READINGS ON FIRST CORINTHIANS (3)
[p. 446] READINGS ON FIRST CORINTHIANS (3)
1 Corinthians 15:1 - 19; 1 Corinthians 15:51 - 58
HH Is this section linked with chapter 1:30, where Christ is spoken of as redemption?
JT I suppose it is; there could be no redemption without resurrection.
HH You mean Christ will come and claim the body.
JT Quite so, that is included in the idea of redemption, that He is the Saviour of the body. At the present time it is soul salvation, but redemption includes the body.
Ques Why does the subject matter of this chapter come into this part of the epistle?
JT Well, among other things it tightens up “the stringed instrument”, the assembly being so regarded. There are two kinds of instruments, wind and stringed, and the assembly is to be a stringed instrument. The harp is the only kind of instrument used in heaven, and it is stringed.
HH “What is piped or harped”, chapter 14:7.
JT Exactly. A stringed instrument is more effective, in that you can play and sing together.
FL Do you get this thought in Hezekiah, resurrection coming in and then his going up to the house of God to play on an instrument of ten strings?
JT That is it exactly, and Habakkuk also plays on his stringed instrument; and he walks on his “high places”; this chapter makes way for both — — for the high places and the stringed instrument, that is, high morally and, anticipatively, high actually. But the introduction of the facts of the gospel and the introduction of the appearings of Christ to certain persons, is to make way for the instrument. It is remarkable that the apostle does not confine himself to the general fact of the Lord’s appearing as in the Acts. In Acts, you have the general fact of His appearing to them during the forty days — the duration of the period, but here it is the persons to whom [p. 447] He appeared; shewing that the apostle would remind us of personality, in what he is dealing with.
Ques What would the wind instrument suggest?
JT It is a question of life: “Everything that hath breath”. The Holy Spirit is alluded to in the figure of water as well as air. The air represents the higher thought of life, so that God is praised by as wind instruments, so to speak; but there is the stringed instrument which is more for Christ to use.
JRS Was not the stringed instrument introduced into the service of God by David?
JT It is mentioned before, but you get the best things with him, especially in regard of music — but I only refer to that so that we may have the general thought before us as to these appearings; that it is not simply the general fact of the Lord’s appearing during a certain period of time, but of the persons to whom He appeared.
JJ Would there be any special point in the fact that He appears to Peter first and to Paul last?
JT I think there is order in the persons. You will observe it is not Simon as in Luke 24: “The Lord is indeed risen and has appeared to Simon”; it is not that here. You might expect that, if it were merely a question of the gospel. He is speaking of the gospel, but he is speaking of it not exactly as representative of grace, but of spirituality and personality. Here, the point is the personality expressed in the word Cephas.
Ques Is it a gospel that has assembly material in view?
JT Exactly.
Ques To furnish material for the carrying out of what has been developed from chapters 11 to 14?
JT Yes, we have the order of the assembly, etc., earlier, but now we have the suggestion of the kind of persons who have part in it. These are points of very great importance, because at Corinth personality acquired in this world had currency in the assembly. Men [p. 448] have personality in this world from education, family or money, and that had place at Corinth.
PL “This one and that one was born in her”. Is that personality in relation to the assembly — Zion?
JT I think so.
HH Why does the apostle go over these different ones to whom the Lord appeared? He speaks of five hundred brethren at one time of whom some had fallen asleep, and so on, and last of all to himself.
JT As has been suggested. Psalm 87 helps us as to the persons born in Zion. Perhaps we might enlarge on the personality side in these appearings according to their order; the first appearing here is an allusion to material very different from that current at Corinth; What was current in the world as marking off persons was accepted among the saints at Corinth. ‘Cephas’ is not that, it is not acquired in this world, it is a personality acquired from Christ. It is not Peter but Cephas; it is the word used by the Lord in John 1:42. It is a question of the person more than the material; it is material, but the kind of person that includes the material. It is to shut out personal distinction acquired in the world, that that should not gain recognition in the church.
EJMcB Then do you look on the appearing as a mark of divine favour to the one to whom He appeared?
JT Yes, so as to impress him. If one ponders what it is to have the Lord appear to one personally, a definite impression would be received; it would shut out any distinction that the world could confer. It is exclusive, because the word really denotes material. It shews what Peter was according to Matthew, but denotes also what he was to be called, according to John. You have what the man is, and then what the man is to be called; hence if I am on this line, I do not think of a brother in connection with the distinction he has acquired in this world.
JS So to be called Cephas would stand over against any previous family [p. 449] name.
JT So Matthew gives the material, and John the personal distinction, in that the Lord says, “Thou shalt be called Cephas”. But then Luke brings in the idea of personality at once. In speaking to Theophilus he almost immediately introduces a great heavenly dignitary. It is peculiar to Luke that you have a heavenly dignitary introduced by name. Well, what would the “most excellent Theophilus” be alongside of that person? I mean, he would have to think of that. He was excellent of course, but that excellency is dropped in the Acts.
So you have Gabriel referring to the Lord as born, as a ‘thing’: “the holy thing”; meaning that all that should be there would be intrinsic and not merely external; it is a question of what is intrinsic in Christ. “The holy thing also which shall be born shall be called Son of God”, Luke 1:35. There intrinsic, substantial excellency there, and then It is called “Son of God”. All that is to shut out any distinction acquired in this world; it has no place in the assembly of God whatever; it might have in government of God. Gabriel says “He shall be great“: greatness according to God is there.
HH That paves the way for the second appearing, to the twelve, does it not? Men able to take their proper part and place in connection with the assembly.
JT The twelve coming in after that, your mind is directed to those persons who were there under the Lord’s hands so that He could manipulate and use them at His pleasure. This was not the case at Corinth, because they were building up parties they were not there for Christ for service, they were serving their own ends, whereas the twelve were under His hand. And then, “five hundred brethren at once”. The thing spreads out to the brethren, the idea being that there should be the means in the Lord’s hands of spreading abroad this spiritual influence, by so many impressed by an appearing at [p. 450] one time.
JOS Would that mean an accession of light as to the Lord Himself in resurrection, and qualification for a place in the assembly?
JT Yes, there would be something there on each occasion to impress them spiritually; so that the Corinthians should be rid of their big men, comparing this one with that one. “These, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves”, (2 Corinthians 10:12). The One to compare with, is this great personage that appeared.
Ques Why is it in that connection the words are introduced, “Some are fallen asleep”?
JT It shows how Paul followed them up. They were of such value in his mind among the saints, that he followed them up: he knew them all.
PL You mean, in that sense, he could give an account of the brethren.
JT I can understand that if Paul were to go to an assembly he would say. Is there one of the five hundred here? He would have in his mind, that the presence of one of those men in a meeting, would imply a spiritual element of very great value. He took note of them; he knew how many had fallen asleep.
JJ There is no suggestion as to what kind of meeting this was where those five hundred brethren were. I mean, the appearings infer that certain conditions were present for Him to appear, although there are individuals as well — James, Cephas and Paul?
JT The five hundred would undoubtedly afford the levitical principle as in Joshua, which is distinct in this respect from Numbers. In Joshua, it is the distribution of heavenly influence; they were everywhere, so to speak. The Lord provides in this way the means of influence. It is not a question of gift, but of the impartation of influence flowing from impressions.
JJ So wherever they were in their cities they could be appealed [p. 451] to.
JT The forty-eight cities of the Levites imply universality of heavenly influence.
Ques Is there any idea of heavenly testimony in this chapter?
JT I think so. What you get is the inward spiritual touch that is implied in the appearing of Christ. You have to think of the effect an appearing of Christ would have on your spirit. Well, the five hundred receiving this impression at one time, would be the means in the Lord’s hands of the distribution of a spiritual influence.
JRS And that influence would imply unity.
JT It would indeed, especially as it happened at one time.
HH It would make the resurrection world a very great reality to them for Christ to appear to them, the One who died on the cross.
JT If you came in touch with those five hundred, or any of them, you would feel they had entered into the realm that was ‘before the world’. They would have nothing to do with the Corinthian world as in chapter 2.
JHT Is that why the city given to Caleb was given to the Levites? It was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.
JT It is mentioned where the heavenly testimony was refused. It is in Numbers 13 that you get the statement that it was built before Zoan. In not hearkening to the testimony of the spies, Israel were refusing “that world”. The Corinthians were letting in the present world.
PL So immediately after the forty-eight cities are given to the levites in Joshua it says, “Jehovah gave to Israel all the land which he swore to give unto their fathers”. Is that the spirit of what is heavenly?
JT Yes; the heavenly feature being established, the Spirit states that the full thought of Jehovah for His [p. 452] people had been reached, Joshua 21:43 - 45. They had not only title to the land, but “they took possession of it, and dwelt in it”.
JJ What is your thought about James?
JT I think James shews what one man can do. The allusion would be, no doubt, to what he was personally at Jerusalem, and what one man, can do as divinely impressed.
PL Elijah being referred to by James, would confirm the thought.
JT Elijah says, “There shall not be dew nor rain these years, except by my word”. That is, he calls attention to himself as divinely accredited, and the appearing to James would set us up in individual responsibility, standing for the truth at all cost.
PL So James in Acts 15 says, “Listen to me”.
JT The five hundred is what goes on into eternity; it is the brethren impressed, spiritually by Christ.
JOS Would the thought be that those to whom He appeared would have such an impression of Christ, that they would exclude from the circle of the saints everything that was not suited to it? There was a definite witness in His presence of what is suitable in the assembly.
JT Quite so. You have the twelve alluded to twice. They are first alluded to by number, signifying they were under the Lord’s hand of love; He can use them at His pleasure.
Ques Is “the twelve” an entity and “the apostles” so many individuals?
JT I think the twelve would be an entity, but in such holy affectionate relations, that the Lord can manipulate them at His pleasure. I do not know any thing more desirable in this respect, than to stand in relation to the brethren in love, in such a way that the Lord can dispose of us as He pleases. Twelve has wonderful divisibility, showing that the Lord can divide [p. 453] us as He pleases, in the service of His love. Then you come to “all the apostles”, which is not a question of number, but of complete delegated authority; they were those who represented the authority of the Lord.
JJ Do you think that included other than the twelve? — persons like Barnabas, who were called apostles?
JT It is all the apostles, but I judge the twelve only are alluded to.
Ques Would Paul’s description of himself shew the result of the appearing — “least of the apostles”?
JT That is very fine, and the way he alludes to himself as an abortion. What a small estimate he had of himself! His calling was in sovereign mercy, and so he says, “By the grace of God I am what ram”. Others could say what he was, but what he was, was by the grace of God.
HFN Why does he allude to the fact of the grace of God three times over? He does not refer to the mercy of God exactly.
JT I suppose grace contemplates how much there is to be overcome in me if I think of mercy, it is a question of God taking me up whether I am good or bad; but if I think of grace it is the means God has of overcoming the very worst in me. Paul says he was a persecutor of the church.
PL Would you say what silences the clericals at Corinth is “Have not I seen Jesus our Lord?” Does the result of the appearing put us in mutuality with our brethren, as less than the least of all saints?
JT Yes, and then he had such a great regard for the church, which is another fine touch here. Elsewhere, he would tell us what an insolent overbearing man he was and that he persecuted the church. But here, he had such fine tender sensibilities as to what the church was to Christ and he had persecuted that. All this was intended to reflect on the state of things at [p. 454] Corinth.
HH I wondered whether he had brought out in that way the instrument often strings by his persecution. The sufferings of the saints had brought out the melody that was for the heart of God.
PL As seen in Stephen particularly.
JT Quite so. That was, no doubt, where he first met Jesus, “Why dost thou persecute me? ... I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest”. There was complete correspondence between Jesus and the church.
Ques Would you say how these appearings would affect local conditions today?
JT They affect them in the way of influence. We have had a good deal about ministry and the exercise of gift in the earlier chapters, but what we are dealing with now, is available logoff the saints. It is a question of spiritual power available to brothers and sisters alike. What apprehension have I of Christ by personal relation with Him? The measure of my personal relation to Christ is the measure of my influence for good, and that is most important, as I was remarking, as to the levitical feature of Joshua.
WC So does the appearance of the “Captain of the Lord’s host” to Joshua connect in that way with the appearings here? The people were in the land.
JT That is so; it is really the only appearing you get in Joshua. There are divine appearings, as you know, throughout the Pentateuch, but the one in Joshua is a military appearing; the “Captain of the Lord’s host”. It was to remove all the evil to make way for the heavenly influence.
PL To secure the church militant.
JT Quite so. Heavenly influence is one of the most important things we may exert.
JT Would you mind saying a word as to the end of Mark? You have referred to Matthew and Luke. You get three appearings of the Lord in the end of Mark, first to Mary, then to the two, and then to the eleven as [p. 455] they reclined at table, and I thought you would get the great moral effect of movement as the result. He first appears and then speaks to them, and after the Lord speaks to them He “was taken up into heaven, and sat at the right hand of God. And they, going forth, preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs following upon it”. I was wondering whether those would be some of the effects of His appearing.
JT It is all on the same line. Mark emphasises the unbelief of the disciples more than any of the others, and think it is to shew how wonderfully patient the Lord is with us; the kind of material He has to deal with in us. Mark did not write these things to disparage the apostles, but rather to remind us of the material the Lord has to deal with and how much He has to overcome in us all. He anticipated all that, but He commissions them, and as having appeared to them He goes up. So that He shows how He can secure you in spite of the obstinacy and unbelief of your heart in such a way that He confides in you. It is one of the most blessed things to have the consciousness that the Lord confides in you. He sat on the right hand of God and they went forth and preached everywhere, shewing that His judgment was right; and He Worked with them, “Confirming the word with signs following”.
PL “The heart of her husband confideth in her”, (Proverbs 31:11).
Ques Do you think we might learn to link ourselves with the work of God wherever it is, so that we should not lose an appearing? Some of them had two or three, and what valuable men they would be with those impressions, in every kind of meeting. Thomas missed an appearing because he was not concerned to be there with his brethren.
JT What is recorded should create alertness in us; like Anna, who did not miss the great occasion; not that [p. 456] she knew it was going to happen, but she was there; she did not miss it.
WC Would you get in Daniel one who cultivated the conditions — mourning and fasting?
JT Quite so, and he had appearings.
PL “The time of the evening oblation”, would invite an appearing.
JT Then another great illustration of it is in Genesis 17. It says that God broke off speaking with Abraham. He had appeared to him, but He broke off the communication and went up; so that it would be a question with Abraham whether he would have another appearing, because we must not be satisfied with one. If the Lord is pleased to vouchsafe such things we want to get them. So it says that He went up having broken off the communication with Abraham; and then immediately Abraham carries out to the letter, what God had part is the circumcision more emphasised than in the last paragraph of that chapter, and then it says, chapter 18, “he sat at the tent-door in the heat of the day”, and three men were standing near, meaning that the thing that had been broken off was now to be resumed, and even more fully than on the previous occasion, because God came in company, and was standing near him, all, as it were, to honour the implicit obedience of Abraham.
HFN In the one chapter the communication is broken off but in the next the speaking is finished.
JT That is another thing. It is very beautiful that there is such a thing as God acting in this way; testing us as to whether we value the privilege. Now Abraham did, clearly, because he was in the attitude of expectancy, as you might say, in the heat of the day. He was not taking his rest, but was at the tent-door when the three men stood near. Abraham took the initiative at first, but after the repast, unexpected and delightful things come up from the Lord Himself in the manifestation; and [p. 457] then it goes on to Abraham interceding for Sodom, and then it says, “Jehovah went away when he had ended speaking to Abraham”. It is not now broken off, it is finished. He went away and Abraham returned to his place. That is a complete spiritual chapter.
JJ Why is so much detail given to the resurrection here?
JT Because they were denying it. We are reminded of what may be working where there is worldliness in the assembly. The very worst kind of doctrinal evil may be working. It might not have been seen generally, but the thing was there. The resurrection was actually denied — a most serious matter.
Ques Have you any thought why burial is emphasised in this chapter?
JT It is part of the sacrificial work; it was required to finish the work. Man had to be buried, put out of sight sacrificially.
HH It means disappearing from the platform of the world for us.
JT Exactly; that man is only out of sight in burial.
HH It is to prepare the way for a better personality than had been accepted in Corinth.
JT Quite so; in the chapter alluded to in Genesis, although God had already told Abraham about Isaac, he tells him again, and so the world — Sodom — has to go.
HH There was a very different state of things at Sodom. In one place the flesh was all dealt with in one day in circumcision, and in the other it was tolerated in its most violent form.
JT What a testimony there was in Abraham as to God dealing with sin! It is Colossians. There is circumcision, and then burial in Colossians, so that we may understand being risen by the faith of the operation of God who raised Christ.
WW It is very great support to the gospel in regard to Isaac being brought in. The world must go and the [p. 458] prominence of the true Isaac would be a test, would it not?
JT That is the idea in the assembly, the principle of “that world and the resurrection”. Colossians brings that in.
GWW Have you the thought in your mind that while there is a state necessary to appreciate an appearing, there is a state produced by the appearing which renders one fit for the assembly to maintain it?
JT That is it exactly; and then he goes on to bring out the resurrection in its full bearing, touching the heavenly: “Such as the heavenly one, such also the heavenly ones”, all to shut out at Corinth and from amongst saints generally, not only what is bad, but what is earthly.
HH I suppose the house from heaven in the second epistle is the other side of it; but this chapter deals with what Christ claims from the grave in regard of His saints?
JT Yes; it is the fulness of redemption.
RS Is that why “the end” is brought in? “That God may be all in all”.
JT That is brought in parenthetically, to fill out the thing and to complete the subject in our minds, so that we may see the full bearing of all this; how that God is to be all in all and that Christ is to be subject Himself. It is a marvellous thing for us. Why should we not be subject now? That should bear on us, that the Lord Himself is to be subject eternally. One great principle throughout this book is subjection.
JJ Then the victory: “Thanks to God, who gives us the victory”. Should that be said by each one in each locality?
JT Quite so; He giveth us the victory. Coming into the truth we have come into something that is already victorious. I often feel that should be made clear to souls, that they are not coming into a losing thing, something that is defeated by the power of this [p. 459] world, but they are coming into a victorious thing, ever victorious. “This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith”.
HH He speaks about the last enemy being destroyed in this chapter.
JT So it is certain victory. In Romans it is “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly”, but here He gives us the victory.
PL So you have the “loud voice” of the Lord as He dies in the greatest outward humiliation.
JT Yes; it is the power of resurrection.
JRS Is it to bring before the Corinthians the true dignity of their position?
JT Yes, so that they might, in power, shut out the world.
It is the thought of present victory and the evidence outwardly of the kind of personality that will appear in “that world”.