THE SERVANT JUSTIFYING HIS WORK
[p. 528] THE SERVANT JUSTIFYING HIS WORK
We see here that the servant of the Lord has to justify his work as well as carry it out; Peter had to justify it before the apostles and brethren. In any unusual work going on today the servant has to justify it before his brethren, as we see in chapter 14, verse 27.
No servant can take a ground of independence. It was an unusual course of Peter in chapter 10, which God would have to be justified before the saints. The servant of the Lord now takes his direction from the Lord, but that will not lead to independence, he justifies himself before the saints. A servant has to be guided by the general judgment of the saints. As to what Peter actually did, it was that God showed him, in the sheet let down from heaven, what the situation was, and all Peter did was to recognise the situation. The blessing of Abraham was gone out to the gentiles: that was what Peter had to recognise. It is important to put before people the blessing side of the gospel, and not the mere escape side. Peter only made known what was already true in Christ. He was used to show that the door was opened to the gentiles. The nations had received the word of God, and the nations had received the gift of the Spirit, and in verse 18 it is to the nations God hath granted repentance unto life.
Cornelius was just brought in to show what the situation was; the gospel today makes known the situation. A man gets repentance unto life; directly he gets his eyes open as to God he must be brought to repentance. It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance.
The prodigal arrived at a judgment of himself in the presence of the goodness of God. If God were not [p. 529] revealed in grace there could be no turning to God. The reconciliation of the world (Romans 11: 15) is seen in the sheet let down from heaven, not the world there in the sense of “all that is in the world”, but in the way of contrast with the Jews.
Redemption has come in to enable God to take up all men. The promise could only be effected by redemption, because man lay under judgment and death.
In his going to Cornelius Peter was very wise, for he took six brethren with him. Cornelius and his house were to be told of God’s salvation, were to be brought into salvation. The expression “added to the Lord” seems to be added to Him in the way of profession.
The Greeks were gentiles, but the Grecians were Hellenists or Greek-speaking Jews. The wisdom of God was seen in using Peter, a Jew and the minister of the circumcision, to open the door for the gentiles. In the case of Saul of Tarsus, Ananias was indisposed to go to Saul, and Peter was indisposed to go to Cornelius, but the Lord was overruling all. Then we see that it was happily accepted by the church at Jerusalem, and they send down Barnabas.
The christian is one who professes Christ; it may have been at first a term of reproach, but it is adopted by the Spirit, as we see in Peter: “if any man suffer as a Christian”. Antioch becomes a special centre of the activity of the Spirit.
He is made Lord and Christ, and then you get His activities: He directs His servants, converts Saul of Tarsus and opens the door to the gentiles. The Lord, gone up on high, does all this.