SPIRITUAL VITALITY
[p. 18] SPIRITUAL VITALITY
The first epistle lays down the course and conduct of the servant when the house is in order — the second when all is in confusion. In the second the house is not seen and when the house is no longer seen as a witness then it is that life comes into prominence. A pillar is a witness. “Great house” is a figure — an analogy.
Life is that by which you can counteract the force of evil — what is genuine witnesses itself. The epistle has its importance in being addressed to the servant — he has to go on with those who are like-minded — those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Paul charged him to keep the commandments irreproachable until the appearing, so that the servant is looked upon as continuing until the appearing. The only way in which the house can express itself or come into view is by life. The house is spiritual life brought to light. The magicians could imitate up to a point, but they could not produce life. What good are we as to the existing state of things around us save as there is evidence in us of spiritual vitality — we are not a single bit of good beyond that. We get the marks of it in the epistles. There is wonderful energy about life — an energy that will not be overcome. You cannot get the unity of the Spirit in that way but you ought to see the energy of life in being superior to the state of things around and going on in spite of it all (verse 7).
The energy of life overcomes death. Everything serves God’s purpose even though the church has failed as a witness. The apostle speaks of himself in the first chapter as an apostle according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus. It is prominence given to Christ as Head — [p. 21] life and incorruptibility are brought to light. So the great thing for us is to be apart from Adam and from the world. All is “in Christ Jesus” now — we get it seven times in this epistle. The collective thing has failed so we cannot look for it now. In the first two chapters of this epistle a company is contemplated but in the last chapters the servant is standing alone. The servant has to be prepared to stand alone if need be, as the apostle found himself alone. You are prepared for what may never occur. It would not be the mind of God that such should be. Paul committed his happiness to the Lord “against that day”. It was not the idea of making the best of both worlds. He had suffered the loss of everything here.
In chapter 4: 3 - 5 Timothy is contemplated as alone — it is what the servant must be prepared for. There might be a good many Timothy’s and the energies of life coming out in each! What is right for the servant is right for everybody! The servant is simply a pattern — he sets the example. The servant is not worth much if he does not set the example. In chapter 2 you get his course — his relation to things. It marks out the course and path of the servant and in which he is to be the pattern for others to follow. It is not only what a man says but what a man is — this is his power — he must be an exponent of the truth. Many do not get beyond a thought of expounding Scripture! Everything to the man of God is in the Spirit of God and the Spirit’s work. Gift is by the Spirit direct from Christ. A man might be able to set forth truth and yet have no gift at all. It does not depend on a man’s acquirements. Gift would, in a measure, affect people, as Christ affected people. An evangelist would affect people by the glad tidings as Christ did though not in the same measure. The person is characterised by the gift. The perfection of all was in Christ and He gives what is of Himself.
Evangelists, pastors and teachers, still exist — they are all of Christ Himself. Christ receives them from God to give them. The servant is to use what he is entrusted with. We have not to be taken up with what is going [p. 20] on but turn away and pursue a dear path.
It is not ecclesiastical — it is moral. “In Christ Jesus” is in contrast to Adam, as head of another stock and all that is done here for God is in that “man Christ Jesus”. All is life in contrast to death. Life comes out morally in faith and love and grace, etc. Where are they if not in Christ Jesus? They are not in “us”! They come out in us by the Spirit. These things never were in Adam — it is all in Christ Jesus. Faith, love and grace are characteristic of Christ. He is the source of them. Circumstances have changed but He has not changed morally for He is the same “yesterday, and today, and for ever”. He was the Head of a new stock the moment He became Man.
Christ “risen” is the common testimony to Jew and gentile. Everyone who has the Spirit is in Christ. But you must be born again first or there would be nothing for the Spirit to attach Himself to if we were not born again. Nothing will avail down here except as what is of Christ. If a servant takes up the methods of the world sooner or later he will become the world’s servant and be overcome by the world. Spurgeon is a sample of it — he wrote against the down grade and he adopted the ways of the world and fell under the power of it, and when on his death-bed all the great people of the world were enquiring after him. In a day of departure such as the present, nothing of Adam or of the world will stand — the only thing in real power is in Christ Jesus. Our faith is that Jesus is the Son of God.
“My gospel” was the testimony confided to Paul — he presented that Christ world-wide, as He is, is the expression of God’s mind for man. The portion of anyone, who believes the apostle’s gospel at the present time, is complete conformity to Christ. This is a world-wide Christ in glory as God’s thought for man, and that comes out at the rejection of Stephen’s testimony. God revealed His Son in him that he might testify of Him among the god-making heathen (Galatians 1: 16).
Life and incorruptibility are brought to light in respect of man in Christ risen. The testimony of our Lord is the testimony which the Lord had confided and Paul was the special vessel of the testimony. The subject of it was Christ. We ought not to be ashamed of this testimony. The Holy Spirit carries it out now. It means the complete displacement of man as man — hence comes in the rub! God gets rid of the best as well as the worst! and man does not like to be displaced. The testimony brings out all that is in the heart of God for man. The gospel means to carry into effect what was effected on the cross — which is reconciliation; that is, that man is utterly set aside. This brings opposition. If you maintain the gospel as Paul did you will get into trouble. It is impossible in the very nature of things that, when God has removed the man who was obnoxious to Him, He will suffer that man now.
What we want to manifest is that we are from the stock of the Man who was raised from the dead. You may preach God’s thoughts to man but whether man can take in God’s thoughts is another matter — so that is where ministry comes in. The distance is gone for man and where the distance was there is complacency — that is that God can have complacency, not in me, but in Christ. God has only Christ before Him. It is very wonderful to see how the power of life comes out in the apostle in this epistle. All men forsook him, but there was not a bit of ‘give in‘ in the apostle. In the present day it is a difficult thing to stand rigidly apart from the evangelical work. People are bonded together in societies and all their bond is work — it is a kind of world of its own. Their gospel does not come up to the ministry of reconciliation! It does not go beyond meeting the need of man. Results wholly depend upon God. You can present the light of God, but results accomplish the sovereign purpose of God. This is the work of the gospel.
If God causes the sun to shine the light is for every [p. 22] man. The light fell upon the pieces of silver and the silver was manifested by the light. The great object of the light coming into a city is to make manifest the elect. When the church got under the power of the world, it adopted the world’s methods. If an evangelist came into a town there would be no harm in going from house to house and giving a notice, but in posters and placards you are trading on the world’s toleration of christianity. It is the right thing for saints in a place to try and bring in all they can, but we want to be independent of the world and its toleration. If we do not stand clear of the world we shall come under the power of it. When Hezekiah showed all his things to the king of Babylon he was in his power and the people were carried captive to Babylon. Whatever trades on the world’s toleration puts you under its power. You may preach when you like in the open air for the air does not belong to the world! The point is that God never intended the gospel or those who preach it to be in bondage to the world. The great thing in the gospel is to take men out of the world. It is not fair to preach in a chapel, because if the people to whom I preach accepted my preaching it would break up the chapel! The Spirit of God was enough at the beginning, for three thousand people were converted at one preaching. Now it takes three thousand preachings to convert one man!