THE PURGATION OF THE CONSCIENCE FOR THE SERVICE OF GOD
[p. 49] THE PURGATION OF THE CONSCIENCE FOR THE SERVICE OF GOD
FER We had before us yesterday the service of Christ as high priest, both in regard to intercession and ministry; and ministry connected with His being minister of the holy places. In this chapter the point is the purgation of the conscience for the service of God. Christ is spoken of as being come a “high priest of good things to come ... having obtained eternal redemption ... who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God”. The thought of the passage in its application to us, is the purgation of the conscience so that we may serve the living God. Christ is high priest of good things to come; we are in connection with good things to come; we are on that ground of the world to come; otherwise we should not be in accord with Christ. The Jew served God after the flesh, and that order of things. Now we serve God in connection with good things to come, which is another order of things.
The present time is peculiar; it does not belong to the past, but it anticipates what is to come. There is not a state of things which is recognised of God now. Christians are recognised of God, and that as on the ground of the good things to come. The life of the christian here is the life of the wilderness, but we anticipate what is future; we are on that ground, Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, but they are yet to come. Christ has entered in as the high priest of good things, but the good things have yet to come; though we in the Spirit have come to them now; that we get in chapter 12: 22, etc. The law had a shadow of good things to come — Mount Zion is a “good thing” — “the heavenly Jerusalem”, etc. — these are all “good things”. Serving the living God is in the sense of worship — it is priestly service, not levitical.
Ques. What of [p. 50] dead works?
FER They are connected with the old covenant. Christianity has been set up by the world, according to the pattern of Judaism; it is not according to God as it exists now. The buildings are all on that pattern; you get a nave and a chancel; they are not spiritual, they are all material. We cannot get purgation apart from a change of ground. The conscience has to be purged not merely from sins but from dead works. The service is priestly; it is worship.
Ques Is it like “redeemed from your vain conversation received by tradition”? (1 Peter 1: 18).
FER Yes; it is a great thing to apprehend what Christ is and the things which are connected with Him. There is a divinely appointed order, connected with Him — a new moral order, “Come by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands — that is to say, not of this building”. The tabernacle must be all in accord with the priest. The first tabernacle was anointed with oil, not only the vessels. The “better and more perfect tabernacle” is that which is established in the power of the Spirit. The secret of going on with dead works is that Christ is not apprehended officially. If people did apprehend that, they would get an apprehension of the coming good things. The good things to come are all connected with the living God, for life will pervade all, so that all may be united to Him.
Rem It is all, too, on the ground of the will of God, and not the responsibility of man.
FER Yes — Christ has entered in.
Ques What is the force of “worldly sanctuary”?
FER It was a place where all was ordered in a worldly way. It was all material, whatever it might point to. There was a good deal of beggarly elements in it, but still it was recognised, because God was taking account of man after the flesh, It was divine service, but after a worldly sanctuary, i.e., material, not spiritual. It was called worldly because of the ordering; it was in a kind of way after the world. It was all measured; it was according to the order of this world — literally and [p. 51] materially it was a worldly sanctuary.
Rem It was in keeping with the way God was dealing with man.
FER The service did not require priests to be spiritual. The divine service was connected with a worldly sanctuary. The apostle shows what was the character of it, and then he goes on to show the contrast. Christ has entered into the holy place, having found eternal redemption. You find in that way a basis for the world to come. Christ came here to establish the will of God.
Ques What is the force of eternal redemption?
FER It is in contrast to temporal deliverance. All has been discharged, every burden; every obligation and encumbrance under which man lay is discharged. Christ was both priest and victim. He has obtained eternal redemption. All that we do in connection with the service of God, must in mind be connected with the new order of things. Christ has entered into the holy place; the holy place is the love of God — the holy place is the start of all.
Christ has entered into heaven itself. The thought is the contrast between the place into which Christ has gone, and where the high priest went once a year. We are connected with Christ as the high priest of good things to come. I could have no part in a christianity which takes account of this world; I would have no part with a state church, because Christ is not connected with that order of things, for He is a high priest of good things to come. Every dissenting system connects itself with the order of this world. Christ is the high priest of good things to come, and I have to recognise Him as such, and these good things have yet to come. Christ has gone in, and has taken that position in regard to man. It was natural and suitable that He should go in, but He has gone in as having taken up that position. In our minds we must be detached from what is connected with this world. That was not the case in the past, nor will it be in the future; but now if we are to be in connection with [p. 52] Christ, our minds must be detached from the present course of things here. The service of Christ in the previous part of the epistle is to attach us to Him; but here He is the centre and pillar of a vast system of good things. Christianity, so-called, is set up in this world without Christ; you get christians in profession, and it really excludes Christ. I know no system which does not recognise this world. There is a rivalry amongst the systems as to which will be most conspicuous. The divinely appointed order of things is the good things to come. Christianity anticipates that, but professed christianity is brought down to judaism. What we anticipate we hope for.
Rem It all involves another Man and another world.
FER Yes, that is just it. The Spirit is here to maintain for Christ, until He comes in again. The Spirit shows us “things to come”. The solemn thing is that in the position which Christ has taken up, of High Priest of good things to come, He cannot connect Himself with any religious system here. Many may be in fellowship and yet come to the meetings as to a religious service. It is a serious consideration how far we may have drifted into the line of systematic religious services. We should take these things to heart.
Rem There is danger of going back to things.
FER There is nothing of any value, save what is in the power of the Spirit.
Rem In Malachi 3 they spoke often one to another.
FER Well, if we come together, let it be as it was with those in Malachi’s time — to communicate one with another, as to the Lord’s things. I would like us to come together to meet those who pray, and those whose desire is to enter into the mind of the Lord. I feel that we need to be exercised in regard to these things.
Rem Exercise is to take the place of system.
FER Yes, that is it — the light of good things to come would give character to everything. We are thus brought into the presence of another order of things. It is a wonderful thing to get the conscience purged from [p. 53] dead works to serve the living God in connection with that order.
Ques What is the thought in “things above”?
FER “Things above” are things connected with the place where Christ is. In the early days of the church they continued steadfastly ... in breaking of bread, and in prayers. We should not settle down to a kind of complacency with things as they are. The kingdom of heaven in the hands of man is a ruin. It is conspicuous, but it is a ruin; it has assumed a shape and form which is not according to God. Those who really feel the affliction of the ruin will come together for prayer. The tendency is to drift on, and to settle down into a regular system of things, instead of realising that we are connected with the high priest of good things to come, and are called to serve the living God in connection with that order; and for this it is necessary to be delivered from all the entanglements here. We should not be insensible as to our position as standing apart, and to the state of things within and without us.
Ques What of the last clause of verse 15: “might receive the promise of eternal inheritance”?
FER Properly it refers to Israel. We have obtained an inheritance, but it is in Christ. Israel’s inheritance will be eternal; it will not be forfeited, nor will it be taken from them, it is eternal. Forgiveness of sins and inheritance are preached in the gospel. The holiest is a moral thought. Christ has gone into a place — into “heaven itself”, an actual place. In the passage “The Son of man which is in heaven”, heaven is characteristic. There are holy places here, where God dwells and walks, but the other side is that we enter the holiest, where we enter into and taste the holy love of God, and enter into the secret of His purposes as all centred in Christ.
The Spirit is the pledge of the inheritance.