1 TIMOTHY 2: 1 - 15
The first chapter is taken up with the charge, at the end the apostle commits the charge to Timothy. We are told what the end of the charge was, verse 5, love out of a pure heart, etc., and then this is committed to Timothy at the end of the chapter. The great point is that Christianity should be a question of moral elements, not of questionings, etc. The end of the charge is the object of it, that is, the introduction of what is of God in the world, that is, love. Christianity has come to be a matter of question in our days. How soon this kind of thing came in: the apostle seems to have had it to meet in his day. There were those who had introduced the questions, genealogies, etc., but they did not minister God’s dispensation which is in faith. Instead of Christianity being regarded as light come into the world, they made it disputations. The world has turned Christianity into a question of morality instead of divine light. It has the best morality possible but that is not what Christianity professes to be. In its proper effect it proposes to produce a reflex of God Himself. You could have nothing better than that — love out of a [p. 465] pure heart. At the present day the thought is that man makes use of his faculties and energies and opportunities turned to the glory of God. Science and art, and all that turned to the glory of God. This is the highest idea of some in regard to Christianity. Man has pleasure in this kind of thing. They come down to the natural level and have lost all idea of what the truth really is, at least the mass have. The very purpose of the gospel — the divine purpose, I mean, has been lost sight of among evangelicals; it has been regarded as God’s way of saving man, there is this in the gospel, but it is not God’s object in it. God’s object is that He may be known in the heart of man, so that man may become the reflex of God down here, and thus man can be said to be born of God. I see the kingdom leads to the new covenant, and the great end of the new covenant is that you may have the knowledge of God. If this is true in regard of an earthly people, how much more in regard of a heavenly people.
Reconciliation goes further and is what is for God. The new covenant follows in the kingdom in connection with Israel, but there is no power to enter into reconciliation unless we first know the terms on which God is with them. Israel will in a way know reconciliation, they will be a kingdom of priests and that is for God. They may not know reconciliation in the absolute way in which we know it. In chapter 2, the apostle takes up the other ground, he exhorts — “first of all”, in order of importance. The saints are put in the intercessory place, it is not a question of preaching in regard of the world, it is a question of prayer and intercession; it is entering into the secret of God’s thought — the Church of God in the mind of God. His mind too, is known in regard of all men, kings and all in authority. All evangelisation goes out from the Church, for the Church is in the secret of His mind. They are in a priestly place really, an intercessory place. The glad tidings is the glory of the blessed God, is really the celebration — the great supper. “God would have all men to be saved”, people often stop there and do not go on to quote “and to come to the knowledge of the truth”. Very few have a definite idea of what the truth is. The whole chapter contemplates the house of God and it therefore refers to us more collectively. What we get here belongs to the saints collectively. I do not feel much at liberty to pray for kings, etc. simply as an individual — there are certain exercises more proper to the saints collectively, there are certain things that can be more easily carried out in the company, which cannot be very well carried out individually. There is nothing more important for saints to apprehend than the present attitude and mind of God towards all men. It is impossible to know God in any character save the one in which He now presents Himself. God is not now a law-giver. I believe there is a great fault in the preaching. God is not preached as a Saviour God; the result of preaching law is that the people are carried back to a previous dispensation. If people do not apprehend God as He now presents Himself, they have not come to God. We have got definitely the revelation and mind of God in regard of all men. There is a great mischief done by the reading of periodicals, so much is written which is fraught with sentimentality, there is so little presentation of God, and therefore people are often distressed and the reason is they are not in the light of God. If a man is born again he may be distressed but what he needs is the presentation of God, and there could be no distress in the light of God. There is a great lack on the part of preachers in counting upon God working, the truth is, there is nothing wrought if God has not worked. God cannot be known now as a judge. His present attitude if presented to man brings grace. A man comes into the light of God and apprehends the attitude in which God is toward man. I do not object to appealing to man’s responsibility — it is all right — at the same time in so [p. 467] doing the person should remember that he is not putting out gospel. The gospel is the light of God in the present attitude in which God stands towards all men. This passage is one of the most wonderful in Scripture, it is the attitude of God towards all men. The new covenant is God’s attitude towards believers, but this is His attitude towards all men. It is on the principle of the sower. The seed tests the ground, the sower knows nothing about the ground, and even if he attempted to judge he is very likely to be taken in. When the seed springs up and bears fruit, it proves the ground to be good. The gospel is an announcement and is heralded, but the new covenant is a ministry — it is a ministration. The Spirit of God comes in when you receive the gospel and no one could get the good of the new covenant without the Holy Spirit. I should say Romans 5 is the unfolding of the terms on which God is with those who believe, which is the principle of the new covenant. The new covenant is not quite made with us, but we get the benefit of the terms of it. It is very interesting to see how one thing leads to another divinely.
Now we come, verse 5, to one of the characteristic statements of the New Testament, “For God is one”. You get the same statement in Galatians 3, “God is one”. There is but one mind. The Old Testament insists that there is but one God, in the New it is God is one. It is a great comfort to know it, there is no possible divergence of mind in God. In John 20, He speaks first about the Father, and then about Himself, and then the Spirit. “I ascend to my Father and your Father”, etc. Then he shows them His hands and His side. Then He breathes on them. We get the same thing coming out all through John. When Christ gave Himself a ransom for all, what was left? There was nothing left but Himself. If the Mediator gave Himself a ransom for all, it is that they may disappear and thus not come into judgment. Universalists use this verse [p. 468] 6 to prove Christ died that all should revive. My argument is He gave Himself a ransom for all, so that all might disappear. The mediator comes in between and the thought is one who communicates between one and another. Moses was in this way a mediator, but in regard to Christ the mind of God is made known in His death. He gave Himself a ransom for all, and now I want to accept His death and thus be in accord with His death. I do not attempt to take the ground of being alive when He died, but if I am in accord with His death I shall live in His life. When the Red Sea and Jordan coalesce, we have come to be in accord with His mind. The Mediator — Christ — does not communicate the mind of God by word but by fact, the death of Christ indicates the righteousness of God, and His love is expressed there. Baptism indicates that death is possible to me, where I can be in accord with His death. The point in the Mediator was to bridge the distance between God and man, and to communicate His mind to man, and that is set forth in detail in the death of Christ, and I come into it when I am in accord with His death. The death of Christ is a great voice to man, and we have to receive the expression of His mind. We disappear when we are in accord with the death of Christ, but then we have another thing, and that is, that Christ is to fill all things. The object of the gospel is that man should live, it is said. Well, I admit that, but take care how you present that for you are to live in Christ’s life. “Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me”. The assembly is God’s assembly and therefore is in the secret of God’s mind. The apostle says to the Galatians “Before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you”. A mediator is a mediator of two, but now one disappears and this leaves but one; one is abolished, and covenant and promise have come together. Promise was of one, but covenant was of two. But now the mediator [p. 469] abolishes one and thus covenant and promise go together, for God is one. In the Old Testament covenant and promise never came together, but in Christianity they do. The way of God’s salvation is that you have to accept death and to disappear. Christ has come in as Mediator and in His death He abolished one; and there remains therefore but one — and that is Christ. The delay is in man really accepting the mind of God. Where a person is converted the only thing that remains for him is to accept death, and to know God: His mind in regard to such an one is to be known. God has come in that He may make Himself known in the heart of man, and then you touch His nature and then it may be said of you, you are born of God. You touch His nature when you begin to touch His love. He that loveth is born of God, knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God, for God is love. When we know love we begin to be fit for the assembly. God is giving effect now to His purpose. God has been glorified, and the foundation of righteousness laid, and then God begins by the Holy Spirit to give effect to His will, and that is to form Christ in us.