FROM READINGS ON ROMANS
FROM READINGS ON ROMANS
Romans 1:4 — The statement there is abstract; and hence indicates the order of those in that line. Christ came after a new order — according to the Spirit of holiness — everything now partakes of that line. The link with Christ is after the Spirit of holiness — it is the divine state by the Holy Spirit, and is worked out as to us in chapter 8. It is true in Christ and works down to the saints. The victim is not raised, referring to the question of the righteousness of God.
Romans 5:12 — end — The recurrence of ‘much more’, ‘much rather’, etc., shows the immense difference in the two persons, the two heads — the one a poor feeble fallen man, the other the Lord from heaven, the Lord of glory.
Death reigns notwithstanding all skill, sanitary arrangements, etc.; death cannot be got rid of. Verse 17, “reign in life” — you can hardly say ‘life reigns’, but we reign in life. Verse 18 “one offence”, “one righteousness” — one act of righteousness, the whole life and death of Christ viewed as one act. Verse 20, law came in by the bye, a retrograde movement in many ways; God could be more free and [p. 243] familiar, as it were, with the patriarchs — see Him with Abraham, revealing to him what He was about to do. After the law, God was limited, He must punish the violation of His law. We find God’s people always returned to what was before law, the promises.
In chapters 3, 4 and 5, we see the mediatorship of Christ: in chapters 6, 7 and 8, His priesthood. The former brings God to us — the three latter bring us to God. Peter in Matthew 14 is an illustration of these chapters 6, 7 and 8: in the 6th Peter leaves the ship to join Christ; in the beginning of the 7th there is the priesthood of Christ. There is a change of law, then the priesthood of Christ comes in. In the rest of chapter 7 we see Peter beginning to sink. In chapter 8 Christ’s hand is stretched out to uphold and save.
Romans 6, Romans 7 and Romans 8 — The first thing to recognise is that there is only one Man now before God, for there is only one Man out of death, therefore to be alive, it must be in that one Man. In these three chapters we get three elements which are formative and deliverance from three things. The first element is to count yourself alive in that Man; second, that Man is law to you; third, the spirit of that Man dwells in you; then you get deliverance from sin, the law and the power of the flesh.
Piety is not exactly practice, but it is practical. It is the acquaintance of God that issues in practice.
Love craves love — claims love — and gets love. All the testimony of God centres in Christ — God blesses, dwells and rules. The first testimony of blessing was [p. 244] to Abraham; He made known His purpose to dwell, to the children of Israel; and to rule in David. All is fulfilled in Christ, He was and is the vessel of blessing; then “in him dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” — also He will subjugate all evil — “reign over all”.
The thought of the kingdom is power, but power acting in peace.
Babes are those who have no pretension to righteousness or strength.
The word of the kingdom is the light of God’s administration.
The new and living way is from the cross to the heart of God. Christ came from the heart of God to the cross.
If the Lord does not introduce us now into the Father’s house, He does introduce us to His heart.
Leaving your first love is when you give up the sense of Christ’s love.
London, 1896.
[p. 245] Exodus 14 I desire to trace the progress experimentally from Egypt into the call of God, viz., raised with Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2). There are distinct steps in it: —- Justification.
- Acceptance of death (Marah) for deliverance.
- Realisation of resurrection (Jordan).
- Going up into the land (Jericho).
I will speak of justification in that sense that we are brought beyond the power of the enemy, out of his reach, his power is broken. He is the accuser, but now who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God who justifies (Romans 8), there is no charge possible.
All types fail. In Israel we have the experimental side typified; they trod the whole way, from Egypt, through the Sea, the wilderness, the Jordan, and round the walls of Jericho, on their feet. In the New Testament another side is also presented to us — the divine side of the truth, the administrative side, and this must be seen first — it is the pleasure of God expressed in His ways.
First God justifies Himself, as it were (Romans 3), in order that He may make known the pleasure of His love through a Man — the administrator. This is God’s answer to Satan’s work; Satan corrupted man, sin and death are here; God sets forth His pleasure in a man — the Son of God. In the first Adam God’s judgment is made known, viz., death (Genesis 3); in the last Adam, God’s pleasure, and this is revealed in Romans 5 — peace, favour, reconciliation, and finally eternal life — all through our Lord Jesus Christ, the administrator. This is for man here — on earth — not in heaven.
Righteousness — the blood of Christ — the whole state of man taken up in the cross — Christ made sin (Romans 3). Then power — God’s power set forth in [p. 246] a Man raised out of death (weakness). Then glory — He ascends that He might administer, thence He sends down the Spirit, through whose power the administration is being carried on during the interval; the next and second act of Christ will be to transform our bodies (Philippians 3). This is all the divine side of which the Old Testament has no type.
Now the experimental side 1. The first thing is that the soul gets the sense of God’s justice and of its guilt, its emptiness; that is at conversion — the prodigal came to himself. The earliest effect of the work of grace in a soul is an impression of God’s righteousness, and of its evil (Romans 3).
2. Then He died for our sins, was delivered for our offences. Without this there would not have been an opportunity for Him to maintain God’s character in respect of evil (No. 1). I can then appropriate Him “for our offences”, this is the Passover — shelter in Egypt under the blood!
3. Raised again for our justification. I appropriate Him and I am cleared; I am then free to enter into God’s pleasure for men as it is declared and set forth in the Lord (Romans 5). I am clear in the eye of God, the measure of it is Christ risen who is our righteousness before God. I am not clear in myself (evil is still in me), but I am justified in Christ — in the eye of God I am as clear as He is.
I am conscious of this by the Spirit. The Spirit given is the proof and answer to Christ being my righteousness. In Christ, not in myself, am I justified. The importance of this comes out further when (Romans 5:12, etc.) we find we must change our man — the last instead of the first Adam.
We accept God’s side by faith, but on this side there is appropriation. What was done for God I cannot appropriate, but “for our offences”, “for our justification”, I may appropriate, and by the Spirit I am conscious of the link with Christ. We are beyond the [p. 247] reach of the accuser; are there not inconsistencies in me? Yes, I plead guilty to them. But God Himself does not look for improvement in me — Christ is now to be my life, Christ formed in me. If I were justified in myself, how could Christ be my life? He is both our righteousness and our life, “Alive to God in Christ Jesus”, Romans 6.
Everything with God is great, worthy of Himself. Accept the light from God, as to His side, then coming to our side — appropriation. Christ died, He rose, and we are linked with Christ our righteousness before God! He truly began to administer when risen (John 20),”Peace be unto you” — still He had to ascend and then send down the Spirit.
The next step is Marah — the acceptance of death and living unto God (Romans 6).
Kennington, 1896.
Exodus 15:23; Exodus 16:4; Romans 6 Justification is our beginning, before anything experimental is entered upon. In Romans 3 God condescends to show man how He is just, viz., through the blood; His righteousness is vindicated. This is on God’s side. At the end of chapter 4 follows the declaration of our righteousness — Christ risen is our righteousness, thus we are beyond the reach of Satan’s accusations — this is the wedding garment. We are by the Spirit livingly linked with Him who is our righteousness. All this is true for all believers, it is not experimental; it is divine grace, divine light, sovereign grace, made effectual. Now we can distinguish God’s work to effectuate His purpose, a Man brought in to fill all things — the first man being displaced morally in Genesis 3, and now judicially. All this is light from God, not experience.
[p. 248] All is made good here by the Spirit — the Spirit will be on all flesh in the kingdom and will pervade all in the eternal state, for it is by the Spirit that God will be all in all.
The Spirit is in the believer for Christ; all that is not of Christ in me is to go, for Christ is to be all. If Christ is to be all, Christ is in the believer. In the whole universe Christ is to be all, for Adam is superseded. This principle of God’s ways is now being made good in the believer, and this according to truth. For instance, Israel was not suffered to overlook anything — they had served Egypt and its gods willingly, so they must experience the fear of Egypt. If the blood screens them, they must eat the lamb with bitter herbs. If the Red Sea delivers them, they must drink its waters at Marah. They had no food until the manna came. All must be learned experimentally according to truth.
There must be a sense of sin and its slavery, of death as God’s judgment of my inability to keep the law. In the flesh you cannot please God, have no resources. All this must be learned experimentally, after justification; the real truth of what my state before God was must be learned step by step — and God’s goodness with it. This is in the wilderness, there will be no exercises in heaven. Job’s lesson was the acceptance of God’s appointments to us in an evil world and to trust God under it all.
Romans 6 — we were under sin and death; we could not help it, it was through Adam, but it was our condition and it must be recognised after having the Spirit. Marah must be accepted, Christ has been in death, i.e., the tree that sweetens the waters.
There are three points as to deliverance from sin Red Sea, verse 17, in the past they had obeyed the truth from the heart. Marah, verse 11, present account of themselves. Manna, verse 14, not under law — but grace.
[p. 249] Living unto God — superiority to all the power of evil here, resulting in newness of life, i.e., character, really Christ; dependence, obedience, love, confidence, meekness, grace, etc. He overcame the world. Being in accord not with sin but with Christ who is living unto God. Christ’s character is brought out in us by manna, for walking as He walked. The Spilt gives the sense of Christ’s perfectness when down here.
Galatians 2 — I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me — that is manna — going on under the influence of His love — good overcomes evil. The love of Christ and the sense of His perfection down here. Not under law but under grace — this is manna. We escape moral disease by accepting death.
Twelve wells, seventy palm trees, an oasis; realised in the assembly — the Spirit of God and the evidence of moisture — life.
The initial deliverance from sin (verse 17) is not enough, it must be maintained by death accepted and company with Christ — in life (verse 11), and verse 14 — under grace — the manna. Walk as He walked, being delighted with what has come in with Christ, suited to such a scene as this, viz., dependence, obedience, etc. — the qualities which came out in Him here.
Kennington, 1896.
Joshua 4; Colossians 2 It is difficult to speak on the experimental side of truth, for you have to be in it yourself, the dogmatic side is easy: christianity is marked by the Spirit of truth, not the letter of truth. The letter is important and it must not or cannot be contravened.
Resurrection is something man had no title to; death is properly his portion. Resurrection brings in [p. 250] power — it is the glory of God; John 11:40. The cross is the foundation of all God’s ways, 1 Corinthians 1; man was judicially terminated even in Genesis 3, but at the cross he was judicially terminated to the glory of God.
The Spirit is the greatest gift — often it lies dormant or only checking flesh and it takes long years often to know the great gain of the good given. The realisation of power is an agreeable experience — as weakness is a trying experience.
For the realisation of power, there must first be the learning of the truth of our state, “then were all dead” (2 Corinthians 5:14), viz., death on me and in me: this is learned after having received the Spirit. There is the extremity of weakness as to pleasing God (Romans 8:8); distance from God is death. This is met by distinguishing between I and the flesh (Romans 7) and now I and the Spirit are identified (Romans 8). The second man has to be known in measure, before I can accept death (Romans 6).
How we get the good of the Spirit is seen in Colossians 2. The order of the types is reversed, i.e., (1) circumcision, (2) resurrection, (3) quickened. In the spiritual order circumcision is realised in the power of the Spirit before you reach resurrection. The Spirit lusts against the flesh — you put off the body of the flesh, the rule of the flesh, you have no confidence in flesh — and then you are ruled by the Spirit.
Circumcision is moral separation to God. In Genesis 17 it was the beginning of relationship between God and Abraham; he got a new name, viz., a basis of relationship. The cross is our measure and standard of separation (Galatians 6) — separation lies in the power of the Spirit.
Next comes resurrection; you are shaken out of the power of sin and of the world. God raises a man to live in the presence of His love after all that is contrary to God has been removed. Risen, you are now in Christ’s company and now you enter upon collective privileges.
Then quickened with Him — brought into life; the love of God is a present reality — dwell in the presence of that love (1 John 4); this is the joy of my soul.
Reconciliation is realised when in the consciousness of God’s love; there is no vacuum in the christian’s heart — no distance.
Kennington, 1896.