THE TESTIMONY AS DETERMINING OUR POSITION HERE
[p. 3] THE TESTIMONY AS DETERMINING OUR POSITION HERE
1 Timothy 2, and 2 Timothy 1
Everybody should be prepared to admit that it is extremely important that we should understand where we are, and why we are there. These are two serious considerations. It is a poor thing to be in any position religiously and not to know why you are there. Every one ought to be concerned to know where he is, and further, why he is there.
I want to touch a little on these two points; and to give you an idea of the position which I individually occupy, and a great many more also, and to make it plain to you why I am there.
Everything in such matters depends on what is according to God; and the question is whether Christendom all round is, or is not, according to the mind of God. If I look round at the religious bodies in the world, they all maintain that their existence is of God. They might not defend every detail, but they would maintain that, in the main, things in the world are according to what God intended. But things in the world are not what God intended. If they were, we might very well be content to be identified with these great bodies; but they are not. Thus, everything depends on whether Christendom, as it exists, answers to the mind of God. There is one thing we must remember, that when the church was set up God had not given the New Testament scriptures; but now He has been pleased to give us these, and the scriptures are the law and testimony. Every one of us is justified in testing things around us by the scriptures; and not only so, but we are under the obligation of [p. 4] testing all that maintains any kind of profession by the scriptures, and to refuse it if it speaks not according to the law and the testimony.
All that we see around us, the great religious bodies, maintain, as I have said, more or less, that the institutions which exist are according to God’s mind.
Popery may be generally condemned, but people imagine that other institutions are right, and that Christianity has had developments which God intended. It is the common idea, and in that point of view, the divisions in Christendom are not abnormal but normal. Such have not in their thoughts any idea that ruin has come in. They do not look upon Christendom as being a ruin, that is, something which God’s mind never intended.
Now, when we subject things to the test of scripture, we find that the inspired writers, without exception, contemplate what we may call the ruin of the professing church. The Apostle Paul, in the epistle which we have read, uses the figure of a great house in which were all sorts of vessels, some to honour and some to dishonour, and presses upon Timothy the obligation to purge himself from vessels to dishonour. He foresaw the ruin of the professing body, and that a moment would come of which it could be said, “The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2: 19). Peter also foresees ruin; he speaks of false teachers coming in, but never contemplates any amendment. All the writers contemplate the ruin which would come in, but never give the idea of any possibility of restoration or amendment. John speaks of the “last times”, and of there being already many antichrists. He gives us a striking picture in the Revelation, a kind of account of the church from the beginning to the end, from Ephesus to Laodicea.
[p. 5] He shows what would come in, with regard to the professing body, but never holds out any idea of amendment.
All this is striking, but it is not accepted in Christendom. If it were, and the real condition of things were acknowledged, the great bodies around us which justify their existence, and consider it to be according to the mind of God, would melt away. Thus, when all that is around is tested by Scripture, we find that the apostles contemplated the ruin of the great professing body, through the working of influences and principles which they saw would come in, and which would bring in confusion on every hand. And we see that in the midst of all this the Spirit of God has been pleased to mark out a path for us; and one can, as an individual, take a place outside of things which falsify Scripture and are not according to God.
Now that is the reason why I am where I am. I stand as an individual, and a great many of us have taken up that position, outside of these great systems which exist. The reason that I stand apart from them is that it is evident to me that they do not answer to what the Spirit of God has been pleased to present to us with regard to the church.
We will come now closer home, and speak of that which is the special bond in the present state of things.
I draw your attention to a passage in 1 Timothy 3: 14, 15, “These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how though oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God”. Now read 2 Timothy 1: 8 There is a great difference in the language of the two epistles. In the first epistle the point is that a man should know how to behave himself in the house of God, and in the second that he might “not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord”.
[p. 6] It is extremely important to get an idea of the house of God in order that you may be able to measure the general departure from the truth of it. If you have not the standard you cannot measure the departure.
If you refer to the second chapter of the first epistle (verses 1 - 11), you will find some details of the order of the house. I want to dwell on these details for a moment, for they give us an idea of the character of the house of God. It was not a material building, but a building composed of living stones. We see in verse 1 that it was a place of thanksgiving and prayer, where there was intercession for all men, then for kings and for all in authority. That is a first principle. Then in verse 8 the men prayed everywhere, for the house was composed of people. What marked the house was that the men prayed everywhere, not ministers and clergy, but men universally were marked by prayer; wherever they were, the men were to pray. Then, on the other hand, the women were not to be conspicuous, but were to adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety. But there were other marks; all in the house were cared for in soul and body. There were overseers for looking after their souls, and deacons for looking after bodily wants; and whether soul or body, everything was carried out in the early days in the power of the Holy Ghost. These things were brought under Timothy’s notice, that he might know how one ought to behave himself in the house of God.
I believe it to be of great importance to have some definite understanding of the true character of the house of God, in order that we may judge of all that is around us at the present time. I do not see anything around that answers to what is presented to us in this epistle. I do not see men praying everywhere, nor women generally adorned with [p. 7] shamefacedness. I do not see overseers looking after people’s souls and deacons looking after their bodies. The systems around do not answer to the test, hence I judge myself to be right in standing apart from them. They do not leave room for the application of Scripture injunctions. Men could not pray everywhere, for it would cause disturbance; the systems leave no room for the Spirit of God; every Christian ought to feel under the obligation of bringing these things to the test of the law and the testimony.
Now supposing some of us through grace have separated from these things, are we to form another system? Do you think that would be according to God? I think that is the thing which we have to avoid most strenuously. If the Spirit of God has given us any true perception of the character of what is around, that it does not answer to the test of Scripture, and if we have been enabled in faith to stand apart, we must most carefully maintain the sense of individuality. We may have the privilege of walking together, if we are agreed in mind, but we have diligently to avoid the formation of any system whatever: if we do not, we simply drop back again into the error of all that is around.
Supposing a few are agreed in that way, it is a wonderful thing to stand in obedience to the Lord. We have all known what it is to be dependent on props, but we ought not to want the support of others. We ought to look to the Lord to be supported, and if we are supported by the Lord we shall be a support to one another.
Now is there between such any special bond? I have not a doubt that there is, and I want that bond to be much more real to us, and that we should have a more definite idea of it than we have had. If it please the Lord to give us any intelligence in regard to the bond, we shall see that it is one which [p. 8] really holds us together. I believe the testimony to be the bond, and I want to give you an idea of what the testimony is. I think the Spirit of God desired that the mind of Timothy should be imbued with the principles of the house of God, and the same Spirit shows what would be the bond in the time of departure.
The “testimony” is an expression which we very commonly use, but I doubt if many have a very definite idea of it. I will tell you the idea which it conveys to my mind. Testimony is that which God gives of what He is going to establish before He establishes it publicly. God does not give testimony of anything that He is not going to make public. The Spirit of God has come down to testify of Christ, but the point is that God is going to make Christ manifest.
I refer to two passages. Look at 1 Timothy 2: 6 and 1 Timothy 6: 14, 15. The one shows that a time is appointed for the preaching, and the other that a time is appointed for the appearing. I want to make plain that testimony refers to something which is going to appear. Testimony loses its force and character if you do not connect it with that which God is going to display. What God is going to display is comprehended in one word, and that is CHRIST, His purpose in Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ is going to put down every evil power, that is, to subdue all things that are contrary to God, and to bring to light His grace and His righteousness. God intends to have a universe which will be under the power and influence of His grace. It is His purpose to display Christ, and there will be a universe controlled in every part by the grace of God.
Now before Christ is displayed God gives testimony, so that we may be now in the light of that which is to be displayed. The effect of this upon [p. 9] us will be to deliver us from the influence of all that is existing. What is existing is not according to God. Sin reigns by death; but God is going to make evident His purpose and grace in Christ Jesus before the world began. God will fill the universe with blessing.
Now there is another point in. connection with this: we get the annulling of death and the bringing to light of life and incorruptibility. If God is to have a universe according to His purpose, the power of death must be annulled. Death has to be swallowed up in victory, and when the Lord appears life and incorruptibility will be evident. Christ will be the fountain and source of life. As the sun is the fountain and source of light and life to this earth, so Christ will be as the Sun of righteousness. Creation will be delivered from the bondage of corruption, life and incorruptibility will come to pass, and death will be annulled.
Now I want to carry you back for a moment to what came to light in Christ when the Lord came into the presence of death on earth; death lost its hold. The Lord called Lazarus out of the grave; so too in other cases He dispossessed death. Thus we get the beginning of the annulling of death when Christ was here, and at the same time life and incorruptibility came to light in Him; speaking of Himself He says, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it again”. “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption”. Instead of being subject to death He dispossessed death, while He went into it, bearing the judgment that lay on man. Life and incorruptibility were found in Him; but it was necessary that death should be annulled, on behalf of us, in Christ. All this will come out in result when Christ is displayed. It will be manifest then that death is annulled. Death could not have [p. 10] been annulled unless redemption had been accomplished. It was by entering into death that Christ acquired the right to abolish it.
It is a great thing to be here in the testimony; and for this you must have an understanding by the Spirit of God of that which God is going to display in Christ, His purpose and grace in Christ Jesus. That forms a special bond at the present time.
It is a mercy to have been delivered from the entanglements around, to have had grace to stand apart from them. May God preserve us from other entanglements. If we want to be kept clear from these, I am sure that we must have an interest of surpassing importance to keep us walking together. I believe the interest which will hold us together is the testimony of the Christ. The testimony does not belong to any particular class, not merely to teachers and preachers, it is common property, and a bond which holds us together in the present state of things. If you want any clear or definite idea of the testimony you must apprehend that which God is going to display according to His purpose.
Looking at the world at the present time in its lawlessness and in the corruption which is the effect of lust, I see around moral confusion, and that continually increasing, but God is going to make manifest another order of things in Christ. He will have a scene where lust will not prevail, but grace will reign and Christ will be the centre.
The great witness and expression of Christ will be found in the church, as she will be seen in perfection by-and-by; and every family in the universe, according to God’s purpose in Christ Jesus, will be affected by it. Israel will have their light through the church, and the nations will walk in the light of the heavenly city. In that day death will be [p. 11] swallowed up in victory, life and incorruptibility will be brought into effect.
Well, it is a great thing to be in the light of Christ, and what we want is to be faithful to Christ. It is the moment when we are being put to the test. The test of the moment is to maintain fidelity to Christ, and not to run in the course of the world, nor to be influenced by the lawless principles here. Now is the moment of testimony. Is it your supreme interest? Depend upon it, if it is, it will tend to bind us together.
May God give us intelligence as to the testimony, that we may see its reference to what is going to be displayed.
Now the question is, How far are we at this moment in fidelity to the testimony? We are left here in the moment of testimony, and the word for us is “Occupy till I come”, and our desire ought to be, to be found faithful till He comes. God grant it may be so.