THE BODY AND THE ASSEMBLY
[p. 292] THE BODY AND THE ASSEMBLY
1 Corinthians 10: 14 - 22; 1 Corinthians 12: 28 - 31
JT I would like to remark that some of us here have had this book much in mind for several weeks, and what is before us now is to inquire into the difference between the body, as composing all the saints, and the assembly, as involving the gifts.
The last scripture read says, “God has set certain in the assembly, first apostles ...” and from this point we have much about gift; that is to say, about ability to serve the saints according to what is said elsewhere, that Christ, “Having ascended up on high, he has led captivity captive, and has given gifts to men ... some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists and some shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints; with a view to the work of the ministry, with a view to the edifying of the body of Christ”, Ephesians 4: 8 - 12. It says also in that chapter. “To each one of us has been given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Christ”. In 1 Corinthians 10 what is in mind is the body, as the vessel in which things are worked out for God, including all the saints, and leading up to the truth of the assembly, as spoken of in the eleventh chapter, in which the Lord’s supper is celebrated. The word ‘assembly’ covers the body too, as well as the gifts that are in the assembly, but what is in mind is that we might see the distinction that has to be made between the body, as composing all the saints, and the assembly; for that is the word used in chapter 12 in which God has set the gifts. Not that the word assembly always involves the gifts, for it is correlated with the body; but the gifts are set in the assembly. In verses 16 and 17 of our chapter it says, “The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of the Christ? Because we, being many, are one loaf, one [p. 293] body; for we all partake of that one loaf”. It says, “I speak as to intelligent persons”, that is, the body.
AJD Are we all committed to this, as those who partake of the one loaf, involving fidelity to the testimony and the fellowship?
JT That is what I understand. It contemplates the fellowship; that is what is in mind. Fidelity to the fellowship, fidelity to one another, and to God too.
TSMcG Is that why it is enjoined, “Flee from idolatry”?
JT Just so.
Ques Do you think we need more body consciousness, the sense that we are all in the body, standing in relation to one another?
JT Quite so, and that involves the preciousness of each saint. You might refer to other scriptures, but Corinthians suffices for us to bring out what is necessary in this respect, what is in the body and every one of us, as thus set. How important the saints are as in the body! There is a certain peculiar preciousness attached to the value of the saints, whether brothers or sisters, viewed as in the body.
PL “Why persecutest thou me?” Would that be the Lord’s estimate of the body?
JT I have often thought of that. The Lord there shows that the persecution is not directed personally against Himself; it is directed to Himself in the saints, those who form His body.
JS “I speak as to intelligent persons”. He gives the assembly credit for knowing things, and I was looking at it rather, that He expects us to go in for these things; He gives us credit for being intelligent.
JT It is a feature of first Corinthians, what we would call an abstract idea. That is how we would regard the assembly abstractly, as intelligent, not as just newly brought in from paganism, but as having some knowledge, as filled with the Holy Spirit.
SM [p. 294] Would if be necessary to have a conscious sense of having a place in the body before one would be available, as in the end of the twelfth chapter?
JT I would think that.
AJD Would gifts be exercised in the light of the truth of the body?
JT Quite so. That is why we are the vessel through which God is operating, of which we read in chapter 12, “So also is the Christ”. It is in connection with the exercises of service, and hence that chapter is to be taken up with this thought of the body; but it turns to the thought of the assembly, as involved in the verses read.
FV Is there a difference between gifts in persons, and gifts of persons?
JT A very good distinction. The gifts in Ephesians are the persons themselves: “He has given some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some shepherds and teachers”; the apostles themselves are gifts. There is a difference between a person who is a gift in that sense, and what God has given to him.
Rem The gifts are placed in the assembly for the edifying of the saints.
JT Just so, that is where God has set them.
TP Should we all have a gift?
JT Well; it would only be in the sense of the passage quoted, “To each one of us has been given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Christ”. That would not be specific gift. Gifts are specified, apostles, prophets and so forth.
TP I thought we all had a part.
JT We have, every brother and sister has a part in this system. So the woman of Samaria is an illustration of it, being a sister. She came out of the city with a water-pot to get water, but she left that behind her, and went away to the city and [p. 295] spoke to the men, meaning that she did not remain with the idea of a water-pot; the Lord had incorporated her in a new system. It is a very important thing, and covers every brother and sister who has the Spirit. So that she was in the system, as having left the water-pot; she was herself the vessel that the Lord could use.
PW Would what you have said relative to intelligent persons in the body, and the gifts in the assembly, govern our attitude towards the believers that are not available to us?
JT Quite so. We sit down together on the Lord’s day morning, and I suppose our first thought would be those that are present, and our attitude towards them would be one of love; but then we widen in our thoughts as we proceed, and think of all the saints. Firstly, I would say, those who are actually walking with us, that we have no difficulty about, and then others who are not walking with us, but the Lord knows those that are His. We may have real difficulties about them, and may not be able to walk with them, but He knows them, and we too, and therefore the position is very wide. “The Lord knows those that are his; and, Let every one who names the name of the Lord withdraw from iniquity”, 2 Timothy 2: 19. If we cannot walk with them we can care for them, the attitude of our minds would be to have them with us: but if we cannot, we have to leave that to the Lord. The Lord knows them; His ownership of the saints on earth is very great; He has knowledge of everyone who is His (2 Timothy 2: 19).
AJD We value one another as we see God has set us together; we have to learn that God has set us together.
JT I think so. Those whom God Himself can go on with must have the first, place with us, because they are of more value immediately, not [p. 296] ultimately, but more valuable immediately, because they are in themselves set right; as is said in the last chapter of Revelation, “Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have right to the tree of life”. These are of much more value than those who are not washed. There is such a thing in Revelation as the Lord’s washing, that He has washed us and cleansed us with His own blood, but there is the idea of our washing ourselves. Therefore we are more immediately available than those who are not washed.
JJ They are valuable to one another, but not available to one another.
JT Just so; there is the immediate working number that we have to go on with, but the Lord goes on with all, and at the same time, He knows those that are His.
TSMcG These are proper body feelings. Few are available to us, because many do not avail themselves of the privilege.
JT Well, they are not available to the Lord in that sense, and, of course, they are not so available to us; that is why I venture to say those who are immediately available are the first to be thought of. But we widen out as we are near the Lord, and the meeting proceeds, and we increase in appreciation, as the Lord is moving about on the first day of the week; and I would say, He is moving about. It says figuratively in Psalm 19: 5, “He is as a bridegroom going forth from his chamber; he rejoiceth as a strong man to run the race”. We think of them accordingly, as He does. He knows where they are, from east to west, from north to south. He knows them.
JS Is that the reason that sometimes on Lord’s day morning the universal thought [p. 297] comes into our minds?
JT It comes into our minds; that is to say, it was in the Lord’s mind first, before it was in Paul’s mind. The Lord says, “I have much people in this city”; that would mean that they were potentially His people, but they had to be sought out, and washed and cleansed and made available for His service.
AM Would you say the Lord expects intelligent believers to hear what Paul says; he says, “Do ye judge what I say”.
JT “Do ye judge”. I would say that. The Lord is looking for a right judgment with His people, and those that are immediately available to Him are the first, I would say; they would occupy the first place with Him, and correspondingly with us; we think of all those who are immediately available.
FT Would every believer, washed or unwashed, come into verse 17?
JT No, I do not think so, only those who partake. “We all partake of that one loaf”, but only those who do partake. There are those who do not, and the Lord misses them; the Lord misses everyone who is absent.
PL Would the cleansing of the lepers apply? (Luke 17: 17). Jesus answering said, “But the nine, where are they?”
JT Quite so, very good. Where are the nine? We might well ask, and make it our business to get round and find them.
GH “The cup of blessing which we bless”, would that include all that name the name of the Lord?
JT I do not know that it would; it is a question of availability. There is a question of what was true, and what was not true, whether they are blessing the cup, because he is speaking well of it, and how many are not speaking well of it. The word ‘blessing’ would imply that, and yet we know that such are the Lord’s in a sense, so that I think what is in mind here is normal, and it was normal at the outset of the work at Corinth; things are not normal now in Perth, or any other place in the world.
GH Would that mean those present?
JT That is right; there are those sitting behind not allowed to put their hands to the cup and bless the cup.
FS Is it important as to what we are all doing? He says, “We are all partakers”.
JT We should be. I suppose the apostle is just speaking of what was normal at that time; the time had not come for a number to be separated from, because they were all there as far as facts go. The apostle was holding back from the discipline; many of them were participating in the Lord’s supper who were not fit for it, as we see in the second epistle.
RCC Would you say, if we are not taking the loaf, or blessing the cup, there is a reason for it; it is a question of fleeing from idolatry.
JT The Lord in instituting the Supper said, “Drink ye all of it”. He had nothing else in mind but that we all should drink of it.
RLB You spoke of those that did not partake. Should we make it our business to seek after them?
JT That is why we have our care meetings, for that is what they are intended for. We know certain ones, and they are not walking in the truth, and it is our business to care for them. The Lord has given us extensive work to do. The whole assembly is before us and the Lord has it before Him.
GH Is the thought of the body brought out to emphasise affection and care of the members for each other?
JT That is the principle in chapter 12. We all know how much it says about the members of the body, the physical members of the body, as illustrative [p. 299] of the whole assembly; and if there are some who are defective by reason of moral conditions or the like, it is the business of each of us to think of them, and if we cannot help them directly, to pray for them.
NWF Would we be helped in that matter by seeing what value the Lord places upon the “one another”?
JT That is what I was thinking in suggesting this passage in chapter 10, what He thinks of us. There are other chapters that stress it more than these. Thessalonians expresses it, and the same in principle would apply to the Corinthians, for Paul said, “The more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved”. Paul’s great concern was for every one of them, that they all might be there.
NWF So that it would develop with each one of us; it is the spirit of this dispensation.
JT Very good. The spirit of this dispensation, and we are of that spirit, we are professedly of it, and therefore we have a great deal to do; there is a great deal of work to be done.
SM Does love underlie this great movement, as we are consciously in that? We have love and affection for all; even if we do not know them, we have them in our hearts.
JT When you are going about the world serving the Lord, and you come in contact with them, it is most touching. Some of us have been moving about, it is most touching coming into contact with the brethren; as soon as one sees them they draw out one’s affection.
CSS That is a great suggestion in regard to the care meeting. One is not sure whether we locally regard this as a care meeting matter.
JT Well, it is; as far as I know of the brethren here I would think you do, at least in principle.
[p. 300] I know we do in New York, but there is a great deal to be done.
AJD It is good to think of what is under the Lord’s eye, what He loves. We see some of it in this city; those who move round the world see it universally.
JT And as soon as we do, especially as we come into the saints’ houses, they draw out our affections, and we quite well understand how they draw out the Lord’s affections, especially on the first day of the week. Psalm 19 speaks of the Lord figuratively, as a bridegroom going forth from his chamber, rejoicing as a strong man to run the race. What is the object of the race? It is to get into touch with those who are His. They compose the bride, and He is the Bridegroom, and “the Spirit and the bride say, Come”. Revelation 22: 17. The assembly is with the Spirit in that.
SM Does this all involve oneness in gifts?
JT Well; what we have been speaking of belongs to chapter 10, but in chapter 12, which we read, the gifts belong to the assembly as viewed in that passage. We are not all specific gifts; you could hardly think of sisters as being specific gifts, but “each one of us” would include sisters, “according to the measure of the gift of the Christ”.
AM Is the spirit of the matter summed up in the last verse of chapter 10: “Even as I also please all in all things; not seeking my own profit, but that of the many, that they may be saved”?
JT Yes indeed; “many”. It refers to what you have already said, “we being many”. How much the apostle had to do! One is impressed at times in thinking of it, besides the caring for individual assemblies he had all the assemblies on his heart.
WSS Is your thought that the truth of the body should govern [p. 301] us?
JT It is the attitude of your mind, even if we are not actually engaged in the Lord’s service, or even at the meeting; it is the attitude of your mind, and the attitude of Paul’s mind was “all the assemblies”. Perhaps you have something else to say?
WSS I was only thinking how apt we are to be limited in our thoughts to times and seasons, instead of which it should be a daily matter.
JT Quite so. How full is the occupation normal to the saints, how full it would be! In the Lord’s mind it should be so, but He intends us to be occupied with His own property. Having loved His own, He loved them to the end. That is His mind.
AJD “He that has the bride is the bridegroom”; that is something He has Himself.
JT Quite so.
NWF Is it in the light of that that we would seek to hold the young people? Perhaps as a result of the last war young people drifted away. Do we seek to hold them in this way?
JT I am sure that is the idea in what we call a care meeting. I do not know that they had such a meeting in the early days, because elders were in charge of things; in the beginning the elders were appointed in the assembly, in fact they were appointed in cities; but the first allusion to that is in Acts 14. Elders were chosen for every assembly. Every assembly had elders, not a leader, not a bishop to assume charge of any flock; they are not viewed in that light, they are chosen in the assembly. They chose elders in each assembly (Acts 14: 23). It is an error for any one man to assume to be in charge of a flock; it is a question of elders, a number of persons, two or more, but then in these last days the Lord has greatly encouraged the saints to come together. The word ‘care’ is used in connection with what belongs to a bishop, so that our care meeting is quite right (1 Timothy 3: 5).
FV Would the word ‘oversight’ be a good scriptural word instead of the word care?
JT Just so, but you may be overseeing, and not doing very much. Overseers are to have credentials and their work may cover a wide area, whereas in truth there has been a lot of detail work to be done to bring the saints to their place; if they are turning astray a lot of detail work has to be done, especially as to visiting. Paul spoke about “from house to house” (Acts 20: 20), so that if there are any difficulties in the way, you go to the brother’s house, and see what is going on. We have a lot of that to do in large cities; you have to look them up, and they may not be at home, and you have to go back again; there is a lot of work to be done to keep the saints right.
JS You would not wait until you saw something definitely wrong, but at any indication would seek them out rather than wait.
JT Any turning aside would lead you to seek them out. Visitation often brings out exercises.
FT Would that be the word Peter used: “shepherding”?
JT Quite so, shepherding and feeding. Well, you might not get so far as feeding, but you might shepherd, and get a word with the brother.
AJD Would this thought of care start early?
JT Caring for others? Just so.
PL Joseph’s age of seventeen is given as a stimulus to the young. He was shepherding.
JT That is just what he was doing; so a young saint may help a young saint, better perhaps than an old saint may help a young one.
JJ It is the idea of shepherding in that sense. A small deviation in the path noticed carefully by one or another might avoid the matter being ultimately brought to the [p. 303] assembly.
JT I am quite sure, if care had been exercised, many might have been saved. “He that brings back a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death and shall cover a multitude of sins”, James 5: 20. It is the result of one person doing it.
RW Would you help us to know how far we should go in the matter before it is brought to the assembly?
JT It should be brought to the assembly only as a last resort.
RW The scripture says, “cover a multitude of sins”.
JT Just so, that is just what I was thinking. There is no need to relate the things if they can be covered righteously; and if they can be forgiven, the matter might be settled in that way.
TSMcG If it is grave, it must be dealt with. Must it then be brought to the assembly?
JT I should say so. Galatians, which is an assembly epistle, you may say, is severe; but in the last chapter it is said, “If even a man be taken in some fault, ye who are spiritual restore such a one”. There is no suggestion there of separating from him, “ye who are spiritual restore such a one”; and the word ‘restore’ means to set him up just as he used to be, as in service in the assembly.
TSMcG When he is taken in a fault, the sin is evident.
JT If he be taken or found in it; that is, a brother is involved. It is “ye who are spiritual”, not any one brother or sister, but “ye who are spiritual restore such a one”, as if stress is laid on the spiritual.
TSMcG Involving priestly state.
JT Just so.
JS Suppose nothing like that is available, must it come to the [p. 304] assembly?
JT Well, if he judged himself, there is no reason why it should go any further; but suppose it does go further, if he judges himself on the spot why not restore him?
RCC It shows evidence of repentance.
BD You referred to one taken in a fault; it is not a course of sin.
JT It is an individual fault, but it might be a serious one. The obligation is to restore him, and the word ‘restore’ means to set him up as he used to be. See Galatians 6: 1 and the note thereto.
WSS It is an individual here, acting in view of restoration, not an assembly restoration: “Ye who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of meekness”.
JT It is clearly an individual, one individual, that is viewed here. A fault is found in one, and if he judges it, good and well, he is to be restored at once, and if there is a spiritual element in an assembly he will be, too.
RCC Would you expect forgiveness to be ever present with us, that glory may shine out in us?
JT That is what the Lord had in mind in the highest thought we have in Scripture, the highest spiritual passage that we have in Scripture; that is John 20. “He breathed into them, and says to them, Receive the Holy Spirit: whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained”. They are to do that, and that would mean that the person judges it, so that the saints can remit the sin.
WSS It would be a joyful matter when a brother is found guilty, if he really judges it.
JT It would be a time for rejoicing if a brother who has been found guilty of sin judges it; then the brethren should rejoice in it, if it is discerned that it is really judged. “Blessed be thy discernment, and [p. 305] blessed be thou, who has kept me this day ...”, 1 Samuel 25: 33.
GHH I was wondering about Psalm 32 which reads: “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity I covered not; I said, I will confess my transgressions unto Jehovah, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin”. Would that be a judgment that we would take account of? “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!”
JT Well, what did Nathan say about it? David received acknowledgment from God that his sin was covered. “Jehovah has also put away thy sin”, 2 Samuel 12:13. That is exactly what he said to David. The assembly should not be behind that; we should be ready to forgive, and have joy in it. “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth”.
PL Part of the glory of the assembly is this prerogative to forgive.
JT Yes, till seventy times seven.
AJD Do you think we should have in mind what the Lord’s present service is, in removing every spot, and wrinkle, and every such thing?
JT That is exactly what it is in Ephesians: “That he might present the assembly to himself glorious, having no spot, or wrinkle, or any of such things”.
AJD Is that because translation is in view?
JT Quite so, I am sure there is not to be one unforgiven sinner taken to heaven, because God can do things quickly, and forgiveness may be very rapid, in the twinkling of an eye.
NWF It has been suggested that it is necessary to withdraw from such a one to clear the Lord’s name. If the state of the person is repentant, if he has confessed the matter, that in itself has already cleared the Lord’s name.
JT [p. 306] I am sure the Lord is as concerned as we are. We have no record that he said anything to Peter; He looked at him, and Peter did the rest; Peter went out and wept bitterly. The Lord knew that too, the Lord knew that He had to die for that sin. In heaven things are done very quickly.
RW If there is repentance at the care meeting, is it necessary to bring it to the assembly?
JT I do not think so, if repentance has taken place.
WSS There is nothing to take.
JT There would be the rejoicing.
NWF Love would cover.
JT There is this to be added, that in our day we have the “little power”; people do not always do things as they should, but God does things in His own way. Sinners are often slow, and we have to wait on them.
SM Righteousness must underlie every act and every movement.
JT Heaven is up to date in every matter; things are done; and if translation is going to take place soon, you may be sure that heaven is active, so that everyone should be up to date, and ready to be translated, because at some minute it will take place. Everything has to be done, and God has His own way of doing it.
SM We have felt the Lord has been moving amongst us in view of translation.
AJD Do you think we need to know the mind of heaven?
JT That is what I think, because we are getting near; it is of no use our saying it, and not believing it. But we are certainly getting near the time of translation; heaven knows that; heaven is very accurate. There is joy in the presence of the angels in heaven, and they know what is going on there. The Spirit is acting down here on the same principle. It [p. 307] is a time of great activity in heaven, things are too slow with us on earth, but earth and heaven do agree in what is going on in the way of recovery down here; the Spirit of God is bringing about recovery.
JJ “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”. Is the mind of God on earth found there?
JT That is the idea, there must be agreement between heaven and earth, as if the translation were to take place now; there must be complete agreement with those who are to be translated. There is much going on now in view of translation, and we want to be in it, and active in it too.
JJ We have been much impressed that the Lord has judicially visited Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. And it has struck many of us on that account, that He is preparing us for translation.
JT There is no doubt about it, that heaven’s activities, if they were known literally, would affect us more; and what the Spirit is doing in each is in perfect agreement with what He is doing in heaven. So that things can be done quickly, when the time comes.
AJD The Spirit is operating to that end?
JT That is what I understand.
TSMcG Abigail, to whom you referred, acted quickly.
JT Just so, it is remarkable how quickly she did act; she is said to have thought beforehand; she would be like these intelligent persons.
TSMcG A woman of good understanding.
Rem We would be moving quickly in view of being with Him.
JT Moving quickly is the word.
PL Is that what Ananias did?
JT You mean Ananias of Damascus. The Lord put him right. He brought him into accord with His own mind, therefore he did what the Lord directed him to do. That is to say, Saul was converted and [p. 308] set up in fellowship very quickly, in fact he was praying himself. That is why Ananias says, “Why tarriest thou?” The Lord set him to work. Saul was tarrying, he was affected by Jewish feelings.
TSMcG Would he correspond with Abigail’s young man?
JT That is another very good instance. The young man knew the position; he knew what Nabal had done, but Abigail was equal to it. What she had to do, and the number of things that she brought to David are remarkable. We are told what she did, and she knew what she was doing; the sheep and so forth, she knew where they were to be found.
RLB If things are right as in heaven, we can say, “Brother”.
JT Just so. Ananias went in and laid his hands on Saul and called him “Brother”.
CSS Sometimes one who has sinned is slow through lack of instruction.
JT That is so. I often think that the terrors at the end of the book of Revelation, as to the great white throne, should be studied. How can one be slow in regard of his sins, as he reads of the terrors before him? He has no time to spare, he must get ready at once to judge himself. They are all there, and not one missing; every one is there. Death and hell give up their dead in that great day. These things which we are speaking of now ought to have a reflection in the assembly; things ought to be done quickly.
JJ We would expect early repentance, and look for it.
JT Early repentance, yes.
FT Where would infirmities, as spoken of in Romans 15: 1, come in? “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak”.
JT It is a question of where they are; the weak ones are slow in doing things; we know they are [p. 309] weak; we visit them, for we know their infirmities, and the thing is just to meet the condition. If they are weak, bear the infirmities of the weak, not please ourselves, be unselfish.
JJ There is a difference between infirmities and sins.
JT The Lord looks on the infirmities; they do not mean sin, but just weakness.
AJD Is the Spirit of God bringing the end in view in the matter of movement?
JT I think so, because there is so much to be done, we know that.
SM So that we know what the Lord is doing, and what the Holy Spirit is doing. “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come”.
JT That is what I was thinking, what the Spirit is doing on the earth is in exact agreement with what is in heaven. So what has just been remarked: “The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely”. Activity is in mind, all have to be gathered. So on the other hand: “Let him that does unrighteously do unrighteously still; and let the filthy make himself filthy still; and let him that is righteous practise righteousness still; and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still”, Revelation 22: 11.
Ques Would this matter of restoring in Galatians imply that the person was all right before he was taken in the fault?
JT That is right; he is to become all right again, and spiritual brothers will see to that. The Spirit of God will help them.
Ques When one has been known to be treading a course for some time, would such a scripture apply?
JT [p. 310] Well, that would mean that the evil is deeper, and that is another thing to take account of, how deep the thing may be. If deep, we have to be more careful. In John 21 there were seven brothers; Peter says, “I go a fishing”, and the others say “We also go with thee”, and they got nothing, but the Lord does not reprove them. This means, I would say, that they were not deep in the thing, they were not committed to it in any way, so that there was no great difficulty, but there are grades of sin. In John 21, instead of reproving, the Lord asks them if they have anything to eat, and as soon as they were come to land they see a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread, and Jesus says to them, “Come and dine”. We must not be dilatory.
Rem I suppose the emphasis would be on the word “restore”.
JT The emphasis is peculiarly on that word.
TSMcG Even if the course has been gross, if the man that had sinned has judged himself and forsaken the evil, and there is evidence of repentance, would withdrawal be considered at all?
JT Well, it would not be, if the evil is checked and cleansed, there would not be any more to do, because the system set up in heaven was set up by a High Priest. There may be other things to do, as in the case of the leper in the book of Leviticus; before he is to be set up in the assembly again, he has to be cleansed, and what is comforting is that the priest is always there; where there is leprosy, there is always a priest available.
AJD The work of God itself never deteriorates, the person is set up as he was before, so that the assembly has lost nothing.
JT That is what the meaning of the word implies, a man set up as he was before, so that the assembly has [p. 311] lost nothing.
WSS It is a restored leper in the chapter to which you referred. He is set up in dignity. It would be definite evidence of self-judgment.
JT Just so, the Spirit of God has specified even what hand the priest is to use to anoint the man, and when he is anointed he is fit for service.
PW In view of the imminence of the Lord’s return, in the light of what you have been bringing before us, is it not exceedingly important that we should feed the lambs, in order that movement should be there?
JT Luke, in his closing chapter, tells us about the Lord’s visit to a certain two who were going to the country, to Emmaus, sixty furlongs away. The Lord knew that, and He sets out on that journey, showing that time is taken up, which is necessary for recovery. If time is to be taken up, well, take it. Let the time be expended, the time is worth while to secure a soul. How much they are worth! The brethren may have to do more with some than with others. The Lord sets an example for us, showing what He was doing in recovery.
RW If we had a greater apprehension of that, we should be untiring in our service.
JT Just so, the saints are ready to do what the Lord did. He is going all the way to Emmaus, seven miles away; and He went all the way, and was ready to go further, and they constrained Him, and they were recovered, and they went back to Jerusalem immediately, showing that they came into the spirit of what the Lord was doing in recovery.
Rem You were speaking just now of gradation of sin in Corinthians.
JT Do you mean in 1 Corinthians 5? Paul tells them to remove the wicked person from among themselves. But then in the other grade in 2 Thessalonians 3 the word is ‘shrink from’, not ‘remove’;
[p. 312] he is to be regarded as a brother, not dealt with finally or officially. Still there is something wrong there, and the word is ‘shrink from’, but he is not as bad as the man in 1 Corinthians 5: 13. It says he is to be regarded as a brother.
TSMcG Is he ostracized?
JT ‘Shrink’ is the word, ‘ostracized’ is too strong; that is tantamount to 1 Corinthians 5. There is nothing more certain than that sin is graded.
WSS You referred a little earlier to priestly eyes. Does that come into the matter that has been raised?
JT One would think so, because that is another thing to come into our minds, that we are not simply christians or believers, but we are priests, and we are made priests unto God. Christ has made us priests unto God. But He has made us priests to Himself too. Revelation 20 speaks of their being made priests of the Christ. Leviticus indicates that the priests are always there.