" God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us in [the Person of the] Son."-Heb. 1
" God has spoken in the Son, says the inspired author of our Epistle. He is then this Son. First He is declared Heir of all things. It is He who is to possess gloriously as Son everything that exists. Such are the decrees of God. Moreover it is by Him God created the worlds. All the vast system of the universe, those, unknown worlds that trace their paths in the vast regions of space in divine order to manifest the glory of a Creator-God, are the work of His hand who has spoken to us. In Him has shone forth the glory of God. He is the perfect impress of His being. We see God in Him, in all that He said, in all that He did, in His Person. Moreover, by the power of His word He upholds all that exists. He is then the Creator. God is revealed in His Person. He sustains all things by His word, which has thus a divine power.
But this is not all, (for we are still speaking of the Christ), there is another part of His glory, divine indeed, yet manifested in human nature. He who was all this which we have just seen, when He had by Himself (accomplishing His own glory, and for His glory), wrought the purification of our sins, seated Himself at the right hand of the majesty on high! Here is in full the personal glory of Christ.
He is in fact the Creator, the revelation of God, the upholder of all things by His word. He is the Redeemer. He has by Himself purged our sins: has seated Himself at the right hand of the majesty on high."
" Therefore, (says the Apostle), we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, least at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast and every transgression and disobedience, received a just recompence of reward: how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation: which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard Him. God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His will?" Chapter 2:1,2,3.
" God has maintained the authority of the word that was communicated by the means of angels; punishing disobedience to it, for it was a law. How then shall we escape if we neglect a salvation which the Lord Himself has announced? Thus the service of the Lord among the Jews was a word of salvation, which the Apostles confirmed, and which the Holy Ghost established."
Beloved reader, have you ever, calmly and quietly meditated on the above wonderful truth, of the greatness and glory of the One who has been here, accomplishing the work of redemption, and is now sitting on the right hand of the majesty on high? No wonder it is called in chapter 2. "so great salvation," when we think of the greatness of the Person who came and who did the work that saves?
How vast, how precious the thought too, that God, in the Person of His Son, has come and spoken to us. What a prophet! And spoken to us of what? Salvation. " So great Salvation."
"Brightness of Eternal Glory,
Shall Thy praise unuttered lie?
Who would hush the boundless story,
Of the One who came to die.
Came from Godhead's fullest glory,
Down to Calvary's depth of woe,—
Now on high, we bow before Thee:
Streams of PRAISES ceaseless flow,"
Again, in Col. 1:15-1815Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:15‑18) we read that, " In Him we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature. For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. And by Him all things consist. And He is the Head of the body the Church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He might have the pre-eminence, for in Him all the fullness [of the Godhead] was pleased to dwell."
The more one thinks of the glory of the Person in whom we have redemption, and of the infinite fullness that dwells in Him bodily, (Colos. 2:9) up there. Oh how soul-subduing, and yet how soul-sustaining is the truth, that as members of His body, we are "one spirit with the Lord." That we are united to Him, livingly united to Him up there, this wonderful, glorious, God-man. And are loved by Him as a man loves himself. Eph. 5:2929For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: (Ephesians 5:29).
Reader, " do you see by faith that Christ up there? Do you know a Person in heaven with all the feelings and thoughts of a man, with all the glory and beauty of God? And in that beaming forth on you of that face of glory and beauty, is there nothing that addresses itself to your heart? Who can look on the face of that Lord Jesus and not see in Him the forms of eternal life? Will the beauty of that Person not win your adoring love? Will you ever find that you can look on Him as He is, and not trust Him?
Are we not only knowing what we have in that ascended Christ as the One who has put away every spot of sin, the One who is going to take us into the Father's house, but are we letting it be seen, as we pass through the wilderness, in all we do, as Paul did? He died for us, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him. Oh, what a position! not only what we are saved from and put into, but, even now, eternal life to be shown out; even now, present communion with the mind of Christ to be enjoyed; never as we pass through this world, seeking anything save to show out that mind, even as He never showed out anything but the Father's mind.
One thought pressed on me thirty-five years ago, and that was the thought of reality. Let it be a reality-don't let me follow a meteor! Is it, I asked, a real fact that God's Christ is mine, and that He is now sitting at God's right hand as my accepted sacrifice, and all God's delight is in Him?
Your heart may have to be brought into all sorts of difficulties to find out what it has in Christ—what it is to be connected with the eternal lover of the soul. Is He known to you as the One who is occupied with all your concerns? Do you realize it daily? The thought of His being occupied about us would prevent our being tried with difficulties that spring up. It would make us say, " What! is Christ on the throne of God mine? I, such a poor feeble thing—is He given to me?" Paul found the love of Christ a personal thing—it is so. It was a personal love that gave John a place on His bosom; a personal love that drew to Him the poor woman that washed His feet with her tears; and poor things down here understand the power of that love as they go on.
When we see saints like Peter and Paul failing, we feel what a poor thing man is at his best estate; but oh, what an unexpected blessing to have to do with a God that cannot fail! And I know that when I pass from earth, I have a God who means to take me up, and make of this poor body, a body of glory like that risen man at His right hand. Come what may, this God has His everlasting hand underneath us."