LIFE IN THE BODY
[p. 422] LIFE IN THE BODY
Substance of a Reading
We have in this chapter expressions which contemplate the energy of life; as in the words “rooted and built up in him”, and the body “increases with the increase of God”. Nourishment is received from Christ the Head to that end. The idea of life is indicated in Genesis, where we see the development of seed after its own kind. Christianity is the answer to all that in a spiritual way. There are limitations, for even in a family directions are necessary, and we have directions given to us here, the wisdom of which is apparent.
1 Corinthians shows us the limitations. The apostle speaks in Colossians 2 of “order” which would involve the teaching of 1 Corinthians, but there is something more than that; they had been set up in life, and all that would hinder the development of life must be rigidly excluded. That is what this chapter presents. Love must work out; they were to be “rooted and founded” in it. It has its own way of manifesting itself, and in the future we shall see the full working of it out.
2 Corinthians makes room for what is inward and speaks of the “house which is from heaven”, which corresponds with the “inner man”. In Psalm 1: 1 we have what is outward: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly;” and in verse 3 there is life; “He is as a tree planted by brooks of water, which giveth its fruit in its season;” there we have what is inward, and fruit is the expression of it. The tree planted by the river grows and brings forth fruit.
We may illustrate the chapter by reference to [p. 423] Lazarus in John 12. Lazarus needed to have the grave clothes taken off. One factor in the gospel of John is that you take care of yourself. “Loose him, and let him go”. In its orderly development life is in relation to Christ, we are “rooted and built up in him”. Thus you find your way to the circle, of the saints. In this chapter we see the headship of Christ and the vitality connected with Him, and then we come on to the body. It corresponds with the twelve stones set up in Gilgal; they were taken from the Jordan and set up in Gilgal to represent the whole of the tribes; so they spoke of a unity of life. There is a “unity of the faith;” we are to agree as to doctrine, but this suggests more the unity of life. The body is an organic idea and all is dependent on the Head. The figure of the human body suggests organic energy. The word ‘with’ involves association; buried, raised and quickened with Him. Christ is the Centre; then we come to the Head; those who love Him enjoy His headship; love could not have another One.
In Ephesians we have more prominently the word ‘together’. Here in Colossians 2: 13, it is “quickened together with him”. In Ephesians we have the word ‘together’ in relation to our position in heaven. In Ephesians 2: 6 it is said, “raised us up together, and has made us sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus;” the word ‘together’ is carried through to heaven. It has in view that we love the saints and will have them with us. Here in Colossians 2, in regard to the first two things, baptism and circumcision, the word ‘together’ is not there; but when you come to quickening it is, showing that when you come to the affections the saints as well as Christ are contemplated. Quickening is that we are made alive.
The distinctive word in Colossians is “with Christ”, and in Ephesians “in Christ” is the dignity of the [p. 424] position, the full divine thought. It gives the status; it is not said of angels. In Colossians “raised” does not go as far as in Ephesians. In Ephesians it is raised up. As Colossians treats of entering in we can understand how prominent association with Christ is; we should be desirous to be in correspondence with Him so that there is no discrepancy between Him and us as in “the land”. Colossians is entering into the land; we are in the Lord’s sphere in entire correspondence with Him, and in the normal development of life before God.
Lazarus is not like the young man in Luke whom the Lord delivered to his mother. The Lord took account of the mother’s heart, and also of the fact that he was a “young man”. Whereas in John 12: 2 “they made him a supper, .. but Lazarus was one of those at table with him”. Where Lazarus is Christ is honoured. John 12 and Colossians correspond. It is important now to know how to take care of oneself, because there are so few shepherds. In John souls are divinely sustained. Paul said to Timothy, “Take heed to thyself”. How can we get on unless the saints learn to do things for themselves? We live in a day when there are few to help, then obviously you must help yourself; thus you will find God working with you. Compare Philippians 2: 12, 13. We are inclined to trust to others, but as Peter said to Aeneas, the word for us is, “Rise up and make thy couch for thyself” (Acts 9: 34).
In Ephesians gifts are brought in for the edification of the body; that is how others help me; but in Colossians it is more the working of the body itself. Lazarus is figurative of a Colossian saint. The Colossians had regard for the principles governing Christianity; there was order there; but there is more, as “rooted and founded in love;” they can be holding the Head so that the body “increases with the increase of God”. What is needed is life, and Colossians develops life as seen in the body, organic life, it is after its own kind. The thought of life as seen in Genesis is that things are after their kind.
In Romans the Spirit is life; the point is power in view of righteousness; one carries out the will of God down here. But Colossians brings us into the land; at least, it takes us over Jordan, because the basis is resurrection, and the truth of the body is collective. We must have Romans, the individual side, before we can have what is collective. In Romans we are one body in Christ, not of Christ; see Romans 12: 5. This excludes independency. There is not the thought of development in Romans, but here, the body is drawing nourishment from the Head, and increases with the increase of God. We apprehend the saints as at Gilgal, “risen with Christ”. The affection developed there is peculiar. Local feeling is dismissed at the Jordan. Personal preference and social feeling are foreign to resurrection ground; there must be circumcision. Life in Colossians is connected with the development of the body; “Your life is hid with the Christ in God” (Colossians 3: 3); it is not public; fellowship is public. It goes on to say that, When Christ who is our life shall be manifested, then shall we also be manifested with Him in glory.
Eternal life is connected with the ways of God and is presented as meeting the consequences of sin, that is, death; but here life goes beyond that. Eternal life is victory. Colossians and Ephesians treat of life in an organic sense. We are led on in Genesis through all the stages of vegetable and animal life, but we have that which is distinct in Genesis 2, there we come to life in man; man had the breath of God. In Romans 7 there is no gratification of spiritual desires; we come to chapter 8 before we touch [p. 426] that. When there is an answer to those desires by the individual we begin to live. The Spirit draws our attention to others who have life. The word ‘souls’ in Genesis 1: 24 is different from that in Genesis 2: 7, for there it is by the breath of God that man received a spirit; this was different from mere affections, and involves intelligence. In Colossians we are regulated by the Head. Intelligence corresponding to Adam was not found among animals, but in Eve we come on to a new plane; Adam and Eve had more than the animal creation and in that more Christianity lies; as in John 20 He breathed into them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. We see an order of life obviously distinct. It is after Christ; He describes the kind of life that we possess; “as therefore ye have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in him” (Colossians 2: 6).
The things mentioned should be noticed. First, rooted; the tree is set up and then adjustments come in: circumcision, baptism and quickening. “See that there be no one who shall lead you away” in verse 8. You see to that; if that is allowed, the development of life is arrested. In chapter 1 the point is the Head, and in chapter 2 the body. As to the positions named you come into appreciation of the Head, and in appreciation of the Head every one finds his place in the body in correspondence with Christ. The life of the body is expressive of Him.
As of God we are made conscious that whatever might distinguish us under the government of God, is not seen in the circle in which Christ is supreme. “In whom also ye have been circumcised with circumcision not done by hand, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of the Christ”. The body of flesh means the totality of it. The order in Colossians is the reverse of the order in Joshua; so it seems as if circumcision is more prominent in the mind of the Spirit, because the [p. 427] truth of baptism is already known in the soul. Circumcision is a complete cutting off and it is what you do; practically it has to be done; only here it is viewed as done in the circumcision of Christ. The implements to be used are sharp knives; it is to be done perfectly and completely. Circumcision was an old thought to Israel, but sharp knives were not mentioned before Gilgal. Romans presents baptism, it places us in the wilderness here. It is only brought in here to emphasise correspondence with Christ. The bearing of baptism in Romans is that you cannot go on with the world; but the figure of baptism in Colossians involves resurrection, its bearing is positional. We are risen in Colossians, but not yet off the earth.
The exercise of circumcision is that anything that distinguishes me as a natural man is a disgrace to me in the circle in which Christ is supreme. The flesh forms no part of the body of Christ, but is entirely different in its nature. The kind is after Christ; the flesh has its kind, and the reproach of Egypt has to be rolled away. It is “putting off” here, but cutting is implied in Joshua 5, as is signified by the word. If the flesh is allowed a place there is friction; it is foreign to the body. Life must be after Christ. “The body of the flesh” is that in which the flesh shows itself fully. After each conflict they returned to Gilgal; we need sharp knives for ourselves.
Baptism is deliverance from Egypt, and by drinking the waters of Marah we realise what baptism is; we cannot go back and enjoy the savoury things of Egypt. What the flesh regards as “bitter” the renewed mind of the Christian delights in. As a figure baptism in Colossians places me in correspondence with Christ we are not literally raised, but raised by faith. In Colossians the wilderness is passed over; you come out and go in, risen as He is risen. Baptism in this sense applies only to one who is truly the Lord’s, who has received the Holy Spirit; it is what one enters into in a spiritual way; in crossing the Jordan no children are mentioned; again it says they went through the Red Sea, but they come “up out of the Jordan”. The stones taken up from the Jordan are a testimony that Christ is in resurrection and that we are risen with Him. There were no stones taken out of the Red Sea. The development of life in a Christian must have full scope and not be cast in moulds. One should acquire one’s own way before God; growing up to Him; there is no limit to that. Much is said in Joshua as to following the ark, because they had not gone that way before. All the saints are represented at Gilgal; “quickened together with him” involves the affections.
The Church of England has a service book, and if you look at any service for any feast day in the seventeenth century, the same is used for the corresponding day in this century; that is not life but stagnation. I would be afraid of dropping into the usage of certain hymns only, given out week after week. It is for me to express what is in my own heart. We may become formal as regards the service in assembly, but there is a freshness about life. Love has a character of its own. Children need training, of course, but parents love to hear them express their affections in their own way. Some hymns are more expressive than we think; a hymn in the assembly should be given out intelligently, but hymns are insufficient in themselves. Christianity has no psalter, but the Old Testament has; the order of worship is provided there in suitable forms. In the New Testament intelligence is supposed, hence we worship in spirit and in truth. The psalmist said, “I say what I have composed touching the king” (Psalm 45: 1). In Matthew and Mark, speaking of the Lord’s supper, it is said, “Having [p. 429] sung a hymn, they went out to the mount of Olives” (Matthew 26: 30). We do not know what hymn it was, but the Lord indicated how matters should be now. The secret lies in the knowledge of the Head. Colossians and Ephesians, if understood, will enable us to worship acceptably.
JND said there was a poverty in hymns addressed to the Father. Perhaps older hymns have been neglected too much for newer ones. A psalm has reference to what is learnt with God, a hymn has generally reference to the Father; it states, “They went out to the mount of Olives;” this is the link with heaven. The Lord joining in the hymn would show that it had reference to the Father. We use hymns ready-made instead of making them ourselves. Of course, one would not disparage any hymn, but the saints should learn to compose something about Christ for themselves. If the company moved towards Christ it would come out in vitality, in living power, not in dead forms. In considering David as head with regard to song, we see in 1 Chronicles 16 the ark in its place before the service is inaugurated, so that Christ in heaven is the basis for the temple song. If we recognise the Head we have everything needed for the worship of God.
You could have a hymn at any time at any meeting provided others could join in it with you. Making melody is more general; we are not enjoying the world, but we need not hang our heads; the saints can sing; they are self-contained in this sense, and have no need of the world. As the psalmist said, “All my springs are in thee”. A song might be employed at the Lord’s supper before we break bread; a song is more a celebration, such as in Exodus 15: 1, when Moses sang, “I will sing unto Jehovah, for he is highly exalted”.