CHRISTIAN STATE
[p. 108] CHRISTIAN STATE
The epistle to the Philippians does not present doctrine to us; it is taken up with the state of the saints. The apostle says, “I have no man like-minded, who will naturally care for your state”. This gives it an individual character.
Rem I thought it was more as a company going on together.
Well, if you do not get that you do not get christianity, but when it is a question of state it must be very individual. There can be no christian conduct or affection apart from state. We are to be “blameless and harmless, the sons (children) of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world”.
This chapter gives us a clue to the way in which christian state is reached; the way to life is through death. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus”. You have to humble yourself down to death in order to come out in life; it is only through death that you can reach the result spoken of here — shining as lights in the world. No man can possibly get out of the world except by death. We have to enter into the fellowship of the death of Christ, to take up the cross and follow Him.
In Romans we learn first principles, it is elementary; but Philippians gives the experience of one who has entered the land, and who has apprehended the breadth and length and depth and height. It is the experience of the heavenly man — the Ephesian — in the wilderness. The apostle puts it forward, and it was answered to in a remarkable way in himself. The experience of Joshua and Caleb in the wilderness must have been very different to that of the others, for they had been in the [p. 109] land, and had surveyed it in the length and breadth of it, and that was bound to affect the experience in the wilderness.
Ques What is it to hold forth the word of life?
No one can hold forth the word of life if he is not himself in life. “We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death”. The testimony of life is held forth in the ways, and conduct, and demeanour of the children of God. “The word of life” means the expression of life. People have been too much occupied with the doctrine of life, but we want to get at the thing itself. If we are in life we shall be able to hold forth the word of life, and not merely to quote Scripture. Christ came that we might have life, He is the Tree of life; He will be the Source of blessed and health-giving influences and principles which will go out to the utmost extremity of the universe of bliss. The nations will be healed, and will become occupied with what is good. The Lord said, “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life”. When we have the consciousness of being in life, then we understand the doctrine.
“Holding forth the word of life” is the witness to Christ that goes out from a circle characterised by light and life. The same things come out in Ephesians, but there they are spoken of as light and love. There is a circle where you get a continuation of Christ down here, and you could not be in life apart from that circle. Life is individual, and yet there must be a company, for it is in relation one to another that life and fruit come out. The question of state must be individual, but all the Spirit’s work is in view of our relation one to another. The object of the Spirit is to set us in relation one to another according to God.
Ques What is the force of “work out your own salvation”?
Salvation is a large expression. Israel had salvation [p. 110] from the power of the enemy at the Red Sea, but you must carry the thought further than that. Salvation means a new order of things, and it really involves the putting off the old man, and putting on the new. If people are entangled with the world system they do not realise salvation. Salvation is really inherent in Christ; it is “in Christ Jesus”. He said, “By me if any man enter in, he shall be saved”. Every epistle leads up to salvation.
The great effort of many in the present day is to assure people that they have salvation while they yet remain in the world. You cannot remain in the world system, and at the same time be in salvation. Abraham left the world system, and Moses left Egypt. I could not say they were in salvation, for Christ Jesus had not come, but they illustrate the principle.
Believing on the Lord Jesus is the road to salvation, but salvation itself is in Christ Jesus by the Spirit. We believe the testimony presented to us in the gospel, but we come into the life of things by the Spirit. It is by the Spirit that we are brought into living relations with Christ.
The Philippians, in the absence of the apostle, were thrown upon their own responsibility. They were exposed to many snares, and there was necessity that they should be on the alert, and work out their own salvation with fear and trembling. We need fear and trembling in regard of the enemy’s snares, and in regard of ourselves. The dangers are very real; the world’s influence besets us on every side.
Salvation has been effectuated for us by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. Our side of that is that we are clear of the whole system which is obnoxious to God, and in which we were previously entangled. The Hebrews were in danger of neglecting the great salvation; it is most important that we should not do so, but that we should turn the salvation to account. Our position should be definite,
[p. 111] either in the world or in the christian circle; the effort for centuries has been to mix the two. As the inward man is strengthened and becomes more capable, salvation is more realised. If we were set for the will and pleasure of God here we should realise salvation, and He is working in us to this end. Saints in the early days needed these things to be opened up to them as we do. God works in us, not only to do, but also to will: that has often been a great comfort to me. The way in which God’s good pleasure works out in us is in our relations one with another; it is by our being in the reality of the christian circle.
It is an important point that in assembly we meet one another. Coming together in a formal way at a certain place and time does not secure the Lord’s presence. But if we come together as the children of God in the unity of the Spirit, and in spiritual affection, we meet the Lord, If it is only a question of coming at an appointed hour on Lord’s day morning, you may as well go to a chapel. Many nave the idea that it is a more scriptural way of meeting, and do not apprehend that we meet in the light of Christ’s assembly. If people have strife and envy amongst themselves, how can they have the presence of the Lord? The coming together to break bread is a great test as to our relations one to another, The obligation lies on each one to judge himself. If we came together in that way the Lord would draw nigh to us. If there is a difference we are to forgive as Christ forgave us, and that is pretty absolute! The secret of these personal differences is that people are unspiritual.
Saints ought not to come under reproach; we are to be blameless and harmless. In the early days the effect of the influence and testimony of a company answering to this description must have been marvellous, and especially as having just emerged out of heathendom.
The apostle was prepared to be a martyr for the faith; he was prepared to go on to the end that the truth might [p. 112] remain. Apart from grace any one of us might apostatise; we are only kept by the power of God through faith. If I were confronted with being burnt alive I could not count upon my own stedfastness, I could only count upon God; no christian could trust himself. A man is very foolish who trusts himself.
We have to look to it that we are in the reality of things. I have no inclination to build up brethrenism. If it is not the reality of spiritual affection, and what is of God, I do not care anything about it.