EXTRACTS

It is an important matter to have things certified by experience. John himself says, later, “we know that the Son of God has come”, it was a fixed matter in their knowledge; and not only has He come, but He “has given us an understanding that we should know him that is true”. We know Him as true—another feature of our Lord that is to enter into service. He is the true one; and John says, “we are in him that is true, in his Son Jesus Christ”—and then he finishes with this, “He is the true God and eternal life”, 1 John 5: 20. How much is condensed into that statement! but it is a statement of fixed knowledge amongst the saints. So here Peter says, “... we have believed and known that thou art the holy one of God”. The element of holiness is to be henceforward amongst the saints. The nominal service of God has become a very wide matter; the apostle Paul says, “For if ye should have ten thousand instructors …”— and there are as many and even more in Christendom now. “Ten thousand instructors in Christ”! but then it is a question of the quality of the instruction—whether the element of holiness enters into their service.

Peter, alluding to the twelve, said, “we have believed and known that thou art the holy one of God”. At no time henceforth when Peter stood up to serve, would he forget that. The Spirit of God would secure him in relation to that. He had already confessed Jesus to be “the Christ, the Son of the living God”. He had it by revelation—he had the truth of the Lord’s Person in a unique way; but he held it as a treasure in a treasury. He never speaks of Christ as the Son of God in his preaching as far as is recorded. You may enquire why I mention that. It may even be suggested to you that I am belittling the great fact of the sonship of Christ in saying that Peter did not bring it forward. But no! far otherwise! I mention it to show how great a servant he was! that he was not only a servant getting his message at the moment from the Lord, but that he had a treasure, and he was the treasury himself. He could keep a treasure. He kept it concealed until the time arrived, in the Lord’s ordering, for its announcement. He was not one of those who say everything they know in ministry. He was one that got his message as from the Lord and was under the guidance of the Spirit in his service.

J. Taylor (Vol. 39, pp.306,307)

The great object of the gospel is that God may be known. People do not see that enough in connection with the gospel. The object is, not simply that man may be saved from hell, but that God may be known in the heart of the believer. The object is not attained till the Holy Spirit is received and has brought God to us. God could not have been fully known if evil had not entered, but I am inclined to ask those who raise questions about evil being allowed. Are you prepared to take in hand the government of the world? If I could undertake to govern better than God, I might be entitled to raise some of these questions.

Letters of F. E. Raven, p.2Edited and Published by J. Strachan, 59 Frederick Street, Dundee, DD3 9DE, Scotland

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