VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS
[p. 397] VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS
Matthew 3:13 - 17; 2 Corinthians 13:7,8
I have in mind to speak this evening a word as to righteousness; much is said of it, even by those who may not be themselves righteous, so the word in the last scripture read is, that whatever one may think or judge of others, his first obligation is to be righteous himself.
The Corinthians had become very critical of Paul, sad indeed to say! A party spirit had arisen in the meeting. This is to be condemned and so is a party spirit among brethren today. The Corinthians were only about two years old spiritually and had just emerged from the darkness of Greek heathendom, marked as it was by human leadership, much being made on Mars Hill of men and of education. Mars Hill was not very far away at Athens, where the learned came together to hear the news, to exchange their knowledge with one another and vie with one another too, so that the spirit of the country in which they were soon found a footing among the converts at Corinth.
The first rebuke administered in the letter is one on that point. There were divisions among them, not simply divisions in heart, but divisions on partisan lines, that is, each having his own leader on party lines, which he followed.
The names given are not the actual names of the persons at Corinth, for Paul was not a party leader in Corinth, nor was Apollos, nor was Christ. These names are transferred; they were used to bring out the principle without occupying us with these wretched party leaders at Corinth. One of them to whom the apostle alludes, spoke vehement words against him, “His letters”, he said, “are weighty and powerful”, he can write a good letter, “but his bodily presence is weak”, as if that had anything to do with the truth! “His bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible”. Such remarks indicate how far partisanship will go when dealing with a man like Paul who is approved of God. Anyone traducing Paul must cast about for material in this way, and so this opponent did not hesitate to say these things about Paul to the Corinthians, although he was used of God for their conversion.
He loved them perhaps more than any, for he spoke more about them; he said, ‘You are my letter’, meaning that wherever he went he spoke well of them, but these leaders were speaking ill of him. Were you at table with the apostle Paul in those days he would tell you about those at Corinth, how he regarded them, how God had wrought, through him, for their conversion; but in his absence the enemy wrought. The enemy was watching that great service at Corinth. He knew that the Lord had told Paul that He had many people in that city, a precious treasure was there potentially. The apostle Paul is about to get it for Christ, not for himself, nor to be around himself, but for Christ. He had set about to get it, he stayed there eighteen months teaching the word of God so that he might get these people for Christ and he did. They were not their own, he tells them, they were bought with a price, and he formed them into an assembly, for he was a master of assemblies. He was entrusted of God with the ministry of the assembly and was qualified to set the saints, under the direction of the Lord, together as of the assembly, so that he says, “As a wise architect, I have laid the foundation”.
He had the whole structure in his mind and he was concerned that those that built after he left should not put in other material. Evidently other material had got in. He calls them ministers of Satan. He does not hesitate to go that far as they had ill affected the saints, for that is the sorrow of such leadership.
[p. 399] If it were confined to the leader, the evil of it were not so bad, but the point in it is to influence people so as to have followers, and to have people who look up to one, and these men as coming in, rival Paul. They went so far as to do that, and indicated that after all Paul was not just what the saints thought he was. It is in such a way that leadership and rivalry work, for we are told that where envying and strife are, there is confusion and every evil work. There is no extent to which rivalry will not go, for “jealousy is cruel as the grave”, and these men went so far as to say Paul was a reprobate. You may have it today. You may get to a saint’s house and whisper, ‘Well, he is a wonderful man, you know, but he is physically contemptible and his speech too’. See how that would affect unestablished souls, but rivalry will not hesitate at anything to influence people, and the apostle says they are ministers of Satan. But then, he says here, in the verse I am speaking of, whatever you say or think of me, your obligation is to do what is right yourselves. That is the point, “That ye may do what is right”, he says, and there is not a christian on earth who is not obligated to do that.
Well, I leave that for the moment and go on to the first scripture to bring out how righteousness comes to light when it may be beclouded. Righteousness is usually under reproach in this world. It began in the saints with Abel; he came under reproach. He did what was right; that is how he came under reproach. He came under reproach from his brother whose works were evil; the poison of jealousy arose in the heart of Cain. Had Abel done any harm to him? No, never! but he was a righteous man, he offered up to God what was suitable and God accepted Abel. God always confirms righteousness, always vindicates a righteous man, although it takes time. A truly righteous man is sure to be under reproach, I may say always in the eyes of some, and [p. 400] certainly in the eyes of the world. Abel came under reproach and they were in the field together. Think of the awful feeling there must have been when murder rose up in the breast of the murderer against his brother. One often thinks of what feelings there must have existed in the mind of Abel the righteous. “The blood of righteous Abel”, the Lord says. Think of the feelings there must have been between the two brothers! It is pathetic, it affects you to think of it, murder in the heart of a brother against his brother! He rose and slew him, shed righteous blood, not only innocent blood. Righteous blood is more valuable than innocent blood. The Lord speaks of righteous blood. So right down, as I said, the righteous are in reproach, but God will defend the righteous; His eyes are over them, His ears are open to their prayers, and although it may take time, heaven will approve and manifest its approval of the righteous. We need not fear; it may take time, and patience is needed, but righteousness will be approved by heaven and what heaven does cannot be set aside.
So in this passage in Matthew what comes out is what the Lord says to John, “Thus it becometh us”, that is ‘you and Me’; the Lord graciously associating Himself with John in service, in the testimony of God. “Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness” — that is what the Lord said. According to John the evangelist’s account, when he saw Jesus coming to him, John the baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world”, that is when he saw Him coming to him. John the baptist discerned the sacrificial walk, the sacrificial movement; it was the movement of One who was sacrificing Himself in love, in order to take away the sin of the world. The greatest possible sacrificial achievement is spoken of: “Who takes away the sin of the world”.
[p. 401] Now Matthew says, as you will observe, “Then comes Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan to John”. It is the same event but recorded by two persons. It says of John the baptist that he saw Jesus coming to him, but Matthew says He came from Galilee to the Jordan to John. As you will observe He came from Galilee to the Jordan, that is, He had death before Him, for Jordan represented that. He had that in His mind and He had to come from Galilee; that is to say, He is under reproach — the Lord is under reproach! “Are not all these which speak Galilaeans?” They were under reproach and He came from that quarter. He was, in the eye of the natural man and of the Jew, under reproach, for they were there from all parts. They came from all parts to John to be baptised of him. In their eyes anyone coming from Galilee would not have the same status as anyone coming from Jerusalem. He would be under reproach as a Galilaean. They were not so well educated, they spoke in a provincial way, as we say, and they would be devoid of the manners, religiously and socially, of Jerusalem, but it was the righteous One moving and He came from Galilee. Why should it be said, “Then comes Jesus from Galilee”? There is no point historically, the point is that the Spirit of God is bringing before us a Person under reproach, but He is the righteous One; He is called Jesus Christ the Righteous.
In Matthew 1 we have a righteous man particularly noticed, that is to say, the birth of Jesus was, to the natural eye, cloudy. The first chapter begins with the genealogy, as we call it, but the word ‘genealogy’ is not right, the word is ‘Genesis’; it is the genesis of Jesus Christ and it runs down from Abraham to Joseph, and so to Jesus who is called Christ — it comes down to the Christ. The point is to make it legal — to show the unquestionable legality of the claim to the throne of David and the line [p. 402] of Abraham, that is the point. But there were other circumstances that gave a cloud on the position, and these circumstances were peculiarly Joseph’s, and Joseph is equal to the apparent reproach. There was no reproach to the eye of faith; that is clear to faith, but God does not give account of His matters, judicially He may order something to be beclouded so that He may test me. If everything was as clear as noonday then we would all see things, but when there is something that is beclouded, can I follow the line of righteousness through a maze of circumstances? That is what tests me. I am tested by that and Joseph was tested and about to fail too, but God will never allow the righteous to get into darkness. The angel appears to Joseph and the whole matter is solved; Joseph is as clear as noonday about it. Matthew makes much more of Joseph than any of the other evangelists, not only because he is the reputed father of the Messiah, but because he is a righteous man. A righteous man is personally of great interest to heaven, and heaven takes account of it and sees to it that his soul is clear in the matter.
I am saying all this, dear brethren, so that we may see that it is obligatory upon us to be clear — to see through things — to get the light of right and wrong and to discern between good and evil. If we do not, we have to charge ourselves with it, not anyone else. Charge yourself with that obligation, whatever you think of this one or that one, you do what is right. The apostle says, ‘This is your matter’, and heaven will not let you off if you do not, the government of God will not let you off. You see that you do what is right and follow the line of righteousness.
Lot’s position was cloudy, and rightly so, in Sodom, but Abraham had in his mind that he was a righteous man. From Abraham’s point of view and God’s, there is a righteous soul. It was said hundreds of years after, “Righteous Lot, distressed with the [p. 403] abandoned conversation of the godless, ... tormented his righteous soul day after day with their lawless works” (2 Peter 2:7,8). That is the point, the man is righteous. Heaven will bring that out sooner or later. The matter is clear; everyone in heaven knows that Lot had a righteous soul. That is Peter’s way of putting it, for Peter deals with souls. Heaven made it clear through Peter that the man was righteous. Had there been ten men in Sodom like Lot, Sodom would have been saved, but the fact that he had to get out as he did get out showed that he did not make a faith matter of it; he wanted to stay, and failure came in afterwards. Nevertheless heaven has never forgotten what that man was, and we learn of him hundreds of years afterwards that he had a righteous soul. That is to say, God will bring out righteousness. Let us not be afraid of this; stand by what is right and heaven will not fail to confirm, to support you in the position. It is an incentive to us to be righteous. Heaven is so interested in righteous people and Satan is so against righteous people, that it is a real battle between God and Satan, this matter of the righteous. God will have the righteous, Satan too, if he can, to bring them into the gutter to spoil their souls and their testimony, but God is against him and He will justify the righteous.
Well now, it comes out supremely here, because the Lord had come from Galilee. It made the position cloudy, that is if anyone were to say, ‘There is the Messiah’. Well, John the baptist says it immediately, according to John the evangelist’s record. Not only that but he says He is the Son of God. John the baptist says, “I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God”. Anyone listening might say, ‘I am very doubtful about that’. Why would he say that? Because He came from Galilee and “no prophet arises out of Galilee”, as they said. The position was doubtful in the natural mind and the [p. 404] Lord accepted it, that He came from Galilee. He might have gone round by Jerusalem; He was actually born in Bethlehem, that may be proved, but the Lord was not concerned about that. Paul himself says, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment” (1 Corinthians 4:3). You can bear reproach for in a little while it becomes as clear as noonday. The righteousness of the righteous becomes as clear as the light; it is only a question of time. So John forbade Jesus. That was righteous in a way, but not righteous in another way, because Jesus says, ‘I have come to be baptised’, that is what He came for. What I have in mind is what Jesus said to him, “Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness”. I think that He was, as I said, beclouding His personality, not only His Messiahship, He was beclouding His personality. I mean in the natural eye, not in the eyes of heaven, but the natural man would say, ‘Well, He is just the same as the rest, we have come to John to be baptised, here we are to be baptised confessing our sins’. John had preached the gospel of repentance and they came to him to be baptised. Now the natural Jew would say, ‘He is just the same as the rest of us, He has sins the same as I have and He has got to be baptised as I have!’ The Lord knew that would be in men’s heart but He accepts it, He allows the shade in the natural mind. What for? Because “It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness”. Go through the way of righteousness whatever the cloudiness may be; do what is right.
Great divine principles continue, they go right through, whatever man thinks. So what has come down to us since the days of Constantine! What darkness has beclouded christianity ever since! But christianity has come down, the Spirit of God is here, and the truth has come down. It is as clear as noonday for those who have eyes to see it. God has done it. Yet the Lord says, ‘Now John, it is for us to fulfil all righteousness’. John says, “I have need to be baptised of thee”, and he would have hindered the Lord from what He purposed to do — -that is, he would have spoiled the matter, but the Lord says, “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us”, that is you and Me. What a great honour He conferred on John: “It becometh us to fulfil all righteousness”, and John suffered Him.
Well now, my point is not yet clear, for it is what happened after that, that establishes what I am saying, namely heaven saw it all, heaven was watching with infinite intentness on that day and that event on the Jordan. He was moving to be baptised. Figuratively He was moving into death, and it says as He came up out of the water, that Jesus when He was baptised went up straightway. There is something in that, something in His gait, the way He did things. John the evangelist would speak about it in a fuller way than we get anywhere. He went straightway out of the water, and now heaven intervenes. Luke says when He came out of the water He was praying; Luke is presenting to us a dependent Man here. He does not tell us about Galilee, nor does Mark; it is Matthew, because Matthew has Galilee always in mind. Right to the end it is the place of reproach, dear brethren, let us not forget it; if it becomes cloudy let us bear it, God will manifest the truth.
The Lord says of Himself in sending the Spirit from heaven, that when He is come He will bring demonstration to the world of righteousness. That is what the Spirit would do; the Lord as it were says, ‘I can afford to wait for that’. He went down as a malefactor, they appointed a grave for Him as a malefactor; He was under that cloud in the eye of the natural man, but He says that when the Spirit comes He will make it clear. He will bring into the world the demonstration of righteousness. Heaven [p. 406] justifies Jesus in the Spirit coming to the disciples, so that He says, “Of righteousness, because I go away to my Father” (John 16:10). He whom they regarded as a malefactor and for whom they appointed a grave with the wicked, He has gone up into heaven. Who saw Him go up? The world did not, the disciples did. When the Holy Spirit came down He brought in the unquestionable testimony at Jerusalem that that Person is now with the Father, “having ... been exalted by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:33).
Who can question it? Now the world is exposed and Christ is vindicated, righteousness is vindicated, “because I go away to my Father”. So here when the Lord came up out of the water, “Lo, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him: and behold, a voice out of the heavens saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight”. What had it mattered that half the people at the Jordan that day thought He was under reproach — the Galilaean? What does it matter, now heaven says definitely, “My beloved Son”? It is the Father’s voice. You see that is in perfect accord with what He says, “Thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness”.
As we follow that line, dear brethren, heaven will do something and will make the position so clear that every honest eye will see it. We are obligated to see it; if we do not see right and wrong there is something wrong with us. We read as to full-grown men that they have their senses exercised for distinguishing good and evil. If right is there, follow that. Indeed, it is necessary for us, dear brethren, to follow righteousness; that is the first thing mentioned. Whatever others may do, think, or say, my obligation is to do what is right and follow righteousness. Follow it up — find it, it is there; find it and follow it.
[p. 407] Well, that is what comes out here and, as I was saying, the Spirit, coming down from heaven at Pentecost, brought into this world a demonstration of righteousness. The word is ‘demonstration’, it is not ‘reprove’. The Authorised Version says, “He will reprove”: of course there is reproof in it, but it is not so much that, as that the thing is demonstrated. Whatever effect it will have on the world does not alter the fact that the demonstration is there for any eye that has ability to see it, and everyone in whom God wrought saw it. Three thousand on the first day saw it and they believed it. The Spirit of God vindicates Christ. He brought in the demonstration of righteousness in Christ Jesus, who is with the Father. There was never a more righteous thing than that that blessed Man should be with the Father; after He had finished everything He had assigned Him to do, He went to heaven. The Father raised Him from the dead: “received up in glory”, “by the right hand of God exalted”. There is not a more righteous thing imaginable than that. The Spirit of God brought in demonstration of it here, and so He will demonstrate righteousness, wherever it may be, in due course.
Let us be patient then, in the pursuit of it, in the doing of it. Whatever you think of me, follow righteousness. You do what is right, and if each of us takes it to heart there will not be so much difficulty amongst us. The difficulties and darkness will soon become light. If each of us takes the obligation to himself, that, whatever I think of others, I must do what is right, God will be with us and make our day bright, as it says, “going on and brightening until the day be fully come”.
May God bless the word.