CHRIST AS HEAD OF EVERY MAN
CHRIST AS HEAD OF EVERY MAN
FER We get here the mode in which God’s grace has reached man; it is by one Man, and what has come in at the present time by the gospel is the test of all men; the gift of grace by one Man.
Ques. In what way?
FER In the sense that everything is resolved by it — what is for God, and what is not for God is all resolved by the question of the grace of God, and His gift by grace. It fills up responsibility.
Ques The “true Light, which lighteth every man”, Is it like that?
FER Yes. “He that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God”. Christ is become the test of man; the state and condition is exposed. The final result is brought about by it. “For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit”. 1 Peter 4: 6.
Ques What does that verse mean?
FER It presents an alternative; it is the effect of the gospel. On the one hand it completes the ground of responsibility, but on the other its reception results in living according to God in the Spirit, the judgment is accepted on what they are as men in the flesh. “Them that are dead”, that is, they had filled up their course on earth either for good or for evil. It is a great point to apprehend that Christ has become the test. Everything is brought to an issue over Christ. If God has introduced all blessing through one Man, the question is, how men receive the testimony of it. “One righteousness towards all men for justification of life”.
Ques Is there not an alternative headship? [p. 121] An unconverted man would be under Adam as head?
FER There is no headship of Adam, Christ is head of every man. Adam was the figure of Him who was to come, it is no longer the figure, but the One figured.
The grace of God, and the gift by grace is by one Man Jesus Christ. He is Head of every man; “Lord” expresses authority. Adam had not authority exactly over his fellow men, but all took their character from him. The head stands in relation to all, and his acts have their bearing upon the whole family. Man was left without a head when Adam died; eventually nationality came in, and confusion — there was no head.
Ques But the head transmits his qualities to the race?
FER The bearing of what takes place in the head is toward all. Christ has taken up that place in regard of man, and so the bearing of all He has brought in is towards all. “The many” is in contrast to the few who were under law. As far as I understand the matter, headship was the only possible way in which God could approach man in grace. Reconciliation could not take place except by the introduction of a Head.
Ques Is that what comes out in the beginning of Luke?
FER Yes. The instant the Head was there, reconciliation was in principle there. Man under the judgment of God could not as such be reconciled, all that God could do was to judge him. It was a moral impossibility for reconciliation to take place in him; there was nothing for that man but death; reconciliation comes in, in the introduction of a Head.
The thought of reconciliation between man and man is very different from reconciliation as between God and man, because man is the creature of God. Think of the condition in which man was by the fall! Under sentence of death, and therefore it was an impossibility for that man to be reconciled. The righteous judgment of God [p. 122] must have its place, and reconciliation involves the introduction of another man; that is where the truth of the Head comes in. You must have a Man who is great enough to take up the liabilities of every man: that all may have their part in that death and receive life from Him. God finds His pleasure in one Man, and that Man stands in relation towards all men; believers stand as objects of the pleasure of God in that Man. “We are making our boast in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom now we have received the reconciliation”.
It is possible to preach to men the benefits of the death of Christ without preaching Christ Himself.
There can be no illustration of reconciliation in human things, because in human things you can never have the relation that exists between God and man.
Ques When did man come under the new headship?
FER When the new Head came in. You now present the Head to man; you testify of reconciliation. When Christ came, there was a point of complacency in man for God, and the One in whom the complacency rests stands in relation to all men; all that is in the Head is available for men. “To him give all the prophets witness”, &c. — the Head.
Ques What is the difference between presenting the Head and the Saviour?
FER The Head is the Saviour. In a general way in the New Testament, God is presented as the Saviour.
Every man is under the Head, but all do not acknowledge the Head; they do not care to accept the truth; but Christ is the test of every man.
There cannot be two heads. The one head has died and passed away; if men do not accept the headship of Christ, they virtually claim to stand on their own platform; they refuse to stand on the new platform.
Ques What is the difference between Head of every man and Head of the church?
FER The church stands in relation to Christ, not only He in relation to her. The moment you accept the [p. 123] Head, you stand in relation to Him.
In Romans 5 it is not a question of a new race, but of the Head that has come in. Reconciliation in the bearing of it is towards all men, “Be ye reconciled to God”. It may be a long time before a christian is prepared to enter into reconciliation, but the bearing of it is towards all men. So, too, as to the new covenant. There is nothing in the new covenant but what is the disposition of God towards all men; not towards a special people, though He may make the covenant effective in special ones.
The governing thought in all preaching should be to present Christ. Philip “preached Christ in Samaria”. “By him all that believe are justified”. It is not a question of a new race, but of the grace and blessing that are by one Man towards all men. J.N.D. has said: “You could go to a man in the street and tell him he ought to answer to his Head”.
Ques What is denying the Lord who bought them?
FER Those who do so are apostate. Christianity is death to the old condition, and you count yourself alive in Christ. You accept Him as Head, you get the Spirit — living water from the Head; you count yourself alive in the Head. Only a man who has the Spirit can do that.
In Romans 6 you may note the change from “through” to “in” Christ.
It would have been useless for a head for man to come in, if he could not impart life to man. The qualification of Christ to be Head is that He can impart life to man. He is a life-giving Spirit. This is seen in the breathing in John 20.
Everybody ought to see that it was impossible for God to approach man as man, in grace, apart from Christ, because he was under His judgment.
The wisdom of God is that He brings in a Head who can impart living water to man after having taken up the liabilities of man. You are now alive in the Head, and dead to all you were once alive in.
In that Man God can address every man. Christ is [p. 124] the test; souls come in contact with a Person, not simply with a doctrine. The great end in view on God’s part is that man might live. Christ must take up the question raised in the tree of responsibility that He may become the tree of life.
John 3: 16 presents the divine thought of eternal life for man.
John 4 is the way in which the believer is to come into it. The person who is to have it is the believer, but he does not get at it by faith. The question of good and evil is solved in the cross (chapter 3), and then (chapter 4) Christ is a life-giving Spirit.
He is, too, the Sun of righteousness, and it is by walking in relation to Christ that you walk in the path of God’s will. It is not possible that man is going to be without rule, the law of Christ. It is as moving in relation to Christ — as married to Him — that you can walk in the path of God’s will down here, and bring forth fruit to God. In the gospel man is called upon to accept the Head; it is the divinely-appointed relationship, and God could not approach man in grace in any other way. He might have approached him in judgment.
You accept Christ as Head, you appropriate Him as Lord. Salvation is connected with the Lord. Romans 10 is on that line; you confess Him as Lord; it is the habit of the person, and in this way you are delivered from every other lord.
In connection with lordship you get two lines — administration and subduing power on the one hand, and authority and judgment on the other. If you confess Christ as Lord, you get deliverance from the power of evil.
Acts 9 is full of the administration and subduing power of the Lord, it is magnificent. He subdues Saul to Himself; He directs Ananias; cities turn to the Lord; it even goes on to a kind of millennial picture at the end of the chapter.
In Romans 10: 9 you believe that Christ is raised from [p. 125] the dead, and you confess Him as Lord. Salvation is connected with the Lord.
With Israel in Egypt you get righteousness in connection with the blood on the lintel and side-posts. Being brought through the Red Sea was salvation.
Romans 10 brings into prominence salvation rather than righteousness. It is in submitting to righteousness that man gets salvation. Israel did not go the right way for salvation. The way to salvation is to believe to righteousness; you submit to the righteousness of God.
Baptism is in the name of Jesus as Lord.
The “heart” (Romans 10: 10) connects you with the Head; the “mouth” with the Lord. Confession is the proof of faith.
Christ was a life-giving Spirit when on earth, but He must take up man’s liabilities before He could give life to man. Christ’s presence was in anticipation of His work, and God could take up things as though the work were accomplished. God could go on different ground. Why did He not impute trespasses? Because Christ was going to take them up. The thought of eternal life hardly connects itself with heaven, but you lose nothing by going to heaven.
Ques “To know thee”, &c., John 17?
FER That is not heaven; knowledge is always in measure and passes away; when we get to heaven there is no knowledge.
Eternal life is the energy of life and blessing in Christ, which renders impotent all the forces of evil.
The energy of life in Christ brings profound relief and blessing to man.