THE APPROACH OF GOD TO MAN IN THE GOSPEL
[p. 288] THE APPROACH OF GOD TO MAN IN THE GOSPEL
Rem I believe the thought was to have a slight outline of the subject of the epistle, and not to go through it in detail. I suppose, in a general way, it is the approach of God to man with the gospel.
FER I think so. I think it is the revelation of God in such a way as to establish a moral foundation in the soul of man. That is the great object of God’s approach to man, and it is in that way that the kingdom is established.
Ques How is there a moral foundation established in the soul?
FER The first great thing is to admit the necessity In what sense is Romans a treatise on the gospel?
FER I do not know.
Ques Well, please explain a little. Is it for the establishment of those to whom Paul wrote, or is it to set forth his own commission?
FER The former, I think. His object is to establish them in the truth of the gospel. It supposes the gospel is made known. He connects the way in which God is pleased to reveal Himself with what comes out in the gospel.
Rem If you would develop for us how God lays a moral foundation in man’s soul, it would be helpful.
FER What appears to me is that you get the truth in Romans of the righteousness and faithfulness of God. The righteousness of God is really established in grace, and, at the same time, His faithfulness is made known in connection with His sovereign mercy — the two great principles of man’s knowledge of God.
Rem In order to know God and [p. 289] His nature.
FER Quite so.
Rem That knowledge man had totally lost.
FER Yes, I think so.
Ques To lay a foundation in the soul, is it necessary to do more than believe things?
FER Well, I think most things come to you by faith, in a way, but I think that what a man believes has to be made good in him. Believing is not the establishing of a thing, but God establishes you in what you believe.
Rem By the Spirit.
FER Yes.
Rem That is the point of verse 11.
FER Yes, it clearly shews that more was needed.
Ques You said the kingdom was established?
FER The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. You have to accept the kingdom in faith, but you also need to be established in it.
Ques. As a present fact?
FER Yes.
Ques Why is faith mentioned so frequently in the epistle up to chapter 5 and then not so often towards the end?
FER All the first part of the epistle is the light of God coming in, which is apprehended by faith. After that, you have the work of God, by the Spirit, in chapters 6, 7 and 8. It is another side of truth.
Rem That is laying a moral foundation.
FER I think so. It is making good that which is presented by the Spirit.
Ques In speaking of faith, is it the ability given of God to receive the revelation He has been pleased to make?
FER Not quite. A man’s faith never goes beyond what he believes.
Ques Do you distinguish between faith and believing?
FER No; I think believing is faith. I cannot tell how a man believes, but I doubt if a man goes beyond [p. 290] what he believes.
Ques But what he believes goes beyond his faith?
FER No. What there is for him to believe — the revelation — may go beyond a man’s faith. I think that desire for a moral foundation must precede the acceptance of the testimony. A man must be born again to see the kingdom of God.
Ques Then, in connection with what you say, a man only has faith in what he believes. Do you not think there is a desire created for more?
FER It is the grace of God operating through faith. It is all on the principle of “he that hath, to him shall be given”.
Rem “The true light now shineth”, but a man may not have been brought to a full apprehension of the light.
FER Light and faith are commensurate with us.
Rem Many a man may believe that certain things are true, but they may not be light in him, so you could not call it faith. Faith is what a man has as light from God in his soul.
FER Faith represents what light man had from God. The revelation of God is in Christ. To Abraham, Moses, David and others God gave light, but “the true light now shineth”. We have the true light now shining in Christ.
Rem So until there is the knowledge of God thus revealed there is no moral foundation in the soul. The Spirit builds upon it for God.
FER Yes, I think so.
Ques Would you distinguish between faith and trust?
FER You cannot trust until you believe.
Ques Would you speak of faith as being progressive?
FER Yes. “Your faith groweth exceedingly”. “Faith cometh by hearing”, and therefore it is exceedingly important to get the presentation of the truth. It is not exactly by the work of God; faith comes by report, and report by the word of God.
Rem Faith is as much the gift of God as light.
[p. 291] Rem Our responsibility is to take heed what we hear.
Rem And not reject it.
FER I do not think I would go so far as to say you are responsible to believe it, but if you do not believe it, you make God a liar, and that is very serious.
Ques Is it a special gift of faith in 1 Corinthians 12?
FER It is faith to remove mountains. You see certain people, servants of the Lord, who are not stopped by anything — they remove mountains. Nothing counts as a difficulty to them.
Ques Is that a special gift, apart from what we generally speak of?
FER Yes, I think so.
Ques Is there an intentional contrast between “according to the flesh”, and “according to the Spirit”?
FER It indicates the line of divine dealings. All now is according to the Spirit of holiness. In the glad tidings of God concerning His Son, the line is the Spirit of holiness, and not the flesh.
Ques How do you connect the faithfulness of God and His sovereign mercy in chapter 11?
FER There are two things you meet with in the world: one is the existence of sin, and the other is the scattering of Israel. These two things apparently compromise the character of God.
Rem The existence of sin is universal.
FER Yes. The presence of death makes it patent to every one that the reign of sin is universal, and there is also the patent fact of the scattering of Israel. Both these facts tend to compromise the character of God. God comes out in grace and establishes righteousness, and His faithfulness comes out in connection with the principle of sovereign mercy. “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance”. If the soul of a believer is established in the righteousness and faithfulness of God he has got a good foundation. He will not very readily be shaken.
[p. 292] Rem It is not merely that, in Christ, God acted in righteousness in removing sin, but He established righteousness. In the end of chapter 5 we get the great fact that “by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life”. One accomplished, subsisting righteousness has been established.
Rem In Psalm 40 righteousness and faithfulness come together.
FER They are established in the righteous One. Faithfulness supposes some previous promise. I think the great principle is “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance”. God has been pleased to take up His people Israel. He has made certain promises connected with them which seem to have failed, and all this appears to compromise His character. The great answer to it, on the part of God, is Christ.
Rem In Abraham the promise was given before the question of righteousness was raised — i.e., in the law.
Rem The establishment of righteousness is very far-reaching, as the basis of the new heavens and the new earth.
FER Exactly — it is the principle of the new heavens and the new earth.
Ques What is righteousness?
FER That which is right.
Ques Will you beat it out a little for us?
FER That is scriptural. It is the basis on which God can carry on His work — holiness involves it. To speak of the righteousness of God involves the assertion of His rights.
Rem In the new heavens and the new earth, righteousness will dwell.
FER Exactly; it comes in after the solution of the question of good and evil. The righteousness of God existed before ever evil came in.
Rem That brought to light God’s righteous judgment.
Rem That is only a part of God’s righteousness.
FER It is not exactly a part of God’s righteousness. Man, being lawless, comes under the righteous judgment of God. Man does what he likes — he does not admit God’s righteousness, and he comes under God’s righteous judgment.
Ques Where is the righteousness of God established?
FER In Christ. Christ is the righteous One, but the purpose of God is to establish righteousness in me, and so I submit to the righteousness of God. “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth”.
Ques I suppose the righteousness of God embraces more than in chapter 1: 17?
FER It is a pity to bring the judicial element into God’s righteousness.
Rem I think the stress is on God’s righteousness.
Rem The opposite of man’s.
FER Yes. “I the Lord speak righteousness, I declare things that are right”. Isaiah 45: 19. The righteousness of God is established in the righteous One, but the question is, how can you touch the righteous One? How are you to be brought into relationship? How do you stand in relation to the Sun of Righteousness when the judgment of God is upon you? The answer is that the judgment has been borne by the righteous One, and you are righteous as He is righteous. We are accustomed to think of righteousness as established in the work of Christ. We are brought into relation to the Sun of Righteousness Himself. I remember writing to a brother who is now with the Lord, and telling him about a meeting in London on righteousness, and he said, ‘You must take account of the righteous One. Many talk about righteousness as the effect of the work of Christ, but they leave out the “Sun of Righteousness”.’ “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness”, and you have righteousness established in you as being in relation to Him.
Ques Is that the way we are brought into the kingdom [p. 294] of God?
FER Yes, I think so. We stand in relation to Christ as the Sun of Righteousness, and as God’s righteousness in Him.
Ques How do we stand in relation to Him as the righteous One?
FER He is the Head, and you recognise Him as such, in the same way as the earth is to the sun, or the moon to the earth. My conduct in the world is not governed by man, but by Christ; He is my Head, He is the Head of every man. “Righteous, even as he is righteous”. I stand in a righteous relation to Him, and then I practice righteousness.
Nothing is actually established in man — everything is established in the Son of man, the Son of Abraham, the Son of David. It is all in the Son; all is pointing onto Christ coming in as the Sun of Righteousness. Everything for us depends on the consciousness of standing in relation to the Head. No one practises righteousness except as he is standing in that relation.
Ques Everything else is lawlessness, is it not?
FER Yes. The practical result is that instead of being here for man’s will, we are here for the will of God. It was Christ who brought the will of God into the world, and we are here to be in the good of it.
Rem That aspect of righteousness is very important. Not only has He paid the righteous debt, but He “loved righteousness, and hated iniquity”. That the Lord paid the righteous debt is a detail, although of immense importance in itself.
FER Exactly. Men are under certain liabilities, and Christ takes up the liabilities in order that we may stand in relation to Him. “The righteous Lord loveth righteousness”, and He had it in Christ.
Rem The “detail” revealed love.
FER All God’s righteousness had its spring in love. In the law God enjoined, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart”. Love is the fulfilling of the law.
Rem Love is the spring of all practical [p. 295] righteousness.
FER Exactly; the root of divine righteousness is love. It is unrighteous not to love.
Ques Are we reckoned righteous in view of God’s world, and not in view of this?
FER Yes, I think so.
Ques For a man to practise righteousness, he must be righteous.
FER Yes.
Ques. How?
FER By being brought into relation with the righteous One.
Ques. By faith?
FER By the Spirit. You cannot speak of a man standing in relation to Christ unless he has the Spirit.
Ques Do faith and the Spirit go on concurrently all along?
FER Yes. The Spirit comes in order that the flesh may go. The flesh came to an end before God, that He might give the Spirit. The Spirit comes so that circumcision may be effectual.
The grace of God will not be content until He has brought you to eternal life; the Son of God will not be content until He has brought eternal life into this world.
Ques Is that pictured in Psalm 133?
FER Yes. The Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in His wings. Men are poisoned and destroyed by the poisonous literature of the world, and many other things, while the Sun of Righteousness brings in the light of God. The minds of the saints are poisoned, to a great extent, by reading. They read the abominable literature of the present day — Carlyle and Ruskin, for instance. All that is poisonous and deadening. The light of great luminaries in this world is more deadly than even the lower kinds of trash, for these we naturally avoid.
Rem We want power and reality to set us free from any desire for them.
FER Not after the traditions of men, the rudiments of the world, but “after Christ”. “In him dwelleth [p. 296] all the fulness of the Godhead bodily”.
Ques Would you say a word as to present salvation?
FER It is man’s emancipation from all that is in this world — from the system of things where the god of this world can act. It is deliverance out of that system altogether.
Ques Why is Abraham’s first step of faith to leave his kindred and his father’s house?
FER A man has to forsake all, to break with everything, for the sake of God.
Ques Would you say a word as to circumcision as the seal of righteousness?
FER A man has got the power to set aside all that is of the flesh.
Ques. Through the Spirit?
FER Yes. “They that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh”. To us now, the Spirit is the seal of righteousness; the Spirit is the power that practically sets aside the flesh. You could not have circumcision without the Spirit, that is the seal of righteousness.
Rem Then what you press is that a condition is wrought prior to practical righteousness flowing out?
FER Yes. I do not mind how you express it, but the point in my mind is that a man stands in relation to the Sun of Righteousness before there can be anything for God.
Ques Then both righteousness and salvation are enjoyed?
FER Yes. Grace puts you there, and the Spirit establishes you there. Life is shown in carrying out the righteous requirement of the law — “the Spirit is life because of righteousness”.
Rem You cannot have salvation really without the Holy Spirit.
FER A man is justified in regard to God. You do not get justification in its full extent until you come to life. I admit a believer is justified, but it is justification of life. You do not get salvation apart from the Holy Spirit.
Ques “Thou shalt call his name Jesus” — what does that mean?
FER He will save from the consequences of their sins.
Ques. What are they?
FER What men come under in government — the judgment of God. It refers to the position in which, Israel is and will be.
Justification is not simply that a criminal is pardoned, but a man is cleared from all the system in which he had been under reproach — from all that with which he had been connected. He is in Christ — justification is in Him. I am cleared from all that which is obnoxious to God. I am in another world; I had reproach in connection with this world, but now I am in Christ.
Ques Is the thought of justification of life brought out in its fulness in 1 John 4?
FER Quite so — “Because as he is, so are we”.