CHAPTER 5
God only is absolute. He is seen acting as such in
Genesis 1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. But the title, Christ (or the Christ), is, I think, whether found in the Old Testament or in the New, always relative in the mind of God. He, who is God, has taken the title, Christ, in relation to men. And although men may have lost the sense of this, and as time went on may have only used the title, Christ, as a mere name, this does not alter anything as to God’s thought and purpose. Father, too, I suppose, is a relative title in the New Testament, as Jehovah is in the Old. Both suppose men in a certain relationship.
The title Christ, or “the Christ”, is still a relative title.
We have to learn from scripture what the relationship is, and to whom it is applied, now that He who bears it is the exalted Christ, Acts 2: 36. In reference to Israel, He has for the moment laid it aside. “Then he enjoined on his disciples that they should say to no man that he was the Christ”, Matt 16: 20. With this the word to Daniel agrees: “After the sixty-two weeks shall Messiah [the Christ] be cut off, and shall have nothing”, Dan 9: 26. We have here the united testimony of the change that was coming in, from both Old and New Testaments. The Lord anticipated it. And when we come to the day of Pentecost, we have this further addition, “God hath made him, this Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ”, Acts 2: 36. This was Peter’s testimony on that day. Peter had before confessed, as one taught the truth by the Father, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”. And thereon the Lord unfolded to him what the new association would be. “Upon this rock I will build my assembly, and hades gates shall not prevail against it”, Matt 16: 18. The Christ now, therefore, and until He takes up again His earthly people, is in relationship with the church. Not that even then He will cease in any way His present relationship to the church. For we see from 284
scripture that she will be associated with Him. “Ye shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel”, Matt 19: 28. Now that this should be the Lord’s present relation is in contrast with the Christ’s relationship to Israel. This will be seen if we reflect for a moment, that with His ancient people it was, and will again be, earthly, but now it is heavenly. Again, in the former, the middle wall of partition was kept up; now it is broken down. Then Israel was the fold, and the Gentile was shut out; now there is no fold, but
“one flock and one shepherd”, John 10.
The Lord has for the moment laid aside the earthly
relationship, to enter into, and introduce into, a heavenly one. This was hinted to Nicodemus. “If I have said the earthly things to you, and ye believe not, how, if I shall say the heavenly things to you, will ye believe”, John 3: 12. It shews the difference which He had come to introduce into.
There is consequently a new order, a new place, and a new relationship, and these are indicated in His title, “the Christ”, which is His now in exaltation.
Now in this fifth chapter and onward, the earthly relationships of life come before us. They are to be considered with reference to the paramount heavenly relationship of the believer with Christ. Every natural tie must be looked at as in subjection to or under the control of this heavenly relationship, in which each Christian stands—a member of His body. Each must confess his or her own individual responsibility in this respect, whatever the earthly and natural relationship may be in which he or she may stand to other men or women on the earth. And first we are told, “the Christ loved us, and delivered himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour”, v 2. The spring and source of all our blessing is traced to His love for us. God has accepted us in the act which expressed it, and we are given to the Son.
The sphere in which He rules, bows to the “mind of Christ”.
It is “the kingdom of the Christ and God”, v 5. We have been translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love, but some have no inheritance there. “Let no one deceive you with vain 285
words.’’ Nought that is of darkness and of the will of man will intrude into it. Our work is to prove what is “agreeable to the Lord”, and thus will is practically shut out. As to the light, it makes all manifest, and it is the Christ Himself.
“Wherefore, he says, Wake up, thou that sleepest, and arise up from among the dead, and the Christ shall shine upon thee”. The surpassing excellence of the relationship in which the Christ now stands to men is evident to faith. As the light, He manifests everything; and to him that is “not as unwise”, his relation to Christ becomes the test of all earthly ties during this present interval. This we see in verses 23, 24, 25, 29.
From A Voice to the Faithful—vol 24, 1890
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