THE LORD JESUS BEING GIVEN OR GIVING HIMSELF
J. Mitchell
John 3: 16; Galatians 2: 20; Ephesians 5: 25–27
I wish to say a word from these verses as to love resulting in the Lord either being given or giving Himself. So we have in these passages, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son”; then Paul saying “the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me”; and finally the reference in Ephesians
to “even as the Christ also loved the assembly, and has delivered himself up for it”, which involves the full thought of the Lord giving Himself. It is a wonderful thing to take account of the extent to which love, in divine Persons, has gone.
Before going into the subject that is in mind, I ought to say that, because what we have read refers to God, and to Christ, in the matter of love the Spirit is not excluded. We should always bear in mind that the full thought of the economy involves the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is a reference in the Scriptures to the love of the Spirit (Romans 15: 30); something which I have often thought about because, generally speaking, neither the typical scriptures nor the writings in the New Testament speak much of that. Yet nevertheless, we should never forget, that in this blessed economy of love, the place that the Spirit has taken does not in any sense hinder the thought of love as seen in Himself. Indeed, if you soberly review the history of the testimony, you could not fail to see that what has marked it all along is the love of the Spirit. It is seen in the patient service of the Spirit throughout the dispensation, more often unrecognised than recognised, yet continuing in the most blessed and glorious though lowly way. What lies behind that is His love.
We need to think about that, because it is much easier to associate love with the Father and with the Son. But we need to carry in our affections the love of the Spirit, and thank God that in these closing days we have been recovered to the truth of the place that the Spirit has amongst us, and even to speak to Him and sing to Him. I would urge every one of us to make room in our affections for the Spirit of God so that affection flows from the hearts of the saints to the blessed Holy Spirit who has served us so well, so fully, so blessedly; behind His service is His love. I thought I should say that at the beginning, in case reading about God, and about Christ, the love of the Spirit might be eliminated in
any mind. Let us carry it in our minds and make room in our affections for the blessed Spirit of God, who has served us, and continues to serve us so well in view of the knowledge of the love of God. It speaks of the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Romans 5: 5). Think of the wonder of that, shedding abroad in our hearts the love of God! What a service that is!
I have read these passages because they speak of the giving of Christ. In John 3: 16 it is, “he gave his only-begotten Son”, a very precious expression. The “only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father” (John 1: 18), indicates the affection that flowed there. The tense there is the present, it is not the past, it is the position into which that blessed Person in the Godhead came. He came into the bosom of the Father, and the scripture says, ‘the Only-begotten who is in the bosom of the Father. He hath declared Him’. How beautiful it is to think of the love that flowed between the Father and the Son. In Genesis 24, as Abraham and Isaac go on together, the affection of the father for the son, and the affection of the son for the father comes out typically. The hymn we sang puts it so beautifully: ‘What mutual glory, known between the Father and the Son’ (No.400). What a system we have been brought into!
We are not talking about the relation of the Persons of the Godhead in abstract deity. These are infinitely beyond us, and we shall never be able to penetrate or even know much if anything at all about these; we do know that love was there, and oneness was there. God is One, the scripture tells us (1 Timothy 2: 5). What we are talking about is what has come into expression in this wonderful economy, and it has come within man’s range so that it can be appropriated by men, and entered into feelingly and with affections. It is a wonderful system into which we have been brought, in which love flows so freely, and we are given to know the love of the Father for the Son.
But here in this passage it says, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son”. That was the measure of His love. You think of that. He so loved it. Mr. Darby’s footnote says that it could be rendered that He loved it so much. He loved it so much that He gave His only-begotten Son. Now you think of what that meant to the Father. If I can refer again to Genesis 22, while the wood, that which was to consume him, was laid upon Isaac, Abraham carried the fire and the knife. Think of the feelings of the Father in the giving of His Son. The scripture tells us that He spared not His own Son (Romans 8: 32). These are well-known matters. Sometimes the Spirit of God brings us up just to contemplate the depth and the profoundness of the love of the Father for the Son, and that He so loved the world that He has given His only-begotten Son.
The question is often asked, What world was that? I think we should take Scripture just as it is—He so loved the world. No doubt He had in mind the world that was created by Him, as the scripture tells us, it was not created as waste, it was created in view of being populated by men (Isaiah 45: 18). That was the divine intent, and that was the world that God loved. Sad to say, sin came in. But did that hinder in any sense God’s love? It only brought it out in all its glory. As we sang together;
‘Love, that on death’s dark vale
Its sweetest odours spread’ (Hymn 235).
That is, love was such in God, that even the incoming of sin into the world, which was absolutely abhorrent to Him, did not alter His love one whit—“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son”. Let that come home to us, let it sink deep into our souls; it will keep us, beloved, in all the ups and downs of life, that God so loved the world. He is going to have that world. Scripture speaks of the world to come of which we speak (Hebrews 2: 5).
The love that gave His only-begotten Son has been effective. It says, “he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him may not perish, but have life eternal”. I take it that most, if not all of us here, believe on the One whom God has given, His own beloved Son. It is, “whosoever believes on him”. If you do not believe on Him, dear friend, you are in a very sorrowful position, and a very sorrowful state. Think of what He (God) has done. He has done everything from His own side, He has given His only-begotten Son, that you might not perish. Think of the awfulness of perishing through neglect in your own soul when God’s thought is that you should not perish but have life eternal.
Eternal life involves a heavenly environment and that is in the mind of the Spirit for us in these closing days. The world gets darker, the pressure of things closes in about us on every hand, and you begin to wonder how you will be able to get through. But in the midst of that you can have life eternal; it is for our present enjoyment. It is there in the Son, but it is enjoyed in the Spirit. The Spirit would help us in order that we might enjoy eternal life.
Occasions such as this give us a taste of eternal life. Let us value them, not in any superficial way, but let us value what is here in a formative and inward way among the saints that we can enjoy together. The cost of that has been His only-begotten Son. It is God’s love that has secured it; He so loved the world. How beautiful that is!
Now I come to Galatians, and there Paul is speaking, I do not go into the detail of it but just that section of the verse where he says, “but in that I now live in flesh, I live by faith, the faith of the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me”. That is very affecting. If we take the passage in its context, possibly only Paul could say that. But then I judge that every one of us could in some measure enter into that. Think of the One who has loved us and given Himself for us. I am impressed to bring this before the brethren that we might be held in our affections—“the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself for me”. That
is the cost so that He might secure us; His intention is that the Son of God might secure us for Himself. He is the centre of a great spiritual system that is for God’s pleasure. That is the Son of God, and it is that One who has loved us and given Himself for us.
We come to know the Lord as Saviour through the glad tidings, and it is important to realise the position the Lord has, and the need for us to develop solid, substantial links and moral history with the Lord. That is very necessary and I encourage our young people to do that; it will hold us in the days in which we are. As we know Him as Saviour, and come on a little in our histories, we can look back and think of Him as the Son of God who has loved us. That is wonderful! He has loved us and given Himself for us. The giving of Himself was no easy matter. The giving of Himself involved His death. The point of the Son of God is that He is marked by life according to God, and you think of such an One coming into death. I sometimes wonder whether we appreciate the awfulness of what it was for that blessed Man to go into death. That is what was involved in the giving of Himself for us.
I suppose Paul, as writing this, would look back on his history; he would think of the days when, as Saul of Tarsus, he persecuted the assembly; when the Lord met him on that Damascus road, and said in such tender terms, “Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me?”
Acts 9: 4. That broke Saul down. Mr. Darby said that on that Damascus road all that Paul’s soul was based on morally as well as religiously was smashed within him for ever (Synopsis Vol.4, p.25). He says himself that he was the first, or chief, of sinners (1 Timothy 1: 15).
Then he comes to it that the Son of God loved him and gave Himself for him. How beautiful to think of that, as he would reflect back over his history and think of the Son of God loving him and giving Himself for him.
I wonder if every one of us here has some
impression of that? As I say, perhaps only Paul could say it in the way in which it is recorded here. But I wonder if every one of us has, in some sense, an appreciation of the love of the Son of God, and what it has cost Him that we might belong to Him. Can each one say, He gave Himself for me? It would hold you no matter what may come in circumstantially, for catastrophes may come in. We live in a very difficult world, beloved, I hardly need to emphasise that, and what the young people may have to face, who knows? Things are not getting easier. Yet the Son of God is putting in His claim in love upon us; He is putting in His claim upon our affections. If you have some impression of the One who has loved you and given Himself for you, that will keep you stable no matter what the circumstances may be.
No matter what may come in in your life; sorrows, or whatever it might be; maybe your aspirations, maybe overnight the whole of them gone, but the Son of God who has loved you and given Himself for you never changes. That is a solid rock on which to rest your soul; nothing can disturb you as that is deep in your soul. It will hold you, and nothing will disturb you no matter what may come up in this life.
I go on to Ephesians. There it says, “even as the Christ also loved the assembly, and has delivered himself up for it”. How He valued the assembly! You might ask, Was that the assembly abstractly? I suppose it was. He had in mind the divine purpose, that there should be a woman in relation to the man. The passage we are reading is the anti-type of Adam and Eve, and it was in the divine mind that man should have a companion suited to himself. All the animals were brought to Adam, and he looked on them and he named every animal.
According to the name that Adam gave each one so was its name. Think of the intelligence of God’s creature man! How appreciative God was of that, but it says Adam found no helpmate his like. There was a lack there, things were not complete; what was in the divine mind was not complete, the man needed the
woman. So God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, which is typical of the death of Christ—what we have here—“delivered himself up for it”, in order that He might secure the assembly. As Eve was brought on to view Adam says, “This time it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh—this shall be called Woman”, Genesis 2: 23. There was a difference, there was a vessel there that was akin to and part of himself. What he virtually said was, This is myself all over again, in feminine characteristics. That is typically, the assembly for the heart of Christ. What was in mind in Adam and Eve was Christ and the assembly.
I say, just in passing, how much what is presented in this passage is degraded in the world in which we are; the marriage bond being practically set aside, even in the great men of the world who are intended to set out some standard amongst men generally. The whole thing has become so terribly degraded, and yet divine thoughts continue, they stand, they never ever alter. They never ever change, and the glory of it is that we have been brought into the knowledge and enjoyment of them. The need, therefore, is to hold to the great concept as to Christ and the assembly. That was the distinctive ministry that was given to Paul as he says later on in this passage, “I speak as to Christ, and as to the assembly”, Ephesians 5: 32.
He is saying here, “even as the Christ also loved the assembly, and has delivered himself up for it”. He had in mind the divine thought, the divine purpose that there is to be a woman for the man. Mr. Coates has a very beautiful touch on it; he says that the Lord saw the features of the assembly in His disciples here (‘Outline of Ephesians’, Vol. 26, p.103). Adam says it is bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh, in this chapter it is reversed and the flesh comes first before the bones, “we are of his flesh, and of his bones”. I commend the reading of the notes of those meetings with Mr. Coates at Exeter on Ephesians. In that series of readings he was twice asked
a question as to whether the assembly was in existence before Christ loved it, and twice he side-stepped it. But in the last reading he brought out in a beautiful way, that what He saw in the disciples was the substance of the assembly and was what He loved and gave Himself for.
He saw the features of the assembly in the disciples who were with Him there, and Mr.
Coates goes on to say that is opened up in chapters 13 to 17 of John’s gospel. In those chapters you can see the characteristics of Christ being brought on to view in the disciples.
The Lord speaks of them in this way to the Father in John 17. Think of what the disciples were to Himself! He saw there the substance of the assembly and He loved it and delivered Himself up for it.
Now, beloved, we are given to have some part in this glorious vessel, the assembly. How great it is for man to have a part in the assembly. That is one of the greatest things. Sonship is perhaps greater, but in the matters of everyday life, what a wonderful thing it is to have part in the assembly, and to be yielding that which is for the heart of Christ. I plead with you in that respect, not to leave it to others, but to exercise yourself, brother or sister, that there might be developing in you by the Spirit these holy features that are for the heart of Christ.
So he says here, “in order that he might sanctify it, purifying it by the washing of water by the word, that he might present the assembly to himself glorious”. I think that His service in purifying it by the washing of water by the word is going on now. I trust in some small measure this meeting today will have its part in that. His service is to bring us substantially up to what is in His own mind. He saw the beauty and glory of the assembly as it is in the mind of God and in the heart of Christ, and He is working through the ministry in order that He might bring us up to that level. What a day it will be when He has the assembly for Himself. We can look forward to that day when He will present it to Himself glorious, having no
spot, or wrinkle, or any of such things. The present service of the Lord towards the assembly is in view of His presenting it to Himself. The thought of presenting it to Himself brings in His Deity. Adam never presented Eve to himself, God brought Eve to Adam, and Adam responded affectionately. But the Lord will present the assembly to Himself, He is great enough for that. His delivering Himself up for it, and His current service to us, has in view,
“that he might sanctify it, purifying it by the washing of water by the word, that he might present the assembly to himself glorious”.
The first thing is that He is sanctifying it. Sanctification simply means set apart. Now, dear brother, dear sister, if you find that separation from iniquity is a little irksome, just think about it this way, that the Lord is sanctifying the assembly. He is setting it apart, entirely apart from the whole world’s system and all the features of the world, that He might present it to Himself glorious, without spot, or wrinkle, or any of such things. Then it goes on to say,
“purifying it by the washing of water by the word”. Therefore the need of allowing the word its scope with us, because that is the Lord purifying it by the washing of water by the word.
The word, in Scripture, clearly has a moral connection. The Lord is doing that, and He has been doing that over these years. If you follow the trend of the ministry over the last number of years you will find that the Lord is sanctifying the assembly; He is drawing her out of the world. Very soon she will be literally out of it. How wonderful that day will be! In the meantime He is drawing her morally out of it in order that we might be entirely for Himself, and that no feature of the assembly might ever be spoiled, and nothing of the corruption that is in the world may enter into the assembly.
Beloved, I appeal to you, just give a little thought to these things, because there is a tendency for worldly things to creep in amongst us. They come in in a very subtle way, and then you find they get bigger and bigger
and bigger. Now I say this, without a moment’s hesitation, that is quite contrary to and thoroughly against the Lord’s service to the assembly at the present time. So let us be sober about matters. Let us think of what is for the heart of Christ; think of what He has done for us—He loved me and gave Himself for me. Remember that, keep it in your soul, it will do you good! Then remember He is forming the assembly now, and He is serving her in the faithfulness of His love in order that she might be for Himself. May the Lord bless the word to us.
Address at Edinburgh, 11 October 1997
EXTRACTS
Well now, proceeding in 1 Chronicles 29, I want to show you how much fell to Solomon in early age. Some of us assume that certain work may be done by the elder brethren only. God intimates plainly that it is His province to select the workers. Age has its own value, but it may be blemished as in David’s case; at any rate, God must be allowed to choose. David bowed with all his heart and said, God has chosen Solomon, my son. Solomon was a very young man, about twenty—certainly not much more; anyway, David says, “Solomon, my son, the one whom God has chosen, is young and tender”. Did the Lord not know that he was young? He did. He knew every day of that child’s life, every moment of it. No one knew better than Jehovah how old Solomon was, and David knew. He was his father’s son, tender and beloved. May we not learn from this what divine sympathy with the young brothers and sisters is? Are they to be kept always in the nursery? God has chosen them; He knows their age. “Solomon, my son, whom the Lord hath chosen is young and tender”, and yet the work given him to do was great. What is the work? A palace is to be built. The palace is being built now, and
all those young people are needed, but they are young and tender; they need much care. One generation passes away and another comes, and God has the tenderest consideration for the young generation. Think of the magnitude of the work resting upon their shoulders! Being young and tender, they need every possible attention and consideration; they are not to be given to understand that it is not for them, but rather that the work is theirs and it is great. We see in Timothy a young man, one who shed tears, one marked by feelings, and who cared for the saints, accepting the burden laid upon his shoulders. And if you read Paul’s second letter to him, you will see a father’s heart coming out to one whom he regards as his “beloved child”. He says, “God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but ... of love”. The work is great, and so David said, “the palace is not for man but for the Lord God”. Think of the magnitude of such a palace! Hence, so as to have part in the work, “Unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ”. Then there is the solemn warning.
“Let every one take heed how he builds”. Hence the need of dependence on God. Solomon prayed for wisdom and God gave him wisdom. I would impress upon all the magnitude of the work, so that we may be equal to it and engaged in it. It is to be completed; the top-stone must be laid on. And so God gave Solomon wisdom, largeness of heart and riches.
J. Taylor (Vol. 28, pp.449, 450)
The two epistles that specially develop the truth of the mystery, speak of love in those locally addressed, love to all saints. It is well to bear in mind that although there are perhaps only a few who are in the light of the assembly, the many are still to be regarded as of it, you never give them up in your affections. There is at present a great danger of going back to what earlier ministry delivered us from; that is, the setting up a kind of model of the assembly. We should never relinquish the saints, whatever their state or associations may be; they
are of the assembly. We are to hold all the saints in our affections; the Lord never gives them up. You do not know them all, but the Lord knows them, and you are with Him about it. We come together in the light of the assembly, but if we are intelligent we do not assume to be a company based on the model of the assembly. You hold all the saints in your affections; you regret their absence; there are only certain ones available, and you go on with them; but the others must not be forgotten. It keeps you in the truth of the house, otherwise you are on sectarian lines. If you speak of receiving into fellowship, you are apt to convey the thought of receiving into the company, a company that has an ecclesiastical status. I prefer what was said this morning, someone desires to break bread with us. It is one more available. The attitude of your soul towards all is that they might be with you. Breaking of bread is the expression of fellowship; in that way you keep right in your soul. It is the assembly you are occupied with. You are going on with all that are available, not assuming that you have all, because you have not got all.
J. Taylor (Vol. 10, pp.334, 335)
The special mission of Paul was to bring to light all that had come to pass here by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Peter and John testified to the exaltation of Christ, but Paul was raised up to bring out all that depended on the descent of the Holy Spirit. Now, there are two things which have come to pass of which the Spirit is witness—Christ is Lord, and Christ is Head. In connection with the former we have the reign of grace. The Holy Spirit being here, these things and what depended on them were true in fact before they were brought out in testimony. The Lord saying to Saul “Why persecutest thou me?” proves that there was something to be persecuted.
F. E. Raven (Vol. 10, p.263)
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