THE GLORY OF THE PRESENT DISPENSATION

J. Spinks

Romans 6: 1–4; 2 Corinthians 3: 11–18; 1 Peter 4: 12–14

I am impressed, dear brethren, by the glory of this present dispensation. It is signalised as “God’s dispensation, which is in faith” (1 Timothy 1: 4), and is characterised by a blessed Man who has been “raised up

from among the dead by the glory of the Father”. What a time we are in, it is marked by glory. Indeed we read in Corinthians that it “subsists in glory”. Now the reason for that is that it has been set on and maintained by divine Persons Themselves. Every other dispensation has been left in some degree to man’s responsibility, although God always maintains the initiative and He never at any time puts man at a disadvantage. Adam was placed in the best possible environment, surrounded by everything he needed, yet he failed. Noah and his household had a very great advantage. It has been said that the whole world was gathered round Noah’s altar. Think of the knowledge of God that was there in that little company; certain knowledge of God acquired in addition to the knowledge of God in creation. Then God introduced something that had never existed before; He set up magisterial government and placed it in the hand of man. In the antediluvian world God left man to a large degree to his own devices and it brought out the incorrigible nature of man’s heart. When man is left to himself all that proceeds from his heart is violence and corruption. How true that is at the present time! But when Noah was given the power of government a certain advantage was derived from that, which runs right down to the present time. Governments, the powers that be, are for man’s blessing, man’s advantage. These are things that we would take from the hand of God as being part of “that which restrains”, 2 Thessalonians 2: 6.

God considers for men, He cares for his creatures. We may think of men as steeped in sin and iniquity, but they are creatures of God. It says in Lamentations. God “doth not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men” (Lamentations 3: 33). We need to think of that. In Romans 8 we get the great matter of the intercession of the Spirit; it comes in in relation to what is creational, enabling us to sympathise with and enter into the sufferings of humanity. Dear brethren, let us see that we are not isolating ourselves from the sorrows of humanity.

The Spirit of God is seen as hovering over the face of the deep, indicative of deep feeling. Think of the feelings of the Lord Jesus as He wept at the grave of Lazarus, and over Jerusalem. In these last days may we be marked more and more by divine feelings. We see in the prophet Jonah how God had regard for the inhabitants of Nineveh, for persons who could not discern between their right hand and their left and had no knowledge of the grace of God.

The scripture here in Romans 6 refers to the glory of the Father, a most wonderful thing.

Romans, of course, deals with man in responsibility, bringing out the power of God to emancipate man from the power of sin; to free him from every hindrance and set him up here as a vessel to honour, able to praise God and represent Him here in a way that is pleasing to Him. Think of the power of the gospel. The early chapters of Romans bring out how man in responsibility fails at every turn. The religious man, the philosopher, every man is tested and fails. Then as we follow things through we find the same principle of lawlessness in our own hearts. These are humbling matters and are intended to bring depth into our souls. We often speak about Romans 7 as bringing out how impossible it is to please God as in the flesh, but it says more than that, it says, ‘with me evil is there’. We need the power of the gospel every day of our lives, because it links us with a living Man in glory. Everything for God is centred in that blessed Man. How wonderful it is! This chapter bears on what we had in the reading as to God bringing His people out of Egypt; there is haste involved in it. Let us not linger.

The word to one man was, “why lingerest thou? Arise and get baptised”, Acts 22: 16. We need to apply the truth of baptism, dear brethren, in this present evil world. We have to make a distinction between the world as being under the eye of God for blessing and the evil moral system that has been judged finally and fully by Christ. It is a judged system, all that remains is for the judgment to be executed. So here we see how God is set to bring His people out of the world in order that they should walk in newness of life and bear fruit to God.

But what impressed me is the thought in this scripture of being “raised up from among the dead by the glory of the Father”; the glory of the Father. We might have thought that it might have been more in keeping with Romans to refer to Christ being raised by the power of God.

That comes in in Ephesians, the power in which He wrought in the Christ in raising Him from among the dead and setting Him at His right hand in the heavenlies. It was the greatest exhibition of the power of God. But here we have the expression, “the glory of the Father”. I wondered what the Spirit of God would have in mind as inditing this scripture. No doubt it would involve the Father’s pleasure in raising that blessed Man from among the dead. Think of Him being first at the grave to raise Christ and make Him the central point of the universe.

Then I think there is a suggestion too of what is lying before us. The Father, as I understand, refers to God known in grace, and every believer would know in some way the Father’s ministrations in the sphere of responsibility, but I think also the glory of the Father leads us into the sphere of purpose.

When God takes us out of Egypt, what He would keep before us is the whole system of glory of which the Father is the source. That is the whole point of God leading us out; He leads us out to bring us in; as you follow the song in Exodus 15: 13, “Thou by thy mercy hast led forth the people that thou hast redeemed”. That is the power of God liberating us from the house of bondage and leading us forth by a right way. Then it goes on, “Thou hast guided them by thy strength unto the abode of thy holiness”. That is a further step in God’s goodness and I think it relates to the presence and power of the Spirit. How blessed it is that God is not only prepared to deliver us from Egypt and sustain us in the wilderness, but He would guide us into the abode of His holiness. That is something we need to pray about, that God’s dear people should know what it is to be guided into the abode of His holiness. I understand that relates to God’s abode in the wilderness. God would have His people liberated from the systems of men and brought into a sphere where His rights and His holiness, the holiness that belongs to His house, are maintained. We need to be exercised to maintain the holiness that belongs to God’s house so that any exercised soul would be able to say that God is among you of a truth. I say that without presumption, dear brethren. Then it goes on to “The place that thou, Jehovah, hast made thy dwelling, The Sanctuary, Lord, that thy hands have prepared”, Exodus 15: 17. How wonderful! It reminds us of John 14, the place prepared by Christ, prepared by His going in, prepared in all its glory awaiting the day when the Lord will come for His own, but presently enjoyed in the power of the Spirit.

My desire is that we may know more of these things. As I say, Romans takes up man in responsibility, but I believe it gives touches to show that there is more ahead. I was thinking a little of Solomon’s building. It says the house had width upward. The lowest floor was five cubits broad. That is like Romans, you are grounded in the truth of the gospel, a most essential thing. Then we learn how to go up by the winding stairs to the middle floor, and then on to the third. Things get greater and wider as we go up. I speak of these things as knowing but little of them, but having the desire to know more of all that is centred in Christ.

Romans treats of the kingdom of God, and it bears on our path in the wilderness, but I believe the glory of the Father would bring us on to Colossian and Ephesian ground. In Colossians 1: 12 it says, “giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit for sharing the portion of the saints in light, who has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love”. That is the great realm where Christ is everything and in all, the realm of the Father where these divine affections are known and realised, believe that is something that we need to be exercised

about. Oh what it is to go on to the top storey, we may say; not only be satisfied with the great and wonderful truth relating to redemption and justification, but know what it is to go right through to reconciliation and new creation, finding our life as attached to a living Man in glory, “Christ ... who is our life”, Colossians 3: 4. May it be so in an increasing way with every one of us.

I just want to touch on 2 Corinthians 3, where Paul is bringing out the truth of the new covenant. I was thinking of the glory of the Lord but read from verse 11 to refer to what was introduced with glory. It bears on what was said as to God giving man every advantage. Israel was the most favoured nation on earth. God Himself entered into covenant relations with them. Their failure only further exposed the hopeless condition of man in the flesh.

Nevertheless God cannot be thwarted in any of His thoughts and we can see how He will restore His earthly people. So we have to think of the restoration of Israel; what a time that will be. It says, “For if their casting away be the world’s reconciliation, what their reception but life from among the dead?”, Romans 11: 15. The assembly is a vessel that has the capacity to carry through every thought of God; everything that is precious to Christ and to the Father should be precious to us. Even in the service of God, although not maybe at the forefront of our mind, we are thinking of what the hymn says,

‘Yet wider praise in Zion waits—for Thee,

Her Lord and King’. (Hymn 75)

But if the old system was introduced with glory, “that which abides subsists in glory”. I think that is very beautiful. We have come to what subsists in glory, what abides, because it is centred in divine Persons. As I say, this dispensation has not been left in man’s hand. Divine Persons have taken it upon themselves to secure their own glory. Christ on high and the Spirit here is a wonderful pledge that not one thought of God will fail. We are to see that we are in it, and in it in a real and

vital way. As we go on to 2 Corinthians 3: 17 it says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, but where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit”. Again it brings out the thought of what is further and deeper and inward,

“from glory to glory”, and the Lord is able to effectuate that in our hearts. Moses went into the presence of God, and he came out with his face shining. He himself was affected by it, but, he did not have the power to effectuate anything in the people. But thank God our Moses, the Lord Himself, can effectuate things in our hearts. I can look round a room like this and I see shining faces. I see faces that have been affected by the glory of the Lord. It is something that should affect every one of us. Special privileges are accorded to us, the Lord’s day, the service of God, but every time we come together gives the Spirit opportunity to occupy us with the glory of the Lord. I believe that these three-day occasions should have that effect. As we enquire into the truth, looking to the Spirit for guidance and instruction, I believe He would direct our hearts toward the glory of the Lord, for Christ is the great Object in all the Scriptures. In this section we have a beautiful merging of the service of Christ and the service of the Spirit to bring about inward change in each one of us. It is the transforming effect of looking on the glory of the Lord.

In the scripture read in Peter we have the thought introduced of “the Spirit of glory and the Spirit of God” resting upon you. It is wonderful to think that it can be so in these days. I think the thought of resting involves divine complacency. It was seen uniquely in the Lord Jesus, of course. Think of the Father’s delight as the Spirit descended in bodily form as a dove and abode upon Him. Here it relates to our having part in the sufferings of Christ. It says earlier,

“Beloved, take not as strange the fire of persecution which has taken place amongst you”, who of us could say much about that?

But then it goes on to speak about trials, and there are many trials that the saints are called upon to pass through, many sore and painful experiences that sometimes go on for many years. We have to consider why God allows such things. I believe it is all in relation to forming us after the Man of the gospels, the blessed Man upon whom the Spirit could come in an unreserved way. These things are very testing, but I believe it is the divine way. The more we know of getting into the presence of God, and looking on the glory of the Lord, the more we shall take on the character of that blessed Man; and we shall know something, at least in measure, of the “Spirit of glory and the Spirit of God” resting upon us. May the Lord help us in these things, for His name’s sake.

Address at Denton
23 May 1998