CONFIRMATION
[p. 396] CONFIRMATION
John 1: 47 - 51; John 9: 35 - 38; John 20: 19 - 23
It is in mind to speak of confirmation; confirmation in what is right, of course, what is of God; that, as we have been led by light into the things of God, and taken up a public attitude in relation to them, we might be confirmed. Many have not been confirmed and have receded from ground taken up: so in regard to many now — it may be in this hall — although from one cause or another they have taken up a public position in relation to Christ, they are not confirmed in it and are thus in danger of recession, affording the enemy in each instance an opportunity of attack on the position of the testimony — the position proper to it. These three scriptures will serve to show, as I hope, how confirmation comes about; for it were better we never took up a position in relation to Christ than that we should subsequently recede from it, because in doing that we discredit it. I may say here, that taking up a position in the testimony, in the fellowship, as we speak, and receding from it is not optional: it cannot be done with impunity. Some assume that they can withdraw from it as they might resign an ordinary occupation or appointment, but this cannot be, for heaven’s records have to be borne in mind; and if one is on the rolls, he has to give account; after taking his place with the people of God, he can never be afterwards what he was before. These records have to be looked into, and the conscience of the assembly here normally is the transcript of what is up there, hence there must be a balancing of the matter in each case.
Nathanael serves to show how the Lord is ever ready to confirm us as we move towards Him and make a confession; for a confession implies the stand I have taken. In connection with Nathanael, I may remark that he may be used to illustrate a person drawing near [p. 397] professedly under the light of God, drawing near to Christ, having on his mind, it may be, to examine for himself what is there, and perhaps considering that it is optional whether he remains or not. He is coming with the thought of examination, and those who know what is in Christ and what lies here in the Spirit, having appropriated both, are quite confident in inviting anyone to “Come and see” John 1: 46. That is a special word in John’s gospel. One responds, and comes with a light heart, it may be, with very little concern; he has in mind to examine things and thinks it can be left at that, that it is optional with him whether he remains or leaves; but what comes to light is that on his way he is under observation. Though he does not find out at once, he will surely find out that things are not optional in the divine realm. He comes under observation; the Lord is looking at his movements and reserves His right as to His estimate of the person. He sees whether there is anything there of value, or whether he is really moving under the influence of others — following the example of others — or whether there is any conscience work, whether the movement is the fruit of the work of God. The Lord is looking out for such persons, and I need not say, He never errs; His eye is never dim. He gives us to understand that He knows all about us. Even before there was any movement of heart with us at all, or any professed movement, He has seen us.
So, as I said, it is a matter of coming and making an examination in response to the word “Come and see” John 1: 46. Those who participate in what is to be seen, what is spiritual, have no hesitation in asking anyone to come; for if we have eyes to see according to God, we shall see what others are seeing. So the Lord in seeing Nathanael come, pronounces His judgment about him. It is as he moves to Him that the Lord speaks of his qualities. Before that, no doubt, were we to have joined him under the fig-tree, he would [p. 398] talk glibly about the matters of the day; he was certainly very free to talk about Jesus when he heard of Him first. The change with him must have come about rapidly: “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1: 46), he said. Young people talk about things as if they knew — for at a certain stage they think they know everything; later, perhaps, they are not so sure. Nathanael seemed to know what Nazareth was, whether it was by hearsay or visitation. He says, Can anything good come out of it? He had no hesitation in his reply to Philip. Philip had said to him, “Come and see” John 1: 46. Being evangelical, he had found him. The Lord found Philip, and Philip found Nathanael, and said, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1: 45). Nathanael fastened upon the word Nazareth, showing that the operations of the Spirit of God had not yet become effective in him. Had he been with God, he would have thought of Moses; he would have thought of the prophets, Philip having spoken of these; but he speaks of Nazareth. As soon as light is active in his soul he refers to the Scriptures; he can then allude to the Psalms very intelligently, but not at first. Moses and the prophets are of little importance to him; but Nazareth is under reproach; he names that. So we can see how he needed to be carefully observed; and this should always apply as younger ones seek to be in the fellowship of God’s people. The Lord sees Nathanael coming to Him, and says: “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1: 47). The allusion would be to Jacob; and this man was truly an Israelite, a guileless one, as the Lord says — a rare kind of person today.
So that you will understand, dear brethren, I am not occupying you unduly with this first scripture, but to show how the Lord’s eye is vigilant and makes no mistake. He calls attention to this moving person. He is moving in one definite direction; he is moving [p. 399] to Jesus, and he inquires of the Lord, “Whence knowest thou me?” (John 1: 48). That was a good question; every true Israelite will be open to investigation, leading to the inquiry how it is that he is known. “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee” (John 1: 48). That is, the Lord would say, In your ordinary state, before the light came to your soul, I saw you. With regard to an applicant for fellowship, as we say: the Lord says, I saw you before you were moved at all. That is a very solemn matter; you were being scrutinised, and you did not know it. Thus it is in the case of many — their histories are better known amongst the brethren than they are aware of. At any rate, all will be gone into, and it is most important that the histories of applicants should be fully inquired into. Well, Nathanael says to the Lord: “Thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel” (John 1: 49). That is remarkable! How quickly he came into the truth! How did he get these great thoughts? Evidently he knew the Scriptures. He alludes, I suppose, to Psalm 2, which speaks of these two things as to the Messiah. He had not been always careless; he had evidently read the Scriptures; and that is most important. What do young people read? If the Scriptures, how do they read? Evidently this man had paid attention as he read, and now the Person is before him. It was a wonderful moment for him when the Person thus spoken of in Psalm 2 was known as before him. His soul is evidently affected, and the Lord says: “thou shalt see greater things” (John 1: 50). “Because I said ... I saw thee under the fig tree”, you believed — is that why? Well, evidently. What I mean, dear brethren, is that the work of God may proceed slowly in us on account of our condition, but it may be rapid on account of a better condition; but whether slow or rapid, its results are sure, and they all bear on Christ. Christ is supreme wherever the work of God is effective, and the Lord took account of this. “Believest thou?” (John 1: 50);
[p. 400] that is a good word in the examination of a young christian. Why do you believe? How did it come about?
What I want to come to is this: the Lord would confirm this man in the position he had taken up. He would hold him. It is the holding power; not by Sunday school treats or prizes, surely, those will not hold young people spiritually; it is the holding power of Christ Himself, the confirming power in the soul. He says, “thou shalt see greater things than these” (verse 50). The Lord would keep us on the qui vive as to the “greater things”. What a range John has for us in this wonderful gospel! Greater things, and greater things, and greater things; corresponding with “glory to glory”. There is no limit. There cannot be a limit; for after you have read these writings of John, you have what is not written to think of. There is no thought that anything spoken or done by the Lord Jesus is to be regarded as lost. “The world itself could not contain the books that should be written” (John 21: 25); but he says, as it were, I have written enough to establish you in faith: “these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life in his name” (John 20: 31). That is life; if you come into eternal life, that will hold you, but there is more beyond. Things are to be held in His name. It is a question of faith: “that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”. If profession is not of faith, it is nothing.
So the greater things are to be seen by Nathanael. The Lord, it seems to me, honours his understanding of Scripture. He goes on to say: “Henceforth” — from now on, without being specific — “ye shall see” — not thou, for as soon as I arrive at the stage that I am truly a believer in Christ, I value the plural; it is “ye”, and I would have it so. That is often found in the Scriptures; the work of God is sure to be marked by [p. 401] love of the brethren. It is one of the holding elements in the economy. Young believers are held out of the world by love among the brethren, including their own love. It is not simply what you find, but what you bring; so that it is “ye”; you are linked up vitally with the brethren. So here the Lord says “ye”, meaning all believers; I am applying it simply to all of us. I want to be with the brethren; and whatever I see, they see, and if they do not see it, I want them to see it; and if I do not see it, they want to enlighten me. That is what these meetings are for, we share the great things of God together; for christians are a community. “Henceforth ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man” (John 1: 51). The Lord is obviously alluding to Genesis 28, and also, I suppose, honouring the intelligence of this young convert; showing that he had read the Scriptures. Parents should see that their children read the Scriptures, are filled with them, shutting out things that in later years will be reminiscent in their minds and defiling to them. The Scriptures in the mind are power.
In telling Nathanael that he should see “the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man”, the Lord would fill his mind with the greater things. In Genesis 28 we read of the angels of God ascending and descending on the ladder, but here it is on a Person, on the Son of man. What does it mean? The bearing of it on the believer is that, if I am confirmed in my intelligent faith in the Son of God, King of Israel, surely I am to understand that everything begins with Him — “the first and the last” (Revelation 1:17); “the beginning of the creation of God”, Revelation 3: 14. The angels begin with Him; whatever their work, they have reference to Christ. That is confirmatory, and it reminds me that I must begin with Christ in everything, not be self-centred but Christ-centred. All my activities are to be in relation to Christ: that is another [p. 402] element to confirm me in the position to which I have come as in the fellowship of God’s Son.
Now I go on to chapter 9, as linking together the chapters read. It is a well-known chapter, we often allude to it; and I may say here, the more we know a chapter the more we get out of it. Referring to something said, you may say, We have had that scripture before; but then, did you see everything in the passage commented upon? I have been impressed with Ezekiel’s river — he finds it deeper and deeper according to measurement, and finally, he says, “a river that could not be passed over”, Ezekiel 47: 5. As progressing, he found he had reached spiritual infinitude; it is not only that he could not pass over it, but he says, it “could not be passed over”. We might say, We have had that subject before; yes, but there is something more in it than you saw then. Ezekiel’s leader brought him back to the bank of the river, and when he returned he saw trees on either side of it. He had not seen them before. So the Holy Spirit, from time to time, brings us back to the same scripture, and we see new things in it.
John 9 yields wonderfully; one has felt it in a little way. The yielding power of confirmation of the truth in that chapter is striking. There is nothing said as to opposition to Nathanael; but here it is a different man altogether. He has to go through the mill of conflict, real conflict for the truth; and it is as sure as possible that, if I am faithful in such circumstances, the religious people with whom I have to do will indicate their judgment of me, and have recourse to legal or authoritative means to dispose of me. I do not fit in with them. No man who is in the full light of Christ, as this man was, fits in with the religious organisations of the day. You do not fit and they do not like you, and they will soon show it. They would like to have you, of course, but on their terms. I have no doubt the Pharisees would have used this man were he amenable to their [p. 403] terms; because earlier they had sent to John the baptist, offering him distinctive honours in Jerusalem, the centre of religion at that time, but on their own terms. We must be on our guard as to any such overtures or suggestions from religious systems around. They can use you, but not as rigidly maintaining the truth. They say, “thou teachest us?” — that will not do at all; the teaching must be by them: “they cast him out” (John 9: 34). One has often gone over this chapter: it is most stimulating to any lover of Christ. It shows how a young believer, a convert, is led on instinctively, one might say: no external person is helping him. We have it from the Lord’s remark to him that he had seen the Lord, but from the earlier facts given, the man works out the truth — through conflict — by himself. The Lord intended this, for “the works of God” were to be manifest in him. The man was obedient; he was sent to the pool of Siloam — the meaning of which is Sent — and he went. He went to the pool of Siloam and washed, and came seeing. The instinctive thought with him would be to return. He is true to the word ‘sent’, he is an obedient convert. It is an important point reached in obedience, to come back to the point where you got the light; and then the conflict comes in. He stands his ground at every point; he is steadily victorious. His casting out was victory, negative, of course, but truly victory; but how is he to be kept out? That is the next thing: that is the thing that is burdening the brethren all over the world. There are the young believers, they are cast out, as in this instance, or leave, as we may say, as in Nathanael’s case; how are they to be confirmed in the position taken up?
“Jesus heard that they had cast him out” (John 9: 35). That is a beautiful touch: the Lord hearing of such a matter. His true manhood is implied. That is the point in the chapter; the clay alludes to the blessed Lord’s humanity. He is true to it. It is a question, not of instinctive knowledge of the fact, but that the [p. 404] Lord heard. He took that place; although divine, He listens to information. Who brought this information is not stated, but Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and the Lord, I am sure, would say, That is good news. He would rejoice in spirit, perhaps, as in other cases, and impart stimulus to everybody that was with Him. The nearer we are to the Lord the more we experience this. Hearing of young people coming into the truth stimulates us. Think of the Lord in His gracious service looking out for this man — and finding him! When he is found, the Lord does not go over the ground of the man’s experience: what his neighbours had said, what the Pharisees said, and what his father and mother had said; that is not the point now. That has been gone through by himself: he has the gain of it in his soul; he has advanced wonderfully, and now he is to know the Son of God. Nathanael evidently knew the Scriptures, as we have seen, and confessed Christ as the Son of God as spoken of in them; but the immediate effect of the work of God is stressed in this man — the wonderful results of it. He is in the benefit of what has been gone over in the chapter. The Lord does not go over it again. If you are to be kept outside the religious system, something more is needed. The leaders may come after you, they may offer you terms and say they are sorry for casting you out so ruthlessly; the enemy is not behind in all these matters. What will keep you out? The Lord says to the man: “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” (John 9: 35). He had not heard of Him, he wants to know: how interesting he was to Jesus! One would like to have been there to see how the Lord would treat a young man like this. “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” is a word for the moment, dear brethren; the Son of God as presented in Scripture, not as in the creeds. Here it is the very appellation from the Lord’s own lips. The man gave a wonderful account of Jesus and what he thought of Him; he did believe in Him so far; but it is the Son of God now.
[p. 405] Do I take in what God is saying to us about His Son? Do I believe on Him? as it is here; for, mark you, dear brethren, it is not what Scripture had said — that is what Nathanael had in his mind, right enough, of course, in its place — but now it is what has come directly, the truth for the very moment; truth for him, just what he needs.
The Lord has selected the moment to bring this to him: “Dost thou believe on the Son of God?” What will the man say? What would you say, young person, if you had never heard of it before? The man says, “who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?” That is the suitable answer to the Lord’s inquiry. Who is He? The Lord is pressing it here as truth for this man just now. Is he ready for it? He is ready for it. The Lord says, “Thou hast both seen him, and he that speaks with thee is he” (John 9: 37). He does not say any more, he has said enough. Faith in this man’s soul has become active; not faith in a creed, but in the very Person Himself. “And who is he, Lord, that I may believe on him?” (John 9: 36). He is ready for it; the Lord tells him he is in His presence. Think of being in the presence of the Son of God! The man said, “I believe, Lord: and he did him homage” (John 9: 38). Nathanael was in His presence, too, but he did not worship; this man worships. It was the result of direct ministry to this man. God would have us to worship the Son of God. Let us not overlook that; it is the same word as in chapter 4. We are to worship the Son of God. We hear no more of this man, but heaven knows him, and we shall see him. He fits in at this juncture in John’s gospel: one brought to know and worship the Son of God. The next chapter shows what the Son of God is doing to keep young people out of the world. Even if they were cast out they might go back. The enemy is so ready to use anything, that we may go back: “they might have ... returned”, we are told in Hebrews 11: 15, but we are told also that God has “prepared for them a city” (Hebrews 11: 16); having a city prepared for us by God we shall not go back. So the Son of God will hold us Himself in another world; He has inaugurated it Himself. Shall I go back? No; I have got into another world. It is what chapter 10 opens up; it is confirmation. We need it if we are to stand our ground in the terrible times of darkness we are in.
Now in chapter 20 is the final thought of what is in my mind as to confirmation; that is, what you find among the brethren, viewed, not simply as so many nominal christians, but persons who have received a message direct from Christ as to their dignity, the brethren from the standpoint of the heavenly calling, what they are according to God’s mind. Jesus came to where they were. That would be to confirm them. They are not going back. We know from the epistle to the Hebrews that many did go back; that epistle was written to keep Jewish believers from going back. “Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come”, Hebrews 13: 13, 14. That is Hebrews; it is the book of the opened heavens. Faith says, No, I cannot go back, I am held; I “have come to mount Zion; and to the city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem; and to myriads of angels, the universal gathering; and to the assembly of the firstborn who are registered in heaven; and to God, judge of all; and to the spirits of just men made perfect; and to Jesus, mediator of a new covenant; and to the blood of sprinkling, speaking better than Abel”, Hebrews 12: 22 - 24. I am not going back. Think of spirits of just men made perfect! I have come to them. But think of coming to “God, judge of all” — the Supreme! And to Jesus, Mediator of a new covenant. That is Hebrews. We can appreciate the writer’s statement: “we are not drawers back to perdition, but of faith to saving the soul”.
[p. 407] Now the Lord came in here in John 20 to these that are not only saints, but persons dignified by the message of Jesus. They are unique: they are in a certain place, and the Lord had sent a message to them, in effect to confirm them, and then He came where they were, and said, “Peace be to you”. “He shewed to them his hands and his side”, (John 20: 20), and they were glad to see Him. Showing them His hands and His side was to open up His love to them. They were glad, and He says again to them, “Peace be to you” (John 20: 21), as if to confirm them in the position. Each of them would say, I am not going back, there is no position like it; as Peter said earlier, “to whom shall we go? thou hast words of life eternal”, John 6: 68. He is now in their midst, and they do not say anything; the passage stresses what Jesus said, but they are acquiescing in it. Their very looks, I am sure, would indicate how they were confirmed. They will not go back. There was a diversion with some of them, as seen in chapter 21, but the general position is that the disciples were confirmed and held.
The next thing is they were to be here as confirmed in this way in representation; that is the next thing in this passage. He says to them, “as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20: 21). Let us look at this! He has dignified them, He has ennobled them. Then “when he had said this, he breathed on them” (John 20: 22). He mentions the word “sent”. “As the Father sent me forth, I also send you”. Think of the level on which this mission is placed! We are not only elevated in dignity personally, but representatively. As He was great enough to represent His Father, so we are to represent Him here. How are we to represent Him? Not by words only, but by His own Spirit. “He breathed into them, and says to them, Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20: 22). That applies to all of us. It has, of course, special reference to the twelve, but it includes us all in some measure, that is, we receive His [p. 408] Spirit the Spirit of Christ, the ascended Man, the Son of God, not only in relation to our privileges, but also our testimony here, the representation of Him where He is not. So he says, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained” (John 20: 23). It is representation, but representation in the possession of His Spirit; then, following on that, confidence in us. There can be no christianity in the true sense of the word in assembly service without confidence; that God has confidence in us, and we have confidence in one another. Thus the Lord says to His disciples here, “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted to them; whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained”. This is confidence. It is not retaining first, it is forgiving sins. That is, the Lord is setting up His own in the midst of christendom — well-nigh apostate as it is — with this mandate from Himself, the mandate of confidence. He would say, as it were, If there is anyone to be forgiven and you forgive him, I will be with that. There is need for extreme care in these cases, and if forgiveness is needed, it must be seen that there is a basis for it. We cannot afford to betray His confidence; hence the need for the utmost investigation so that the truth should be known, and there should be the true administration as representing His forgiveness. He says, If you forgive, I am with you, and if you retain I am with you too, It throws us on Himself, and on ourselves too, so that we should be true in thus acting for Him. Priesthood, as in the types, enters into all this, especially as seen in Leviticus 13 and 14. The spirit of investigation is a most essential thing in these matters, more particularly now as there is so much imitation. But the confidence placed in the disciples, and the service based on it, enter into the present moment, and the Lord would have us accordingly more in representation of Himself.