FIXED PRINCIPLES
FIXED PRINCIPLES
Hebrews 11:30; Genesis 21:8; Acts 2:41; Acts 9:31
These Scriptures are familiar to most of us, if not to all, but what I have to advance on them may not be familiar. And so I ask the brethren to follow patiently as I seek to show that what I have read sets out fixed principles.
In moving about amongst brethren, I see the need of observing, recognising, and maintaining fixed principles, in a practical way. If we understand aright that there are such, corresponding in a way with what exists in the physical system, we shall see that the testimony will go on; for principles do not die with people, and although leaders, those whom we have loved and whose memories we cherish may go, the testimony will go on. It is right that young believers should regard their shepherds and teachers, and love and revere them; but then the Lord is pleased to call one and another to Himself, as He did Paul, Peter and many others, but the principles remain and will remain. They may at times be ignored, but in due course they will assert themselves; and it is well for young ones to become acquainted with them and to look for them as knowing them, and to regard all that militates against them as opposition to God. In this respect it is important for us to accustom ourselves to naming things.
Names of things usually arise from experience of them, acquaintance with them. The idea is brought in early, in that God brought the animals which He had created to Adam to see what he would call them. In like manner He would bring principles to our attention to see how we name them, and it is important that we [p. 138] should give them right names. As an illustration, we have a fixed order of things after the deluge; it is stated that, while the earth remained certain things should continue, “seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat”, and then we have the idea that I suggested in “summer and winter”, Genesis 8:22. That is to say, summer is a name given to heat by experience; so that we have something fixed and a name attached to it. Correspondingly, as we become accustomed to the principles that were introduced by the Lord and by His apostles, and which found scope at the outset and acquired a place in the hearts of believers and which they valued, we have things fixed and names attached to them.
The first of these principles with which I propose to deal is in the first scripture that I read. There are many others throughout Scripture, but I speak of salient ones and the first is faith. I selected this verse out of many that speak of faith in this remarkable chapter, because the quality is introduced impersonally. That is to say, it is not attributed to any person or persons. Throughout the chapter you find it is attributed to persons in a wonderful and constructive way, a way calculated to induce admiration in us as we look at what is called the “cloud of witnesses” surrounding us, and the intent is that we should admire and emulate and imitate, so as to “run with patience”, as enjoined, “the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God”, (Hebrews 12:1 - 2).
Now this verse 30, as I said, introduces faith in an impersonal way, which proves that the thing is established as known amongst the saints. It comes in after the passage of the Red Sea, as you will all notice — an act of faith attributed to the children of Israel; it is the only one that is attributed to them, they crossed the sea by faith. It is well that this is recorded, for it saves [p. 139] the people from the ignominy of being without faith — it accredits it to them. The Egyptians, as set over against them, essay to do the same thing — as may be constantly noted, people of no faith attempt that which belongs alone to faith, and the consequences are disastrous. The passage of the Red Sea therefore, that is to say, the exodus by us out of the world, establishes in a manifest way the existence of faith amongst us. It is a known thing. Nothing is said of it for forty years. Through all the vicissitudes of the wilderness not a word is said about its existence in the people, but faith was there, and as having crossed the Jordan into the land, the record is that the walls of Jericho fell by faith.
I wish to dwell on this particular point, because it is fundamental. Without faith we must be outside the divine realm in the state of our souls, for “he that cometh to God must believe that he is”, (Hebrews 11:6). Without faith we are outside the dispensation of God, which we are told “is in faith”, (1 Timothy 1:4), without it indeed we have no part or lot in the matter — a most solemn position. There are those who pose among the people of God as having faith, like Simon Magus, but the testimony is that he had “neither part nor lot in this matter”. (Acts 8:21), a very solemn thing to be said of anyone numbered among the people of God. To have a part is important, but to have a lot is more important, a lot is fixed.
The testimony, as I said, is summarised in this verse, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, having been encircled for seven days”. I think it will appeal to you, that this encircling is the evidence of faith in these circumstances. If one has faith he must have part in the encircling, for the encircling of Jericho signifies that the world is overcome — escape is impossible. “Who is he that gets the victory over the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:5). One who believes that Jesus is the Son of God has part in the encircling. Now this encircling or encompassing for [p. 140] seven days would seem to the ordinary military eye an unheard of procedure, but then, those who are doing it have the mastery. No one interfered with their encircling the city morning by morning for six days, and no one interfered with their encircling the city seven times on the seventh day; the king of Jericho could not hinder it. It was a peculiar military procedure, but it implied mastery, and it continued to the appointed time, ending in the complete overthrow of Jericho.
I have no doubt it invited scorn from the Jerichoites, just as the saints today in their ways appear peculiar to the world, and incur the scorn and ridicule of the world, yet these ways that seem so peculiar and unmeaning, are victory in themselves. They spell victory to faith, to the spiritual eye, in large letters, and I would invite the young people to consider this; for as older ones are being removed, the responsibility of this encircling will fall upon you, and you are to do it gracefully and in power. We must be prepared for the scorn of the world in our methods. They are very simple methods. The ordinary procedure of spiritual Christians is very simple, but then it denotes that they have the mastery; they can do these things. A mighty hand has moved in order that we should do these things. The door has been opened, and the encircling goes on and the walls of the world come down. There is no power that can interfere with the working of spiritual principles. They are old but ever new. They wear, they stand the test of time, they will go through, and come out victoriously in a public way by and by, but already they are victorious in a moral sense.
I want everyone to let these thoughts sink down into their hearts; because, as I said, the responsibility of this encompassing will come to us if we have not already taken it up. It is a matter of faith, and not faith in any given persons here. It is important to notice that, because we are apt to turn our eyes specially to this one and that one — not that we should not regard each one for his works’ sake; we should be discerning and measure our leaders if we follow them. It is their faith that we are to follow, as those “who have spoken unto you the word of God”, (Hebrews 13:7). The present leaders we are to obey as it says, “Obey your leaders, and be submissive”, (Hebrews 13:17). But then it says, “considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever”(Hebrews 13:7,8). So that the encircling, the overthrow of Jericho is not by any special person or persons having faith, it is the thing itself existent, and no one can afford to be out of it; of course it is in the saints, but I speak of its presentation in the scripture before us.
They went round in the most orderly way. First, the general idea was conveyed to Joshua, then the thing is opened up by him; pointing to the importance of ministry. There is what the Lord says to the assemblies, Revelation 2 and 3, which as to words, is in small compass, but the Spirit opens it up to us as needed. So what was spoken by the Lord to Joshua in chapter 6 of his book, is opened up by Him and applied, so that the encircling took a practical form and the result was triumphant; the walls came down.
Now, dear brethren, I repeat, it is a question of the saints in possession of faith, being already victorious. We could not encompass Jericho were it not that we are victorious already. Time was when the world encompassed our Lord Jesus. It could not do so aside from divine permission, but it says, “the Jews therefore surrounded Him”, (John 10:24) — a most solemn matter. When the Jews surrounded Him, for the moment the world had control, and the result was manifest, the Lord was put to death. Primarily, as they surrounded Him, He left them “and went away beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptised”(John 10:40), and there it was that He was recognised as doing many miracles, “and many believed on him there”, (verse 42). That is. He went back to first principles,
[p. 142] and although the world surrounded Him, morally He had victory, for He said, “Now is the judgment of this world”;(John 12:31) and as risen and glorified He surrounded it. That is what the surrounding of Jericho means. Pentecost shows the victory, the Lord is in control now. Jericho is surrounded, and for those in whom faith is, it has fallen. “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about seven days”. Not six days but seven, and seven times on the seventh day. I apprehend that implies that there is no slackening of energy. You know there is constant danger of the slackening of energy, whereas Israel was more energetic on the seventh day: “It came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day”, (Joshua 6:15). That is what the Lord is aiming at, beloved brethren, to induce increased energy amongst us, that there be no slackening. The testimony is to go on and there is to be a triumphant end. It is most stimulating! And then after the encircling comes the “great shout!” One idea of a shout is vigour, it is strength, denoting that there is no slackening of energy. The Lord Jesus was marked by it on the cross; it says He cried with a loud voice. We need not in this sense talk in whispers; the sense of victory enables us to lift up our heads and to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that with a loud voice. The shout of Israel at the end brought down the walls. That sets out a principle that everyone ought to understand, not simply those who are in the lead, for faith marks all. It is a principle already known and established and acted on as if it were the air we breathe.
The next principle that I think is important is weaning. And I might have read scriptures that speak of weaning as effected by a person, but the way it is put in this scripture denotes that it was there as a principle. No doubt Sarah weaned Isaac, but it does not say so here. What it says is that he was weaned. Now this weaning will fit in, I am sure, with most of [p. 143] us here today. It fits in immediately after the principle I have been speaking of, that is to say, we have to learn how to do without the natural. Each has to learn how to stand, as it were, on his own feet. We have to learn to draw from other than natural sources. In other words, we are to learn how to live by the Spirit. “If we live by the Spirit, let us walk also by the Spirit”, (Galatians 5:25). This is seen in this second scripture.
It was an auspicious day, and the Scripture says that Isaac “was weaned”. There is no explanation as to what the weaning means, it is viewed as a known principle, as I said, a known thing in Abraham’s house, in the house of faith. Abraham’s house represents the household of faith and there are principles in it, and amongst them is this one. It does not need to be explained. Those who are not weaned, cannot be regarded as standing upon their own feet, they cannot be regarded in their individuality. We must arrive at the sense of individuality and the epistle to the Romans helps us as to this, indeed it is the epistle that propounds and applies this great principle of faith. It is in that epistle we get the remarkable expression, “on the principle of faith”; it is the translation of the preposition “from”, in chapter 1:17. I would every one would take in that expression, “on the principle of faith”. It works out in the believer coming to himself. You will all remember how it is said of the prodigal that “he came to himself”, (Luke 15:17). That is to say, one reaches experimentally his own individuality, and that individuality is to be regulated by the law of God. Hence the writer of the epistle to the Romans says “I myself”. You see, he has come to himself.
I wonder if every young one here has come to himself. You may say, I thought I was to come to Christ; but you must come to yourself if you are to be of any use in the things of God. You must get a name, you must stand out in your own individuality, there is not to be another like you in the whole universe. That is a fine thought! and so the apostle says, “I myself”, He is not content with the pronoun “I”, it is “I myself with the mind serve God’s law”, Romans 7:25. Such an one gets the Spirit, and he no longer draws from the flesh, but will rely on the Spirit of God; he is indeed, born of the Spirit; his nature is spiritual. Isaac was born after the Spirit. No doubt he is a type of Christ, but he is also a type of every true believer. I come to this experimentally, that I have another birth, that the roots of my being are in the Spirit, thus all my instincts become spiritual, and I learn to disallow the flesh, and to live in the Spirit, and to walk in the Spirit, and by the Spirit to await the hope of righteousness on the principle of faith. That is the effect of the truth of Romans. It leads to the realm of spirituality, where I breathe my native air in my own distinctive individuality, and through self-analysis spiritually know myself as having part and lot in the great spiritual system that God has introduced.
Romans thus lays the foundation, and every young believer needs to understand it, to come to himself and to be rooted in his own native soil, that he is not in flesh but in Spirit; he is born of the Spirit. Ishmael was born after the flesh, and Isaac was born after the Spirit. We read that “he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit”(Galatians 4:29), and at this point, beloved young people, you will meet persecution, you will get it from those nearest and dearest to you in the flesh, it may be. It is no longer Jerichoites, or the like, but those who are born after the flesh — the flesh, in those nearest to me naturally, may become my persecutor. The nature of the flesh is to persecute what is of the Spirit, and hence there is continuous conflict. But then I have an individuality that is to stand, I have a name in heaven, I am in the Book of Life, I have a name that no one else will have, I am to stand out in that individuality, and in it, I drink into one Spirit with the brethren, and I am able to merge with them; I am [p. 145] living by the Spirit.
The principle in our chapter is that Isaac was weaned, and on the day he was weaned Abraham made a feast; but although he made a feast in celebration of the occasion, he introduced mixed principles — a most dangerous thing! Nothing is more destructive than mixed principles amongst us, and they may come from the best of us, the most honoured of us. No one was more honoured than Abraham, and yet he introduced and maintained in principle, on this occasion, the elements of the flesh. And hence, what says the Scripture? “Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac”, (Genesis 21:10).
After the two first principles are clearly apprehended God can add, there will be addition; that is the next principle. I should not pray for addition aside from these two first features. The idea is that the barren woman keeps house, and keeping house involves these two great principles — faith and the Spirit. Then the next thing is children, to be a joyful mother of children: that is what Sarah was. It is very fine to be joyful spiritually, as we see the increase, children after the Spirit not after the flesh, see Psalm 113:9. So that Acts 2:41, supplies the next thing, for you will observe it has the same characteristic as faith has and as weaning has, in the other scriptures — it is impersonal. It is not said that they were added by anybody to anybody, but just that they were added on that day. Now I understand the force of the words as they are set, is that the principle of adding is amongst the saints: it is part of the position, it is a condition amongst us, and we are aiming at it and keeping out of the way of everything that interferes with it. In that day they were added, but who are they? First of all it says they were baptised. And again there is nothing said as to who baptised them. The principle was there. Peter had said that they should be, but then it goes on to say that they [p. 146] were baptised — the thing was done. What I mean to convey is that if I cannot do it, somebody will do it, the thing has to be done, it is a fixed necessity.
This word “added” has a unique place in the Acts, and it was befitting, it was the adding time; but this was not before the conditions for it were present. And that is what I plead for — for the conditions of which I have been speaking — so that the adding may go on; and that if anything comes forward of an extraneous character there may be that discerning, that “porter” quality, that will say, “Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter”, Acts 8:21. The point in the chapter is that what is added should be in keeping with what is there.
One could speak at length of the conditions that were there, as chapter 1 illustrates, but I wish to refer to that remarkable statement of David to Solomon, “thou shalt add to it”(1 Chronicles 22:14). Acts is, in a sense, Solomon’s book; it is Christ in glory setting up the great spiritual system here, and surely adding should have its place there, and should ever have its place. Christ is in heaven and the Spirit is down here and the operations are being carried on in conditions of faith. This ensures addition according to God.
David says of the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, “This is the house of Jehovah Elohim, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel”, (1 Chronicles 22:1). Then the Spirit of God goes on to tell us that David speaks of Solomon being young and tender, and he recounts how Jehovah had denied him the privilege of building, but that Solomon who should be Jehovah’s son was to build; and he says to Solomon, “in my affliction I have prepared for the house of Jehovah a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver”, and all kinds of materials that were needed he prepared in abundance, but he says, “and thou shalt add to it” ( see 1 Chronicles 22:14,15). By Solomon there was to be addition. Now that answers [p. 147] to the book of Acts. I believe there is great instruction in reading the book of Acts from that point of view, and moreover it sets you thinking as to what you are doing: “thou shalt add to it”. There can be no doubt that each of us adds something, but we may bring in, as I said, what is extraneous, and has to be rejected, as we read in Corinthians, “wood, hay, stubble”, therefore “Let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon”, 1 Corinthians 3:10,12. The assumption is that he is to build, but let him take heed how he builds, that what he builds survives the fire.
Our scripture says there were 3,000 added on that day. The great principle of adding became effective and it continues. Later, we read of the Lord adding. I do not speak of that, but in chapter 5 we have a special touch. The numbers are given in chapter 4 — increased numbers; but in chapter 5 we have multitudes added. The Spirit of God says that “believers were more than ever added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women”, Acts 5:14. The assembly requires both men and women. The continuance of it, the maintenance of it, the glory of it and the service of it, require that in its public setting today it should be composed of men and women; that is the divine thought. We must not neglect the “women”. We find them in the upper room, and they are to be in the upper room to the end. Multitudes, we are told, were added to the Lord. What women they must have been! ‘Added to the Lord’ implies the kingdom, that there is subjection. The Lord will not have anything added to Him that is not subject. There must be subjection. He can make something out of us if we are subject, nothing if we are not; and so multitudes of believers both of men and women were added to the Lord, so that there was increase in the material that the Lord requires for the assembly.
Luke in his gospel enforces all this in regard of sisters. Whilst they are mentioned in Peter’s ministry they do not get their place with him as they do under [p. 148] Paul. Yet some say that Paul was very severe on the sisters. Paul regarded them rightly and he would give them every advantage, and so he speaks in the plainest terms as to sisters and how they are to be of use in the house of God. They are to be of use, but I do not dwell upon it, only to mention it. It is very beautiful how Paul speaks for instance, of Lydia, how the Lord had as it were, given him that sister; the Lord opened her heart, it says, “to attend to the things spoken by Paul”, Acts 16:14. If Paul said, “I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man”(1 Timothy 2:12), Lydia would say, ‘Amen’, and she would mean it. If Lydia put a covering on her head she would mean it, to her it would mean subjection. She had listened to Paul. If she did not listen to Paul she would have no place in the assembly practically. Luke brings sisters forward from the very outset in a most beautiful way, to show their place in the assembly. I speak at length of this point because the sisters are not functioning among the brethren as they should. You find in Luke how a sister like Mary, the Lord’s mother, was able, so to speak, to analyse herself inwardly; she said “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour”(Luke 1:46,47); she discerned between her soul and spirit, she was introspective in that way, so that she discovered herself, so to speak. Then later, she wondered at the things that were presented to her concerning Him — hearing also that a sword was to pierce her own soul. How it penetrated — but what a sister she was! She was committed to John. John took her to his own home, not as the Lord’s mother, but as his own mother. In the Lord saying to her, “Woman, behold thy son”(John 19:26). He is referring to John, He is pointing to John the trusted one — and He delivers her over to him; she was to be John’s mother, she was to be in John’s house in that relation. What an advantage he would have thus. But Mary was a sister and she is mentioned in Acts 1 as in the upper room.
[p. 149] Well, the last scripture I read speaks of increase. That is the last principle that I wish to dwell upon, and of course it is of a piece with the adding, but the word is not added, but increase or multiplication. It comes in in a very remarkable setting, because the assembly had already become militant and victorious. The Lord had intervened on her behalf. You might say the first great conflicts had been won. The early chapters show us how the enemy attacked, and that the Lord gave the victory to His people. Then in a great champion the enemy attacks “the disciples of the Lord”, for he is very bold. We are not to be ignorant of his devices, or his boldness. Sometimes things happen amongst us that cause amazement, the boldest efforts of the devil are put forth in some terrible happening amongst the people of God; it is well to be on our guard lest the enemy should get in thus.
Well, here he attacked the disciples of the Lord through Saul, so that he entered into houses and dragged forth both men and women. What sisters he found, what brothers he found, as he dragged them before the tribunals! They were “Jesus”, the Lord speaks of them as Himself; they were characteristically members of His body, and He recognised them as Himself, “why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 9:4) He said to Saul. What an honour for us to be spoken of thus! Well, all this went on; but it was a question of the Lord and what He would do. I would remind you of the Lord as seen in Acts 9, of the power that is His: He can bring down the mightiest foe, and bring him down in perfect keeping with the dispensation, so as to make him His mightiest servant. And it says. Acts 9:31, “Then had the churches rest”. They had rest, and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, “were increased”. This is another side to adding. It is not only now a question of persons added, but the idea is of increase through certain conditions existing, conditions of peace prevailing after a storm, after a great harrowing [p. 150] conflict. Some of us have had to do in a little way with that in the history of the assembly. How blessed the thought of peace as nestling under the mighty protection of the Lord, and walking in His fear! There is no room for fleshly feelings in that peace, the walk is to be in the fear of the Lord. And then there is the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
One is moved in thinking of the Holy Spirit in this connection, because the word comfort here stands related to the word “Comforter” in John 14. The blessed Holy Spirit is here present, continuing with us, continuing alongside of us, so as to minister to our souls and pour into them His own comfort. Thus there is increase according to God. The thought of this increase was fixed in the assemblies. It was a present principle, and we must see that it exists.
The Lord is giving us a fine opportunity. He has cleared the air for the moment of certain clouds that had hung over us, and He would have the brethren to take heart, to take courage and go forward in these principles. They will stand. If one is taken and another is taken, still the principles stand. We are to be walking in them, working in them, breathing in them as we breathe the air — thus nothing can overthrow us!
May the Lord use these thoughts, dear brethren, for blessing.