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GOD MANIFESTED IN FLESH. THE MAN CHRIST JESUS NO. 9

As to your question — I think that it is of the deepest importance to accept that the Son of God “made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant” (Philippians 2: 7). I do not believe that He ever swerved from this until He was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead. He was God manifest in flesh, but He never departed from the form of a Servant. He says, “I do nothing of myself” (John 8: 28). For thirty years in private life He lived a Man every way well pleasing to God. As a Man in flesh He was perfectly to the mind of God. He could say, “I was cast upon thee from the womb” (Psalm 22: 10), and finally, in the three years of His service, He declared God’s heart to man. No one could do this but the Son, but all the time He did nothing of Himself. “The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works” (John 14: 10). He witnessed a good confession before Pilate. He could say, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18: 36). And also, “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above” (John 19: 11). He constantly avowed His greatness, but still was always the Servant. He could say, “Before Abram was I am”, and yet He was at the very moment One who had made Himself of no reputation, for we read, “Then took they up stones to cast at him, but Jesus hid himself” (John 8: 59). He could say, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2: 19). This He did after His death. He had finished the work He was given to do.

From Mr. N———— down, every division amongst us ^[p. 132] originated in an incorrect apprehension of Christ’s humanity — a humanity, as J.N.D. writes, which had its spring of action in God, and if any one does not apprehend this, he does not understand the nature of the body of Christ. Be defective about Christ’s nature, and you are defective about the body of Christ “all of one”.

There is no true idea of the manna except you see the Son of God in simple, continued dependence on God as a Man here on the earth. Practically, nothing is so unknown amongst us as the manna. We understand dependence on God when we are in a strait, but dependence on God pure and simple, when you have resources in your possession, is I am afraid very little known; and this was the wonderful life of our blessed Lord here on the earth. If we heard of a rich man who said that he would live a whole year on the wages of an agricultural labourer in order that he might be an example, we should not expect that he would ever flinch from this path until the year was fulfilled.

I confess to you that I shrink with horror from those who speak on this great subject in the carnal mind, but I am deeply assured before God that you cannot understand the mystery — God’s present object, if you do not apprehend Christ as He was here for God, for the church is His body....

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