CHAPTER 2: 1 - 10
CHAPTER 2: 1 - 10
FER Verses 4, 5 and 6 are in contrast to verses 1, 2 and 3, and in them we see God acting from motives which were purely in Himself. It is easier to understand God showing grace, than God acting from the great love wherewith He loved us. God’s purposes are the counsels of love. Love brings in the idea of sovereignty. “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated”. He sets His love upon whom He will, and so here the sovereignty of love comes in. It was not what we were, “but God” — because of His great love; the love is the spring; the mercy is where He touches us. It is equally true in regard of Israel. He delivered them out of Egypt because He had set His love upon them, and so He does not leave them in the wilderness, but brings them to the place which He had made for Himself to dwell in. He loved them because He loved them (see Deuteronomy 7: 7, 8). We have to face these things: when we come to God we come to sovereignty. Grace comes out to relieve, according to Romans, but here it is love. The measure of blessing now is the measure of the love of God. It is what will satisfy His great love, not what will meet my necessity. Grace comes out after love. Four qualities of God come out here: love, mercy, kindness, grace. Grace is more what is for display here. When the Lord was here, the thought of grace was to deliver man from all the pressure that lay upon him. The connection between grace and mercy is very [p. 214] intimate, for we come to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy. In ‘mercy’ God takes account of the whole bearing of what we are. Grace comes in to relieve you when you do not deserve it; one element in grace is its freeness — it is gratuitous.
In this passage the Jews are dead in sins, the Gentiles, too, are dead, and Christ is in death. There is no life anywhere except in God, and He acts, not to please us, but for the satisfaction of His own love, and that is to have Jew and Gentile in His own place.
Rem There are very few people in what this chapter speaks of.
FER Very few indeed; and there were few, too, when the apostle wrote. Justification-righteousness has its application to me, because I could not be before God, being a sinner, unless I am justified. But then I find out that God had a purpose about me in Christ, and when I apprehend this better I see that justification was not merely that I, who had been a sinner, might be able to stand before God, but that I was of the elect: “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” God chose me because He wanted me. We do not understand all about righteousness when we are justified as sinners; it is when we come on to the ground of purpose that we see the full end of it; whom He justifies He also glorifies.
All is intensified here: God who is rich in mercy, His great love wherewith He loved us. God has a clear platform on which to act in love. Love is the nature of God. He is merciful and gracious — these are attributes, but love is His nature. Love is the spring of every divine activity, but love could not touch us except in mercy. God does not abate one whit of what He is, and this is really the strength of our security. It is very wonderful to me that we should have a seat in heavenly places; the nearer you come to it the more you learn the love that would have you there. The better you know God the better you know [p. 215] the love. There is wonderful blessing in store for man! If only we were prepared to sacrifice ourselves and have God, we should get on a great deal better. God takes us up for blessing, but He will not save a bit of me. God has the individual before Him, but the man — that is, the order of man, has to go. Man would not need to be saved if there was a bit of anything in him that could be recovered; then there would have been recovery.
The thought of heavenly places is brought in to detach us from the place here; we do not give up the earth unless we know we have a place in heaven. We get the same in principle in John 14. The Lord reveals that He has a place for them in the Father’s house, that they might be detached from the scene here. There are but few who seem to be going in for what is heavenly: if they were, it would have a great effect upon them, for they would only want here what God in His mercy sees fit to supply. All that is mine here is simply of the mercy of God; He cares for me as He does for the ravens, but He has given me a place in heaven. No one is safe from the things here, and the influences that are abroad today, unless He learns the power of God in the resurrection sphere, which is where God works. There it is you get your faith confirmed, because you see His work. People who are occupied with the world sphere, see nothing of the work of God. It is in the resurrection sphere alone you see His work, and there you are greatly confirmed.
We are in the sense of having a place in heaven just in proportion as we enter into the love of God. In Romans we get God “who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead” (chapter 4), and then in the resurrection sphere we get peace, favour, reconciliation through Him (chapter 5), and we are married to Him; chapter 7. In Colossians we are risen with Him. In Ephesians we get further light as to the resurrection sphere; we see Christ at the right hand of God, and we have a [p. 216] seat in heavenly places. It is in this sphere that we see the mighty power of God. The effect of what we get in Colossians, i.e., risen with Him, is that we are associated with Him in the resurrection sphere, so that we are free of this scene. Ephesians 2: 6 will be true in actuality when the Lord comes, but if you lay hold now of the power and love of God, you will find out that you are near to God where He is; not merely that He is near to you, but that you are near to Him in His own place.
The genius and spirit of what we get in this chapter is collective, it is Jew and Gentile together, but all the same its application is highly individual. Display is contemplated in verse 7, and the church will be the vessel of the display.
These things are very abstract, but I think by the Spirit of God we ought to be able to abstract the thought away from all question of experience, to see the light of God and how all is effected for God. One great office of the Spirit is to withdraw us from all the things in which we have to move in daily life, to God and His side of things; it is going into the sanctuary. J.N.D. has put it that we go in to God before we come out from God. “Heavenly places” is not the same as the holiest. The power of the Spirit is what carries us to heavenly places. The conflict in encountering spiritual wickedness is down here: the heart and power of Christ are down here. If He walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, they are here; so, too, if we are to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, it is here. Christ sings praises in the midst, that is, not in heaven, but down here. The wonderful effect of redemption is that Christ can take His place in the midst of a company. Colossians answers most to the assembly: we are in association with Him, risen with Him, and quickened with Him, and thus associated with Him. Christ has declared the Father’s name. He said:
“[p. 217] I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it”; but that was in resurrection; the declaration is made, the Father’s name is declared. The truth of it may be brought home to you, but it is done and perfectly done.
It is perfectly wonderful what we are called to! The real secret of our not getting the blessing is want of affection for Christ, and the cause of that is that we do not enter into His love. When Christ takes up His place as Leader of salvation in connection with bringing many sons to glory, it is not on the ground of personal perfection, but because He has cleared away all that hindered so that we might be in association with Him. The result, therefore, is that if He is the Leader in the midst, He must have the pre-eminence, for He is there in His own personal excellence, He is there by right and title, and is morally suitable. We are there as the fruit of His work and of what He had effected, therefore He must have the pre-eminence.
Union is the fact of being joined; the sharing is the result of it. Abigail shared the rejection of David. “The Spirit and the bride say, Come”. She has nothing till He gets His rights, but she has the affections of the Bridegroom. It is wonderful what God intends to display! I believe God will make manifest the complete superiority of what He provides — the whole existing state of things will fade away in the presence of divine goodness. We shall see how completely God’s thoughts and God’s desires will triumph in the end!
We can only really see the assembly in the scripture, and that shows the importance of apprehending an abstract idea.
We shall enjoy the love, but the grace will be displayed; that is what the heavenly city will be. God is never baffled; all fails in man’s hands, but all His purposes will be accomplished. The ‘city’ is a symbol of stability; the ‘camp’ the symbol of movement.
[p. 218] The city — the grace which God will display in the church — will be the pledge and security of everything. Israel will get the benefit of it, too, as well as the nations. We get the thought now, “by grace are ye saved through faith”, and faith is “the gift of God”. The apostle will not allow anything to man; it is all of God, even the faith. If a man has faith, it is divinely given and a favour of God. We are responsible to believe, and yet it is not in the capability of man to believe. If he does not believe he makes God a liar. The responsibility and the capability are different things. “We are his workmanship” — all is “of God”.
“Created in Christ Jesus” (verse 10). He is the Head of the new stock; all takes its character now from Him. It is the idea of a potter forming a vessel.
The natural affections are not new creation. I do not bring new creation into them, nor into my business, but I am ruled by new creation, I walk by this rule (see Galatians 6: 16). I do not want things down here to ruffle and disturb me; I want to be kept in the qualities of Christ. You see the “good works” in Christ as He says, “Many good works have I shown you of my Father”.