PROGRESS AND GROWTH
[p. 75] PROGRESS AND GROWTH
On previous occasions we have had before us the subjects of the gospel and the ministry. In regard to the gospel, what I was anxious to make clear was the importance of apprehending the truth of it from God’s side, as God’s glad tidings concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
We had before us on two occasions the subject of the ministry, first the ministry of the new covenant, that is, in the spirit of it, “the Spirit quickens”; then the ministry of reconciliation, how that God had by Christ completely cleared the distance that existed between Himself and man by reason of sin, to the intent, that, on the one hand, He may have His pleasure in man, and on the other hand, that the believer may joy in God.
Now I purpose touching on another subject. I think anyone can see that there is in Scripture the idea of a certain progress, and an order in the apprehension of the truth in souls; and the points I want to dwell upon, by the grace of God, are what come before us in this passage, namely, progress and growth. The first comes out in verse 13, “Until we all arrive”. That I call, for want of a better word, progress, moving forward. Then in verse 15 we have growth, “That we ... may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”. The apostle is speaking here of the purpose for which the gifts are given, but first refers to the exaltation of Christ, for it is one great point in the epistle to the Ephesians that Christ is viewed in His exaltation as Man, as the One who is to fill all things. We read in chapter 1, the church is “the fulness of him that filleth all in all”. And so here in chapter 4: “He that descended is the same also that [p. 76] ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things”. I want you to bear the two thoughts in mind, that He is the One that fills all things, and that the church is His fulness. What I understand by the expression ‘His fulness’, is that which is proportioned to Himself. You can understand that if my body were out of proportion to my head, it would be a malformation. But it is proportioned to my head. So the church is proportioned to the Head, it is “the fulness of him that filleth all in all”.
The first thought is that Christ has “ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things”. And then the gifts are given till we all come “unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”; that is, the church is to be proportioned to Him who fills all things. I would like everybody to get hold of that thought. I do not know anything much more important than to learn to look at things from the divine side. The fact is, that we always err when we judge of things from our point of view, we never get a true thought. To look abroad at the present time on the confusion of christendom and at what is passing under the name of Christ upon earth, would only confound one. I should get no right or true thought of anything, and should not be any help in the midst of it. Anyone would be bewildered by the confusion, and division, and strife. The relief is to see the church in the thought of God. So also to understand the gospel we must look at it from God’s standpoint. Further, to understand the responsibility of man before God, we must look at man from the point of his departure from God. And the truth as to the church is not gained by looking at the church, or the history of it, as man might describe it, but by looking at it from the divine point of view, and it is only then one can really be of any help.
Now I want to speak about the gifts in that way, and the purpose of them; for we are told what they [p. 77] are given for, the end in view. It says, “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”. You see that the first and general object of the gifts is “the perfecting of the saints”, by which I understand their completion. The verb from which the word comes is used sometimes in the sense of restoration. Evidently that is not the thought here — but that the saints might be so fitted or complete as that there should not be any deficiency. The gifts are given for that end; they all come down from the One who fills all things. He has “ascended up far above all heavens”, that is, as I understand it, He is exalted to the right hand of God, to fill all things. What belongs to Him, is that He is to fill all things, for not only have we to see what has been removed in Christ, but what is established and effectuated in Christ. Christ is the Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world; but there is another thing true also of Him; He baptises with the Holy Spirit. The One who removes all that is contrary to God, brings in what is of God, He baptises with the Holy Spirit. That is the office of Christ. Everything is to be brought into moral accord with God; He fills all things; He has ascended up far above all heavens for that purpose.
Now we learn from 1 Corinthians that every gift is set in the church. And while the first object of the gifts is “for the perfecting of the saints”, their effectiveness branches out in two directions, has a twofold bearing, “for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. Not only have the gifts their application to individuals, but the ultimate purpose which is served by them is the edifying, or building [p. 78] up, of the body of Christ. All the gifts are to that end; not merely one gift; you cannot in that way distinguish between different gifts as though they had different ends; they are all the evangelist as much as the apostle, and the pastor, and the teacher, for “work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”. If souls are converted, it is that they may be brought into the body by the baptism of the Holy Spirit. If they have part in the Holy Spirit they must be in the body. Every believer who receives the gift of the Holy Spirit is baptised into the body.
Now I come to the point at which we are to arrive, and I dwell on the verse because of its importance. “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”. There are three main thoughts in the verse. The first is unity; the second is perfection, maturity or full growth, a perfect man; and the third is stature, that is, the height (we are accustomed to speak of the stature of a man), “the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”. I wish that I might be enabled to make these three thoughts clear to everyone, because a real apprehension of them will be of great good to us, we shall be more useful here. It might be said, But what little opportunity there is for carrying out the truth. I admit it, but it is a very great thing to be in the mind of God down here. The opportunity for carrying out the mind of God may be very limited; that is just according as God may appoint; but to be here in the mind of God is very important for every one of us. It is really the only light there is. And whether the sphere which God appoints to me be small or great, what I covet is to be here in His mind.
Now the gifts are till we all arrive at unity, that is the first thing, and that is a very great point in Scripture, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God”. By “the faith” I understand the revelation on which Christianity is based, the system of Christian truth; as we get earlier in the chapter, “There is ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism”. We are to arrive at the unity of the faith, that is, the unity which lies in the apprehension of the faith in the soul, that which the faith is calculated to produce, and there is another point: “of the [clear] knowledge of the Son of God”. The thought of unity governs both ideas; it is “the unity of the faith, and of the [clear] knowledge of the Son of God”. Some would tell us that we are not to know the Son of God at all; that no one can know the Son; but the very point of the passage here is, “the unity of the faith and of the [clear] knowledge of the Son of God”. I accept as fully as anybody that no one can grasp or comprehend the mystery of His Being; “no one knows the Son but the Father”; but “the [clear] knowledge of the Son of God” is of vital importance, for in Him is the revelation of the love of God; no one can understand the love of God except by the clear knowledge of the Son of God. Peter speaks in connection with Christ of the righteousness of God and the faithfulness of God; but to know anything of what is essential in Christianity, that is, the love of God, we have to get to the Son of God, for it is in the Son that God’s love is revealed: “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son”. And then again it is in the Son that we see the satisfaction of God’s love, where that love rests in man. The grace of God attracts our souls to the point where the love of God finds its rest and perfect satisfaction in the One in whom the judgment has been removed. We sing sometimes
‘Eternal love their portion is,
Where love has found its rest’. (178:3)
And I need hardly say, that just in proportion as the faith and the clear knowledge of the Son of God govern the soul, so far, of necessity, unity is produced;
[p. 80] we come to the unity of the faith and of the clear knowledge of the Son of God. Why do you think that differences exist among saints? Why do divisions come in? I believe it is because souls are not going on to the unity of the faith and of the clear knowledge of the Son of God. Then again, we are often distressed at failure on the part of individuals, cases calling for discipline; do you think any discipline would be needful if souls were really gaining ground in the clear knowledge of the Son of God? I am convinced of this, that it is the unspiritual who bring in trouble, it is not those who are advancing in the knowledge of the Son of God. If we were really gaining ground in that knowledge it would have a mighty effect upon us.
The first thing then to be produced by the action of gifts is unity, the unity of the faith and of the clear knowledge of the Son of God. It is not common agreement, it is not alliance or any expedient of man, but it is unity in the soul, unity in faith, unity of heart. The more we know of the Son of God and of all that has come to light in Him, the closer we are drawn the one to the other. The secret of unity evidently, from this passage, lies in “the faith” and in “the [clear] knowledge of the Son of God”.
But then we come to “a perfect man”, a figure taken, I do not doubt, from the human body; that is, a man where there is not only what one might call perfect articulation, the perfect junction of every member, but where every joint, every member, is in vigour; that is what I understand to be “a perfect man”, and I connect the thought with chapter 2: 15: “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace”. I understand by it that the divine thought is — and here again we are reminded of the great importance of viewing all these things from the divine standpoint — that there is to be one man here, not many men; it [p. 81] does not speak of our coming unto ‘perfect men’, but unto “a perfect man”. And that is what made me refer to chapter 2: 15, it is “one new man”. Looking at things from God’s point of view, He sees one man down here; many saints I quite admit, but one man. You get the same thought in another passage in the same chapter: “That ye put off ... the old man ... and that ye put on the new man”. It is not that you have become new men, but you have put on the new man. The thought of a perfect man takes in, I judge, the whole company of saints in God’s point of view. You may say that such a thought as that can hardly be realised down here; but I say, that is not my business. My business is to see what the mind of God is, and, as far as God helps me, to seek to promote it; and therefore when I see this truth, I certainly would not connect myself with anything down here upon earth which systematically tends to divide Christians, because we are all to come in the first place to unity, and in the next place to a perfect man. People may retort upon me, But have you not helped to divide by the very fact of separating from all you were once connected with? My answer is, the reason that led me to do it was, that I declined to be identified with what in its nature divides Christians.
The perfect man is really where the Spirit is in full vigour and energy in the saints; that is to say, they recognise the bond that binds them one to another: “There is neither Greek nor Jew, ... Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all”. I think that is a very important point, and I would like the question to be raised with every one of us, whether we are here in the power of the Spirit, whether our souls are really in healthy vigour. You know what it is for the body to be in healthy vigour; a man then has not his attention drawn to any particular member. So it is a very great point as Christians for the soul to be in healthy vigour, that is, in the power of the Holy [p. 82] Spirit; thus we advance to a perfect man, a man full grown.
There is another point still: “Unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ”. This shows what the stature is to be, the measure of the stature. Can anything be more wonderful than that it was the thought of God really to bring that to pass down here? For the passage, as far as I understand it, has not reference to heaven; but to a result to be effected down here upon earth; that by the ministry of gift there was to be a perfect man here, perfect unity, and the stature of the man was to be the fulness or completeness of Christ; everything, as I said before, to be proportioned to Christ; a man large enough in that sense for every moral quality of Christ to be portrayed in. That is the idea to my mind of the fulness of Christ; nothing to be displayed there but the moral excellencies of Christ. The idea is beautifully brought out in Colossians 3; seven traits of Christ are enumerated there, beginning with “bowels of mercies”, and finishing with love, “which is the bond of perfectness”; making up, so to say, the perfectness of Christ; and then there is “the word of Christ”, and “the peace of Christ”. I think that gives to us an idea of what I would call the completeness of Christ, all the moral excellencies and beauty of Christ really portrayed, as it were, in one man down here upon earth, and that one man taking in the thought of all Christians.
Now the gifts are given to that end; and though it may be a perfect impossibility that that can ever be attained here, I would desire to be upon earth, not with the idea of impossibilities, but in the mind of God. I do not want to frustrate the mind of God, but, as far as God may give me opportunity and ability, to be acting in His mind, and not to be evading it by putting forward the idea of impossibilities. I remember being told when I left the Church of England, many years ago, that many things which are brought before us in [p. 83] the epistles as to the original form of Christianity are impracticable in the present day. That may be or may not be; but at all events it is the only light we have. I have as keen a sense as anybody of the truth that God never restores a thing down here which has once failed; He may bring in something else, but He never restores a thing on the ground on which it first stood. So when the church has failed as the house of God there is no such idea as its being restored down here. The failure of the church, as Paul’s ministry, was shown to John, because John was not minister of the church; John sees the failure but he brings the church out in the end as the heavenly city, all resplendent with the glory of God. It shows that God does not restore the church on its original footing in connection with responsibility; but if I stand in the mind of God down here, the great gain I get is to be a pillar in the temple of God, I shall be conspicuous in the kingdom when the church is in the glory: “Him ... will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out”. Therefore it is the greatest privilege in a day like this, when everything is in confusion and ruin, to be here in the mind of God, no matter how small or obscure things may be.
I pass on now to the thought of growth. It says, “That we henceforth be no more children” — the word ‘children’ would be better rendered ‘babes’ — “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ”. We leave the idea of a perfect man, and come now to another thought, and that is growth to the Head, we are no longer to be babes. I think anyone can understand the idea of a babe; a babe is one who is very easily blown over; a strong wind would suffice: we are no longer to be babes, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every [p. 84] wind of doctrine. One of the most painful things we see, when troubles come along, is the sad way in which people listen to what this person says and that person says. The fact is, they are not established in the truth of God, and therefore they are liable to be blown over by any “wind of doctrine” and by “unprincipled cunning” — that is what is spoken of here — “with a view to systematized error”. I believe that if we were established in the truth of God, we should reject all these efforts. Nothing is more pernicious to saints than the practice of listening to what everybody has to say, instead of seeking to get a judgment of things from God. We are no longer to be “babes”, “but speaking the truth in love”. Now that word “speaking the truth” is a difficult expression; “speaking the truth” or “holding the truth” does not give exactly the idea; the idea is nearer to this, being true in love; not simply being sincere, that would not adequately convey the thought; but being true as the effect of being under the power of truth. It may be asked, What is truth? I do not know that everybody has quite solved that question; but I will give you a very simple definition of truth which I could prove to you from Scripture: truth is what may be known of God. Therefore there may be a certain measure of truth even where there is no revelation; and God holds man responsible on that ground, because there is a manifestation of truth even in created things; I do not mean truth which could save a soul; that is not the point, but truth which forms a basis for the responsibility of man. “What is known of God is manifest among them, for God has manifested it to them”; that is truth. But the principle holds good in regard to revelation; truth is what may be known of God; that is, what is revealed of God; hence Christ is the truth. So, too, we have “the word of the truth of the gospel”; that is, the gospel is a revelation of God. Now what I understand by being true,
[p. 85] or holding the truth, is this, that the soul is under the power of truth, it is in the light of the blessed revelation of God, it holds the truth in love. I know what God is; the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit that is given to me; I am in the joy of the truth, the light of the knowledge of God has penetrated to and governs my heart, and I am in it and in response to the love, and I hold the truth, in that sense, in love. That is the first condition, what I should call the divine nature in exercise in the Christian. You have to begin there; you cannot talk about growth until you have got the first condition needful to growth, holding the truth in love. The word “holding the truth” is only used twice in Scripture. The apostle uses it also in Galatians, where he says, “Am I ... become your enemy because I tell you the truth?”
By growth I understand growth in intelligence; I do not think it is connected exactly with a perfect man; but you grow in spiritual intelligence to the head; because the head, as I understand it, represents the intelligence. My head represents my intelligence, but my intelligence really comes out through the body. And I think the same holds good with regard to the body of Christ, the Head is the intelligence; all the light is there, as is brought out in Colossians 2: “Ye are complete” in Christ; all spiritual, all divine light is there. If you want to understand Scripture, the thought which must govern your soul is Christ, because all the Scriptures testify of Christ, all the light and intelligence of Scripture is expressed and centred in Christ; the Lord expounded to the disciples out of the scripture “the things concerning himself”. Holding the truth in love, we are to grow up in spiritual intelligence, to be according to the head; we are to comprehend “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know” — mark those two words, “to comprehend” and “to know”, in the prayer in [p. 86] chapter 3; but it is a peculiar kind of intelligence, spiritual intelligence. If I might say so, the Head is the standard; the saints have to grow to the Head as the standard; we are to be enlarged and expanded in spiritual knowledge, in acquaintance with the mind and thought of God, the whole scope of divine purposes is to come before us. You can understand that in Christ, as Man at the right hand of God, is the fulness of intelligence of the mind and purpose of God; “the breadth and length and depth and height”; and we are to grow up into Him as to all things, to enter into the whole scope, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.
Then you get the truth of the body brought in. “From whom the whole body, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth ... maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love”. That is not exactly a question of the gifts, but it is what goes on in the body. I do not think one ever heard in natural things of joints supplying anything, but in the body of Christ it is “that which every joint supplieth”. The apostle has left the subject of gifts; gifts have their effect upon the individual, although they have in view the edifying of the body of Christ. In the body it is the effect of what is derived immediately from the Head, tending to the compacting and knitting of the body, unto its self, edifying in love.
Looking abroad, I could not understand readily that the body of Christ is cared for. But I should make the mistake of looking at things from my standpoint. We must look at things from the divine standpoint; and when we do that, we understand that the Head cares for the body. My head cares for my body; what would my body do without the thought of the head? And so it is in regard to the body of Christ, the body would be very poorly cared for but for the Head. The confusion and division of Christendom does not alter the relation of the body to the Head, or of the [p. 87] Head to the body; and the Head cares for the body; and in spite of everything there is what is spoken of here, “the edifying of itself in love”. It may be greatly marred, nor can anyone tell how it works, only the Head knows; but still there it is.
It is a great point to have an ideal before you; and the ideal which I have endeavoured to put before you is a perfect man. What I mean by the ideal is what was before the divine mind in the gifts being given. And I say, let us by the grace of God seek to stand in the truth of it; not be discouraged, but seek to gain more acquaintance with the mind of God and, no matter how small things may be, seek to stand here in it. You may depend upon it you will exercise far greater influence than ever you thought. But let a man go against the truth of God, the effect of it will be he will lose almost all the influence which he once appeared to have. I have seen it, even in my short experience. Many a man has an amount of influence which he never dreamt of, merely because he sought to stand in the mind of God. Many a man that you would have thought was cut out to exercise a great deal of influence, has lost it because he did not continue in the mind of God. As the apostle said, “We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth”. You stand for the truth, and you will find you have great power; you go against the truth, and you will lose the little you appeared to have.
May God increase to us in His great grace the understanding of the truth, and give us grace, however small and feeble we may be, to seek to stand in it, and not to be discouraged.