UNDERSTANDING IN GOD'S WAYS
UNDERSTANDING IN GOD’S WAYS
I have nothing that can be called new to present to you. I only thought that it might be profitable to touch a little upon the ways of God. Nothing helps one more, or is more confirmatory, than in spirit and mind to review the ways of God. The ways of God extend over a long period of time, but we have to remember this, that there is no such thing as time with God. If we could look at things exclusively in a moral point of view, as God looks at them, there would be no time with us, but we are not constructed in that way, but all will admit that with God there is an ever-existing present. You get the statement that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. It is important to bear that in mind when you pass in review the ways of God.
Speaking of things that are figurative, I think the starting-point of the ways of God was, in a sense, the brazen serpent. A good many things had transpired previously in connection with Israel, all undoubtedly having a figurative bearing or signification; but all these set forth in type things connected with our conscience, and the grace of God meeting our responsibility. A good deal that occurred in the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt was figurative of light coming in to man’s conscience to reveal where he is, so that by grace he might be delivered from the power of the enemy. But in all that the state of man was not met, and the starting-point for God was the taking up of man’s state, and that is what you get at the brazen serpent. Many things preceding are very necessary to us, but I am looking at things in view of God for a moment. It has been said that in John 3 you do not get the beginning of the gospel, but you do get there the true point of departure for God.
[p. 326] This chapter (Romans 8) looks at things in a different way from the previous ones, and in connection with it I want to call attention to what the position of man was in the sight of God consequent on the fall. I do not know if that is always apprehended as it ought to be. All would allow that the effect of the fall was that man became morally dead in regard of God. I understand that to mean that he was devoid of feeling or sensibility toward God. But the judgment of death lay on man from God. “If one died for all, then were all dead”. There certainly were two questions: the question of man’s state, and the sentence of death which lay on him. And God “drove out the man”. I think we want to attach great importance to that fact. Not only was man morally insensible in regard of God, but the sentence of death lay upon man. What that meant was this: it was absolutely impossible for God to form any link or enter into any relationship with that man. That is a point of great importance: “If one died for all, then were all dead”. That refers not so much, I think to man being morally dead, as to the fact that the judgment of death lay upon man. That judgment lay between God and man, and made it an impossibility that God could enter into relation with man as he stood.
That truth comes out abundantly in Old Testament times. Abel was accounted righteous, but then his offering had come in: a type of the offering of Christ. Acceptance was in that way prefigured by Abel’s offering. “He obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts”. His acceptance was by another man.
I take up another case, Abraham; he was not only called out of country, but out of kindred and father’s house; he was severed in figure not only from the world but from the flesh. He became in that way typical of what has come in in Christ. He left country, kindred and father’s house at the call of God, and this separation is verified in Christ.
Then, with regard to Israel, the ground on which [p. 327] God dealt with them was that they were the seed of Abraham, God’s chosen. God called out Abraham, and he was accounted righteous; and God took up Israel simply because they were the seed of Abraham. It was not the establishment of a relationship with man as man stood, but God formed a link with one apart from the world and the flesh in His eye. You may depend upon it God never lost sight of the fact that the judgment of death lay upon man. This was perhaps even more serious than man’s moral state. God never forgot it. If you examine into the dealings of God with this and that man, you will find some indication that God never forgot the position in which man was as driven out from His presence and under sentence of death.
You will understand now how the brazen serpent is the beginning for God. It is that which is alluded to here. “God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (verse 3). Three things have come to pass: 1st, The introduction of the Head who is the beginning of the creation of God; 2nd, The Head has borne the liabilities under which man lay by God’s judgment; 3rd, The Spirit is here as the power to form man according to the Head.
These are three most important elements in the ways of God which come out in this chapter.
I will speak about the consequences directly; but in referring to the Head, I speak of the Head in the widest possible sense, the beginning of the creation of God; the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the first-born from the dead. I think we want to apprehend Christ more in that light. I am impressed with the thought that we have an inadequate idea of the greatness of Christ: “ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things”.
“The beginning of the creation of God” is a most remarkable expression. We might have said Adam was the beginning of God’s creation, but Scripture says [p. 328] Christ is the beginning of the creation of God. I have often said (and others too) that God began very small. In an outward sense Christ did not begin so great as Adam. He was “come of woman, come under law”. Christ came into human life in the lowliest possible way, but nevertheless He was the beginning of the creation of God, and He is the Head and crown of that creation.
Then He came to take up the liabilities under which man lay in regard of God, and in so doing He has brought to an end before God the lawless man. “God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh”. There was the termination of that state for God, a very great point for us to apprehend. God could form no link with that man. That man was useless or worse in the ways of God, he was no profit to God nor to himself. The death of Christ was the termination of that man for the glory of God, and we have the introduction of another man, the beginning of the creation of God.
Now consequent upon redemption the Spirit is here in order that He may form man according to the head, so that he may derive his character from Christ. This principle goes out to the widest limits, for in every circle man will in result take his character from the head. That is the purpose and work of God.
I want now to touch on what comes out in this scripture in connection with the Spirit on two or three very important points. We get the thought of life and peace and righteousness, and all in connection with the Head. What I understand by life is that one who is in life is, in soul, outside the claim and domain of death. That described the position of Christ here on earth: “In him was life”. Death had no claim upon Him.
But there was also peace. There could be no question between Himself and God. And there was righteousness; He was the preacher of righteousness. He loved righteousness and hated iniquity. All these things characterised Christ, as Man here, as Head: life and peace [p. 329] and righteousness. Well, by the Spirit of God the same things characterise us. We are cleared of liability before God, and it is a great thing to be in life; to be sensible that death has no claim upon me. That is true. I do not mean but what one may die, but death has no right over me. The rights of death are destroyed and I am in life by the Spirit of God. There is in the christian a man over whom death has no right. Death may touch my body, but if I regard myself as I am before God, I am in life by the Spirit of God, and have come to ground where death has no right over me. We get peace, too, by the Spirit, that is, the sense that there is no unsettled question with God. And so, too, in regard of righteousness. “The Spirit is life because [or in view] of righteousness”.
All these things were found in Christ, and it is no small thing that the Spirit of God has come down to form us according to Christ as Head. It is a great thing for anyone to say, I live by the Spirit; I do not account of myself as in natural life, I live by the Spirit. The apostle says, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. When I look at myself in that light death has no claim upon me.
Do you understand what it is to live in the Spirit? Christianity is not a garment which I put on to cover the flesh; christianity is that I live by the Spirit, the flesh being crucified.
Christians, properly speaking, are a wonderful generation in this world of lawlessness, they are more wonderful than they allow themselves to be; but we have so poor an idea of what it is to live in the Spirit. The great part of christians have taken up christianity as though it were a question of orthodoxy in doctrine; but in the true power of it, it is, we live in Christ by the Spirit. Peace and righteousness are necessary consequences.
Now I take up two other points coming out here: sonship and liberty in connection with Christ, for Christ being the Head, you cannot have a standard less than the [p. 330] Christ, and it was equally true that there was sonship and liberty; and indeed the one hangs on the other. All these things work out to the utmost bounds. I do not look upon them as having exclusive application to us — they have now their application to us; we are here for the will of God for the moment — but they work out to every family. Christ gives character to each and all, not in the same degree, I admit, but in principle the Head gives character to all who come under Him. The Spirit is to be poured out on all flesh. What for? In order that everything may be subdued to Christ. The Spirit of God will give character to all that creation, every family will take character from Christ. It is of great moment to get some idea of the greatness of the Head and of the system to which He gives character.
I do not suppose any one of us has apprehended the greatness of that expression, “the beginning of the creation of God”. Then it belongs to Him to give character to the creation of God. All that creation will be brought into the rest of God. He will have complacency in all. The secret of that complacency is, that all comes under the Head and more or less takes its character from Him.
Well, I suppose most of us are conversant with these things. We can speak something of life, peace, and righteousness, and we know something of sonship and liberty. They are good things to be in the reality of down here; but what are we here for? I think, for the will of God until all is expressed. We are going on as saints, gaining intelligence in the ways of God; they are opened up in the succeeding chapters; and this intelligence in the things of God is to qualify us for the time to come, when we are to be companions of Christ reigning in glory. We are qualifying for the day of glory. God’s ways are educating us that we may be fit for our part in the day of Christ’s glory.
The holy city comes down from God out of heaven, having the glory of God, and her light like unto a stone [p. 331] most precious, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. It becomes a vessel of light for the universe of bliss and all we are learning now of divine ways is fitting us for our part in that day of glory. What then can be of more vital importance than to see the greatness of Christ as Head, and to know and understand something of God’s ways in Him. They are very wonderful. The bringing in of Christ was that everything might be entirely according to God’s heart. Not only do you get God revealed, but everything in Christ for God’s pleasure. “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God”. Then you get life, peace and righteousness, and also sonship and liberty. You get the working of them out by the will of God to the utmost bounds, for the reason that Christ is the beginning of the creation of God. And the beginning involves the climax, just as the foundation of a house involves the roof. I think it is very important to take these things in.
We have our part in Christ, and He has His own place in us. The Lord says, “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you”. If we are anything at all for God, whatever character we have is derived from Christ, as He says, “I in you”; and the object of our being here is that Christ might be seen in us. He must be here in the saints. Then do not let us underrate the present moment or neglect it; do not let us fail to understand the value and importance of the time when we can gain intelligence in the ways of God. With all our getting, the principal thing is to get understanding. I do not think I would lay myself out, at my time of life, to gain much in this world, but I would covet understanding. “With all thy getting get understanding”, and understanding must have its application to the divine way. Christ is the divine way, and we want understanding in Christ. You may depend upon it if you get understanding you will be a great man — not in the eyes of the world or of man, but you will be great in the eyes of God.