THE HOUSE OF GOD IN 1 TIMOTHY
[p. 79] THE HOUSE OF GOD IN 1 TIMOTHY
1 Timothy 1: 5 - 11; 1 Timothy 2: 1 - 10; 1 Timothy 3: 14 - 16; 1 Timothy 4: 1 - 5
I want now to bring before you five things that have a place in the House of God as presented in this epistle. The first is that the gospel of the glory of the blessed God is the test of everything. It is the light in which everything is discovered in its true character and it becomes the test of everything. In the verses I have read from chapter 1 the apostle speaks of many different kinds of wickedness which are exposed by the light. And then he goes on to say, “If there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God”, or as it should read, “The gospel of the glory of the blessed God”. I want you to consider that the glory of the blessed God has come out in glad tidings to men, and that in connection with the House of God.
In Old Testament times there was no shining forth of the glory of God in relation to man. There were gleams of light sufficient to make a man like Moses pray, “Show me thy glory”. But the glory of the blessed God was hidden at that time, and it is important to see why. It was really in the goodness of God that His glory was hidden. The fall had taken place at the very beginning of man’s history, and all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. Now, if the glory of God had come out in the presence of corrupted flesh it could only have been for its destruction. Therefore in the goodness of God the glory was hidden. The glory was veiled because God was dealing with man in the flesh and, in a certain way, making allowance for man in the flesh. We cannot help seeing that in the Old Testament. For example, the Jews spoke to the Lord about divorce, and the Lord said,
[p. 80] Yes, Moses allowed you to put away your wives “because of the hardness of your hearts”. There was an admission of man’s state and provision made for it in that way. But there could not be anything like that in Christianity. God makes no allowance for the flesh now; there is no provision now for allowing the hardness of man’s heart. It is very helpful to see that, because it shows the great privilege to which we are called — to walk in the light of the glory of the blessed God. Nothing could be more wonderful than that.
Read in connection with this Isaiah 40: 3 - 9. That is a very remarkable scripture, because it indicates the way in which God would provide for the comfort of His people on the one hand and the display of His own glory on the other. The chapter begins, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people”, etc. Many of God’s children have not divine comfort, because they are still entangled with the flesh. They are conscious of a thousand imperfections in themselves, and are made to realise every day of their lives what poor failing creatures they are, and how unsatisfactory their ways are to God, and having all this before them they do not know much of divine comfort. But God would comfort His people by showing them how He has set that imperfect and corrupt flesh entirely aside, so that everything might be placed upon a new footing. In a certain way that was so when His Son came into this world. The presence of the Lord Jesus here — the Son of God, the Holy One of God — was morally the setting aside of every other man. There was no man after the order of Adam to the pleasure of God. That came out in the Old Testament; there was “none that doeth good, no, not one”. But God brought His own beloved Son into this world, and the moment He came into view at His baptism the heavens were opened, and the Spirit descended and rested upon Him, and the Father’s voice said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. The glory of God was there, and, for the first time, the Godhead was revealed;
[p. 81] Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all brought to light in connection with CHRIST, not in connection with man in the flesh.
John the Baptist had come, according to Isaiah 40, to cry that all flesh was as grass, and to call people to repentance. And then this blessed One, God’s beloved Son, appeared, and in Him the glory of God in grace. So, as we read in the Gospel of John, the apostles could say, “We beheld his glory”, and in the second chapter He “manifested his glory”, and in the eleventh chapter He said to Martha, “Said I not unto thee that if thou wouldest believe thou shouldest see the glory of God?” The glory of God shone out in that blessed Person. In Him we see God’s glory in the midst of a scene of evil, and of Satan’s power, a scene of distress and ruin and death. The glory of God shone out in grace in all its blessed supremacy in the Person of Jesus. It is a great thing to see that, because the effect is we do not think much of any other man, and we think a very great deal of Christ.
But there is another thing. The bringing into this world of the glory of God in the Person of His beloved Son did not settle the question of sin and sinful flesh. The cross was needed for that, and that blessed One by His own death glorified God in regard to sin, and made an end of that sinful flesh which is such a discomfort to every saint. It may work out in a different way in each one of us, but the great source of discomfort with us all is the flesh. The Holy One of God was made sin so that sinful flesh might be condemned and cleared away. And not only that, but in the very place where sinful flesh was cleared away the glory of God in holiness and love shone forth in all its brightness. We see the glory of God at the cross, coming out in all its holy splendour in the very place where sin was being judged. The glory of the blessed God came out in that wondrous death. Flesh was removed in judgment; God was revealed in holiness and love!
And then, further, we find in Isaiah 40 that the Spirit of [p. 82] the LORD was to blow on the flesh. That carries us a step farther. That is what the Spirit of God does in your soul and mine. He brings us to God’s mind about the flesh. What is God’s mind with regard to my flesh? It is that it must needs come under condemnation and death; and it has done so in the Person of Christ upon the cross. And now, as a believer on the Lord Jesus, having received forgiveness through His Name, God has given me His Spirit to blow upon the flesh in my heart and mind, so that I may see the worthlessness of it and the impossibility of improving it. We are thus brought into concert with the mind of God, and then there is no hindrance to our souls being in the light of the glory of the blessed God. If I want to go on with the flesh, to gratify it or to display it, I am hindered from being in the light of the glory of the blessed God. But God works by bringing in Christ, and by condemning the flesh in the death of Christ, and by giving us the Spirit to blow upon the flesh in order to bring us into harmony with Himself that we may be in the light of the “[p. 91] glad tidings of the glory of the blessed God”.
Then it necessarily follows that those glad tidings become the standard of everything. It is very different from having the ten commandments or merely rules and regulations of any kind. Our souls are put in the presence of the holiness and love of the blessed God, and we are now called, as Paul says to the Thessalonians, to “walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory”. That is the only standard in the House of God. Many of us are content to walk like decent men and women in this world, and satisfied if we carry out certain precepts and do not step across a certain line which we draw for ourselves. But true Christianity is very different to that kind of thing; it is that we are brought into the light of God’s holy love, and that becomes the standard of everything. Hence the apostle says, “If there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
[p. 83] according to the glad tidings of the glory of the blessed God”. Everything contrary to that standard is condemned in God’s house. I cannot enlarge upon it, but the importance of being in the light of God is incalculable. We are not in the House of God in legality but in perfect liberty, and joy, and blessing, because of the way God has made Himself known in Christ and by the cross and by giving us His Spirit, and then our knowledge of God becomes the standard of everything.
Then in chapter 2 we get a second thing that is in the House of God. The testimony of God is there. We read, “God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time”. That is God’s testimony. The first thing is that God should be known in the hearts of His people, that we should be in the light of the glory of the blessed God. And that is preparation for testimony. The testimony, so far as I understand it, consists in giving a true account of God in this world. That is really the testimony of saints as forming the House of God — we have to give a true account of God. Remember the terrible state this world is in. It is ignorant of God, and has refused Him in every possible way. God has been turned out of this world, so far as men could do it, but there is a divine Person here who cannot be turned out of the world, and He forms the saints into God’s dwelling-place, and the only knowledge of God in grace and righteousness and love the world gets comes through God’s house, which is the place where His testimony dwells, and from whence it goes forth. God is a Saviour God who desires that all men should be saved, and the Man Christ Jesus is the Mediator through and in whom all His grace has been expressed. The Mediator gave Himself a ransom for all, and this is the manner of God’s approach to men in grace. The full glory of the blessed God has come out in the way of grace to men; and the testimony [p. 84] of it is maintained in the House of God. Nothing could be more wonderful.
Through the failure of man and the ruin of the church the light has been greatly dimmed, but I am inclined to think that God has maintained His own testimony all through from Pentecost until now. Not that you are likely to find the record of it in church history, for if the testimony of God was maintained in the dark ages it was probably in those who were not much in view of the world or of ecclesiastical historians. People are very much mistaken if they suppose that church history can be relied on as giving a true estimate of what there has been for God during the nineteen centuries of Christianity. We may look at the history of the dark ages and think there was nothing for God. But we are not justified in coming to such a conclusion. I admit there was very little public proclamation of the gospel, but God’s house was here, and His testimony was here in the power of the Holy Ghost. Perhaps only a few obscure individuals, entirely unknown to fame, were in it, but God’s testimony was in this world.
I dwell upon this because I want to ask every one here, Do you covet to be in the line of this blessed testimony? The great thing is that we should be in the testimony of God — that it should be the earnest desire of our souls to be expressing somewhat the true character of God in this world. That is the great dignity that saints have as forming God’s house. We are here to present God in His proper character and true light as a Saviour God — One who will have all men to be saved, One who is approaching men by a Mediator and on the ground of ransom. We are here to render testimony to what God is in blessed grace to men. He dwells here in His saints in grace and blessing towards men, and it is impossible to be spiritual or pious without being evangelistic. It is the true testimony of the church of God. The truth of the church and the truth of the gospel have sometimes been [p. 85] regarded as though they were two different lines. But the true note of the church in this world is its testimony to the blessed God — that it is here sounding out the grace of the blessed God amongst men. Man may dislike the testimony and turn from it with contempt, but to be identified with that testimony is the great dignity that the saints have as forming the House of God. When I speak of the House of God I do not mean any particular company of saints. It requires every believer in the world who has the Spirit to make up the House of God; it would be incomplete if you left out one believer indwelt by God’s Spirit.
Now there is another thing. The third point that I want to touch upon is that in the House of God man gets his right place. I do not think that man is in his proper place and dignity anywhere but in the House of God. What we see in the second chapter of this epistle is man restored to his proper dignity. Man has fallen and become alienated from God, but is seen here in his true dignity. What is the dignity of man? So far as I understand it, the true dignity of man is to be in intercourse with God. People think very much of being presented at court. A person admitted to intercourse with the king is looked upon in the world as a person of dignity. But the greatest dignity is to be admitted to intercourse with God. I think we sometimes look at prayer too exclusively on the side of our need and dependence; that side is perfectly true, but think of the great dignity and blessedness of being admitted to have personal intercourse with God! “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour”. “I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting”. The saints are to occupy this wonderful place of [p. 86] intercession, and I think the best time of one’s life is the time spent in intercourse with God. That is the time of real honour and dignity. If you see a man who is accustomed to have intercourse with God you see one who is in the greatest dignity that is possible for a creature. We are called to be so in the liberty of intercourse with God that everything that comes under our eye becomes an occasion of intercourse with Him. You look around in the world and everything becomes an occasion of intercourse with God — whether it be men, or kings, or the mercies of the way, or its trials. You sit down to your meals; they become occasions of intercourse with God. I am referring now to chapter 4: 3 - 5, “Meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer”. One might think that partaking of food was a very common-place affair, but the wonderful thing is that God puts His people in such nearness to Himself that there is not a single thing that comes under their notice that does not become an occasion of intercourse with Himself. I think in that way man is recovered to his proper dignity and maintained here for the good pleasure of God. This is characteristic of the House of God; these things cannot be sectarianised; they cannot be limited to anything less than the whole company of saints. I put it to myself and to you, Are we really exercised to maintain individually what is proper to God’s house; or are we content to live on a lower platform than that to which grace has called us? There is nothing legal or burdensome about it; God has thrown round our hearts the golden chain of His blessed grace and love that we might be drawn to Him and bound to Him, and that it might become the joy of our hearts to be in intercourse with Him and intercession before Him as to everything here.
[p. 87] I now turn to the end of the third chapter. The apostle’s object in writing was that Timothy might know how to behave himself in the House of God. We are not Timothys, but we all have a place in the House of God, and it is as important for us as for Timothy that we should know how to behave ourselves there. Saints often forget that they have a place in the House of God, and it is well to have our minds stirred up by way of remembrance. We belong to the House of God not only when we come together but at all times, and we have to behave ourselves as those who belong to that house. After speaking of the House of God as the pillar and ground of the truth Paul passes on to speak of the “mystery of godliness [or piety]: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”. It has been said that the mystery of godliness is enshrined in the House of God. I cannot go into this wonderful verse in detail; it is too big; but it is deeply interesting and profitable to see what is the mystery of piety. A mystery means something that is hidden — something that does not appear on the surface. Piety has its own secret and divine spring. If we look at the clock we see the right time indicated by the hands, and that shows that the spring and mechanism within are working properly. The motive power is hidden, but can be recognised by its effects. Piety is that everything in our lives down here is regulated according to God, and this will only be as our hearts are under the power of the mystery of piety. Now that is what we get in this verse. In one word it is CHRIST — He is the spring and energy of all true piety. The great thing is to have CHRIST dwelling in the heart by faith. The form of piety can be very well imitated, and in the second epistle the Holy Ghost tells us of some who have the form of piety but deny the power thereof. They have not got the true spring of it.
It is important for us to see how to get our piety invigorated.
[p. 88] I think there is room for more piety in every one of us; but how is it to be brought about? If the clock is out of order will any amount of tinkering with the face and hands put it right? No, you must get to the spring and the works — to the hidden part — and put that right. It is no good trying to put right this detail and that in a legal kind of way. The great thing for us is to know and have more of Christ — to have Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith. If we get more of Christ in our hearts there will be more of Christ expressed in our lives. Christ expressed in the life is true piety. There was in that blessed One the expression in this world of a life that had all its springs in God. And now He has been received up into glory, so that in the power of the Spirit He might become the divine spring of everything for God’s pleasure in the hearts of His saints down here. You will find practically, beloved friends, that when Christ holds and occupies your heart it is very easy to live piously. You do not find it a great effort to keep clear of the snares of the world or the lusts of the flesh. But when Christ declines in the heart it becomes difficult to keep on the right side of the border line, and not to drift with the desires and lusts of the flesh and of the mind. We need more of the mystery of piety — Christ Himself in the heart as the regulative power of everything.
Now a few words on the fifth thing. In the House of God the Spirit speaks. Chapter 4 begins, “The Spirit speaketh expressly”. This is characteristic of the House of God; there we get the voice of the Spirit. No doubt the epistles are the voice of the Spirit in a certain way, but it is important to remember that only the Spirit of God can give application to things at the moment when they are needed. A man of ability might commit to memory the whole of the New Testament so far as the letter is concerned, but this would not give him any idea of its divine application. The Spirit of God is the only One who can give present application of the needed [p. 89] truth at any particular moment. The Spirit spoke in the early days in the assembly and He has not ceased to have a voice in God’s house. The Holy Ghost is here and has a voice on behalf of Christ in the assemblies. Of course I am not supposing for a moment that He makes new revelations now; there is no such thing as that. The whole truth has been set forth in the holy Scriptures, and we can thank God that the form of sound words is with us in Scripture. But then we need particular truths at particular moments; we need things to be divinely applied to our souls, and the Spirit gives a voice in the House of God to that which the saints need — that which is consistent with their present condition, and with the ways of God in leading them on in their souls. We shall have that to the end.
It is of immense importance that we should hear what the Spirit says to the churches, as in Revelation 2 and 3, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches”. When God speaks of having an ear He certainly means a moral condition — a state of soul that can discern what is of the Spirit. Nothing could be more sad and solemn than the deafness of God’s people. There is nothing more solemn than to find believers — those you cannot doubt are children of God — deaf to the voice of the Spirit. We need exercise about this. In the epistles to the seven churches, it has often been pointed out that in the last four churches the word, “He that hath an ear” comes after the promise to the overcomer. That implies that only the overcomer will have an ear for what the Spirit says to the churches. What is it to be an overcomer? It is very simple: an overcomer is one who responds to Christ. There are no two saints exactly alike in their circumstances, or condition, but there is not a saint in the world to whom the blessed Lord does not present Himself, and those who respond to Him become overcomers. If Christ presents Himself to a soul and there is response to Him it necessitates that the soul should break away from [p. 90] what is not Christ. If He presents Himself and there is no response, how sad it is! Christ does not fail at some time or other to present Himself to every one of His own in the world, and if there is response to Him it brings the believer into some degree of separation. Then there will be a further presentation of Christ to the soul, and if there is response to that a further manifestation still, and thus the Lord would lead on and draw His own to Himself. If there is response to Christ in our hearts I am sure we shall be overcomers, and the effect will be that we shall have an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies.
Let us remember that the living voice of God by the Spirit is in His house today. There is such a thing as divine ministry in the House of God, and the voice of the Spirit is heard there. What we need is an ear to discern that voice. We are not to receive everything as truth; we ought to be discriminating, and full of discernment. Would to God that the saints were more critical in a spiritual way! Every kind of error is presented now, and Christians do not seem able to discern it. We do not want the carping criticism of the natural mind that makes a man an offender for a word, but that spirit of discernment that knows how to separate what is human from what is divine. God says, “If thou take forth the precious from the vile, thou shalt be as my mouth” (Jeremiah 15: 19). We need to be particular and critical in that sense. We have to exercise our senses upon things, and not go on as if everything we heard was sure to be right. On the other hand, it is a very poor thing to be merely acute in the discernment of what is wrong. We need to gain increasingly an appreciation of what is of God; we need an ear for the voice of the Spirit, and exercise so that we turn away from that which is not according to the Spirit. In that way we should distinguish between good and evil, choosing the good and refusing the evil.
These five things characterise the House of God. The glad tidings of the glory of the blessed God is the test of everything there; God’s testimony is there — the testimony of what He is in grace as the Saviour God; men have their true dignity in God’s house, as being admitted to intercourse with Him; then the mystery of piety is there — Christ is there in the hearts of the saints; and finally, the Spirit has a voice there.