(2) A GENERATION ACCORDING TO GOD
([p. 446] 2) A GENERATION ACCORDING TO GOD
It is interesting to observe the progress of the truth in this epistle. Philippians is not doctrinal, it is a practical epistle; it is not exactly an unfolding of the purpose of God, but highly experimental. Sin is not referred to in it, as has been said. In chapter 1 is opened out the state of things which existed in the apostle’s day, of which he makes no secret. The apostle was held in bondage by the power at Rome; this was not encouraging, neither was the state of Christians encouraging; he speaks of all seeking their own, and of those who were enemies of the cross of Christ.
In chapter 2, however, we get the generation which is according to God, what might be called a divine generation morally; “children of God”, the Philippians were to come out here in that light. The passage does not refer so much to their position, but as to how they were to come out morally. “Blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life”. The apostle desired that the saints might be here answering to that which is according to God.
We have to remember that there is divine power here to effectuate in the saints that which is for His pleasure, “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. The Spirit of God will carry out that which is for God’s good pleasure; it may not be anything great in display, nor yet may it be operated in the channels we might expect, but none the less there is mighty power down here, undiminished power to effectuate what is according to God; the Spirit of God cannot be bound. It [p. 447] is a great thing to be in the line and circle where the Spirit of God so works. In the apostle’s day what was wrought was that the little company at Philippi should be here bearing the character of the children of God; they were not of great account in this world, for they were but poor; and this is encouraging to us; nothing possibly can exceed our smallness and insignificance, but so it was, too, with the Philippians.
Chapter 3 presents the race, and is individual, and most important in its bearing; the race is also referred to in Hebrews 12, and again in 1 Corinthians 9, “So run I, not as uncertainly”, the apostle shows there the purpose which energised him in running. We do not run a race as a company; it is each one for himself trying to reach the goal.
There are three things which come out in the second chapter: (1) the mind of Christ Jesus, which is also to come out in the saints; (2) the exaltation of Christ; and (3) the generation which was to be here according to God, “blameless and harmless, children of God, without rebuke”. I believe the whole is based on the first point. The exaltation of Christ, and the Christian circle here are both based upon the “death of the cross”. The Christian circle is the vessel of testimony, for the saints are to shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life. There is but one subject of testimony now; it was not always thus. God has had different testimonies at different times; but the testimony now is Christ at the right hand of God; Christians are said to be “light in the Lord”. God has given testimony to the glory of the Lord, and He would have us in the light of it before Christ comes out in display. The Holy Spirit has come down here to report the glory of Christ, and the vessel of the testimony is in the light of that glory. Saints are not anxious enough as to being suitable for that testimony; we all like to be in the light of it.
Now, death is the basis of all; it must be so, for [p. 448] there was a man down here after the flesh, under death, under law, and under curse; until that man was set aside to God’s glory God could not carry out the purpose of His will; God did not do this until that man had been fully tested, without law, by law, by prophets, and finally by Christ. That man was the difficulty in the way of God.
What has come to pass is this — a divine Person has come forth, and that Person has gone down into death in order that that man should be for ever set aside to God’s glory; thus to remove out of the way what was in the way of God carrying out His purpose. We have on our part to enter in mind into that which Christ entered into actually; we have to come in mind to letting that man go, otherwise there is obstruction to the work of God in me. There could be nothing more important than to come to that: “Let this mind be in you”. Death was the point to be reached and God reached it shortly in Christ; we have to reach that end by another road, and it often takes us a long time to reach it, and if you do not reach it, there is constant obstruction in God’s ways with you. We are sometimes indisposed to go that road.
But to return to Christ (verses 5 - 11); there are two steps in the course which He took: (1) “He made himself of no reputation”; (2) “He humbled himself and became obedient unto death”. He is not spoken of as humbling Himself until He had become a man. He did not consider Himself even when in the form of God, He made Himself of no reputation. How often we assert ourselves, but He made Himself of no reputation, of no account.
Then we have the second step, “He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”, and death meant the removal of the old man from before the eye of God. When Christ died the man that stood in the way disappeared from under the eye of God, and to God’s glory. There were two [p. 449] things — the old man was gone, but more than that, God was glorified where that man was set aside; the man after the flesh who was the obstruction to God carrying out His purpose has disappeared. The apostle had reached death and crucifixion for himself, he could say, “I am crucified with Christ”; we get to it often in a more tedious way.
Are you all content to be as clay in the hand of the potter? If so, you have come to that mind, that the old man has gone. All have to come to the mind of the cross, not to its judgment, for Christ took that. If you do not, you maintain a great obstruction to God’s having His way with you.
Now I come to the second point (verse 9), “God also hath highly exalted him”. All is put under the hand of man, but not under the hand of the man who offended, but of the One who glorified God; God has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name. Name implies renown; it is not the thought here of the authority of Christ over those who believed, but of His universal authority, “every knee shall bow”. There are those who are bowed now in grace and faith, but the thought here embraces all. We confess Him now as Lord, with the mouth, but “We see Jesus crowned with glory and honour”, all is put under that Man; the world to come is put under man because He has accomplished redemption.
When all which stood in the way was removed, God had a free hand, and He put forth His mighty power, and raised Christ from the dead and set Him at His right hand. When God began with Adam, He began with the dust of the earth, but the starting-point for the carrying out of God’s purpose is now the right hand of God — all emanates from that point. There is given to Christ universal dominion. John 5 confirms this in verses 22 - 26; we have there two things: “The Son quickeneth whom he will”, and (2) all judgment [p. 450] is committed to Him, thus there is authority over all. He quickens whom He will, for He is a life-giving Spirit; but it is given to Him also to execute judgment; “as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man”. Christ has taken in hand the solution of every moral question, He has been manifested to undo the works of the devil. The offending man had to be removed in another Man, and that Man is the Son of God; and God has now exalted Him, and every knee is to bow to Him, and every tongue to confess Him Lord, to the glory of God the Father; universal authority is given to Him. He is now a life-giving Spirit, but will also execute judgment.
The next great consequence of the death of Christ is a divine generation here, Christ set at God’s right hand in heavenly glory is the new starting-point for God. Christians are of the Man who is at God’s right hand, for He is a life-giving Spirit, and He operates in all according to God. Who would have thought as regards that little company at Philippi, that the power of God was there? The power of God is still here for the church, that it may be according to God. The power of God is not here merely for the gospel, as many think; the church is the vessel of testimony, and the first activity of God’s power is in the church. “It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure”. God had wrought, Jew and Gentile had by the Spirit become one body, and that body was Christ’s body.
If you look at the character of the company, they were to be without reproach, “blameless and harmless”. They were children of God, formed by the love of God; and in return, loving God. It is the generation spoken of in the end of John 17, “that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them”. How very few of us understand what [p. 451] it is to be in the love of God; to love God is properly descriptive of Christians; “all things work together for good to them that love God”. So also in 1 Corinthians 2, “the things which God hath prepared for them that love him”. It is not a special class of Christians, but a proper description of them, though they may not be in the sense of it.
We come now to the vessel of testimony, “among whom ye shine as lights in the world” — there was no light but the Lord. The apostle did not preach himself, but Christ Jesus the Lord, He is the light. Christ is Man under the eye of God, in whom all is established for God, “we see Jesus crowned with glory and honour”. God has been glorified in the Man in whom the offending man was removed, and now the Man in whom He has been glorified is at His right hand. No one would think that we are going to shine in our own light. Precious stones have no light of themselves, they reflect light; the Lord is the source of all light. A diamond in a dark place will not shine; put a Christian in a dark place as to his soul and he will not shine; let him be in the light of the Lord and he will shine. Our fellowship would be attractive if we were all kept in the light of the Lord, there would be nothing wrong or crooked then; we should reflect light as the moon reflects the light of the sun.
We can tell, too, where the water of life is to be found, we hold forth the word of life, and seek to make plain that “whosoever will” may take of the water of life freely. This is the practical result of having reached the cross. It is a great point when you reach the cross, you have got rid of a great hindrance, having put off the body of the flesh, and you are formed in the divine nature; all is from the right hand of God.
May God give us so to see the great reality of these things, that we may accept death, which is deliverance;
[p. 452] that thus there may be no practical hindrance to God carrying out His purpose in us. If the Spirit of God is occupied in contending against the flesh, there will not be much progress. His proper work is to work in us that we may will and do of God’s good pleasure.