NO CONDEMNATION TO THOSE IN CHRIST JESUS
A. B. Parker
Numbers 23: 4 (“God met Balaam”); 23: 16 (“Jehovah met Balaam”); 24: 2 (“The Spirit of God came upon him”); Romans 8: 1, 2, 26, 31–The great matter of God being for us is in mind—“If God be for us, who against us?”. I believe that the type, of which we have read, would show that God, known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is for us. This would be implied by the use of the three different titles used for God in the passages read in Numbers. So we can say, according to Romans, that the Father is for us, the Son is for us, and the Holy Spirit is for us. God spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all—Christ has died for us; “who is also at the right hand of God; who also intercedes for us”; the Spirit joins its help to our weakness and makes intercession for us. To understand that each divine Person is for us is a very great matter. The passage indicates that They are for those who are “in Christ Jesus”. This is very wonderful, but it is also very challenging. “There is then now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus”. How much do I understand and experience what it is to be in Christ Jesus? If I am to appropriate the great fact of God being for me, I must not overlook the fact that this applies to those who are “in Christ Jesus”. It may be said that that passage is abstract, and surely it is, but I believe that it is to be experienced in a concrete way.
If it were not for the “in Christ Jesus” position, the breakdown of the church would have been the end of the testimony, but in 2 Timothy Paul shows us that in spite of public breakdown “the firm foundation of God stands”. It is because everything that has been despoiled by man’s failure is safely preserved in Christ Jesus. The expression “in Christ Jesus” is used time and again in 2 Timothy, lifting our hearts to an area where there is no breakdown; where everything is continuing intact. Publicly there is scattering and breakdown so that it is impossible to identify the church, as such, (thank God, we can identify features of it). But in the sphere which is designated “in Christ Jesus”, there is no confusion; all is clearly defined—the shewbread is on the pure table. When the government of God came upon Israel because of Solomon’s breakdown and Rehoboam’s weakness, the kingdom was divided. Ten tribes were given to Jeroboam and two remained with Rehoboam, but in the temple, which was in Judah, the service of God continued and the twelve loaves on the pure table were maintained as before. Before God there is no division; everything there is according to purpose; all Israel shall be saved (Romans 11: 26).
The parables which Balaam was required to utter should be of great encouragement to us. We know from Israel’s history that there was much breakdown and failure in the wilderness. Moses was greatly tried, but there was always the means, in God’s hand, to bridge the gap of Israel’s failure, whether it was the manna, or the golden censer, or the rod of Aaron that budded—all spoke of Christ, typically, as maintaining the people. Then, finally, the brazen serpent and the springing well—all serving to bring about in Israel a state in keeping with what was
kept inviolate in the divine presence. The pattern to which the people were being held was in what was before God, in the candlestick and the shewbread on the pure table. And so it is at the present time, as we have been saying; in the midst of great confusion we can resort to a realm “in Christ Jesus” where all is held in perfect order, where the soul of the believer can find its resort. To do so is to experience why there is no condemnation.
It is a wonderful thing to consider that the vast majority of those who form the assembly are now safely housed with Christ in His sphere. The time of testimony is nearly over. What triumph there is in knowing that the vast majority—those who have departed to be with Christ—are now absolutely subject to Christ’s lordship. For them there is no more strife, no envying, no division of thought. “Christ has died and lived again, that he might rule over both dead and living”, Romans 14: 9. His lordship is fully recognised, already, by the vast majority of the saints. The trouble is down here. How it would stimulate us to resort to the “in Christ Jesus” sphere where all is in perfect order in the mind of God and in the heart of Christ, and to realise that all will soon be established, publicly, according to what is there. In the meantime, “Who shall bring an accusation against God’s elect? It is God who justifies— who is he that condemns?” But, notice, it is “God’s elect”—those whom He regards in relation to His purpose, whom He is forming to conform to His purpose, and it is in that light that He regards us when Balaam would curse.
Of course, there is the side of our responsibility, and the enemy would seek to overwhelm us, so that in a practical way we need to learn how God is for us, to help us in our time of need. We are told that God spared not His on Son, but delivered Him up for us all, and we are assured that with Him He will grant us all things. We need not lack anything; God will give us all that we need. As knowing Him we are free to spread our needs before Him and He will supply, according to His will, what we have need of.
As to Christ being for us, we are told that He has died for us, but, great as that is, He now lives for us; He ever appears in the presence of God for us. When He faced death He said, “This is my body which is given for you”, Luke 22: 19. In the glory, He told Paul, “This is my body which is for you”, 1 Corinthians 11: 24. How fully He is for us!
The Holy Spirit has come—another Comforter—to bring us through all the trials and temptations in view of our soon being conformed to Christ’s likeness. On the way, we may become discouraged; circumstances tend to overwhelm us; we do not know what to pray for as we ought; we may cease to pray. It is then that the Spirit takes over; He joins His help to our weakness; He makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. Our feelings, sorrowful as they may be, are surpassed by the feelings of the blessed Spirit, who takes our matters on and represents our cause before God, who searches our hearts and knows the mind of the Spirit. What is that mind? Life and peace (Romans 8: 6). God, in searching our hearts, finds a moral basis for bringing in relief. And how does he bring in that relief? By bringing us, in our spirits, into the “in Christ Jesus” position. We begin to see how God has been for us, even in a past eternity, but how He is now for us, for “whom he has predestinated, these also he has called; and whom he has called, these also he has justified; but whom he has justified, these also he has glorified”. What relief! What joy to be transferred from deep distress to present glory! Thus God is for us in the Spirit. God is for us—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Let us glory in this fact that God is for us.
Well, dear brethren, may we not then be encouraged to learn more about this wonderful realm “in Christ Jesus”? These individual experiences of God being for us will help us to have substance when we are together—particularly in the service of God, so that as in assembly we may reach glory to Him “in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of ages”, Ephesians 3: 21. That is the very height of our approach to God, but to reach that depends, in measure, on whether we are able to resort to that area and have our mode of life patterned in relation to it. I feel that I can say very little about it, but I pass on these simple impressions that we all may be encouraged. The abstract is absolute; the experience is according to our measure. May our measure increase.
Word at meeting for ministry, Plainfield. N.J.
4 November 1975