GLORY IN CHRIST AND IN THE ASSEMBLY
A.J.E.Welch
The time of the Supper left with me a very strong impression - I could say, I think, more distinct than I have ever known - as to who Jesus is, and this scripture in John 8 came to mind; "Before Abraham was, I am". We have come to a singular moment in the testimony, singular from two viewpoints: on the one hand there is the bitterness, many-sided character, and persistence of Satanic attack against everything which is of God; on the other hand we find it a time of remarkable disclosures. I believe we find that individually, and distinctively we find it as assembled, and the divine glory enters into both. We are to think, as we read a chapter like this, of the glorious Person of Jesus (once spoken of as the Man of John 8) facing the persistent bitterness, the cold, calculated bitterness of Judaism at its centre; we see Him never yielding a fraction and yet, in a grace which surpasses description, reasoning out things with these religious men. How bitterly everything in them was against Him, but He went on. He speaks to these men of Himself, earlier in the chapter, as "a man who has spoken the truth to you" (v 40). He went on and spoke the truth to them. It seems they were impenetrable. There was something there, such as religious human flesh, which seemed to be impenetrable even when the glory of such a Person was before them. It is a grievous thing, dear brethren, that we might be impenetrable when such glory is really in view. It was there in His person, and it was expressed in clear, positive appeal in His words. The testimony to these men was perfect and complete, but such is human flesh that they were impenetrable. I do not leave aside, in saying that, the governmental side of this matter under God's hand in reference to the Jews; but we see what this human condition involves in a certain impenetrability, even when glory is in view. These elements of bitterness we know today in different ways in the scene of things around us, where the enemy's attack is so persistent. We have to say, too, and it is a most humbling thing to have to say, that there are matters among us that have gone on a long time, more than one of them, and I do not just speak of this city or of any city. The enemy is so persistent. The answer is in the glory of the Person, the One before us here, who is "over all, God blessed for ever", Rom 9: 5. That brings its searching, beloved brethren. It always must.
I wonder if we sufficiently maintain the reverence that is due to Christ in all His relations with us, or whether we may be careless in expression, or in our minds be regardless of the glory that is there in Jesus. If He speaks, the speaking is divine speaking. He has absolute divine right in that regard. The Father has such right, the blessed Spirit has such right. It is interesting to reflect how the beloved apostle could write to Timothy, in his first letter, of "how one ought to conduct oneself in God's house, which is the assembly of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth" (chap 3: 15), and then go on at the end of the same letter to speak of God "dwelling in unapproachable light", chap 6: 16. It is light; it is not darkness. But those two references, and others perhaps in that first letter to Timothy, are calculated to give him, and us, the sense that we constantly have to do with God. We are not to be careless in these things; we are not to be casual in taking them up. We are not to be loose, nor reluctant to face the searching which the prophetic word, and which the truth itself, will always bring. I say this as feeling it for myself; I am not fastening it on anybody else. Why should it be that we sometimes seem to lack power in the application of the truth? Maybe we are not sufficiently in touch in reverential relations, in the acknowledgment of glory in the Father, the Son and the Spirit; there must be the recognition of the right of Each in relation to divine things, the recognition of the right of Each to speak, to communicate, and to secure an answer to the communications. Dear brethren, I trust I have made myself plain as to this. As we come into God's assembly we are in a sense on holy ground. This must ever be remembered. It is no place for careless behaviour. I am not imposing any legal requirement; I would not seek to do that. But let our spirits be kept in the reverential sense of what is due in the assembly of the living God. Let us speak, not in ill-considered phraseology, but as the scripture says, "in words·... taught by the Spirit", 1 Cor 2: 13. That expression comes into the epistle to the Corinthians, where maybe on account of the character of the city there might be speaking with a certain looseness, but it is not to be. As before God we would use "words... taught by the Spirit".
That impression on Lord's day has stayed with me. I believe we are to be more reverential, regard more the divine glory, who the Father is, who the Son is, who the Spirit is, and the absolute divine rights which They have. Yet how low Jesus came, going, as we have sung, to the cross of shame, staying a relatively lengthy period among these men, and as He said, speaking the truth to them. Oh, the grace of Jesus! Does it affect us to realise not only where He came, but who it was and who it is that came there?
But then there is glory standing related to a creature vessel, the assembly. I touch this but briefly, but it belongs I believe to our subject. What do we bring into the assembly? How much there is that we happily and freely and with divine support may bring in, and it leads to the edification of the beloved saints and fruit resulting therefrom for God Himself. What a place of speaking the assembly becomes, what a place for right activity, controlled activity under the headship of Christ and in the grace and supply of the Spirit. What a sphere of things it is! Yet we recollect always, glorious as the assembly is in the light of this second scripture, that we are speaking of a vessel which is creature. But what grace it is, beloved brethren, that gives us light as to these things. I still recall the words of a brother when serving here recently, referring to the glories of which we could freely speak with the Spirit's gracious help, and saying to us "what manner of persons ought ye to be", 2 Pet 3: 11 (A.V.). What manner of persons ought we to be? Here we have glory before us in a remarkable vessel; we have been called to have part in it, and in its present situation to have a full part in it, an active part in it, yet always a humble and dependent part in it. What grace it is, but are we answering to it? Are these fine features of the assembly coming out among us? We have here an administrative situation, the city coming down out of the heaven from God, having the glory of God. Everything there is of Him and according to Him. There is no trace of defect anywhere. What a place that vessel occupies! I could not say much about "having the glory of God", but it is a very attractive expression, a creature vessel being presented which has from God a certain glory, in view here of the place it shall yet fill in a day to come, in the radiant expression of Christ in administration. The standard is there and it is a glorious one. The Lord will help us, I believe, in administration, to hold it in relation to Himself - to the Father, to the Son, to the Spirit, in that divine glory and unique right of power which is Theirs. It is to come into expression in activity in a creature vessel, and beloved brethren, God has called us to have part in that in its present phase. May we have part in it in such manner as shall answer to the presenting of the divine view of it in this scripture, for His Name's sake.
LONDON
23 March 1982