EXTRACTS

The great point of chapter 15 (of John’s gospel) is vitality as shown by our affections one to another; so in fruit-bearing there is proof of vitality. I think you must begin with that, Christ dwelling in the heart by faith, the affection of a bride for a bridegroom, of a wife for her husband, that is properly the position of the church down here, you want all your affections put in order and strengthened and maintained. People put the social before the meetings; if Christ were dwelling in the heart by faith we would be devoted to every interest of Christ down here. I do believe we would get on a great deal better if we let everything be secondary to Christ “ye believe on God, believe also on me”, the bride comes down as the public witness but in the meantime the bride is left down here as witness to the bridegroom. We do not live in ourselves, it marked the Lord, but no one of us can have life in himself. All vitality is by the Spirit of Christ. If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit. Vitality comes out in the way of fruit-bearing; fruit-bearing is for God. It comes out in our relations one to another, it is the product of the Spirit of Christ, fruit really consists in what characterises our relations one to another in love and joy. I think saints are trees of God’s planting. The peculiarity in an ordinary tree is that it lives by itself, but saints do not carry their life in themselves. Christ is the source of fruit. It all depends on our abiding in Christ.

F. E. Raven (Vol. 15, p.445)

I am obligated to the most insignificant in the company, as well as to the most prominent; and so I say, ‘How does this or that matter affect the Lord? and how does it affect the saints?’.

Indeed the Lord and the saints are bound up together, and if I ignore them, I ignore Him. In provoking Him we have to consider as to whether we are stronger than He.

In the types the law is to govern everything; well, this chapter is really the law governing our public relations. “The things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord”, 1 Corinthians 14: 37. The epistle is a standing statute, governing our relations here. So that the saints can enquire into my affairs. They require wisdom in such matters, of course, but the fellowship involves it; and if you seek to evade it you are wanting in intelligence and consistency. We cannot escape the Lord in these things. The apostle says, “Many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep”. And in 1 Corinthians 6: 4, “If then ye have judgments as to things of this life, set those to judge who are little esteemed in the assembly”.

J. Taylor (Vol. 12, p.336)

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