MAN AS IN THE MIND OF GOD
[p. 456] MAN AS IN THE MIND OF GOD
1 Timothy 2:5; Psalm 68:18; John 17:6,7; 1 Corinthians 14:20
I wish to speak about man, that is man as God had him in His mind before he existed. Man had the chief place in the thoughts of God.
Sonship existed before man existed, in the angels, who historically were prior to man. It is the family relationship idea in which man stands with God that was in mind. So it is, “let us make man” (not sons) in our image, after our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). The term man includes male and female, an idea which is not dropped, but culminates in the assembly. It is a final thought, so the tabernacle of God will be with men. Then the idea of sex will be confined to Christ and the assembly.
I began with Paul’s letter to Timothy — we too begin with Paul — and he brings Christ in here in a race or order of being, that is, man. Verse 1 says prayers are to “be made for all men”. Those of us who form the assembly, have the nearest place in the economy. So as we come into the variety and gradations, it is seen that we of the assembly have the leading place. Man is taken up, and placed higher than the angels, in sonship. Christ was made a little lower than the angels to suffer death, and bring about God’s thought for man. God is One, but calling Him Lord is addressing Him as “God our Saviour”. So it is “supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made for all men”, for all men are included and our Saviour God desires “that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth”. What a being a man is in that way, to come into truth! It is a verity in His mind, a divine thought for man. The Deity is now expressed in the Father, but not exclusively. God is One, in the sense of infinite unity, as if it were one Person; and one Mediator, the Man Christ Jesus, — refers to the Lord Jesus in manhood, that is, in babyhood,
[p. 457] in boyhood, and manhood — manhood here when He began to be about thirty years of age. We see that heaven expresses its delight in Him as Man, — the Man, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, not one human being is left out. The apostle here says that he lies not, but speaks the truth, and he became the means of drawing attention to Him.
A real believer always speaks of the Man. The Lord challenges the disciples with the question, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” There are great men of the earth and they command our attention, but the Lord questions His own as to what men were saying about the Lord Himself. So we need to be able to give an answer as to Him, for we cannot give an account of the hope that is in us without speaking of the Lord Jesus. So “if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).
The woman of Samaria is the best example of a believer calling the Lord Jesus Christ a Man. He said to her, “If thou knewest ... “ It was intended to impress her mind; no doubt it did. If any one asked her, she could say what He said to her, for she got this from His own lips. She had had to do with men, yet she says, “Come, see a man who told me all things I had ever done” (John 4:10,29). She was learning to be a levite. She was not a parrot; she knew in her own soul about this Man, who had told her all things that she had ever done. If she had been asked what she thought of Him, she would say, I think He is the Christ! “Come, see a man”; she saw the Man, and knew Him and she says, “Is not he the Christ”. The apostle John’s leading thought is, “Come and see”. Do not be an unbeliever; come and see.
Now look at another man, Pilate, just an unconverted man, though no doubt his wife was converted. He was a capable man of judgment, and he saw no cause of death in the Man before him — Christ; but he was a thorough politician. The Lord said nothing to Herod,
[p. 458] but He spoke quite freely to Pilate. Yet think of it! Pilate scourged the Lord. Think of that body scourged by Pilate! After that they mocked Him, and Pilate allowed the soldiers to mock and spit upon Him, and then he brought Him forth, with the marks of the scourging and blows on the face, with the purple robe and crown of thorns, and said: “Behold the man”! How do we look at Him? “Behold your king!” He is falsely clothed. Just note what a marked difference between this wicked unconverted governor, and a believer’s thought of the Lord Jesus. Behold the Man!
David was a fit vessel to write the Psalms, in that sense all believers should be men. The assembly is not composed of boys and girls but men; not that babes will not be saved. Fellowship in the assembly involves being a man. If a child of twelve comes forward to break bread and acts like a man of twenty, all right, it is suitable. But it is not suitable for children, running about and playing as twelve year-olds, to come up to take a man’s place in the assembly. The thought is to put on manhood. Look at David, when but a youth he took a lamb from the mouth of the lion, and so proved himself a man. There was power in the spirituality of Samuel when he said, “We will not sit down till he come” (1 Samuel 16:11). You say this will inflate the youth, but no — he is a man, he will not be inflated. David was a sober man of strength. David slew Goliath, indeed he did, and took the head to Jerusalem. It is like Christ, he “led captivity captive”. Jacob also was identified with all that speaks of manhood; he dwelt in tents with his father Isaac and his grandfather, Abraham.
The manhood of Christ is in mind of course. “He that descended is the same also that ascended” (Ephesians 4:10). It is to glorify God, for man was made for the glory of God. Christ was Man, and He goes in ascension beyond all heavens! He goes into the uncreated sphere, — so great is He. Only He could do that, yet He is Man! When God brings His First-begotten into the world, He says, “Let all the angels of God worship him!” (Hebrews 1:6). That is the Man, so christianity is manhood.
Everyone has received grace, “He has given some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some shepherds and teachers”; — these are men. The gifts are here, but in men; the gifts are here that we should be men, — for the work of the ministry — “until we all arrive ... at the full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). That is the thought for man, babes indeed in the knowledge of the world and malice, but men in the things of God.
Now take Peter, a good example of a man. Cornelius sent for him, and when Peter came he fell down to worship him, but that would not do. Peter was a man as Cornelius was, so he lifted him up, and they went together into the house. Peter was an apostle too — he had been told he would be a fisher of men, he was to catch men. A gift is only provisional, only to serve men, and when they are all served, the gifts will be laid down. In John 17 the Lord turns to the Father for His disciples, saying, “I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world ... thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word”. It is manhood that keeps the word. The apostle Peter says, “Desire earnestly the pure mental milk of the word, that by it ye may grow up to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). In your minds be men, not babes. There is need of manhood among us, manhood that takes its share in suffering; manhood is truly needed in the testimony. May God bless His word!