THE PRESENT GOAL OF CHRISTIANITY
In this part of the epistle to the Ephesians we come to a climax. I regard verse 13 as the present goal of Christianity. There is, of course, the future goal of Christianity, and the only difference between the present and the future goal is the difference between the two words, ‘reality’ and ‘actuality’.
When the actual goal is reached, what we speak of as Christianity will end, because whatever might take place on this earth subsequent to the rapture is not spoken of in scripture as Christianity. Now, verse 13 does not say “until we all arrive at the faith and knowledge of the Father and Son’, but ‘until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God”. This climax reminds one of the first epistle of John. John divides those whom he addresses as “my children” into three classes: the babes, the young men and the fathers. The little children—the babes of this wonderful family—know the Father; the young men are said to be strong, and the word of God abides in them; and the fathers are spoken of as knowing Him that is from the beginning. Whom do they know? Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. There is much to be said to the little children, and there are words of caution and warning to the young men; but the apostle is perfectly satisfied with that which characterises the fathers: they have known Him that is from the beginning.
Thus Paul and John are not very far apart. Paul says, “until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at the full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ”. This is the present goal of Christianity. In the verses which follow the Spirit of God shows the great gain connected with our arriving at this wonderful point or place: “at the unity of the faith ... at the full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ”. It is the highest peak of all in Christianity. The apostle goes on to say: “in order that we may be no longer babes, tossed and carried about”. There are strong winds just now, it is not a quiet and peaceful time, the devil is not asleep, it is a wonderful time of activity amongst the aiders of the wicked one, and the Spirit has that in view—“that we may be no longer babes, tossed and carried about by every wind of that teaching which is in the sleight of men ... but, holding the truth in love, we may grow up to him in all things, who is the head, the Christ”, vv 14, 15. What a beautiful climax! The wind may blow very hard, but instead of being blown down or blown over, the saints are edified. There are two forms of edification in this chapter; the gifts are given with a view to the edifying of the body of Christ, and when the saints are edified as the body, the working in its measure of each part works for itself the increase of the body “to its self-building up in love”. Is not this most desirable, beloved? It is encouraging that what the Spirit of God presents in Ephesians does not have relation to any condition of ruin down here; it starts with Christ up yonder. It is Christ risen and “ascended up above all the heavens”, and that is the highest known point in the universe of God. It is not simply that He is in heavenly place—He is there—but as we read in chapter 1: 20-23, He is “above every principality, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name named, not only in this age, but also in that to come”. Think of all the wonderful names connected with the millennium! He is above every name, and He “has put all things under his feet”. What a wonderful encouragement for us! Can you conceive of the possibility of anything, from man, or devil, or angel, that could come in to disturb that which depends upon the wonderful place He occupies? There He is! We do not think enough of Christ; we do not take account of Him as we are privileged to take account of Him.
To know Thy loving heart,
And cleave to Thy blest side,
And gaze upon Thee where Thou art.
Most of us sing that third line, but I do not know that we take in the height of His present place and position as Man. Do we think of Him in that wonderful height to which He has ascended at God’s right hand in the heavenlies—the highest point the scripture knows in the universe of God?
Heaven and earth—the universe—are in view in Ephesians; and there is the ascended Christ, and as thus ascended God has given Him to be Head over all things to the assembly, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all. Then, as we read in verse 10, “He that descended is the same who has also ascended up above all the heavens, that he might fill all things”. It is marvellous! This epistle opens with the words: “Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ ... to the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus who are at Ephesus”. Now, in regard to the principles and truths of Christianity, there is no difference between Ephesus and Manchester. The only question is, are we saints and faithful in Christ Jesus? You say, ‘I would not like to say, I am faithful’, but you have misunderstood it; “faithful” is not put in there to cast the saints upon themselves, it is “faithful in Christ Jesus”. Just three words, “in Christ Jesus”, but if you do not grasp them, you will never understand Ephesians. Can anybody be in Christ Jesus in Manchester? Have you believed the gospel of your salvation? If so, you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit; I have been sealed, and so have you, beloved brother and sister—everyone who believes the gospel of their salvation is sealed with the Holy Ghost. And what then? By the Holy Ghost you are in Christ Jesus, and you are united to the One in whom you are. This epistle is addressed to believing ones—the faithful in Christ Jesus. Have you apprehended from the scriptures the force of “in Christ Jesus”?
You get two expressions, “Jesus Christ”, and “Christ Jesus”. What is the difference? It is the same blessed Person, of course the same Man—but as Christ Jesus He is looked at not as down here, but as up there. Jesus Christ involves what was set forth in Him down here. Christ Jesus is the same Jesus, but up there. In Ephesians it is Christ in this marvellous place of exaltation to which He has ascended. “In Christ Jesus” is in Him who is up there. “In Christ” only occurs once in the epistle to the Ephesians, chap 1: 3. It is “in Christ Jesus” we get in a general way in this epistle. I turn now to chapter 2. From verse 15 of chapter 1 to verse 7 of chapter 2 form one part of the epistle, and it is all in connection with the apostle’s prayer. The apostle’s prayer is addressed to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, if a question is raised in regard to the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, we say He is the only-begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father—“the Word was God”. But this prayer is addressed to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, hence the expression has reference to what He is as Man, not to what He is as a divine Person. If the emphasis in the Old Testament was “there is one God”, in the New Testament it is “God is one”—it is the unity of the Godhead.
There is a trinity of Persons, but not a trinity of Gods. God forbid! God is one; and the prayer is addressed to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. There are three petitions: the first is that they might know what is the hope of His calling; secondly, what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints; thirdly, what is the surpassing greatness of His power towards us who believe. The apostle addresses himself to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the end that we might be enlightened in the eyes of our heart, so that we may know. We need to know these things, to know really what is true.
Now, in connection with the answer to this prayer, the apostle speaks first of how the power towards us has been operative in relation to Christ. “The might of his strength, in which he wrought in the Christ in raising him from among the dead, and he set him down”. There He is! What about the saints? “We too [Jews] being dead in offences, [God] has quickened us with the Christ; ye [Gentiles] are saved by grace”, Eph 2: 5. Who? Saints and faithful in Christ Jesus, saints who are sealed and indwelt by the Spirit of God. “And has raised us up”. Who are the “us”, the “we” and the “ye”? Jews and Gentiles! “Has raised us up together, and made us sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus”. There is the statement; do you believe it? And the point of the apostle’s prayer is that there might be a divine operation in us, so that we might come to know the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, chap 1: 17. What is our position spiritually as in Christ Jesus? “Made to sit down together in the heavenlies”. Wonderful position!
And it is in order “that he might display in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace” (chap 2: 7)—it is not in view of any present display. In 2 Corinthians 12: 2, the apostle says, “I know a man in Christ”, and he speaks of how he was caught up to the third heaven, but lest he should be exalted above measure, he was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him. God had taken him up to the third heaven, but it was not to constitute him a boaster down here. Have we been made to sit down in the heavenlies “in Christ Jesus”? It is not for any present display, but “that he might display in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace”. There is another side that does not come to light in Ephesians—John 17: 24: “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that. they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world”. It is our privilege to touch that side in the assembly now; it has been said that when we come to the assembly we come to finality, we come to eternity.
Now I refer to the verses which follow, beginning with verse 11 and going on to verse 1 of chapter 3. What precedes, as we have seen, is that we are made to sit down in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, but in these verses there is a marked contrast. They had been once nations in the flesh (v 11), but now in Christ Jesus they are become nigh by the blood of Christ; that is the present status of the saints viewed down here, but “in Christ Jesus”. Note the principal thoughts in the verses referred to
We are made nigh,
We are one new man,
We are one body,
We are builded together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.
There is also the growing to a holy temple, which is future, but there is what we are now, and here. Now, this is the basis of the exhortation in chapter 4, and note that it is “Paul, the prisoner of the Christ Jesus”, who exhorts: “I Paul, prisoner of the Christ Jesus for you nations”, chap 3: 1. “I, the prisoner in [the] Lord, exhort”, chap 4: 1. It is as though he said, for this truth I have to be a prisoner; it has cost me something to bring this light to you: he exhorts to walking worthy of the calling wherewith they have been called.
If we do not understand the calling, we cannot walk worthy of it. If you walk worthy of the calling “wherewith you have been called”, you will not trouble the meeting, you will not hinder the saints, and the saints will not hinder you. It is to be “with all lowliness and meekness”. Is there likely to be trouble among saints if they are walking in lowliness and long-suffering, and bearing with one another in love? We are also to use diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit, not to make it, but to keep it in the uniting bond of peace. Verses 4, 5 and 6 are characterised by the word “one”; there is unity. The gifts come from the ascended Christ. I believe that the crying need of the saints everywhere at this present time is just what the activity of these gifts contemplates; that is, the work of the ministry, the perfecting of the saints, the edifying of the body of Christ. What does that word “perfecting” contemplate? It contemplates an answer in you and me to what is true of us in connection with our calling. The edifying of the body of Christ. Mark, not the formation of the body (in the power of one Spirit we have been baptised into one body), but the great thing now is the edifying of the body, “until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at the full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ”.
May the Lord greatly encourage us, beloved! That is what He wants to do, and the more we get on the line of the truth, the more He will encourage us.
MANCHESTER
29th April 1913
From The Believer’s Friend 1913
Joseph Pellatt had travelled to England with James Taylor at the beginning of April 1913, and suffered a stroke on the ship some two days out of Liverpool, which left him partially paralysed. It is thought that he gave the foregoing address sitting down—hence in the next piece he makes a point of having stood up.