THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, OR, WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE BEGINNING
THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH, OR, WHAT WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE BEGINNING
What is truth? must necessarily be the earnest question of every awakened conscience. The moment light enters, the truth in measure as to my state must appear; “whatsoever doth make manifest is light”. The fruit of light is in all goodness, righteousness and truth. The law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ; not grace only but truth, which discloses everything in its full reality as He only could do it. He can expose what man is in his position before God, and what God is to man. This really is the truth required by the conscience. If my state as it really is before God, is not disclosed to me, then I cannot be sensible of full mercy, because I do not see that I require it; and on the other hand, if God is not declared to me in grace and as He is towards man, and how He can be just, and yet the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus, I am undone. To disclose to me my real state, - to bring in truth, would only increase my misery, without alleviating it. Hence Christ is the way and the truth and the life. As the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth, it is evident that there can be no true progress, but as one is in the truth. If a man say he hath no sin he deceiveth himself, and the truth is not in him. There is a difference between this, and the one who says he has not [p. 103] sinned: in the latter case, His word is not in him, he is not converted at all.
What is generally understood by the term truth, has reference to what is real as to the future, or as to the records of things, whereas in Scripture the idea of truth begins with man’s true position before God. For if that be not ascertained, there is no advantage nor any real good in knowing anything else. Many have given themselves assiduously to find out the truth as a dogma and thus have missed it; “ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”, because they did not begin with the first action of the truth of God; namely, the disclosure of one’s true state in the sight of God, and therefore the fruit of His light in the soul. He that doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. The knowledge of the truth begins therefore with Christ; neither grace nor truth had come until He came, though there were acts of grace, and the action of truth before He came, but He was the manifestation of both, and the soul that finds in Him grace, also finds in Him truth. “Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice”. The thief on the cross was in the reality of things as they are before God. The light disclosed the truth to him - his real position before God - and then he found grace. The soul must begin with Christ, or it cannot know the truth or grace either. It is only by Christ that I can see my true relation with God; my distance is disclosed at the same time, and by the same One who reveals God in grace, near or beside us - God manifest in the flesh; and therefore the true nature of man’s heart now comes out; the thoughts of many hearts are revealed - and the secrets of men’s hearts are to be judged by Jesus Christ. The truth must necessarily declare everything as it is, both God and man. The truth exists though I do not know it. Hence God is light, and in His light I see light. He bore witness of the truth, and as I am in the light, I see Him and know that He is the truth. All has been disclosed by Him whether on God’s side or man’s. He has declared God in His nature, and man has declared himself in his true colours, with regard to God in the rejection of Christ - the perfect Man. At any rate Christ is the One who places both in a full and true light here; He is the light of the world, and as I receive Him, I learn through Him both grace and truth. I begin thus with Christ. If there be not this beginning then we cannot reach the place and position which belongs to us as His people on the earth, but though one has begun with Christ for the relief and comfort of the soul, this is not all, one must unswervedly continue in Him, by whom grace and truth came, in order to reach to and to ascertain what we have heard from the beginning. As Christ is my only start and true beginning, so must He determine everything. Now as declension is marked by losing sight of Christ, recovery must be marked by remembering how we are fallen, and doing the first works - returning to Christ. It is the one simple rule in every darkness and difficulty. Hence that which we have heard from the beginning, from the commencement of christianity, is the only truth; as we have lapsed from it, we have fallen into error, and as we get back to it, we attain to truth. Hence our Lord in the beginning, as we find in Luke 24, instructed the two disciples going to Emmaus. They were the prototype of all educated ones during this period. The apostles were the teachers or foundation. These two disciples were the patterns of the taught ones. “Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself”. What a copious and interesting exposition! the revelation of that which we have heard now - the beginning. This course of instruction leads us step by step to see the purpose of God.
Like the three days of creation before the coming of the greater light which was to rule the day, so has everything been instituted and appointed, with reference to Him who was to come. Every trial of man ended in [p. 105] failure from the first, and was succeeded by another trial, and greater test to man, but a greater unfolding of God; until at last He sent His Son, and this is the truth. It is, I should say, a great and necessary instruction for the soul to begin at Moses and all the prophets, and learn God’s mind concerning Christ. I am sure we imperfectly see the nature and fulness of Christ’s work and place for God, because we have so imperfectly traced Him from the opening of Scripture downwards. Let anyone take only a general, and very partial survey of the striking indications in types and persons, of the Lord Jesus Christ, before He came, and such a one cannot fail to have enlarged and glorious conceptions of Him; and as this is increased, the sense of Him is increased. The heart burns within us, while He opens to us these scriptures. One has the peculiar sense of acquiring vigour of apprehension about Him whom the heart loves, as one proceeds; not that His life and ways as recorded in the gospels are less interesting to us, but in the Old Testament, I get the mind of God, disclosing Him gradually, and step by step, while in the gospels, I see the subject of all preceding Scripture, walking about as a Man. The two disciples had seen Him as a Man, and had walked beside Him, but until they had learned Him in the Scriptures, and what He was in the mind of God, their hearts had no true conception of the marvellous dignity of His person. This then is the first step. It must be borne in mind that the two disciples were converted, but they had to come to the knowledge of the truth, and we are told in this scripture, how they are made acquainted with it. The first step, as we have seen, is the knowledge of how the Scriptures refer to and set forth Christ before He came. But this is not all, for we shall find all through Scripture, that the course, right and proper for a saint at any given time, not only depends on his apprehending the manner or nature of God’s revelation of Himself to him, though that is first and pre-eminently necessary; but there is another, and one [p. 106] essential, in order to arrive at the altar, or our place of worship - even our relation to God; and this is true, at the start, or at any revival.
We find, for instance, Abram when called, went forth not knowing whither he went. He had not only the knowledge of the word, but “The Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto him”, Genesis 12: 7. Thus also to Jacob; his was a great revival; not only is the word effective in his heart, but in the night of wrestling, the new name, (typically Christ), is given to him; and this necessarily gives a character to his altar afterwards, though he failed, as to its full import, until he reached Bethel, the centre, or scene where it could be maintained unhinderedly. This only by the way, because it shows us that though the soul may have tasted of the power of His presence, yet that we might confine Him to ourselves individually, to our natural circumstances, like Jacob at Shalem, instead of looking for Him, or connecting Him with circumstances suited to Himself, which Bethel expresses.
Now the next thing made known or taught to those two learners was the fact of Christ’s bodily existence in resurrection, and this was not done until they had shown earnest desire for the company of the One who had unfolded to them the Scriptures concerning One so dear to them. “He made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us... And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them”, Luke 24: 28 - 30. This comprises and defines the second class in the knowledge of the truth. Many in a very distinct way reach the first, who for long, and sometimes never on earth, reach the second. This second, is the Lord making Himself known to the soul by the way in which He has blessed and broken bread here on this earth, that He is alive from the dead. There is an immensity of [p. 107] blessing to the soul in the full and vivid assurance that He is a perfect Man alive from the dead, and alive for evermore.
The state of soul because of this second step is very remarkable. They not only know from the Scriptures what Christ is in the mind of God, the Man they had known in the ways, and in the likeness of a man, but now they are convinced beyond any doubt that He is risen, and superior over all the power of death, because He is as to appearance as He was before He entered the grave. This I apprehend answers to the Lord appearing in the Old Testament and really determines the character and nature of their relation to Him in worship, for surely if individually or privately, in my own house, I know the Lord risen, it follows that I can see or find Him in no lower condition in His own house or sphere. True, some after learning of Him in the Scriptures, do not go on to knowing Him personally; and when they attempt to find Him in His own sphere, they are dry and formal and not able to consider for His interests, as He in living present power would exact; that is, they do not see in their discipline in the house of God that everything is fitting and consonant with His presence and house. It is quite possible for one to accept the true position of the assembly; that is, to see that saints should be gathered to His name, and in a degree enjoy the meeting, because of His presence; and yet not know the great effect of His presence in the assembly, simply because they have not known Christ risen as their own individual experience. They may adopt and adhere to what is scripturally right but though there is a measure of comfort, it is rather that of a flower in water, than the sense and vigour of one drawing life and sustenance immediately from Christ, to whom they are united and in assured acquaintance.
The two disciples, on knowing Christ risen, the same hour of the night repair to Jerusalem, and while they are recounting how the Lord was made known to them in breaking of bread, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of [p. 108] them; and we gather from John 20: 19, the blessings then for the first time introduced and conferred; and thus they are placed in life and power in the truth: the beginning is fully made known, and all power and vigour ever since depend on our implicit adherence to what was at the beginning. Christ is the known centre and source of everything, and every revival in the assembly has been true and blessed as the saints have been taught through His mercy as these first learners were taught. Though there is the danger and snare of learning only part of their lessons, and as often partially taught, people conceive that they know all; so many who know something of the first step, imagine that they can reach the third, before they have reached the second; and assume to understand true assembly fellowship, whereas they, not knowing Christ risen for their own individual joy, cannot comprehend Him in the great sphere of His presence on earth; and hence, with much scriptural knowledge, they have not reached that which was at the beginning, and in their lack of separation from evil, and imperfect discipline, they give painful evidence of their ignorance.
The Lord give us steadily to preserve and maintain that which was from the beginning, for that is truth.