MARK 9
Ques Would you tell us a little as to Elias coming to restore all things?
CAC It is a feature of the kingdom of God in power that it is marked by restoration; that is peculiarly encouraging to us. “Elias indeed, having first come, restores all things”. That seems to be a prominent feature in the kingdom as presented here, because Elias is put first and not Moses. In the other accounts Moses comes first. Moses would represent the inauguration of things, but Elias the restoration of things as the fruit of prophetic ministry, so the power of the kingdom is definitely marked by that. Therefore we might well look for special power in connection with restoration, and no doubt we are proving the power of the kingdom at the present time on the line of restoration.
Ques Is that why we have works at the end of this gospel, what they shall do “in my name”?
CAC Yes, all is in keeping. The power of the kingdom seems to appear in the way of purity and restoration, and also in the light of divine love. These are very blessed characteristics of the power of the kingdom, and they have a special sweetness to us at the end of the dispensation.
Rem The Lord’s garments are referred to here strikingly.
CAC The power of the kingdom would be evidenced in maintaining purity of associations suitable to God. We see here a character of purity surpassing all that is earthly: no fuller on earth could produce such whiteness. That corresponds with Malachi 3. In connection with John the baptist, Malachi speaks of Jehovah as becoming “like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ lye”. That suggests a purifying power; the power of the kingdom is known in saints preserving purity of associations according to God.
Rem The ministry of Elias was first a call to repentance.
CAC Yes, what the Lord connects with Elias is restoration. “He shall restore”. The character is introduced in connection with the kingdom, which is most encouraging for us in a day of departure. What has been lost publicly is purity of associations, and that being lost the light of love in sonship has been lost. The movements of restoration in the power of the kingdom would be to restore these things.
[p. 88] This chapter presents in striking contrast the power of the two kingdoms. That is why these two incidents are put together, the scene on the mount and the scene at the foot. We see the power of the two kingdoms: one kingdom marked by purity, restoring power, and the revelation of divine love as resting on the beloved Son; He is to be heard. That is the power of one kingdom, and then there is another kingdom: a perfect contrast where everything is utterly opposite, a most pitiable picture of the full power of Satan.
You can understand Mark putting Elias before Moses. It must have been very precious in Mark’s soul to think of the power of the kingdom of God coming not only on the line of purity but on the line of restoration. It is affecting to see the character of the kingdom.
Ques How far does “restore all things” go?
CAC I suppose it goes a long way because it results in the adjustment of every outstanding question. In the kingdom of God sooner or later there must be the adjusting of every moral question. The power of the kingdom necessitates the adjustment of anything that could come in and cause divergence. So the ministry of Elias was to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers. That supposes alienation in families, and the power of the kingdom coming in to adjust the relationship. The adjustment would be necessary in view of family affection and relationship. It is impossible to think we can have the enjoyment of sonship, and divine affection, and love resting on the beloved Son, if we are not adjusted according to the purity of the kingdom. What is to mark the kingdom is everything exceeding white, as no fuller on earth could whiten. These associations are suitable to the kingdom, and if the kingdom is in power it must result in that character of things.
Rem In this incident the father had lost the affections of his child.
CAC Yes, there is the perfect contrast. The Father and Son on the mount, and everything there perfectly suitable to the freedom of divine affection; but at the foot of the mount we see a father and son where everything is in discord under the power of another kingdom. The son is dumb and deaf, and possessed by a power that is self-destructive. The power of Satan’s kingdom always works on the line of destruction. The wonderful thing is that the power of the divine kingdom comes [p. 89] in to adjust everything, so that, where Satan is in full strength, he is completely defeated. The power of the divine kingdom seems to be seen here in the absolute displacement of the evil power that was acting.
The disputing of the scribes got its opportunity in the weakness of the disciples. What comes out is, “This kind can go out by nothing but by prayer and fasting”, verse 29. If the power of the kingdom of God is to be exercised by us in reference to the power of evil, it demands conditions. The disciples had not suitable conditions, so they were impotent. I think a great deal of Mark’s object here is to show how the disciples, even when the Lord was with them, were not able to exercise the power given to them. We are often like that.
It is important to see all through this gospel how the full unhindered power of the kingdom was there in the Lord. It was not only in testimony but in power, but on the disciples’ side they were not in the power of it.
Ques The Lord speaks of rising from among the dead (verse 9). Is that the way the kingdom is set up?
CAC What the disciples did not understand was that there should be a resurrection from among the dead; they quite understood the resurrection of the dead. I think that the resurrection from among the dead has a moral counterpart: it is exactly what God is doing in the power of the kingdom now. He is bringing out a people from among the dead, so that they may be marked by purity and be able to maintain what is due to God so that God may have His pleasure in His people. The great point in reference to Elias was that God was to have His pleasure in restoring the sons of Levi; they were to be a pure oblation. That corresponds with this chapter; it finishes with a pure oblation, every sacrifice salted with salt, that is, the saints become the true sons of Levi, purified so as to become an oblation to God.
Ques What do we learn by “Bring him to me”?
CAC The power of the kingdom remains in the Lord though the disciples failed. He has to speak of them as faithless, but the power abides in Himself. He is able to deal with every situation even if it arises from the direct manifestation of the full power of Satan, so we do not need to be afraid that any situation will baffle the Lord. This is a complex situation, and yet we see the Lord’s ability to deal with it. We see the extraordinary power of Satan; first in the afflicted son, then [p. 90] in the powerlessness of the disciples; and finally, although there is the working of faith in the father, at the same time he is conscious of the working of unbelief, for, though he can say “I believe”, he has to appeal to the Lord in reference to unbelief. The secret of all weakness at all times is unbelief. What a wonderful thing it is that, if conscious we do not believe as we might, yet we can roll all our unbelief on the Lord!
Ques Why did the Lord ask how long he had been like this?
CAC I think it is a divine principle with God to go back to the origin of things, to get back to the root, and until we do there is no true moral adjustment.
The kingdom of God is in power, not in word, and the Lord would encourage us to take a proper estimate of the power of the kingdom. Now the “if thou canst” is “if thou canst believe”. Have we faith to use the available power? Then the fact that God is pleased to try faith shows that it is there; it will stand the test. We see here the extreme hostility of Satan to that which is for the pleasure of God; anything that is distinctively for the pleasure of God at any moment will be the direct object of Satan’s attack.
Ques Would you tell us a little about prayer and fasting?
CAC When we have to do with the direct power of evil, human resources cannot avail; therefore we are cast on God in prayer. It is always so when we have to do with the working of positive evil. I do not mean the working of the flesh, but, when it is satanic power, we are cast utterly on God, so that prayer is most important. Even Michael the archangel when disputing with the devil said, “The Lord rebuke thee”. Then on the other hand there is fasting. In fasting there is the deep exercise to stand apart even from things that are perfectly lawful and legitimate. Fasting does not mean standing apart from what is wrong, but from what is legitimate at other times.
The end of this chapter is highly educational. The Lord is calling attention to what is absolutely necessary if the house of Levi is to be a pure oblation, so that God should have His pleasure in a spiritual house of Levi. If this is to be reached, if the house of Levi is to become an oblation salted with salt for the pleasure of God, these exercises must be gone through. It is instructive to see the Lord’s painstaking care to instruct us in what is suitable to God, and to displace from us the unworthy thoughts that might get mixed up with faith. None [p. 91] of us doubts that the disciples had faith, but their very faith turned to vainglory. It is solemn that it is possible for persons to have faith and for it to turn to vainglory through personal pre-occupation. This completely hindered the disciples understanding what the Lord had before Him. The Lord had His death before Him, that He was to be killed, but they did not enter into it, they were preoccupied with thoughts that were partly the product of faith but were not suitable to that moment.
Fasting involves giving up what is legitimate. It was legitimate to want the kingdom and a good place in it; but what was legitimate was not suitable for the moment; it was out of time and tune.
Ques Would prayer and fasting lead to searching for vainglorious motives?
CAC Yes, the disciples were not altogether comfortable about it. Your heart often condemns you when your conscience does not. When the Lord challenged them, they did not like to say they were thinking who should be the greatest. The Lord had to take them in hand and educate them in what greatness was. The Lord does not deny any of us the privilege of being great, He does not want us to be small, but He wants us to be truly great. Our natural ideas of greatness are just the opposite to the rule of the kingdom; there the one who is first is to be last and serve all. That is what we are to aspire to; that is a very lowly attitude to take up, to put yourself in a place inferior to everyone else. The Lord became servant of all. The Lord took a little child and set it in their midst and took it in His arms — that is greatness, to be a little child in the arms of Jesus! Which would you rather be — an apostle, or a little child in the arms of Jesus? A child has no status in this world, a child is not reckoned much in this world, but what is it to be the object of the love of Jesus, to be in His embrace! One who moves about among his brethren in the arms of Jesus brings that with him, and every one who receives him receives the One who sent him; he brings that atmosphere with him. The great power of Satan’s kingdom is put forth to incapacitate God’s creature for appreciating movements in relation to divine affections, but when we get that power broken we find a child in the arms of Jesus. Now, the Lord says, ‘That is the sort of person that can be received, and where he is received I am received, and where I am received, the One who sent Me is received’.
[p. 92] Ques The Lord rebukes the unclean spirit; He does not touch him — is there any significance in that?
CAC Yes, it is the action of divine authority. There is nothing sympathetic in the way the Lord deals with wicked spirits; He deals with them in pure authority. If it is a leper, a blind man, or a sick woman, He touches them; there is something sympathetic; but there is no sympathy with the Lord’s dealing with what is satanic. It would not be right that there should be. He speaks with authority. After the spirit is displaced we see the sympathetic touch; the Lord takes the boy by the hand. It is very instructive to see that.
Then we see that the spirit of the disciples needed to be adjusted in another way. There seemed to be a kind of jealousy for the Lord that, when they saw one casting out demons in His name, they forbade him; it was because he followed not us. That was another spiritual discord that had to be brought into harmony. We get away sometimes from the capital ‘I’ and turn it into a big ‘us’ — he follows not us. They ought rather to have been glad that there was another man able to use the power of the kingdom in the way they themselves had failed. They had failed in it immediately before and yet were ready to call this man to account because he could do it. The Lord had to tell them that one who could do a miracle in His name could not soon speak evil of Him, and “he who is not against us is for us”.
Ques How would that apply to us?
CAC That we do not want to stop anyone from doing the work of the Lord, but rather to pray for the success and prosperity of all those who do it.
Rem Paul could rejoice that Christ was preached even out of contention.
CAC Yes, and it is important that we should keep in that spirit. Everything done in the work of the Lord is our gain. If people are converted anywhere it is a gain to us, and anything that comforts or edifies the saints is a gain to us. Anything that is done in the power of the kingdom is a gain to us; but you must not excuse the man.
Ques Would that have been a pure oblation going up to God?
CAC We must learn both sides of the lesson. I do not think there was a pure oblation in the man casting out demons nor in the disciples forbidding him. But how much that man [p. 93] lost! He lost immensely, and nothing could make up for it; he missed a unique privilege. He had the chance then of a privilege that all eternity will never give him again, for he had the chance of following the Son of man in His blessed service of the kingdom here. He exercised the power of the kingdom in His name but without being identified with that company which was peculiarly for the pleasure of God. We must take both sides of the lesson: we do not want to forbid anyone doing the Lord’s work, whoever or wherever they are — we thank God and pray for them; but we never lose sight of the fact that many of them are missing a priceless privilege. Jonathan missed a privilege, and the end found him in companionship with what God had rejected.
It was individual self-importance that made the disciples want to be first, and dispute who should be the greatest. It was collective self-importance that made them forbid the man because he follows not with us. The restoring power of the kingdom would eliminate both these elements, and there cannot otherwise be a pure oblation. The restoring power of the kingdom would also have brought that brother into line. He was not in line when casting out demons in the Lord’s name and not walking with the Lord — exercising His power now and despising His company.
Self-importance often comes in and gets mixed up with faith. The disciples made a wrong use of their faith, and it led them to look for the kingdom and a place there. The Lord is here as a refiner of silver and a fuller’s lye to purify all the garments of His people. He exercises His power so that the sons of Levi should become a pure oblation, He conducts them along until they become it; at the end of this chapter we see that the oblation is there and the salt upon it. The kingdom of God is not that you can do wonderful things, but that you can maintain purity and can be preserved in restoration and enjoy sonship. In the dignity of sonship you can afford to be small, to be a little child and the subject of the love of Christ; you can get rid of the big ‘I’ and ‘us’ and are on the line of the pure oblation.
That line raises many serious exercises — first as to the sort of influence you bring to bear on other people. Then you are exercised about your own hand and foot and eye.
Every ferocious and self-assertive thing is to be brought under the controlling power of a little child. The lion and the [p. 94] bear are ferocious animals, and they are to be brought under the control of a little child in the power of the kingdom.
I think verse 41 of this chapter serves to bring out how we regard what is of Christ in one another, and in ourselves, too. That is the exercise suggested by this portion of the gospel. It suggests that the one who gives a cup of cold water has seen something in the disciples that is “of Christ”, and the privilege is taken up from that point of view of refreshing the one it is given to. The one who gives the cup has seen something in the disciple that is of Christ; it is what comes out in the disciple that tests him. This is a vital consideration and a key to the understanding of this part of the gospel — a solemn and searching part. It is very important and blessed because we get in this part the key to liberty.
The disciples were like ourselves, they needed to be instructed in that which had value in relation to God’s kingdom. We all need exactly the same instruction. The disciples had been reasoning among themselves as to which of them was the greatest — that was not being of Christ. If a man saw you disputing which should be the greatest, and gave you a cup of cold water, he would not be giving it to you because you were of Christ. The point is that the person gives the cup of cold water because he has seen something “of Christ” in the disciple, so he lays himself out in a very humble way to refresh it; he gives a cup of cold water to minister to that “because ye are of Christ”. We talk sometimes very happily and profitably of what it is to be “in Christ”; but it is well for us to remember that nothing is “in Christ” but what is “of Christ”. It raises the question as to what kind of persons we are.
Ques The Corinthians were spoken of as “in Christ” though they were in rather a sad state, were they not?
CAC Yes. They were in Christ from the standpoint of divine purpose and calling, but they were a long way from being in Christ as having come under the grace of the anointing. “In Christ” means that one has come under the grace of the anointing; it is a simple statement and cannot be controverted. How could you have anything in Christ that was not of Him? In one sense saints are in Christ before the foundation of the world, but we are speaking of it rather in connection with how it is worked out by the work of God.
Ques Does not a believer learn what it is to be in Christ before he is found to be of Him?
[p. 95] CAC Yes, in the gospel sense one may see that all the blessings are in Christ: all the blessings of the gospel are presented as being in Christ, in another Man, and by faith in that Man we come into them. But when it is a question of saints reaching what it is to be in Christ in their own consciousness, there must be a deriving from Christ. In Romans chapter 5 comes before chapter 6: in chapter 5 all the blessed things are presented as coming from God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and, as we come into the good of these things, we learn what it is to be of Christ, we are of that Man. The disciples here are looked upon as having taken character from Christ, they are of Christ, and that is appreciated by the one who gives the cup of cold water; he wants to refresh that which is of Christ.
There are two things in contrast here: we are either refreshing and helping on what is of Christ in another, or there is the danger of becoming a snare to one another. Are we encouraging what is of Christ, or becoming a snare? It might be that the influence that goes out from us tends to bring souls into such captivity that they cannot move on the line of being of Christ, or the line of life or of the kingdom. If a bird is caught in a snare, its liberty is lost: the Lord is warning us here of things that rob us of spiritual liberty. We want to move on the line of liberty, or the line of being of Christ.
Ques Were the Corinthians snared in that way?
CAC Yes, I think they were. The apostle was largely working to liberate them from the snare. They had been diverted from what was of Christ, and were giving place to a good deal that was not of Christ: that all comes in on the line of a snare.
“Of Christ” is a term that Scripture often uses: “They that are of the Christ have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts”, Galatians 5: 24. They are of the Christ and therefore, being so, they cannot tolerate those things of the flesh. Again Paul says to the Galatians: “If ye are of Christ, then ye are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to promise”, chapter 3: 29. That is deriving from Him.
Ques Would you say that was taking character from Him?
CAC Yes, if we derive from Him we are suited to come under the anointing and to form part of that wonderful system and order of things that is for the pleasure of God in Christ.
Rem I had regarded “in Christ” as the abiding work of God accepted by faith — “of him are ye in Christ Jesus”, 1 Corinthians 1: 30.
CAC That is by the work of God. If you look at saints abstractly as subjects of the work of God, they are by God’s work in Christ. Several things go together in connection with “in Christ”. Redemption is needed, the Spirit is needed, but then the work of God in the soul is needed. “Of him (God) are ye in Christ Jesus, who has been made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and holiness, and redemption; that according as it is written, He that boasts, let him boast in the Lord”. Paul makes his boast in God, who has made him to know Christ as wisdom from God, righteousness, holiness and redemption. What a full equipment! The saints are viewed there abstractly in Christ by the work of God; but it is another thing to reach it, and stand in the good of it. To be in Christ as God’s wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption is a marvellous thing, and takes in the whole scope of things. There is the wisdom of God in Christ, righteousness in a risen Christ, holiness connected with Him as ascended, and redemption, His coming again. It takes in the whole scope of what is in Christ.
It is a great thing to recognise what is of Christ, and refresh it, encourage it, and try to help it — give a cup of cold water. We see something of Christ in all saints — then encourage it, give the cup of cold water, and do not become a snare.
Ques Is anything suggested by having a cup of cold water?
CAC It suggests ability to minister refreshment; all have that. A very little matter can encourage what is of Christ in a soul, as a very little matter may become a snare. We can all give a cup of cold water — if we see a bit of Christ we can do something to encourage it. The exercise is to be on the line of refreshing and encouraging, and of keeping clear of anything that might become a snare, anything that would hold the soul captive so that it does not pursue the line of being of Christ. That is the thought here of a snare.
We see this wonderful ‘life divine below’ of which we have been singing. What marks the kingdom in power is the exceeding whiteness of the garments so that no fuller on earth could white them. We see, in a ‘little one’, a young believer, beautiful features, beautiful affections and simplicity. We often see this in a young one, his soul realising the great gain he has acquired as being in Christ, and perhaps he meets with [p. 97] an old saint. Has that saint got his cup of cold water for him, or has he become feeble in his own spiritual apprehensions so that he becomes a snare instead of a refreshment? The one who gives the cup of cold water shows that he appreciates what he has seen of Christ in another, he shows his appreciation in a simple and insignificant way, and he would be the last man to be a snare.
Ques The cup is given “in my name”. What would that suggest?
CAC It suggests that the one who has the cup is animated by a great regard for that name. If so, how delighted he would be to refresh what is of Christ and help it on, and to be exercised and careful lest he become a snare! We are always being tested as to whether we appreciate Christ, and as to what influence we bring to bear.
Ques Paul speaks of Onesiphorus and Stephanas having refreshed him. Would that be the principle of the cup of cold water?
CAC Yes, that is the principle of it. We are set to encourage and promote what is of Christ, and not to bring into activity what is of the flesh. If anything I do has the effect of bringing a soul into captivity, that is the thought of a snare. A snare here refers to a trap which catches a bird. If anything has the effect of bringing into bondage, we shall not be free to pursue the line of what is of Christ. It is a terrible thing to become a snare — the Lord speaks of a millstone and being cast into the depth of the sea. I heard of a person long breaking bread lending a novel to a young believer. Was that the cup of cold water? If anything in my ways tends to bring a soul into captivity so that he does not ardently pursue what is of Christ, I become a snare to that person. The Lord would have us exercised as to our influence, and as to how our ways affect others, or whether they make much of Christ. If we are moving with the Lord we shall be on the line of the cup of cold water, and not on the line of the snare; one leads to refreshment and liberty and the other to captivity. The next thing is that we are to be greatly exercised as to what becomes a snare to ourselves; it is only as keeping free oneself that one can move on the line of keeping others from snares.
Ques When does the reward come?
CAC You get your reward if you are refreshing a soul;
[p. 98] you have such a big reward at the present time that you can leave the other safely.
Then we find the Lord speaking of the most important members: that is things that are most important to a man in regard to life in this world — the hand, the foot and the eye. The Lord speaks of their becoming a snare. We have to find out what our own snares are. I do not expect others to tell me what is a snare to me, and I do not think anyone knows. If I am moving on spiritual lines I shall know. These verses suppose that you become conscious of something in your actions — your hand; or your foot — your walk, which brings in your associations; or your eye — the way you are using your intelligence. There is something in them which holds you in captivity; you are not free to pursue what is of Christ, and you must deal with it most decisively. I heard of a man who was told by his brethren that he was subject to a certain failing. He was very surprised and went home and asked his wife whether it was true. She said, ‘Yes, I think it is’. If that man had been walking with God, instead of his failing being pointed out to him by his brethren and his wife, he would have been the first to find it out. If we are spiritual we shall be the first to discern those workings that impede and hold us in captivity in regard to what is of Christ, and then the thing will be dealt with decisively. A man’s hand, foot or eye are his most important members which give him a place in this world; but the Lord says, ‘It is a place in relation to life and the kingdom that you are after, and you are to be prepared to be maimed in regard to life here in this world so that you may pursue the line of life and the kingdom’. It is an exercise we all have to face, because with every one of us there is the danger of something in our activities, our walk and associations, or something in the way we use our intelligence, that may hold us captive. We can feel it; it is not a question of others seeing it — now what shall we do? Just do what the fox does when caught in a trap; he eats his leg off to get free, because he values his liberty more than his leg. Now that is the point. Do you value your liberty in pursuit of what is of Christ? If you do, you make a sacrifice in regard to that which gives you a place in this world because you want to be free in relation to that region of life and the kingdom of God. If you find something holds you captive, eat your leg off like the fox.
Ques Is it like Paul in [p. 99] Philippians 3?
CAC We see the principle of it there. Paul’s great motive was “on account of Christ”; he says it three times over. Christ had become the dominating influence. Anything that holds one captive from the line of pursuing Christ is a snare. Satan says, ‘Surely you will not be so strict, but have a little liberty’. But the saint says, ‘That is what I want, and so I will not be brought into bondage, and I will cut off all these things’.
It is solemn that the Lord puts the case in such an extreme light; and we can notice it is the way of Scripture to do that. Take John’s epistles — what an extreme light he puts things in! “He that committeth sin is of the devil”. “Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him”. John puts it in an extreme light to exercise us. Now the Lord raises this question, ‘Is it not better for you to be maimed than to go to hell-fire?’ If a man actually fell under the power of a snare in such a way that he could not move at all on the line of life or the kingdom of God, that man would go to hell. It could not be absolutely true of one born of God, but the Lord puts the thing in an extreme light. The Lord shows the way the road leads; a certain road leads to hell. The believer may never get there, but would he like to walk a single yard on that road? The christian may say, ‘I shall never come there’; but the Lord is not here speaking of sovereign counsels or grace, but of the principles of the kingdom. The Lord speaks wisely when He points out the fact that, if you are led captive in view of life and the kingdom of God, the end of such a course is hell-fire. If we do not move on the line of life and the kingdom, what else is there? There is a course of what is of Christ, the narrow way; outside of it there is only the broad way which leads to hell-fire. The Lord puts it in a solemn way, and we must not think that the Lord does not speak what is right and good for us to hear.
Ques Has the Lord in His mind the kingdom come in power?
CAC Yes, and that preserves us from snares. The Lord is showing us what a terrible thing a snare is, so as to preserve us from being captive in it. The Lord is leading on to the fact that the saints, instead of being snared, are to become a true sacrifice for the pleasure of God. The line of sacrifice is for the pleasure of God, and the line of snares is self-indulgence. There is some kind of self-indulgence connected with every [p. 100] kind of snare — hand, foot or eye; but the Lord would put us on the line of sacrifice, showing us at the finish of the chapter the saints as subjects of the kingdom, as the true oblation. The salt is there, every sacrifice salted with salt. Every true believer who is the subject of divine calling has been called to the place of sacrifice, to be for the pleasure of God. To have salt in ourselves is our own exercise to preserve us. We are not to be told to do this or that; we are not dependent on rules, or regulations, or people telling us what to do, or conforming to the manner of life accredited by brethren; but we are to have salt in ourselves. Everyone is to be salted with fire, it is universal; every one is to be salted with fire, and every sacrifice salted with salt. God will search out everything in judgment. With the unconverted at the great white throne it is eternal; the believer, one born anew, is searched out by the judgment of the Lord; we are chastened so that we may not be condemned with the world. The believer is salted with fire now: The Lord will try every work whether it be good or evil. Do you think the Lord will shut His eyes to what is evil in those He has purchased with His precious blood? No, if we indulge the flesh the Lord will judge it, as He did at Corinth so that they should not be condemned with the world. We get purgatory now, a dealing of the Lord that is purifying now, not after death.
Ques What does the salt losing its savour mean?
CAC The natural tendency is for the savour of what is of God to be lost. The Lord is referring to Leviticus a when He says, “Every sacrifice shall be salted with salt”; He puts the saints into the place of the oblation or meat-offering.
Ques How do our exercises preserve us?
CAC It seems to me that the salt is the sense of having to do with God as known in grace — it is the salt of the covenant. The sense of having to do with God known in grace produces normally an intense desire to be faithful in our relations with Him, and preserves freedom from every snare, so there is nothing to spoil the character of the oblation. Nothing is a true sacrifice that is not of Christ: everything outside Christ will be burned up in the fire of judgment. What is of Christ goes up in a sweet savour to God. Salt is that faithful purpose produced by divine grace to be true to the covenant relations in which we stand to God. Truth to this covenant relation means the absolute refusal of the flesh, and the world, and of [p. 101] everything of the character of a snare. It means the cultivation and expression of those blessed features of Christ. The salt indicates inward exercises; it is our side. There can be no failure on God’s side of the covenant, but on ours the salt may be lacking. God had said, “neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking”, and “with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt”. It is the faithful purpose to be true to covenant relations and to maintain what is on the line of what is of Christ. Is it of Christ? That is the test. Nothing has sacrificial value but what is of Christ. Those who have salt are fully set up to pursue what is of Christ, and of that order of man; but the devil is always trying to bring us into captivity so that we should be hindered from pursuing that line.
If every one of us here were to be thrown back on our own spiritual intuition we would be preserved, but Satan brings in something not on that line to bring us into captivity, so that we cannot pursue the line of spiritual intuition. Christ is the standard to be maintained: it is not excusing things because others do them. “Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another”. That is the only way we can walk together in peace, by each refusing the flesh in himself. As we do that we walk in peace because there is nothing to produce discord, and all are pursuing the line of what is of Christ.
Ques Is it like Romans 12, presenting our body a living sacrifice?
CAC That works out in service to the brethren, so that every one has his measure of faith, and every one takes up his bit of service according to his measure of faith. Everything works in perfect peace and harmony among the brethren when they move on the line of Romans 12; but it is a tremendous exercise to “present your bodies a living sacrifice”.
Ques Would a scripture like this lead us to be exercised about ourselves and not to judge others?
CAC Yes, Mr. Darby once said, ‘When we think we are judging others, the Lord is judging and exposing our own state’.
I think we see the kingdom in power in all this; that is Mark’s presentation of it. Matthew presents the kingdom in prospect, “the Son of man coming in his kingdom”. Matthew brings what is future in its operative and illuminative power into the present; so the saint is marked by that which is as yet future outwardly. Luke shows us the kingdom patterned [p. 102] in Jesus, and Mark the kingdom in power, so that what is true in Him should become true in us.
Ques Is the truth of the kingdom shown in righteousness and peace?
CAC Everything must work in the kingdom on the line of righteousness: the first law of the kingdom is righteousness, and that as far as we are concerned is a matter of self-judgment. Grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life; grace brings you to judge yourself and, when you do, you move in the direction of eternal life. The point here is that there should be ability to enter into life and the kingdom of God. Everyone knows just exactly how far he or she has entered into life and the kingdom of God. There is no uncertainty as to the measure. We know how far we have entered; it is not very much with some of us.
The kingdom of God is not in word but in power; the character of it is righteousness, peace — no discord, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Rem “Thus shall the entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be richly furnished unto you”, 2 Peter 1: 11.
CAC Yes, Peter shows us the way in, how we can be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in pursuing a certain line, it is quite in keeping with this chapter.