MINISTRY IN EDINBURGH
(i) CHRIST'S EPISTLE
Jim Gray
I would like to say something about the epistle of Christ, or Christ's epistle: it is commended here. The word epistle is archaic to us at the present time; 'letter' would be more appropriate, so that the young people can understand. When Paul was writing the epistle he was speaking about the saints in Corinth. There are things that would be commended for us to read, for example, the Scriptures. God would commend the Scriptures to all of us. Every scripture is divinely inspired. That is a statement in the Scriptures by the Spirit of God, profitable for us, for the believer. In every matter whether in assembly matters or in our practical walk in life, the Scriptures stand out paramount. Then there is ministry; we might be commended to read ministry, and that would be important too, because ministry has come through the power of the Holy Spirit as of God. It is not inspired exactly as the Scriptures are inspired; they stand alone in the books that we have. Ministry would prove to be of value to us, it is of God.
This is something else. This is the epistle of Christ and he is speaking about persons. Paul says "ye are our letter, written in our hearts". What is formed in the Corinthian saints is written in the heart of all, "known and read of all men". It would be known and read of all men as Paul moved amongst men, or amongst the saints. Then he says "being manifested to be Christ's epistle ministered by us, written, not with ink, but the Spirit of the living God". There is something in persons that is worth reading. It is in a local company. It is quite something to take account of ourselves, each one individually as expressing what is of Christ. When Paul went to another place, He spoke well of the Corinthian saints, because he had an impression of what Christ had done in that company. That would be true of each one of us: we move out of our locality, we would be able to speak well of the local brethren, because of what they are, "Christ's letter". There is really a letter there written by the Spirit of the living God. It is a remarkable statement that, "the Spirit of the living God". In the time in which the apostle wrote there were idols and they could effect nothing. We read that in the Psalms, an idol can do nothing, Ps 115. But the living God can write in our hearts. I think I could say, without contradiction, that the Spirit of God has written in the heart of everyone here tonight, He has written Christ in our hearts. Our histories have formed us after Christ, by the Spirit of the living God, but there is distinction in each one. There is a speciality that attaches to you as an individual and to me, which is not after the flesh but after the Spirit. What a wonderfully productive and formative matter it is to take account of the local brethren as the epistle of Christ. You take account of their histories. They belong to the approved, the saints with whom we walk; I am not saying that exclusively, but I say it from the standpoint of those who have named the name of the Lord and withdraw from iniquity, proved themselves approved. They have come through exercise, ecclesiastical and moral exercises. This is not to eulogise ourselves, but to bring out the glory of Christ. There are persons who treasure that Name, "let him that names the Name of the Lord, withdraw from iniquity”, there are persons who treasure that Name. We are amongst those persons who treasure that name, the name of the Lord. We have taken a certain step in our histories, 'withdrawn from iniquity'. All the exercises that entered into that! We sought a place where we believe the Lord can come, "calling on the Lord out of a pure heart". The moral exercise that goes into the maintenance of that, no duplicity. Paul was showing here to the Corinthians saints, in the section in which we have been reading in chapter 3, that there was not duplicity with them. But he has an impression of what God had done in Corinth. Just persons like you and me, persons who work and seek their living in the city of Corinth, Paul saw that God had brought them to light. We have come to light as a people selected by God. It says in Acts 18 "I have much people in this city" (v 10). They were a testimony in the early church, the Corinthian saints, things are said about them that are not said about others. That does not mean that it would not be true of the other localities, but Paul draws distinctions. But what was in my heart was to draw attention to the work of God here, the work of God in each of the saints; as I think of one and another, I think of a history with God. How the brethren have arrived at where they have arrived. It is often said that we are thankful for those with whom we can walk. We surely are thankful, because everyone with whom we walk has come through exercises, some of which have been deep, and the Spirit of the living God is writing in their hearts. Christ has written there, the love of Christ constrains, something has brought us out to where we are. It is the love of Christ that has constrained us.
I want to encourage us all, and the young people here tonight, to see that there is that in them that is written, not with ink, not on tables of stone, but in your heart. It says "the fleshy tables of the heart", that means that they are impressionable. God has given you a heart that is impressionable, through moral exercise. You come to Christ as your Saviour; it began there, the exercises of having your sins forgiven. That heart of stone that once I had has been broken down, becomes a heart in which God can reign. What a joy to divine Persons to have those upon whom they can write. When we are unconverted our hearts are like stone, they are not impressionable for the things of God, but conversion brings about a change, a change through divine operation in your soul. God has wrought in your soul, in new birth, wrought in your soul to bring about a change in your spirit. John chapter 3 speaks about the new birth that takes place, the Spirit operating in a mysterious way in your soul, then you come to Christ and you come into touch with a Man in the glory, a blessed Man who captivates that heart of yours. You receive the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. What a matter that is! Treasure both, the forgiveness of your sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit is in view of writing something. What is written conveys the thought that it cannot be effaced, it cannot be destroyed. There is that written in your heart that cannot be destroyed. That is a great comfort. Whatever the way may hold for us, what is written by the Spirit of God, Christ's epistle, will go through to eternity, housed in a body of humiliation - we were reminded of that in what we sang - soon to be housed in a body of glory. It is Christ's epistle, it is a manifestation of another kind of man, not what you and I are after the flesh, but what we are after Christ, and I say again it is in everyone in this room. Let us take account of it, it greatly enhances our appreciation of one another, the value of one another, each one has been a personal writing of the Spirit of the living God. God has come near to us to write in our hearts. It is Himself that has done it, the Spirit of the living God. What He writes must be in relation to life. What He writes in our hearts is manifested by our quickened affections for Jesus, quickened affections for Christ. That is why we are drawn here tonight; it is not mandatory, it not exactly what is obligatory, that has drawn us here tonight; it is a desire to be amongst persons who are Christ's epistle, drawn to one another because Christ's epistle is here. It is good to keep that side of things, keep the dignity of Christ's epistle before us, because it enhances our appreciation of the saints, and particularly the appreciation of the saints locally.
We go away to another place and we carry that with us. It is an epistle written in our heart, as Paul says they were written in his heart. They were there in the local place, but they were written in his heart, wherever he went he could only speak of what he knew of them, and he spoke well of them. Despite all their idiosyncrasies, all their failures, there was something there that was Christ's. Let us hold on to it. It will help us in matters locally, it will help us in all the matters of assembly life and in our secular life too, but it will help us in assembly life in our relations with one another, to grasp hold of Christ's epistle. It goes on to the matter of the new covenant, because the love of God is displayed in that, because persons in the gain of the new covenant, and a new covenant minister, as Paul brings out, are in the gain of the love of God, and of the love of God expressed in the saints. These are but a few thoughts that I had in mind, particularly the matter of Christ's epistle, that it may be appreciated by us.