CHAPTER 3
[p. 431] CHAPTER 3
It seems to me this epistle is of peculiar interest to us, because of the great moral connection between what is in it and the present time. I am aware that the epistle was written at a time when Rome was at the height of her power, and outwardly all the circumstances of the church were different; but beneath the surface there are marks which identify it with the present time, e.g., the world power had asserted itself with regard to God’s witness. He was not man’s apostle, not a self-constituted apostle, but God’s apostle, and the world power had bound him. Do you say, ‘how much did the world power know of it?’ Not very much, certainly, but that does not alter the fact. You have the same principle today. The world power takes cognisance and control of Christianity. The Queen, in England, is recognised as the head of the church — the reigning power claims authority over the church. It came in specially with Rome, which became the seat of ecclesiastical authority.
But the apostle was not in bonds as an evil-doer; his bonds “in Christ” were manifest, and the effect of the apostle’s vindication was that many preached. But he could not always rejoice in the motive, though he did in the gospel being preached. In chapter 1 the apostle looks on things on man’s side; in chapter 2 on God’s side, from the divine side — an entirely different standpoint — from the platform which God had made for Himself, the platform of resurrection, of which man knew nothing. There are many who believe in resurrection who do not understand the platform of resurrection. The platform of this world is where the forces of man come into collision; God’s platform is resurrection, it means sin condemned and removed,
[p. 432] and God free to act on the platform of resurrection, where God fulfils all the pleasure of His will.
There are two points in chapter 2: (1) the exaltation of Christ; (2) the Christian company. Both are the fruit of the death of Christ, and what God has established on the platform of resurrection. I would like to understand it better myself, and so be able to make it plainer to you, it is so important. This world — Satan is the prince and god of it. Resurrection is God’s, and seeing that, I see the Lord Jesus Christ, and what He does on that platform — justification and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
“It is God which worketh in you”, etc. What is “God’s good pleasure”? That in the saints should be seen a revival of Christ. There is nothing else before God now. That is the colour in which the Philippians come out here. They were poor, not distinguished in this world, insignificant, of no account; their beginning was with the Philippian jailor, but they were a vessel in which it pleased God by His mighty power to revive Christ. They were to come out morally here — a new generation outside this world and on the platform of resurrection. If you are on that you must be outside of this world, and all that you will be concerned about will be identification with Christ in the Christian circle here.
When Christ was here, the excellency of God was seen in Him. Now Christ is in glory and He is revived down here in the Christian circle. Sin in the flesh is removed before God, so that Christ can be displayed.
Verses 13 - 16 is God’s pleasure. God’s pleasure is nothing but Christ. How? To give deliverance from everything not of resurrection, sin, flesh, this world — we are not on that platform at all. The point to which we want to come is “Risen together with Christ” — to that platform. When deliverance is complete, when it can be said, “It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”, then the result is “blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke [children of God, i.e., taking character from God], in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom ye shine as lights in the world [like Christ did]; holding forth the word of life”.
That is, a little Christian circle, insignificant as it may be, was the vessel of God’s testimony on earth. The church has taken that place, but everything depends upon God working “in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”; depends upon deliverance in the saints. It is a great thing to realise I am free from the power of sin. I am never actually free here, but there is such a thing as “putting off the body of this flesh”, so that I have greater pleasure in being free from it than in being bound by it.
You have to do with the world in business, but you are not bound by it, you can be outside of it morally. You belong to that company which is morally outside of it. “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren”. But you must find the brethren, and you will find them outside the course of this world, obscure and hid. I would be sorry to go to the great systems of this world to find them. I want to get to the brethren, and I find them outside what is of this world, obscure enough with regard to position here, but “elect of God, holy and beloved”, Colossians 3: 12.
One great point in the chapter is the exaltation of Christ at the right hand of God, and at the same time, the Christian circle in which God is operating to give them deliverance morally from all that is not of resurrection. In chapter 3 there is another thought. It is not the circle. The apostle unfolds what has a place religiously on the earth, and you will find in contrast to that the Christian has to pursue a race largely on account of the state of things here. One point which connects it remarkably with the present time is, the chapter opens with apostate Judaism and ends with [p. 434] apostate Christianity. The race comes in between. Verses 1 and 2, the way he speaks of the Jews, “beware”; in verse 17 it is “mark”. I think at the close you get terms which describe morally apostate Christians.
Dogs are people without conscience. ‘Concision’, a contemptuous term, because the apostle always looked at circumcision as having a moral bearing, but there were those who were satisfied with the outward thing. ‘Beware’, not have association with it. At the close, he speaks of apostate Christians — ‘many’, not few — these were the greater number. He speaks of them in strong terms. They were not exactly the enemies of Christ, but enemies of the testimony of Christ, it describes any one who gives licence to the flesh. (The cross means crucifixion of the flesh.) They were Christians in name, but were really apostate — “whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things”. That is what Christianity has come to in this day, what it had lapsed into in the apostle’s day. He had to warn the saints against those whose conduct was a practical denial of Christianity. You will see how that is connected with the present — the last times. The last times began very early. Many in reading Timothy think of them as being in the future, but the moment the apostles had gone the last times set in, they began long ago; see what is here even before the apostle departed. Look at professing Christianity, seeking earthly advancement and joy, it is pure selfishness, not serving God, “whose glory is in their shame”, etc. I want to present the contrast to all that.
In speaking of a race, the apostle ceases to be in that sense an apostle; he runs a race as a saint, as an example to be followed. He was a man of like passions as we, not divine like Christ. I have heard even Christians say that the apostle is egotistical. He is,
[p. 435] and why? Because it shows what God’s mighty power could accomplish in a man of like passions, and therefore he is an example for us.
There are the two things: (1) the path in the Christian circle (and you must first find it, not among the course of this world, but among people delivered from this world); and (2) then fulfil our part in this circle. That should be our primary obligation, not putting the social before it. It is the first thing to you, and you come forth to fulfil every other obligation which God has given you. It is a striking thing how few admonitions there are in the word in connection with business. Only two spheres are recognised — the Christian sphere and the social. The Christian goes through the world to provide for his household, but I do not vote, for the world is not a sphere in which the Scriptures recognise me. The Christian circle must have precedence with the social circle. It is much safer and happier to give the Christian circle its place and subordinate the social to it. One is eternal and the other temporal. The eternal obligation must take precedence of that for time. When the Christian circle is found, the next thing is to fulfil the obligations in it in love to Christ and to the saints.
Then remains to run the race. Why? Because we cannot settle down in any order of things here, because the calling is not here. You are “partakers of the heavenly calling”. We are here in the light of the calling, but my calling is above, it has no reference to anything here. There is something for the Christian to pursue. I shall not be satisfied till the calling has taken possession of my soul, till I have reached the prize.
Ephesians 1: 3 - 5. That is the calling.
Verse 3 is the place of it.
Verse 4 is the characteristics suited to it according to God’s nature.
[p. 436] Verse 6 relationship to Himself — in sonship.
Now that can never be achieved here. We are in the light of it. Therefore the apostle prays “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him ... that ye may know what is the hope of the calling”, because the calling has reference to heavenly places. It is a great thing for us to be in the light of it.
Here the calling is set before us as a prize. The calling should take complete possession of my soul. I cannot reach Christ actually, Christ must come and take me there, but the point is that “I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus” (verse 12).
The race is an important matter because it puts one to the test. There are three tests of a man running a race (1) Patience.
(2) Purpose.
(3) Training.
Many start well, but their patience breaks down, that is a great test to Christians. I have found people who have started well, but tested by endurance have broken down. Some go spasmodically, but I have an end in view and must not be turned aside.
Closely allied is purpose. Keep the eye on Christ and then your patience will not be wearied. I am no more weary than when I started thirty years ago, because sustained by the Spirit. Some grow jaded and weary because they are not in the light of the calling. What keeps you fresh is the light of the calling. ‘Garments fresh and foot unweary, tell how God has brought thee through’. (76:8) Keep the eye on Christ. Why? Because He is the Forerunner. It is a great thing to know that He has entered as the Forerunner, our Joshua, within the veil. He has got [p. 437] there, and we keep the eye on Him, that is purpose.
Training. A man would not attempt a race without training. He is careful about his food. We must have the flesh in subjugation. What do you feed upon? Christian literature? That does not tend to train. What tends to train is God’s discipline. You cannot get real training without. “That we might be partakers of his holiness”. We ought to be prepared to invite God’s discipline. “If ye be without chastisement ... then are ye bastards, and not sons”, Hebrews 12: 8. It is that we may be partakers of God’s holiness, that flesh may be set aside. “Let us lay aside every weight ... and let us run with patience”.
If there is continuance it proves the three points. They are great things, produced by the mighty power of God’s working, then you will exhibit the peaceable fruits of righteousness.
Now the point is “to know him” — to know Christ, to know the love of Christ. We are all defective on that point, a very crucial point. It is not simply the fact of the cross, but knowing Himself. What a wonderful thing to know Him! I know friends here, Christian friends. I think I can appreciate a spiritual Christian, though I make no claim to being spiritual myself, and I have more real pleasure in knowing such than in knowing one distinguished in this world. But no spiritual Christian is up to Christ; but coming to Christ, I come to the perfection of everything. The disciples knew Him in a familiar way, they were associated with Him and had the opportunity of knowing Him. We have the opportunity of knowing Him on the platform of resurrection.
“Fellowship of his sufferings”! That is what cuts me off from this world. The calling, in result, is complete likeness to Christ, according to what He is. Many want to be like Christ was. They never can be, but they may be according to what He is; that is the [p. 438] aim of the Christian. The working out of it will be ‘I would like to be so now. I would like the calling to take complete possession of my soul’.
“Forgetting the things”. It is weak people who are looking behind. Ready to bemoan the past, and say the things of the past are better than those of the present. But what I have to do with is the present. There is no behind to the Spirit, nor future, it is all one present. “Reaching forth”, etc. Whatever good things are behind, there is better before. The great point is to forget, and to reach forward to the calling of God in Christ Jesus. There is an opportunity to prove our training. The point is the calling of God on high is to take possession of our souls here, therefore we get it set before us as a prize.
Verse 15. “Perfect”. People who have reached the resurrection platform are conscious of deliverance from sin and the flesh, and know Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit outside of the course of things here. They know the love of God, and are set free from the power of sin and the flesh. The great point is, ‘walk in the unity of spiritual affection’ — the same rule.
Then comes the warning against apostate Christianity. Now I defy anybody to say this chapter is not available and practicable now. Let the truth have its own place. If we are found in the Christian circle, let us seek to fulfil our obligations. But the consummation of it is not here, but is in heaven, in complete likeness to Christ. “Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body”, to fulfil completely the calling of God “according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself”.
God grant that we may be prepared to go on and prove God, and the mighty power working in us to [p. 439] bring out patience and purpose and training, so that our souls may be possessed with the greatness of God’s calling. May that thought so take possession of us that we may be encouraged to run the race “looking off unto Jesus ... who ... is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”.