CHRIST IN THE MIDST
CHRIST IN THE MIDST
In 1909 it was put out in ministry which appeared in print that the Lord had taken up an abiding position “in the midst” of the assembly (John 20: 19; Hebrews 2: 12), and that this formed the central truth of Christianity. It was said that on the day the Lord rose from the dead He fulfilled His promise in John 14: 18, “I will not leave you orphans, I am coming to you”, and that He did not relinquish the position He then took up in the midst. It is clear from John 20 itself that this is not the truth, for after saying in verse 19 that Jesus came and stood in the midst, the scripture tells us in verse 26 that eight days after His disciples were again within, and Thomas with them, and that “Jesus comes, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst”. Moreover, in chapter 21 we read that “after these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples” (verse 1), and from Acts 1: 21, 22, we learn that during the forty days after the Lord rose, as well as during His public ministry before His death, He “came in and went out” among the disciples.
The suggestion that the Lord has an abiding position in the midst of the assembly tended to obscure the special privilege and blessedness of His coming to His own from time to time, according to John 14: 23, leading to the highest form of assembly service Godward, and to weaken the sense that this privilege is dependent on suitable conditions, as is clearly indicated in John 14:15, John 14:21-23. It also indirectly tended to obscure the special grace and favour of the abiding presence with us, in the absence of Christ, of the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, in connection with Whose presence the Lord is pleased to come, from time to time, and manifest Himself to His own.
The wrong teaching as to Christ’s abiding presence in the midst was challenged by Mr. J. Taylor, and as a result of correspondence and exercise that ensued, the article in which the teaching appeared was withdrawn in 1914.
The suggestion of Christ’s abiding presence in the midst of the assembly having been shewn to be inconsistent with Scripture does not, of course, set aside the fact that, for support in administration and testimony, He is with us “all the days, until the completion of the age”, Matthew 28: 20.