BROOKLYN, N.Y., MAY 19TH, 1917
BROOKLYN, N.Y., MAY 19TH, 1917
Mr. Albert E. Cakebread.
My Dear Brother, — I am glad to have your letter of April 16th. It is very interesting to me, especially as the remarks you make as to the truth commend themselves to me fully.
These questions relating to ‘responsibility’ and the ‘rapture’ of the saints, while they have disclosed a serious difference of judgment in certain quarters, will at the same time lead to a better understanding of the truth. As your letter states briefly what I understand to be correct as to the truth of Christian responsibility, I need not enlarge on the subject save to repeat that I am in agreement with you, as said above.
What seems to me to be overlooked is, that God has brought in, through and in Christ, an order of man in which He finds pleasure. This was announced at the birth of Christ: “Good pleasure in men”. In contrast to men in the flesh, these men in whom God has good pleasure, fulfilled in the power of the Spirit, the righteous requirement of the law. The law was in Christ’s heart and shall be written in the minds and hearts of men in the millennial day. Its righteous requirement (referring to Deuteronomy) is fulfilled in Christians now. Some have spoken of this as glorifying the creature rather than the Creator which is unaccountable in any brother of spiritual intelligence and consistency. It surely is to the glory of God that He has recovered man consistently with His own majesty through the death of Christ, and that the being thus recovered practises righteousness as God is righteous. It is a great moral triumph for God. Then there is the thought of the “new man” which is said to be “according to God is created in truthful righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4: 24). That man thus created should fulfil responsibility in the discharge of obligations is surely to be expected. Indeed he is “created in Christ Jesus for good works”. Scripture speaks of the Christians’ good works and therefore we are entitled to speak of them. In speaking of them as Scripture does, no true Christian has the thought of glorifying the creature instead of the Creator. It is rather that through the believers’ good works, God is glorified (see 1 Peter 2: 12).
It must not be overlooked that while we insist that everything is of God and for Him, that the glory is to be His, that He too glorifies His people. Scriptures which speak of this are too numerous to mention, but it is important that they should be borne in mind so that there may be a right balance of the truth maintained in our souls. We read of men “whose praise” is of God; Paul praised the Corinthians; he also speaks of the Thessalonians being His crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at His coming. All this sets forth the mind of God as to any measure of the fulfilment of divine requirement in the [p. 146] saints down here. To introduce the idea of the creature being glorified rather than the Creator as an objection to these things is not only altogether beside the mark, but denotes a peculiar bias in the mind in favour of some pet thought.
There is further involved in connection with these things the truth connected with the children of God in John’s epistle. They are seen to correspond with Christ in the practice of righteousness, etc. As regards ‘recovery’, there is nothing set out more clearly in Scripture than this principle. “David recovered all”. I need not enlarge on the subject as your letter speaks clearly and definitely about it. Luke 15: 32 is very pointed: “Thy brother was dead and has come to life again, and was lost and has been found”. On this account “it was right to make merry and rejoice”. I trust the Lord will bless you in your exercise and that you will reap of the ‘spoil’ that is sure to be available.
My wife joins in love to Mrs. Cakebread and yourself.
Affectionately yours in Christ,
James Taylor.