“THE JUST ONE”
W. Dickson
Peter 3: 15–18 (to “bring ‘us to God”); 2 Samuel 23: 3–5 (and note ‘f’); Leviticus 19: 35–37
One of the greatest pleasures that a spiritual mind has is in going over the various names and titles of the Lord. It is quite an occupation for those who love the Lord just to meditate on the various ways in which He is spoken of in the Scriptures, particularly in the New Testament.
‘Each thought of Thee doth constant yield
Unchanging, fresh delight’. (Hymn 151)
The name that I wanted to speak of at this time was used by Peter, and it was also used by Paul and it was used by Stephen who spoke of the Lord Jesus as “the Just One” (see Acts 7: 52 and 22: 14). These scriptures bring out this thought of the Lord as the just One. As to its root meaning in the original I cannot say much, but it obviously conveys the thought of righteousness par excellence, and also as to judgment that everything would be according to God. The scripture in 1 Peter is very simple—“Christ … has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust”, and I wanted to say a word of encouragement to our many dear young brethren here, many of them of school age. Peter’s is kingdom teaching as we know and does not go in great depth into the truth of the assembly although the reference is there, but in the main it is the truth of the kingdom.
I was thinking of our younger brethren at this time, most of them probably at school and yet having committed themselves to the Lord’s supper and to the fellowship of the death of Christ. Such bear a faithful witness to the Lord’s claims. You dear young people, you do your homework well, you do your lessons well, you go to school suitably dressed, you are respectful to your teacher, and your language is above reproach as befits a true lover of the Lord Jesus, and yet on account of the place you take as a believer on the Lord Jesus you suffer reproach. Now the apostle Peter says, well, if you suffer as well-doers remember this, that Christ suffered the just for the unjust. I thought a word of encouragement would be timely, to think of this that the Lord Jesus suffered the just for the unjust to bring us to God. Now you have a great privilege. Your companions may excel in sports and other things; but remember this, Christ died the just for the unjust to bring us to God. Think of the glory of that, greater than anything that this world can give you, greater than anything you may miss as regards the pleasures of the world, that Christ has suffered the just for the unjust to bring you to God. As we have said earlier today, to bring you to God is not only to bring you salvation from your sins but to bring you into the area of eternal life and blessing amongst God’s people.
The writer commences the passage with “sanctify the Lord the Christ in your hearts”. There is a Person enthroned in your affections, the Lord the Christ, a sanctified, area in your heart and in that sanctified area there is a—Person sitting on the throne and that Person is Jesus. If any ask you to give an account of the hope that is in you, you do it in all simplicity with meekness and fear. True salvation for a believer lies in the public confession of the Lord’s name. Oft-times it comes out in a halting, stumbling fashion, but with meekness and fear that “they may be ashamed who calumniate your good conversation”. Now, beloved brethren, that word ‘conversation’, as the note conveys, means ‘manner of life’, and I would exhort the brethren increasingly to see that our manner of life is irreproachable—in our speech, in our conduct, in our dress, in our pursuits, to see that our good conversation is in Christ. As you go forth and take up your responsibilities you remember, as our brother “quoted, “ye have been bought with a price”, 1 Corinthians 6: 20. Divine ownership has been established at such tremendous cost, and a believer manifests a walk which morally is entirely different from the course of things in this world.
Then it says, “For it is better, if the will of God should will it”. Beloved brethren, I would like you to go with me as I read this verse again, “For it is better, if the will of God should will it”. Now that is one of the most pungent expressions in Scripture, in fact I do not think in the New Testament there is any other such in regard to the will of God—‘If the will of God should will it’. Matters come up in a believer’s life, such as his employment, the matter perhaps of marriage, the matter of location, many matters come up in the life of a believer, but let our standard be that verse, “For it is better, if the will of God should will it”; not if my will coincides with the will of God, but if the will of God should will it. That is the standard for a believer, and all true happiness lies in the discernment by the Spirit of the will of God.
So Peter says, “for Christ indeed has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God”. Think of that glorious Person of whom we have sung, the just, irreproachable, righteous One. His every word in perfect judgment, marked by grace, marked by mercy; He suffered, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God. If you suffer unjustly at the hands of man, remember this, that Christ suffered the just for the unjust to bring us to God, and the privilege of being brought to God is greater than anything that man can give you, 2 Samuel 23: 3–5 points on to the Lord Jesus in a day to come, but I think that the principles of it would be of much help amongst us now. I observe that we are exhorted frequently in meetings to speak more of the world to come; I think we have all heard that. Of course, it is a scriptural expression, “the world to come, whereof we speak”, Hebrews 2: 5 (A.V.). Beloved brethren, I think it would be a very good exercise if, beside of speaking about the world to come, we bring the principles of the world to come presently into our local meetings. We speak about the world to come, and of course the beloved teachers of the recovery stressed that, but it is important not only to speak of the world to come but to bring the principles of the world to come now into our local meetings. What are these principles of the world to come? Well, in the world to come there will be subjection. There will be a benign rule under Christ on the principle of influence. May I raise the question, particularly with older brothers, as I would raise it with myself, What influence have you?
Not what your gift is, not what your ability is, but what influence have you? That will be a great feature of the world to come, an influence for good. Young people, have you an influence for good amongst the young people of your own age, of your own group? This matter of influence is very important, subjection on the principle of influence.
Another thing, in the world to come there will be peace. That is a great matter. You say, Oh well, we must not have peace at any price. No, I agree with you, you must not have peace at any price. But a person who is bringing the principles of the world to come into his local meeting would
set himself for peace if there was any possibility of it being reached righteously. He would search for a righteous basis on which to preserve peace and happiness and joy amongst his local brethren. Another principle of the world to come is, according to Zechariah 8: 4, 5, that old men, so old that they carry a staff in their hands, sit in the streets, and the young people play in the streets, suggesting a bond between them. Now, does that principle of the world to come exist, that there is a bond between the young people and the old and they dwell together in happy conditions and in the enjoyment of eternal life?
To proceed, verse 3 reads, “The ruler among men shall be just”. The principle of rule in the local assembly is most important but a ruler has to be just, in other words he has to exercise a right influence without partiality and in the fear of God. Peter speaks of those who lord it over God’s heritage (1 Peter 5: 3). They are not shepherds but lord it over God’s heritage.
They do not rule in the fear of God. Every matter must be taken up in the fear of God. Elder men and elder women have a great responsibility these days. Then it says, “he shall be as the light of the morning, like the rising of the sun, A morning without clouds”. That is fine. The brethren’s countenances are expressive of what shines in the face of Jesus. These beautiful and benign influences also, the sunshine, and the green grass springing from the earth, the freshness of conditions amongst us. That is the world to come all brought presently into our local meetings. And then David says, “Although my house be not so before God”. We would have humbly to own that, beloved brethren. There may be some in God’s goodness who do not have to say it, but there are very few. But that is not to make us despondent, it is to give us to learn from the experience of these things, so that we come out in greater maturity, power and influence amongst the saints, not on account of our knowledge of Scripture but on account of the substantiality of the work of God in our hearts.
Now I would like to touch on Leviticus 19, and I trust the Lord will give me the help I need in speaking about this passage. I would just like to point out one or two features that mark it.
No other chapter in Leviticus commences in the way in which this chapter starts. If you look at verse 2 it says, ‘Speak unto all the assembly of the children of Israel’. Now no other chapter in Leviticus commences in that fashion. Just to bring it out, in chapter 18: 2 it says, “Speak unto the children of Israel”, and we will go to chapter 20: 2, “Thou shalt say also to the children of Israel”. But chapter 19 is distinctive and unique; it says, ‘Speak unto all the assembly of the children of Israel’. Now that is something to be carried in your minds in regard to what one hopes to say, that it is addressed to the assembly of the children of Israel, obviously pointing to the conditions in which He would dwell amongst His people, and so the instruction in the chapter is of special moment.
Another feature which marks it which does not mark other chapters is that every section is completed with the words “I am Jehovah your God”. In other words, what is stressed is the divine ownership. Now, having said that, beloved brethren, I would like to read verse 35—“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in measure of length, in weight, and in measure of capacity”. Now measure of length refers to principles; measure of weight refers to persons; measure of capacity refers to ministry. Now in this very important chapter the Spirit of God says in regard to these three things, principles, persons, and ministry, that we have got to have just judgment
and just measures. Beloved brethren, one of the great needs of this present day is to apply a just measure to these three things. Let us deal with principles first. It has been said, Why talk so much about principles? Now Scripture is a book of principles, that has been said by the teachers of the recovery, and we have to bear in mind in all matters that Scripture is our final arbiter and guide. If you want to resort to ministry as your guide you would have to look in dependence on the Spirit at the context and the circumstances in regard to which the ministry was given. Scripture is the ultimate guide in regard to principles, and Paul’s teaching is the ultimate guide in regard to assembly administration. That is just measure of length.
Now it says, “in weight”—the need for having a just evaluation of persons. I am basing my remarks on Scripture because the word to Belshazzar was, “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting”, Daniel 5: 27. So the thought of weight undoubtedly refers to persons.
The book of Ezra proves that; as the vessels came up, they were all weighed, relating to the persons that came up in the recovery (see Ezra 8: 29). Now it is important, beloved brethren, to apply a just measure to everybody, but in relation to the work of God and not in relation to our personal likes or dislikes. Oft-times our judgment of persons is based on their past history, oft-times it is based on not very commendable features of their present course, which of course would enter into the matter, but to get a just judgment of a person you have to go into the presence of God and bear up that person in the divine presence and seek grace to view such as the Lord would view them and how they stand in relation to divine thoughts.
Mr. Taylor said, ‘I have a judgment of every person I break bread with’. You say, That is a bold statement. It may be; I do not know; but I think it is a good exercise, that you would have a judgment in regard to every person you break bread with, and you would trust that that judgment was in no way biased but according to the true measure of the sanctuary, as in this passage. I put that to the brethren, I am speaking guardedly, and I trust I am speaking with the help of the Spirit, but it is important in these days when there is so much turmoil to see that our estimate of persons is based on the divine standard of things in the sanctuary, a just measure of weight.
Then it says “in measure of capacity”, which refers to ministry. We should bear in mind what we had earlier as to the cost, exercise and burden that enters into the giving of ministry, both oral and written, in, our time. Beloved brethren, do we accept that the ministry in these days comes from the Lord? And if it comes from the Lord, have we any right to judge it, other than in the light of what the Scripture would give us in the way of a just measure of capacity?
Sometimes our judgment of ministry is based on whether it agrees with our point of view or not. I see the great need for the brethren to get into the divine presence with the ministry and say, ‘Lord, is this your voice?’ When it is measured by the measure of capacity, a right measure has been applied to it, and there will be a right understanding of it. These instructions, coming in as they do in Leviticus 19 where the assembly is addressed, it is as if God would say that in this assembly it is most important that you have a just estimate of principles and how they are applied, a just estimate of persons and how you regard them, and a just estimate of ministry as to its value and as to whether it is the voice of the Lord.
Now, if we do that, beloved brethren, I think the Lord will come in and lift us to a higher level of discernment of current issues than perhaps we have had in the past. It is the Lord’s desire that the brethren go on, go on with the truth; that is the Lord’s desire, that is the Spirit’s desire. The Lord has His mind on the coming generation, as we should likewise. Our exercise should be that in God’s assembly we should not be governed by bias, we should not be governed by natural feelings, natural relationships or past history, any of these things, but by a just measure, a just weight, and a just measure of capacity. May the Lord help us, beloved brethren, in these matters, for His name’s sake. Amen.
Address at Toronto
12 July 1980