GRACE: IN ITS BEGINNING AND END
[p. 200] GRACE: IN ITS BEGINNING AND END
Luke 4: 14 - 22; Luke 7: 36 - 50; Luke 10: 33 - 37; Luke 15: 22 - 32
In Luke’s gospel the grace of God is presented to men in a Man, anointed by the Holy Spirit. There was much more than this in the Lord Jesus Christ, for He is the Son of the Father. That we get in John’s gospel, but in Luke there is in Him the full unfolding of God’s grace to us.
Christianity in its full and proper character did not exist until Christ was exalted. There are in it two great fundamental truths, Christ gone up, and the Holy Spirit sent down. Yet we read in Hebrews 2 that the great salvation began to be spoken by the Lord. This is what we have in Luke, the presentation of grace to men.
The great practical difficulty with many is their lack of the knowledge of grace; they do not apprehend that they are not under law, but under grace. They appreciate the grace that saves, but that is only the beginning. Grace began in the case of the man that fell among thieves with the pouring in of the oil and wine, but it does not end there. The Samaritan put the man upon his own beast and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. For how long? As long as he needed it. We need the Lord’s care as long as we are here, and so long we shall have it. There will be no need in heaven. A great deal is implied in those words, “Set him on his own beast ... and took care of him”. He charges himself with the care of him so long as he is in the inn.
There are four points or landmarks of grace in this gospel. We have first the vessel of grace; secondly, the purpose of grace; thirdly, the administration of grace; and fourthly, the celebration of grace.
For the vessel of grace turn to chapter 4 and read [p. 201] verses 14 - 22. Here it is seen that God would relieve us of every pressure that rests upon us. It is as Peter said, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him”. (Acts 10: 38). The Spirit of the Lord was upon Him; He was of the same Spirit as Jehovah. All the people wondered at the words of grace which proceeded out of His mouth. It is said in the psalm “Grace is poured into thy lips”. In John 5 we read, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work”. Here the Spirit of Jehovah is upon Him. All the fulness of the Godhead dwelt in Him, and so all the good pleasure of God finds its manifestation, and is brought into effect. And what is that good pleasure? To heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty them that are bruised. The first element in the gospel is relief, for it was God’s good pleasure to relieve man. It was God who thus approached man, for man never could have been with God apart from this. In Eden God was with man, but that was soon spoiled; and now in order that man may be with Him on a new footing, God brings Himself close to him in this blessed Vessel of grace.
The next point we reach is the purpose or object of grace. Read chapter 7: 36 - 50. What is the purpose of the gospel? Some would say that it is the salvation of man, but I do not think so. The divine thought in the gospel is that God Himself should so be known by man that his heart should be completely won. Satan destroyed man’s knowledge of God and alienated his heart. Before man was driven out of Eden his heart had turned away from God. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might undo the works of the devil. God makes Himself so fully known in the gospel that in this way He wins man’s heart back to Himself.
This is shewn in the case of the woman who touched the hem of the Lord’s garment in chapter 8: 43 - 48. She [p. 202] was glad to get relief, and would have left Him, but He would not allow her to go thus, for it was His purpose that she should know Himself. It is a great thing to gain relief, but it is greater to know the heart of the One who relieves.
God makes known two things in the gospel, His righteousness and His power, and then His love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us. He makes known His righteousness by the blood of Christ, which witnesses that sin is intolerable to God, but also that it has been removed. His love too is shewn, for it is He who has provided the sacrifice, His own Son. Then His power is set forth in resurrection, He has raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead. (Romans 4). If one is raised from the dead God’s power is as distinctly proved as if millions were raised, and His power is exercised on our behalf. It is a great comfort to see these qualities of God displayed, righteousness and power, not as against man but for him. We are sinful and weak, and God might have shewn Himself righteous and mighty in our condemnation, but instead of this He has shewn Himself to be such in our blessing. Then knowing God thus we also know His love by the Holy Spirit who is given to us. In Romans 3 the righteousness of God is witnessed by the blood; in chapter 4 His power is witnessed by the resurrection; and in chapter 5 the love of God is witnessed by the Spirit. Thus we have a complete presentation of God, and the result is that God is known and loved. “We love him because he first loved us”. This great purpose of the gospel is reached in the woman of the city in Luke 7. God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself. The Lord engaged this woman’s affections; as forgiven much she loved much.
We next come to the administration of grace, which is found in chapter 10: 33 - 37. It is here shewn how the thought of grace is carried out by Him who became neighbour to man. The parable was spoken to a lawyer, and shews that there was taking place at that time a [p. 203] transition from law to grace. The law is represented by the priest and Levite, who passed by on the other side.
Men are not sensible that the judgment of death is resting upon them. They achieve great works, but they have to go from their works. Nothing forms a greater testimony to the weakness of man than the solemn fact that though his works may abide he himself cannot. Men attribute death to natural causes, but it is as judgment that it rests upon them. Law did not bring death, for death was here before the law came, but the law ministers death. The law is powerless therefore to help man.
Now the good Samaritan comes upon the scene, and pours in the oil and wine, “Wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine”. (Psalm 104: 15). This is the effect of that which God brings out in the gospel. Are our hearts glad, and do our faces shine? If it is not so it is because we have not laid hold of God’s object in the gospel. He makes Himself known to us that He may win our hearts, and then we find that we are not under law but under grace, that God is not trying to get something out of us, but He is lavishing everything upon us. As under grace we are indebted to God for everything. So in the parable the Samaritan not only pours in the oil and wine, but also sets him on his own beast, brings him to an inn, and takes care of him. This brings in the thought of the Holy Spirit and the priesthood of Christ, in the power of which we are carried all the way through. Do we believe that God is going to do everything for us? If so, we shall not struggle against our circumstances. We shall be cared for. For how long? Just so long as we are here and need caring for.
It is flesh that is the great practical difficulty, for flesh does not like being cared for, it would prefer looking after itself. The principle of flesh is self-will. We can only be free from it by the acceptance of death. No-one [p. 204] likes to accept death; as it was said, “Skin for skin; yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life”. Only in the death of Christ are we brought to the acceptance of death, and death becomes our way of deliverance. Having died to sin we no longer live in it, and thus are we freed from that which came in between God and ourselves.
The world is a terrible system. It is really man’s hiding-place from God. Man has lost God, and perdition has consequently been here six thousand years; very soon the son of perdition will be here. Christ has been down to death for us, and therefore we can accept death, and so we get free from the system in which we are hid from God. We must die to sin in order to live to God. The flesh is the link between us and the world, for the world is the system in which flesh lives. Thus as we are clear of the flesh we become free from the world, and that is by the acceptance of death. We can accept death, because Christ has been into it for us. The tree caused the bitter waters of Marah to become sweet.
Then we find that the Lord cares for us. He is able to succour, to sympathise, and to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. He is not passive where He is. But the difficulty in counting upon His care continually lies in the flesh wanting this thing and the other, and if we give way to it we lose for the time the sense of the grace and care of Christ. Many bring themselves into painful circumstances because they do not accept grace. We should all be much happier if we realised more deeply that we are not under law, but under grace.
Now we come to the celebration of grace, in Luke 15: 22 - 32. I speak of it thus because it is what God is pleased to shew forth. This is that which His grace has effected. It comes out in the best robe, which is something totally new. Clothes indicate character. If a [p. 205] man is well dressed, he is supposed to be a gentleman; if in rags, he is supposed to be a beggar. In this parable the man bears the stamp and character of the best robe, which is Christ. This is the celebration of God’s grace, as it is said in Ephesians 2: 7, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus”. It is as if the father of the parable would appeal to the man whom he has clothed, saying, ‘Look at him’. In him is shewn forth the exceeding riches of His grace who has lavished everything upon him. He wears the best robe; he is characterised by Christ. Now this is God’s part in grace; it is the display of it. He will have an eternal witness to it, and this is that which we shall be.
It is not exactly grace which gives us a place in heaven, but rather love. Because of the great love with which He loves us He will have us where He is. If I am devotedly attached to a person my great thought is to have that person with me. Thus is it with God; He will have us in His own habitation, and then He will make evident to the whole universe what He has done, shewing forth in us the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
If any one knows little of grace he proves thus that he knows little of God. He first approaches us in grace, that is, in a character suited to the state in which we are; then eventually He brings us to His own habitation that there He may shew forth in us what His grace has effected for us in Christ Jesus. The better we know the beginning of grace, and how in it God adapts Himself to the condition in which we were, the better shall we understand God. It is with this we must all begin. Grace acts with reference to our condition, but love acts to satisfy itself.