"HIM THAT IS FROM THE BEGINNING"
“HIM THAT IS FROM THE BEGINNING”
In the ordering of nature, to which the mind of man is accustomed, we are continually brought back to the idea of a beginning. We are not habituated to think of the recurrence of the seasons simply as a fixed and unvarying order, but have the idea that a year has run its course, and that in entering on another year we are beginning a new epoch of life. It is impossible for man to get this impression out of his mind. And thus there is the continual reminding of a beginning. It has been a great occasion of exercise to many active minds to seek to fathom the outset of all that we see around us, and man has of himself been unable to solve the mystery. Of old, the mind of man would entertain the idea of the eternity of matter, but there are few in this day who would be prepared to adopt this thought. Men may not know God, and may reject revelation and the light that it affords, but there are few who would not ascribe the origin of things to the action of an intelligent mind. And the reason of this is that the mind of man goes back insensibly to a beginning. It is very difficult to evade the thought that there has been a mind at work far superior in intelligence and conception to any mind of man.
When we come to revelation we are at once confronted with the thought of a beginning, not simply with reference to created objects, but with regard to moral considerations. For instance, we read that the devil sins from the beginning. Here we have the consideration that there was a beginning of sin. So, too, we find that by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, so that there was a moment when sin came into the world, and death had a beginning. But previously to this there was a moment when responsibility came in, in connection with man, and when that responsibility [p. 246] was accentuated by the prohibition to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Here again we are confronted with the thought of a beginning. Further, in this point of view we may bring in the idea of “from the beginning”. It may be said that Adam was the head of God’s creation from the beginning. The thought here would necessarily be from the beginning of the creation of man. In effect sin came in and hindered Adam from being effectively head, and the line of continuity was broken by the judgment of the flood. So to speak, another beginning came in.
But when we come to the truth of “Him that is from the beginning” we are compelled to entertain quite another thought as to the beginning. And a thought which morally takes precedence of every other beginning, for here it evidently refers to the light of God having come in. The only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, has declared God. In one sense there was nothing new, for God could never be other than He had been; but as regards the ways of God, and man, it was a point of departure of the most momentous character. It is the true starting-point of all that which God intends to bring to pass right on to new heavens and a new earth. And hence in greatness and moral importance the New Testament, and that which it contains, takes precedence of the Old; though it is also true that God was continually foreshadowing that which was in due time to come out. If we can accustom ourselves to withdraw our minds from the influence of material things, and to look at things in the moral point of view, we shall have little difficulty in apprehending that the declaration of God is the true beginning. And there it is that we look for God’s world.
Now when there came in light in this way there came in also the One in whom everything in God’s world was to be centred. There must be a head from whom all should take its character, and in whom all should be held together in unity. Christ has tasted death for everything [p. 247] that He might be the Head of all. Hence we can understand the expression “Him that is from the beginning”. He is the ark of the covenant, and the mercy-seat. The One who said, long before man came upon the scene, “I come ... to do thy will, O ... God: yea, thy law is within my heart”.
In Christ we have necessarily two thoughts: the first, that He has come out, that is to reveal God; and the second, that He has gone in as Man, in the value of accomplished redemption, in order that in the appointed time all may come forth from God in glory and power. The second Man is out of heaven. The Son of man is to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will reward every man according to his works.
The coming out of Christ as Apostle to make God known in His thoughts toward man, in His words and works, is necessarily available to all men, because it has come to pass in the presence of man down here. The Son of man lifted up was the expression of divine love, a testimony to man. The mediatorship of Christ and the truth of His being the Head of every man stand on the same ground, as all is the necessary consequence of His having borne the liabilities of men down here. All this became true in resurrection, and the fact of resurrection was announced by many who had been witnesses of it. We have not so far the thought of Christ going in. In the commission at the end of the gospel of Luke repentance and remission were to be preached in the name of the One that had died and was risen. Thus the testimony to man was based on that which had come to pass, so to speak, in the face of man here on earth. But all this does not exactly refer to the place of Christ as the One from the beginning, that is, from the outset of that which immediately hangs on God having been declared — the world that is of God. In this point of view we contemplate Christ as having gone in, as being at the right hand of God. And there are various lights in which we can apprehend Him there. He is — [p. 248] The true light, the Sun of righteousness, the Head over all things.
The One in whom all things are reconciled to God.
The Forerunner, and the High Priest of good things to come.
The Mediator of the new covenant, and the Minister of the holy places.
The true God and eternal life.
There are doubtless many other things which are connected with Christ in the place where He is, but the above will suffice. All these glories, though based on redemption, so that they may stand in relation to man, are connected with Christ at the right hand of God: in other words, with Christ as having gone in. Hence the scene of interest is changed from Jerusalem to the right hand of God, whence everything is to come forth in the One that is from the beginning. It is worthy of notice that in the gospel of John the Lord speaks of Himself at least three times as ascending. He had come here to accomplish the Father’s will, and that being done He goes back to the place from which He came, and as we have said, that is now the place of interest.
As has been already pointed out, there are certain things which are the necessary consequences of Christ having come out, and of His having suffered, and being the risen One, and these are common to all christians; they are all in the light, as God is in the light; they have forgiveness of sins in Christ’s name. But to enter into the knowledge of Him that is from the beginning is another matter, and demands that the believer should enter in. The point here is to learn that which Christ is for God, the beginning and centre of the divine system, and this is learnt only in the holiest. The atmosphere of this world of sight and sense and of moral uncleanness is not suitable for the entering into it. It brings in a wholly different order of things, to know which the christian has in spirit to leave the world system and its attachments. It may be asked how is this to be done.
[p. 249] The answer is, I think, that we have to learn first that we are not under law, but possessors of a better hope by which we draw nigh to God. To reach this hope we have recognised that the world is subject to the judgment of God, and hence professedly have left it. There is ever the danger of its again acquiring power over us, and the antidote to this lies in our judgment of its moral character, “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust thereof: but he that does the will of God abideth for ever”. Then we have come under the ministry of the new covenant, and have been made acquainted with the mind of God toward us. This is a very important point, as giving us confidence, so that we have liberty of access to God, are not afraid to speak with Him about anything. The next point is the knowledge that we are set apart to God, by the offering of the body of Jesus, from the old man, and are perfected with regard to conscience. I judge that these are the conditions necessary to entering in, and the gain of this is very great. We get the full assurance of understanding to the full knowledge of the mystery of God in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. It is this which leads to stability of soul, so that one should not be shaken in the evil time. I fear that there are many who think that everything that they read of is theirs simply because they believe texts of scripture; it is possible that all these things are theirs in the purpose of God, but they are not theirs in the present, and this is the point in christianity. Our object should be to gain now as heavenly light what will soon be our part. And for this we must certainly find an entrance to the blessed scene of divine love in which these things subsist in Christ. May God in His grace exercise our hearts in this direction.