TO live of Thee – blest source of deepest joy!
To hear e’en now by faith Thy voice of love-
Thou living spring of bliss without alloy,
Bright inlet to the light of heaven above!
Come, fill my soul! Thy light is ever pure,
And brings from heaven what Thou alone canst give,
Yea, brings Thyself, the revelation sure
Of heaven’s eternal bliss; in Thee we live.
I hail Thee, Lord! Of Thee my song shall speak –
Poor and unworthy strains, yet still of Thee;
Yes, fill my soul! ’tis this my heart doth seek –
To dwell in love, and God my dwelling be.
Thou’st made the Father known; Him have we seen
In Thy blest Person – infinite delight!
Yes, it suffices: though we here but glean
Some foretaste of His love, till all be light.
O, dwell with me; let no distracting thought
Intrude to hide from me that heavenly light.
Be Thou my strength! Let not what Thou hast brought
Be chased by idle nature’s poor delight.
Father, Thou lov’st me. Favour, all divine,
Rests on my soul, a cloudless favour! There
Thy face shines on me, as it still doth shine
On Thy blest Son! His image I shall bear!
But now, e’en now, Thy love can fill my soul –
That love that soars beyond all creature thought –
In spirit bring where endless praises roll,
And fill my longing heart till there I’m brought.
Thee will I hail, O Lord, in whose blest face
God’s glory shines unveiled! Thee will I praise,
Whose love has brought me nigh in righteous grace,
And soon wilt come, eternal songs to raise!
And oh! how deep the peace, when, nature gone,
Thy Spirit fills the soul, strengthened with might,
With love divine; and God as Love is known!
Lord, keep my soul, and guide my steps aright.
Praise be for ever His who giveth songs by night!
John Nelson Darby,
Wriiten 1879
Parts of the above are in Hymns for the Little Flock 1962 and 1973 – Nos 73, 137 and 254
and in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs 1978 – Nos 314 and 431
Meter 10.10.10.10
John writes in his epistle, ‘If anyone sin, we have an advocate’ (1 John 2:1), not ‘If anyone repents and goes to Him’. Jesus washed the His disciples’ feet, they did not ask Him to do it.
The righteousness of God has placed us before Him in the light. We should now walk in the light, even though we are weak, are tempted and too often stumble. We should maintain communion with God, glorifying Him. Once we were in darkness; now with the Lord we are in the light.
As High Priest, He bears our judgment in our favour according to God’s light and perfections. As the objects of the Father’s love, we are accepted in Christ, because of the Father’s affection for Jesus, and of Jesus’ rights over the Father’s heart.
The Lord obtained the Holy Spirit for us, for us to enjoy the place where we He has placed us. If we fail our relationships with the Lord and the Holy Spirit are disturbed – but they are unchanged. The Holy Spirit is grieved, but the God’s grace towards us, and our righteousness before Him are unaltered. Can the Father overlook sin, and bless us as if nothing had happened? No, that would be impossible. Our failures and weaknesses bring out the grace that purifies us and establishes us. We get to know ourselves more deeply as we become more divested of self. We become calmer, humbler and with more holiness, knowing God better. His grace is sufficient for us.
That is how the Priesthood of Christ operates.
The above is based on part of a letter written by JND. Click here for the original French version and the translation by our brother Brian Surtees
The New Testament history bears the proven stamp of perfect divine arrangement. My object is to draw attention to the question which is often silently dropped — Who is the author of the New Testament history? Whose will, purpose or plan is behind this history of the Lord Jesus? Is it a divine or a human one? If the purpose and moving was of the Holy Spirit, I must look for His carrying that purpose out.
John Nelson Darby wrote a paper, ‘Inspiration of the Scriptures’, in which he maintained that the authorship of the Holy Scriptures was God Himself. He was countering the assertion, prevalent in the churches, questioning the authorship of scripture, saying that the Bible was the chance writings of various persons, presenting things in the best way they could. Darby showed the divine plan in the gospels despite the apparent factual inconsistencies and differences in the sequence of the Lord’s miracles and other events.
The enemy is set against the Word of God. While most believers acknowledge the divine inspiration of the Scriptures, in much of Christendom the church is seen as having ultimate authority. In intellectual wisdom, theologians see their authority as divinely given. Human intellect takes superior ground. This leads to rationalism.
God’s divine authority is in the Holy Scriptures. The Word of God presents divine truth from God and calls for submission. Through it, in sovereign mercy, the Christian has a renewed connection with God. Sin and flesh had separated us from God. Now we see God revealed even in that state of separation. For this God must be the author — only God can rightly reveal Himself. Otherwise the Word cannot bear witness to the love and purpose of God.
Who was the author of the New Testament? How did it come to be written? What was its purpose? Is the existence of the New Testament an accident, in the historical accounts of four men? Or is the New Testament history the a fruit of divine intention and plan, and is the Holy Spirit its author?
In Peter, Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2 Peter 1:21). The Holy Spirit was the source; the word of the Lord came to them. The writers had individual styles, but the Lord was pleased to use them. He used their memories in the way and sequence that He pleased, producing a witness to Christ, entirely beyond the thoughts of the writer.
Many short-sighted discussions on inspiration leave aside or deny the motive power of the Spirit of God.
The Sequence of the Historical Accounts
Either the Holy Spirit moved the inspired writers to compose their accounts, or He did not. If not, then the existence of the various written accounts of the life of Jesus are a providential accident, and do not show God’s intentions, plans and purposes. Alternatively, God has given His Church an account of the wonderful facts of incarnation and redemption and all that accompanied these great events in a ruined world.
It is absurd to think that the gospel writers’ work was the uncertain fruit of their own research. That would not answer to His intentions in showing us the glory of Christ and the truth as it is in Him?
If Christ is presented in various characters, why should the Holy Spirit not present facts in order to display those characters in the way it was calculated to do, employing human agents to do it? This argument assumes that there is no purpose or plan of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. The moment I believe that there is, I must expect the materials to be selected and arranged according to God’s purpose and plan. Anything else is absurd. The Holy Spirit recalled facts to the evangelists, not in an haphazard way.
Where inspiration is denied, it is easy to think that each evangelist did the best he could, putting the things out of order because he knew no better. If, on the other hand, God desired to glorify His Son Jesus, and in grace give us an adequate account of His life and sufferings, we can easily understand the Spirit of God so ordering various accounts, as to present the various aspects of His path on earth. They consistently unfold the divine nature with true facts, variously arranged by several independent writers.
The four Gospels present Christ differently. Did this flow from the purpose and intention of God, or was it an accident? If it was from divine purpose, I must look for an ordering of the materials according to that purpose. For example, was the deliverance of the demoniac in Galilee before or after Matthew’s call? Was that relevant?
The Presentation of the Historical Accounts
Luke says, Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to compose an account of what is most surely believed among us, as it has been delivered to us by those who were eye-witnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having accurate knowledge of all things from the origin, to write to thee with method, etc. (Luke 1:1-3). The evangelist contrasts the ground on which he wrote with that of others. Others had had known what had been delivered, but he was on more trustworthy ground. He had thorough personal knowledge of everything from the outset. Paul says of Timothy, Thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, etc. (2 Tim. 3:10). It is not said Luke knew them himself, but παρηχολουθνχότι ἄνωθεν πᾶσιν ἀχριβῶς (having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first – Luke 1:1-3). It would be hard to express personal accurate knowledge more strongly. It has nothing to do with the question of inspiration. The conclusion that Luke derived his materials from other sources is wholly unfounded.
That the selection of facts depended on human agency is still more absurd. It is held that the Holy Spirit helped the writers to recall what Jesus said. What influenced their selection? Could something much more important have been omitted? Such an irreverent thought is absurd. There were many other things (see John 21:25). What was written was sufficient.
The question arises, ‘Who was the author and mover in the history we have of the blessed Lord?’ If it was the Holy Spirit, then was He the source of this history; and had He a purpose in giving it? To suppose that the Holy Spirit left us an imperfect, wrongly arranged, inconsistent account of the Lord Jesus, is in fact the most irreverent and absurd of all theories as to inspiration
The New Testament history bears the proven stamp of perfect divine arrangement. My object is to draw attention to the question which is often silently dropped — Who is the author of the New Testament history? Whose will, purpose or plan is behind this history of the Lord Jesus? Is it a divine or a human one? If the purpose and moving was of the Holy Spirit, I must look for His carrying that purpose out.
Valley near Coniston Water, Lake District by H.R. WILKINSON
My dear friend Edwin has sent me this little piece: Jesus –a name which is above every name. He issues regular snippets which he calls Golden Nuggets (an inexhaustible vein of gold). I have taken the liberty of reproducing the same article. I am sure you will enjoy reading it.
It was originally written by Henry R. Wilkinson, a talented Christian artist who lived in Coniston, a village in the beautiful Lake District in Northern England. He died around 1970. Here is a copy of one of his paintings. Clearly he had a love for God’s creation, and this love can be seen in his work. Moreover this article paints a delightful verbal picture of our Saviour and the way in which His Name has been cherished throughout the Christian dispensation.
If you want to be on Edwin’s mailing list, please click here. Incidentally he maintains a stock of old ministry and very helpful Christian books which he provides free of charge or at a very low price (except of course for shipping costs). I am sure he will be pleased to give you more information. He trades under the name of Saville Street Distribution.
Incidentally, in the last few weeks, Edwin’s mother, Alice, was taken to be with her Lord. She was born in St Petersburg, Russia where her parents went to the same meeting as Daniel Otsing, the writer of that remarkable hymn O Lord, with our Ears and Hearts Open (number 131 in the Little Flock hymn book). As her father was Swedish, they fled the country when the communists came to power.
JESUS – a Name which is above Every Name
It remains when all else disappears; it endures when everything else perishes, and retains fame, prestige and lustre in the midst of transitory fading splendour.
Amongst living kings, queens, princes and princesses it is reverently honored and esteemed, and whilst the authority of such is great its dominion and power is infinitely vaster than theirs. The influence it exercises for good in an evil world far exceeds the questionable domination of all the combined dictators in the earth.
Angels, keeping their own estate, know it and worship whilst they rejoice together in seeing it apprehended in the faith of men’s hearts. Fallen angels, devils, demons also know it, confess it, but fear and tremble.
Many sober minded leaders amongst men recognise it, commanders of armies and navies, defenders of fortresses and outposts.
It has flashed into the vision of falling air pilots and stirred the memories of stricken seamen in ocean depths, of dying miners in the dark tombs of the earth.
Many a doctor has been fortified by it, whilst nurses have whispered its wonderful music to the weak and dying.
It has been a power for hope and comfort to the despairing in concentration camps, in dread dungeons and cruel prisons.
Perish it cannot — endure it will, for the immutable win of the everlasting God has decreed it.
Schemes, plans, conspiracies, ambitions hold sway for a while but the sway of the wonderful name of JESUS continues on and on forever.
In favour and disfavour, in honour and dishonour, in fervent adoration and in· caviling reviling, in loving appreciation and in neglectful indifference, amongst believers and unbelievers, around kingly thrones and in nomadic encampments, in colleges and in workshops, amongst white races and colored, around the belt of the Equator and on Arctic ice floes, by Indian river sides and in Canadian forests — this strangely magnetic name — JESUS — is the one power to move the hearts of men.
Its unfailing testimony has echoed in the theatres and palaces of ancient Rome — it was carried to the limits of its far-flung empire. When that empire fell, the Name remained, reached Gaul and Goth, Briton and Celt, and on to northern lands, ever spreading. It traveled with and into history, reached the Dark Ages, shone in cloister and cell, wood cabin and cave, east, west, north and south, always the same in unfailing attractiveness, arising afresh for every new generation in renewing hopefulness and power for blessing. In an unceasing effort to eradicate it from the earth Satan has employed every agency, all his cunning, all his hate.
By persecution and destruction, by flattery and fraud, by patronage and promises, by corruption and violence he has never slept in his campaign to blot it out, but here it is yet. It sounds in the silence of the night, awakes with the dawn and comes into speech in the daytime. At every turn and angle it confronts us and is forced upon our attention.
It lives because He lives, and because He lives to the ages of ages His Name shall likewise endure.
Listen, reader! Is there known to you any other name like it, however great it be? Do you know any name/word in the whole vocabulary of man of which we can truly say such wonderful things?
Like a lone mountain peak rising high in gleaming majesty far above all other heights, this one unique name of unsurpassed wonder and significance soars upward in sublimity in its own great testimony to men. God intends that it shall be so in order that men universally shall look to Him — JESUS.
There is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)
Thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Luke 1:31)
Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13)
Where else can we look with hope? It is a time of unparalleled fear and anxiety amongst men; new powers for death and destruction have been discovered and developed, and that coveted peace for which men have looked, toiled, fought and died is further away than ever, and yet it is there, all of it, in JESUS.
Who has not heard of the Good Samaritan? Who does not know of the Good Shepherd? Who has not read or heard of Him who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him?
Some names are loathsome to men; others inspire courage, others fear and terror, but the name of JESUS has a winning charm of holy attractiveness, which no other name ever could have. Nobody fled from Him in fear, but great crowds came near to hear his wonderful speaking. With what intense yearning He cried to men: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.”
He has not changed. What He was He is; and the same words of earnest and loving entreaty still hold good today, coming in all their heavenly charm and sweetness from JESUS now crowned with glory.
His name is the finest credential possible. It is an imperishable commendation to every man whatever his color, race or nationality, of that marvelous grace of God which would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
Golden Nuggets are published by:-
Saville Street Distribution
Venture, Princes Esplanade,
Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex CO14 8QD
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him (John 4:23).
A Song of degrees.
1I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
2My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
8The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
It is Lord’s Day morning. Instead of being at the Lord’s Supper, I am sitting beside my bed in hospital, having had a routine prostrate operation. Hopefully, God willing I will be out today. Meanwhile my wife is at the meeting; she will be coming to see me afterwards.
So I spent a little time with the Lord, thanking Him for what He has done, rejoicing in His resurrection and ascension, praising Him for His glory as the Son of God, glad to be one of His brethren and in a vessel which is so precious to Him, His assembly or church, soon to be united to Him in glory. Then I thanked the Holy Spirit for His service, taking the things of our Lord and showing them to us, but worshipping Him too, as being God – no less than the Father and the Son. Then trough Christ we have access by the Spirit to the Father, who sought and found worshippers. I was able to thank the Father for the Son, our blessed Lord who has brought the many sons to glory – and just to think that through grace I am one of those worshippers! I missed being with the brethren, of course, but what a privilege it is to give God praise and worship even from a hospital.
Then I got out my iPad and looked for a ‘morning service’. I found a site where a preacher, an elderly American gentleman, spoke from Psalm 121: I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help (v.1). He prayed; he spoke of God’s goodness and the gospel and what Jesus had done and redemption was in His name. Then a woman sang ‘My Redeemer is faithful and true’. After that one would have expected the preacher to give the glory to God. Instead he read a series of letters from persons who had received blessing and ended with asking for money* to be sent to an address in South Dakota. What was the object of his preaching?
I don’t want to be critical. I am sure he loved the Lord and desired the blessing of souls. But surely worship is the object of the preaching. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him (John 4:23).
* Let’s face it. What were his costs? What are mine? Pretty well zero! You don’t need a studio/church; you don’t need professional broadcasting equipment; you don’t need trained singers and musicians. A home camera or video recorder, and a web-site or even You-tube are sufficient.
How far is it legitimate to offend?
Is it right to openly criticise or mock another religion?
Christianity and Islam are both peaceful religions, aren’t they?
Should ‘freedom of speech’ be unrestrained?
What should I do if I am offended?
What would Jesus have done?
Adoss Newsletter No 16
January 2015
A Day of Small Things
By Σωσθένης Ὁἀδελφὸς – Sosthenes the Brother
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord
Suis-je Charlie?
The horrible events of last week when 17 people, 8 of them staff of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo were killed, raise a number of serious questions for the sincere believer
How far is it legitimate to offend?
Is it right to openly criticise or mock another religion?
Christianity and Islam are both peaceful religions, aren’t they?
Should ‘freedom of speech’ be unrestrained?
What should I do if I am offended?
What would Jesus have done?
How far is it legitimate to offend?
Jesus said a number of things that would have offended religious Jews, especially the Pharisees.
Generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? (Luke 3:7)
Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears (Acts 7:51)
Against that we are exhorted to live peaceably with all men (See Romans 12:18). When Paul was in Ephesus, he did not openly attack the pagan religion. These men .. are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess. (Acts 19:37). But that did not stop many practitioners turning to the Lord and burning their valuable books.
The rejection of the Holy Spirit was in Acts 7. Thereafter the testimony is in those who have the Spirit witnessing the effect of the glad tidings. There is no need to offend. Indeed we should not.
Is it right to openly criticise or mock another religion?
We need to state the truth. Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism are false religions. Judaism was of course of God, but to follow it now means calling the blessed Son of God an imposter.
We can do this in a way that reaches people’s consciences. There is no need to raise their passions of resentment. I look at a cartoon of Mohammed with a tear in his eye, and am unmoved. Mohammed is nothing to me. But he is to my Muslim friend, and he will be as offended by the cartoon as I am of some verbal or graphic misrepresentation of my Saviour.
Christianity and Islam are both peaceful religions, aren’t they?
I often hear that the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are doing a disservice to Islam. Islam, submission, is a peaceful religion. Millions of deaths, even in the 21st century have been inflicted by Christians against those of other religions.
True Christians, follow the One who said, ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you’ (Matt 5:44). On the other hand, those poor people who follow Mohammed are taught from the Koran to kill infidels:
Allah is an enemy to unbelievers (Sura 2:98).
On unbelievers is the curse of Allah (Sura 2:161).
Slay them wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter ( Sura 2:191).
I am not a student of the Koran, and do not know the context of these passages. Nor do I know the interpretation that mullahs and imams give on them. But I do know: by their fruits ye shall know them. (Matt 7:20) and by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned (Matt 12:37).
Should ‘freedom of speech’ be unrestrained?
In the West we have many freedoms for which we can thank God. Our brethren in many other countries do not enjoy these freedoms. We can distribute tracts, preach in the town centre, visit prisons and talk about the Lord Jesus. Many secularists would try and stop us.
To incite violence or ferment racial hatred is wrong, immoral and illegal. Rightly so. But to proclaim the grace of God and His salvation is another thing.
Non Christians – especially journalists – point out inconsistencies and hypocrisy. There is nothing wrong with that. They also may raise questions which cause us to get to the Lord for answers. That is good too, even if we do not like it. But when we are charged with xxx-phobia, or yyy-ism just for quoting the Word of God, that is different.
We need to pray that those freedoms that we cherish might be maintained.
What should I do if I am offended?
Be like our Master:
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: (1 Peter 2:21-23).
Or be as Peter again said, ‘Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing’ (1 Peter 3:9)
What would Jesus have done?
The quotation from 1 Peter 2, above partly answers this question. When it was a question of anything personal He bore it. When it was the rights of God, especially the Person of the Holy Spirit, He was severe in His reply: ‘Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin, (Mark 3:29) – solemn, if the hearers listened.
So ‘Suis-je Charlie?’
My answer ‘Non!’ The website of the National Secular Society (UK) says, ‘Je suis Charlie’ means ‘Je suis secularism’.
Charlie Hebdo is a self-professed atheist magazine. It will not hesitate to offend the believer and mock our Lord and Saviour. But we cannot condone the attacks against them. May Charb, his friends and colleagues have turned to the Lord in their last moments!
God’s blessings, your brother,
Sosthenes Hoadelphos
THERE is rest for the weary soul,
There is rest in the Saviour’s love;
There is rest in the grace that has made me whole –
That seeks out those that rove.
THERE is rest for the weary soul,
There is rest in the Saviour’s love;
There is rest in the grace that has made me whole –
That seeks out those that rove.
There is rest in the tender love
That has trodden our path below;
That has given us a place in the realms above,
But can all our sorrows know.
There is rest in the calming grace
That flows from those realms above;
What rest in the thought – we shall see His face,
Who has given us to know His love!
There is rest in the midst of grief,
For grief’s been the proof of love;
‘Tis sweet in that love to find relief,
When the sorrows of earth we prove.
There is rest in the Saviour’s heart
Who never turned sorrow away,
But has found, in what sin had made our part,
The place of His love’s display.
There is rest in the blessed yoke
That knows no will but His;
That learns, from His path and the words He spoke,
What that loving patience is.
Where He too has gone before,
Is the path which we have to tread;
And it leads to the rest where sorrow’s o’er –
To the place where His steps have led.
Mr Darby adds:
In this world of sin and misery Christ necessarily suffered “- suffered also because of righteousness, and because of His love. Morally, this feeling of sorrow is the necessary consequence of possessing a moral nature totally opposed to everything that is in the world. Love, holiness, veneration for God, love for man – everything is essential suffering here below.”
J.N.D.
Synopsis Vol 4 page 133 – Romans 8
John Nelson Darby (1800-82)
Wriiten 1879
In Hymns for the Little Flock 1962 and 1973 – No 85 and in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs 1978 – No 169
Meter 8.8.11.8.
We need to understand what the church really is, and to distinguish between the kingdom and the church. In the kingdom we get the display of God’s power and government, whereas in the church it is union and fellowship
The church is Christ’s representative on earth. By one Spirit we have been baptised into one body, whose Head is at the right hand of God in heaven, united to the members, formed into a body down here on earth by the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture calls this ‘the church.’
The hope of the church is founded on her relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven. She is united to her Head there, seated in heaven in Him, waiting to be there physically. The occupation of the church ought to be in constant, incessant reference to her Head. If not, she cannot act for Him. She looks, to her Head, the only source of power, and joins with the Holy Spirit in the cry ‘The Spirit and the bride say, Come’ (Rev 22:17).
‘After These Things’ Chapter 5.1 – The Power, Hopes, Calling, Present Position, and Occupation of the Church
A summary of a paper by J.N. Darby entitled: ‘The Church – What is it? Her Power, Hopes, Calling, Present Position, and Occupation’. It ispublished in Darby’s Collected Writings – Volume 12 (Evangelical 1) Page 372
We need to understand what the Church really is, and to distinguish between Church and the kingdom. The question, ‘What is the church?’ evokes numerous theories. Some say it is ‘visible,’ others ‘invisible’; some, that there will be a church by-and-by, but there is none now; that there is no church on earth (there may be churches), but only when all are assembled in heaven will there be a church. All these are erroneous
To understand the Church’s place, one must trace its place in the context of its whole history from its commencement at Pentecost, through the current day of grace, the Rapture, the tribulation, the Millennium to the Eternal Day. The church is Christ’s representative on earth – the epistle of Christ (See 2 Corinthians 3:3). As the tables of stone represented what God demanded from man, so should the Church be the revelation of what God is to man in grace and power.
We should also distinguish ‘the gospel of the kingdom’ and ‘the kingdom,’ from ‘the gospel’ (in its full scope) and ‘the church.’ Paul preached the kingdom of God – that is very different from Christ’s reign of power on the earth, when Christ will have His bride united to Him in glory. When Paul speaks of his ministry, he distinguishes between the ministry of the gospel of salvation and the ministry of the church.
The Kingdom – Past, Present and Future
Up to the time of Samuel, the point of association between the people and God was through the priesthood. But the priests were unfaithful, and then the Lord wrote ‘Ichabod’ (See 1 Samuel 4:21) upon what had been Israel’s glory. The ark was taken by the Philistines; the priests were slain and the link between God and the people was broken. God’s plan was that Israel should have a king. However, Israel set about it the wrong way: they got Saul who did not understand the signs. David understood them and was the type of Christ the King.
After King David is introduced, the priesthood ceases to be the habitual link between the people and God. God says, ‘I will raise me up a faithful priest . . . and he shall walk, before mine anointed for ever[1]’ (1 Samuel 2:35). A royal person is the link between God and the people. When Solomon dedicated the temple (as a Melchisedek priest), the priests could not stand to minister; the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God, the king praised God and blessed the people.
Finally, the King was presented in humiliation in the Person of Christ. John the Baptist says, ‘Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’. (Matthew 3:2 – the King coming in judgment). After John was rejected and cast into prison, Christ, the mightier One, takes up the same testimony: ‘From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Matthew 4:17). Jesus went about Galilee, teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, healing the sick. The power of God was with Him, and it was seen. Then, the King having been rejected, the apostles went out preaching the kingdom. They also knew ‘the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 13:11), and God was with them. At present it is more testimony than power, but there will be a special testimony to the coming of the kingdom before the close of this dispensation.
The kingdom is still to be set up in the Person of Jesus Christ. He must go to a far country to receive a kingdom and return (See Luke 19:11). This is the ‘world to come’ (Hebrews 2:5, etc.), and the power of Satan will be set aside. Heaven will be in the seat of the kingdom. We will reign with Him there, joint-heirs with Christ, siting on thrones.’
Paul’s Ministry as to the Church
There is another aspect to Paul’s ministry. Man is at enmity with God, Jews and Gentiles alike being known only as children of wrath. Paul preached the gospel to every creature under heaven. He was not simply a minister of the gospel; he was a minister of the church to fulfil the word of God (See Colossians 1:25)[2]
Paul deduced that there is a body of which Christ is the Head, associated and connected with Him in His headship over all things. ‘By one Spirit are we all baptised into one body,’ (1 Corinthians 12:13). God ‘gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all’ (Ephesians 1:23). Ministries, gifts of healing, etc., as are the ‘joints and bands’ (Colossians 2:19) are not in heaven, but now on earth. The Head is at the right hand of God in heaven, united to the members, formed into a body down here on earth by the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture calls this ‘the Church (or Assembly – Darby).’
There is something in Matthew 16:18 that is often overlooked. The Lord says to Peter, ‘Thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.’ He gives the keys to Peter – the keys of the kingdom, not of the church[3]. The church is that body which the Holy Spirit forms into unity. The Lord Jesus Christ is its Head, He sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven.
The Church – its Power and Responsibility
In Scripture it is not the power of the church, but the power that works in us – the power of God working in the church. The Head supplies what is needed. ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us’ (Ephesians 3:20). He nourishes His church according to its need. His powerful operations are however limited by the moral condition of the church. However, God is true and will not act in the power of grace contrary to the moral condition of the church or any individual. He may bear with its state in patience, but God will never sanction publicly what He disapproves of.
When we think of the saving of souls, it is rather the sovereign operation of the Spirit of God through the gospel. But the church is a vessel of power, and miracles testify to the power of Christ as the risen Son of man.
We must understand where we are, before we can get the blessing suited to our being part of the body of Christ. Christ never alters His mind. His grace remains the same, as does what He seeks from the church in responsibility, but the ways in which He acts vary. In the days of the apostles the church was adorned with all sorts of miracles: it is different now. Christ will never give up His thoughts about the church; but if we are only doing what we feel to be right, He will make sad work of what we have done. ‘He that gathereth not with me scattereth.’ (Matthew 12:30).
If Christ gathers, He scatters that which is not gathered in the power of unity with Himself – just like a pack of cards. This may surprise and humble us, but it does not discourage us since we look for God to act. The church’s power is in her weakness and her spirit constant, simple, unmingled dependence.
The Hope of the Church
While Christ remains sitting at the right hand of God in the Father’s throne, the only thing He owns as the Church, is the body down here. When He leaves His Father’s throne to take the Church unto Himself, she will form a glorious body in heaven.
The hope of the Church is founded on her relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven. She is united to her Head there, seated in heaven in Him, waiting to be there actually. As the bride of Christ on earth, she is a pilgrim here and desires to have no more to do with the world than Christ has. She will see things set right in the kingdom, but this is not her hope: her hope is her marriage with the well-known heavenly Bridegroom. That is how Paul knew that the Church’s place was to be with Christ there. In 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Paul says, ‘Then shall we ever be with the Lord’, our bodies changed. What follows that? Nothing! A great many things may be happening now, but the Church’s hope is to be with Him and like Him, for she will see Him as He is.
We have a heavenly calling, but that does not in itself convey the thought of the church. We must not confuse what we are as members of the church with the Church[4] itself. Many things are true of the members that do not apply to the church as a distinct body. As individuals, we are called, and look to be caught up into heaven; we have a heavenly portion as the brethren of Christ. We are builded together for the habitation of God through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22): that is the calling of the church down here. Called, we endeavour ‘to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body…’ (Ephesians 4:3-4):
As to our present position and occupation, one thing is very different from the early church. When the Spirit of God was working at the beginning of the gospel, the testimony had great power, producing a visible, identifiable gathering – a substantial result. There is nothing like this. The sheep have been scattered; there are all sorts of opinions. Even unity involves separation from evil,[5] I must look to Christ as the Centre of truth. If my soul is not prepared to look to Him and gather with Him, I shall be cast into the uncertain condition of the differing opinions of every saint I meet. If Christ is our common object, there will be a coalescing power. I find the church of God in a unity which attaches itself to Christ alone, as the sole centre.
The Church ought to be in constant, incessant communion with her Head. If not, she cannot act for Him. She must get beyond the crowd of Satan’s power, to the Head, the only source of power. Then she can join in the cry ‘The Spirit and the bride say, Come’ (Revelation 22:17). So should the Church have her own light, with what is outside shut out.
Conclusion
Darby concluded: ‘We should get near enough to Christ to enjoy Him, and to know Him truly, and to gather up all that is like Him. If not separated by affection from the world, we shall be separated by discipline in the world. He will vex our souls to get us separate, ‘Because thou servedst not Jehovah thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart . . . therefore thou shalt serve thine enemies which Jehovah thy God shall send against thee’ (Deuteronomy 28:47 – Darby).’
[1] God said ‘before mine anointed’, not ‘before me’.
[2] For ‘fulfil’ Darby uses the word ‘Complete’ which gives the thought that everything was out as far as the inspired speaking of the Holy Spirit is concerned. Strong says the word is πληρόω/pléroó/Strong-4137 – fill to individual capacity.
[3] Elsewhere Darby noted ‘When looking at the building of church, J N Darby noted, ‘There are no keys for the Church. One does not build with keys. The keys are for the kingdom’ Collected Writings Vol 14 (Ecclesiatical 3), p80.
[4] See Foreword as to the use of the capital and small ‘c’ for church.
From our book ‘After These Things – Summaries of John Nelson Darby’s Papers on Prophecy – and more…’ Compiled by Daniel Roberts. For more about this book click on the picture or CLICK HERE
Even though he had never been to Rome, Paul’s heart was at home with many there. He knew the faith and service of some, and wrote to them as an assembly. As the apostle of the nations, he had his service for Christ for those in Rome.
He had a comprehensive service, embracing all the counsels of God, bringing the elements of the gospel together, to make the saints complete in Christ. The fruit will be hereafter. The apostle cites many who served diligently in the sphere in which God had placed them – from those who were of note among the apostles, to Phoebe, the deaconess or servant of the church at Cenchrea, who had been a helper of many. God does not forget any.
Even though he had never been to Rome, Paul’s heart was at home with many there. He knew the faith and service of some, and wrote to them as an assembly. As the apostle of the nations, he had his service for Christ for those in Rome.
He had a comprehensive service, embracing all the counsels of God, bringing the elements of the gospel together, to make the saints complete in Christ. The fruit will be hereafter. The apostle cites many who served diligently in the sphere in which God had placed them – from those who were of note among the apostles, to Phoebe, the deaconess or servant of the church at Cenchrea, who had been a helper of many. God does not forget any.
The apostle then tells the us to mark those self-important persons who cause divisions, exploiting their own mental abilities and acting contrary to the doctrine they had learned. We are to avoid them. Such insubject activity separates our hearts from God. True hearts, like John the Baptist, knew consciously by the Spirit that everything that is right is from God. Even if we are weak, and lack faithfulness, we have a testimony from God with more power than the pretensions of man. This preserves us. Our hearts are kept simple, while the mischievous hearts, with their fair speeches, are judged.
So Paul says, ‘I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil’ (v.19). God has, in His gracious wisdom, traced out a path in the world for us. We do not need to know all the evil, or even any of it: we are just to walk in the wise and holy path, conversant with what is good, lovely, and of good report. If we know the one right path across the waste, and live by God’s word, we do not need to learn from those who lost themselves. ‘By the words of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer’
Paul ends Romans 16 with salutations, for fellowship in love characterises the spirit of the gospel. Tertius, to whom Paul had dictated the letter, gives his salutation. The Roman epistle, along with the others such as Ephesians and Colossians which had the character of commandments of the Lord: accuracy was important. (See 1 Cor. 14:37). The salutation at the end came from Paul’s own hand, verifying that the whole epistle was his, and that it had inspired apostolic authority.
The apostle closes with ascription of praise to the only wise God, owning Him as the One who is able to establish them according to his gospel. He recalls the character of the testimony contained in that gospel, of which he speaks in so many places in so remarkable a manner.
In this epistle Paul does not develop the mystery: his object is to show how a soul stood in liberty before God. Conscience and justification must be individual. Still he shows that ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus’ (Rom 8:1). We are in Christ, and in chapter 12, one body in Christ – the full scope of the counsels of God – a mystery hidden from ages, even though they were in prophetic scriptures (v.26 Darby). He does not unfold the mystery in this epistle, but preached according to the revelation of it: Christ the head of all things, Jews and Gentiles forming one body, united with Him in heaven as Head. This had been kept secret since the world began, though it was in God’s counsels before creation. The foundation for our heavenly and eternal blessings had been laid in Christ’s work. Through all the inspired epistles the truth was made known to the nations ‘according to the commandment of the everlasting God.’
God, whose counsels were not confined to Judaism, commanded His message to be sent to the nations. He had His counsels and views in man, and in the Son, the Seed of the woman, and would accomplish the counsels in power. Now the original purpose of God was being made manifest for the obedience of faith to all nations.
ness of God has placed us before Him in the light. We should now walk in the light, even though we are weak, are tempted and too often stumble. We should maintain communion with God, glorifying Him. Once we were in darkness; now with the Lord we are in the light.
