoner. You can understand his saying, “For to me to live is Christ”.
You will never understand the truth of the church if you do not apprehend the devoted affection with which Christ regarded the little company of disciples down here. There is the same devoted affection in resurrection. The same comes out in the apostle, though it meant personal gain to depart; yet he was content to remain for their sakes.
There were two things the apostle expected on their part:
(1) The conversation worthy of God as set forth in the gospel.
(2) No fear of man.
The man that is standing in the light of God is not afraid of his adversaries. If one is afraid of adversaries it proves that he is not in the enjoyment of the light in which God has been pleased to shine out. In the midst of the surrounding darkness is your soul in the light of the glory of God? First I get the light of the grace of God; when I know more I see it is the gospel of the glory of God. I think the gospel of the glory to be the effulgence of God, the light of God as shining out in Christ in glory. God has achieved in Christ all the purposes of His heart. There is a Man at the right hand of God in whom God has not only been revealed, but glorified in all His attributes. And not only that, but that same One is vested with power to form everything according to God. Power [p. 422] to subdue all things to Himself, to form everything from and according to God. Everything starts from the right hand of God — a blessed starting-point. The “new man is created after God”. How? By the power of the Holy Spirit. That One at the right hand of God, the Son of God, the One in whose face every attribute of God is revealed, is the One who has authority and power to form man according to God. How the power of Christ works down here is: (1) to send the Holy Spirit to form, from the right hand of God, man for God; (2) to conduct what is so formed by the Holy Spirit into the Father’s presence, “It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is”, 1 John 3: 2.
What I have brought before you tonight is nothing but the gospel: the glad tidings of the grace of God.
You may be amidst the darkness of this world, but at the same time, in your soul is the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. The result of it will be that our conversation will be worthy of the gospel, and there will be no fear of man.
If you would bear testimony, you cannot unless you are in the light of that glory. We ought to be transformed by it, and be in the blessed consciousness of His power to subdue all things to Himself. The Holy Spirit came for that purpose.
If you take the place of a servant, you must be prepared to sacrifice yourself for the saints. Like the apostle, you must be prepared to refuse personal advantage. And what is Christianity without divine affections? It is the substance of Christianity. May God give us to know more of the light of the glory of God, and to walk here more in power in the Christian circle of divine affections.