THE FIRST ELEMENTS IN CHRISTIANITY (1)
[p. 457] THE FIRST ELEMENTS IN CHRISTIANITY (1)
It is important to note that the Spirit of God takes account of the saints in their very early exercises; He not only takes account of the advanced, but in these two epistles to the Thessalonians we see the divine interest in their very early stages. We do not begin as full grown; we have to begin as babes.
These epistles are, perhaps, the two earliest written. They are written to those who have just been enlightened by the gospel. What is recognised in them must be true; they had not much intelligence in the scheme of God’s purposes, but there is the recognition of the very first elements of christianity as being true of them. These first elements do not alter; in a way we may come to apprehend more, but what we began with always remains; but we cannot live for ever on what we begin with only, we want to go on to know the purpose of God.
My thought is just to touch on the very earliest elements of christian experience; they come out in these chapters remarkably. In chapter 1 we get what was the simple effect of the truth; in chapter 2 we get the testing of the saints; for every one who gets light will shortly be tested. If God is before us we shall answer to the test; these Thessalonians stood the test. The points in chapter 1 which indicate the first effects produced by the gospel are both living and real.
People have got the idea in the present day of christianity being a kind of creed, and thus fail to apprehend the living character of christianity. Christianity consists in certain existing relationships. People have been east too much upon statements of Scripture. Statements have their full value, but there is no [p. 458] christianity at all until a person has received the Spirit. The beginning of all christianity is the reception of the Spirit. Until the Spirit is received no one can touch what is living. “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his”, Romans 8:9. When we do enter upon the ground of christianity we begin to see that all is vital. The great end of preaching is that people may participate in the gift of the Spirit. Those who speak to them have had the Spirit given to them, but they preach to others that others might have their part with them. Remember the case of Cornelius; Acts 10: 42. Peter presented the truth to them, and while he was yet speaking the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were hearing the word. That is what christianity in its true power consists in. If we speak of faith, faith always has a divine Person in view. It is always in reference to a divine Person. The Lord said, “Ye believe in God, believe also in me”, John 14:1. The point is to believe in Him.
Now, with these Thessalonians, the effect of the glad tidings being received was that they “turned to God from idols”, 1 Thessalonians 1:9. That was one part; but there was another, “and to wait for his Son from heaven”, 1 Thessalonians 1:10. They recognised the true God, that is, the God who has revealed Himself. God has proved Himself to be a living God in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The effect of the glad tidings was to bring those who believed into living relations with the true God, and that is one of the first elements of christianity — the turning to God from idols, and it was to a living and true God. There was nothing that was living or true in dumb idols. What can be more important than to have to say to a living and true God? I have no doubt that the very testimony of the forgiveness of sins is to the end that people may recognise the living and true God. You could not recognise it if there were not the forgiveness of sins, for people otherwise would be afraid of the thought of God. Forgiveness [p. 459] of sins is preached to the end that men may turn to a living and true God, and if that be before the soul it is indeed a very great effect.
Christianity consists in living relations with divine Persons. Let us keep this ever before us.
Now there is another point: “to wait for his Son from heaven” 1 Thessalonians 1:10. It is the Saviour coming from heaven, “Jesus, our deliverer from the coming wrath” 1 Thessalonians 1:10. The coming of the Lord is often in people’s minds connected with judgment, but believers look for a Saviour from heaven. For them the coming of the Lord is connected with salvation. There will be judgment at the coming of the Lord; for wherever there is lawlessness, the Lord will come and put an end to it, but that is not the purpose of His coming. The object of His coming is to bring God into the universe. Christ is hated at the present time, but the time is coming when He will bring light into the universe. He will appear the second time to those who look for Him, without sin unto salvation, Hebrews 9:28. The coming of the Lord will end to a very great extent the work of the devil. Scripture is clear and explicit in regard to that. The object of the preaching is that men may serve the living and true God. Israel was brought out of Egypt that they might serve God. The word to Pharaoh was, “Let my people go, that they may serve me!” Exodus 7:16. I hope that each one of us has got before us that we have to serve God, “That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear” Luke 1:74.
The coming of the Lord has in view to establish the universe of God. God is going to take a place in His own universe. It is the blessed hope expressed in what we call the Lord’s prayer, that God’s will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. That is what comes in, I take it, in waiting for God’s Son from heaven.
I pass on now to the next chapter. You may be [p. 460] perfectly sure that when anyone gets fresh light from God, they will be tested in some way or other. This I think comes out in chapter 2:13-20. You will find that God never gives light to anyone but that person will be tested; that is the divine way. God gave light to Abraham, and we know he was continually tested and generally, though not always, he answered to the test. God gave him light in regard to a son, but Abraham failed to answer to that test. On another occasion he was tested by the king of Sodom and he proved faithful; and the last great test was when he was called upon to offer up his son on mount Moriah, and he answered to it. Depend upon it, if God sees fit to give you light you will be put to the test. The Thessalonians were tested; there were persecutions and every one was tested. When we were converted it meant that we had got a little bit of light from God, and I think you will find, if you go back upon your past history, you were tested. It may have been by adverse circumstances, but you were tested. It is a great thing if you answer to the test. The point is, are you prepared to stand for the light God has given you? If you are, you will find the light confirmed in your soul. When Abraham answered to the test which he received God gave him accessions of light. This confirms the word: “He that hath, to him shall be given”, Mark 4:25. In receiving accessions of light I think it is to confirm you in what you have got.
If you go back to the early times of christianity, what was there to carry it along? No human power. The men who were used of God to introduce christianity were not men of great note in this world. Paul may have been; but the instruments that God used were generally very simple and unlearned men. How do you account for christianity standing its ground? There was nothing to compare with christianity in that way. If you take any other system of religion in the world, it has been kept going with fire and sword.
[p. 461] It is not so with christianity, but there was a mighty power behind it. The light from God is a great favour to man. The world is a scene of darkness and moral confusion, but God has made known His will. In making known His will, He makes known Himself. He gave that light to man so that he should be brought out of darkness into His marvellous light. I cannot conceive anything so great as the light of God. When we have been tested in regard to the light, and if we have been enabled to stand our ground, we have in that way stood for the truth.
Take a man like Luther. He stood faithful to the light God had given, and the practical result was that the light remained. Can you conceive of a more disastrous thing than to surrender light which God has given? If a man like Paul had in any way surrendered the truth, what a disaster indeed! The last test he had was the greatest. He was brought before the emperor. Suppose Paul had been disposed to accommodate himself to the circumstances in which he was, it would have been disastrous to the truth, but he stood true to the light amidst all the pressure brought to bear upon him. He could say at the end, “I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” 2 Timothy 4:7. He was entitled to the crown of righteousness. He could not have said so if he had not been tested.
I refer now to chapter 3:6, but would remark first on one other point which comes out in chapter 2, that is, the great interest with which the testing is watched. The apostle had the greatest possible interest in the Thessalonians. The servant watches, but the Lord watches, too. It is a matter of great interest to the Lord, and I go further; it is, I believe, a pleasure to the Lord that those who have received the gospel should stand firm. I would not wish to have escaped anything to which I have been subjected in the way of test, for if through grace one has answered to it, the Lord has given one confirmation.
[p. 462] The tidings came to the apostle that the Thessalonians stood firm in the Lord when tested by persecutions. There was also tidings of their faith and love, etc. What an encouragement to Paul! Timothy brought to him the glad tidings of their faith and love.
There are three vital elements of christian life:
faith, love and hope. No christian is complete without them. We are placed in a circle down here where love works. No one can see my faith, but faith is operative in love. You will remember the word in Galatians, “faith working through love”, Galatians 5:6. Then there is hope. What accounts for dullness on the part of saints is the absence of hope. Hope makes us bright.
I refer you now to chapter 3:13: “In order to the confirming of your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints”, 1 Thessalonians 3:13. The working of that is the love of God being shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. It is in this way that we get a true sense of holiness. If you come under the influence of the holy love of God you will not countenance impurity or corruption; then, too, we love one another, “and abound in love toward one another” 1 Thessalonians 3:12. If I love God, I love what is of God, and I have no selfish object in my love to the saints. It is a wonderful thing that in this corrupt world there should be such a thing as love.
The way to promote holiness is in the exercise of love to one another, and for this your own heart must be kept by the Spirit of God in the sense of the holy love of God. The importance of recognising relationship is that you come under the influence of those to whom you are related. In the case of a child, it is not only that the child has a father and mother, but that he comes under their influence. May God in His grace maintain us in the sense of this, so that we are characterised by that which is vital in christianity.