Israel had been the salt of the earth; and here it is not the Christian, that is, not a believer of this dispensation, that is contemplated; it is the Jewish remnant. As far as the church is concerned, when the true saints are gone, the salt will be gone; but it is the remnant He is speaking to here.
I take the salt in Luke 14:34, 3534Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned? 35It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Luke 14:34‑35) to be connected with discipleship. In that chapter we find the gospel feast—everything ready; nothing to do, nothing to pay, nothing to promise; only to accept. I get blessing not by anything I give up or do, but as a recipient. God can bless the guiltiest sinner in the fullest love of His heart righteously, because of the cross of Christ. All boasting is excluded, no flesh can glory in His presence. If I am to be blessed it must be in God's way. I must be a recipient, and then I become a disciple, if the Lord leaves me here. But my discipleship does not improve my title in the least degree. It is a very blessed thing and will have its reward by and by, but it is also a very solemn thing.
Luke 14:26-3326If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. 27And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, 30Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. 31Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? 32Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. 33So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26‑33). Nothing must be put in competition with Christ. Does this mean a Christian is to be a worse father, mother, brother or sister? Not at all. Grace makes them carry out their various responsibilities on a higher level. There is not a single saint of God but has got his cross, which he has to take up-not the Lord's cross. Let us not then shrink from it, as naturally we should, for it is in the path of a disciple. If I begin well as a disciple, and then give up like the Galatians— “ye did run well; who did hinder you?” —there is no testimony for God and the salt is useless.
While the Lord was here He was the Light of the world, as He Himself says (John 9:55As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (John 9:5)). Now we are called upon, as Christians, to shine as heavenly luminaries, as “lights holding forth the word of life.” Our light is reflected light. Ephesians 5 tells us whence our light comes, “Ye were sometime darkness, now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light.” But we have also, “Awake, thou that sleepest and arise from among the dead, and Christ shall shine upon thee.” If Christ does not shine upon us we can give no light. The sleeper here is a child of God in a bad state. I was hearing today of a dear saint to whom some one said, Do you know what it is to be filled with the Holy Ghost? I told them Moses went in before God, and he was there long enough to make his face shine. But the Holy Spirit is careful to tell us that while everybody else knew it, Moses himself was unconscious of it. When Moses thought, so to speak, that his face shone his brethren did not see it. “Who made thee to be a ruler?” Moses was then forty years too soon; now, he is unconscious of it. It is well that we should ever remember this. It is not humility to be always talking about our badness. True humility is forgetfulness of self. It is not a sign of growth in grace and knowledge where there is a disposition ever to bring oneself forward. A city on a hill is seen a long way off—miles perhaps; and that should teach us how God has left us here as witnesses for Him. But if our testimony be our object with ourselves as a very bright testimony, it will be but a miserable failure. In proportion as we have Christ before us will our testimony be right.
The Lord is indicating the hindrances to the shining. A bushel is connected with the business then should we be lest in any way we corrupt God's word! The Pharisees made it void and set it aside by their traditions. The Lord Jesus brings it in when they found fault with His disciples for not washing before food. Then the Lord of this world, and how many a light is obscured showed them they were the ones to be judged by the business of this world. God has lighted the candle that it may shine for the benefit of others. In another place it says, “nor under a bed.” We must not give way to indolence. It giveth light to all that are in the house, the usefulness of it there. Now then do not let it be obscured by ease, even lawful occupation; “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” This is anything but advertising our good works. Let your light so shine that they may not give praise to you, but glorify your Father. Take a Unitarian. I do not believe the devil deals with such a one as he does with a saint of God. The Unitarian is in Satan's service; he is thoroughly deluded, building on what he can do, and rejecting Christ; and I have known some extremely particular about their ways, but does that bring glory to God? No, alas! But what a Christian does, brings praise to God, not to himself.
The Lord came to give a largeness to the law, to fill it out, so to speak (ver. 17). The books of Moses, the Pentateuch, are distinguished sometimes from the prophets, as “the law.” Sometimes the word “law” is used as in Psalm 1 to denote all that God is pleased to reveal. In other places it means the ceremonial law; we must not make it always mean the same. The One who had given the law is speaking here with authority. “I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled” Jot and tittle—not the dot of an “i,” nor the cross of a “t” of His whole revealed word shall pass till all be fulfilled This is exceedingly sweet to us. What an inestimable treasure we have in His word, which God has given us. It is more stable than heaven or earth, more substantial, more lasting; and that is what we have to build on for eternity! How careful because they made void the law through their traditions. They brought in a tradition which said, ‘I have given that to God, and so I need not care for father or mother '; thus nullifying the law.
He impresses again and again that it is not enough to know the truth, if the truth is not operating. If ye know, happy are ye if ye do. Again, finishing up this section of the Gospel in chap. 7. “Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them,” is the prudent man. Those who hear and do not, are foolish and builders on sand.
“Your righteousness” (ver. 20)-that is a very solemn thing. It is not the gospel. It is what is produced in us-righteousness. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. Whatever we attempt to do to make ourselves fit for God is as “filthy rags,” and only makes our case worse. “Though I wash myself in snow water and make my hands never so clean, yet shalt thou plunge me in the ditch, and my own clothes shall abhor me,” said Job. After I have used the best natural means to make myself fit for God, all is proved worse than useless. But in the beginning of chap. 6:6 it says “Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men” (R.V.); then follows the division of “your righteousness” (ver. 5) into, firstly, “alms” (vers. 2-4), then prayer” (ver. 5-15), and lastly, “fasting” (vers. 16-18). J.N.D., in his Translation, tells us in a note that the Rabbis use this word “righteousness” for “alms.”
Now in Acts 10 we get a man introduced to us giving much “alms” and “praying” to God alway, and his prayers and his alms (his “righteousness") came for a memorial before God. That could not be said of an unconverted man. But here was a quickened soul, a subject of grace, but one who needed to hear words whereby he should be “saved.” What Peter learned was “Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of Him.”
This supposes in every case that where there is righteousness which God can accept, it comes from a quickened soul. The righteousness I have as a standing before God is Christ only; we cannot be too particular about that. But the grace that saves me teaches me (Titus 2). You cannot separate saving grace from teaching grace. But let us not put the cart before the horse, and subvert God's order. I must get salvation in purest grace. Grace comes to me with “salvation,” and I accept it; then it teaches me how to walk. The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees consisted in tithing “the mint and the rue,” etc., but you must have a different righteousness to that, even the product of God's own grace. The Epistle of John brings this out very clearly. The eternal life that was with the Father had been manifested to us, and John was used of God to show us that beautiful life in his Gospel. In his Epistle he tells us we have that life, he shows it in its operation; first, obedience and love; secondly, righteousness and love; thirdly, truth and love.
The first evidence of the new birth in Saul of Tarsus was his praying. “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” He had been born again, the bitter persecutor had been met with in grace; and this was the proof of the new birth, obedience. Another characteristic of it is dependence, showing itself in prayer; so Ananias is told, “Behold he prayeth.”
It is as much “to” them as “of” them of old time. He had been showing the importance of the law and the prophets, and their stability; for there is nothing so stable as the word of God. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one jot or tittle of that word. He takes up instances which had been definitely spoken of in. the word of God. I suppose there were those who were saying that the teaching of the Lord Jesus was opposed to that of Moses; but He shows that His sayings went deeper, revealing its force, and making known what God's eye rested on. When Cain discovered that God had accepted Abel, his countenance fell, murder was in his heart immediately. The same word in Hebrew is used for a “sin offering” as for “sin,” and we ought to be able to discern which is meant by weighing the context. There is not a word about a “sin offering” until the law. “By the law is the knowledge of sin.”
With what authority the Lord here speaks! The prophets could say, “Thus saith the Lord"; or the apostles, “This we say unto you by the word of the Lord"; but it is the Divine Law-giver speaking here, One far above the most honored servants, “I say unto you.” I suppose verse 22 would show us there are degrees of guilt, but there is no “little” sin. The Psalmist pleads, “Pardon mine iniquity for it is great.” Though he had so sorely wronged others, He was conscious it was against God he had sinned. “Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in Thy sight.” Of Judas the Lord said, He that delivered Me unto thee hath the greater sin. Great sin and greater, thus there are degrees of guilt, though all be great.
How jealous we ought to be about our hearts, how careful about anger. Of course there are times when we should sin if we were not angry. If anyone says anything derogatory of the Lord we ought to be angry, but this scripture shows us how careful we ought to be about ourselves personally. “The altar” does not mean the Lord's table, though we should examine ourselves before partaking of the Lord's Supper, and we shall have a far deeper sense of grace if we do. These were legal sacrifices, but as to ourselves the principle applies whenever we come to God. Even as to prayer. “If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me.”
In Matthew 18:1515Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. (Matthew 18:15) it is what I have against my brother because of some trespass against me, whose fault should be told him, but here it is my knowledge of his having something against me. The case is reversed. Pride is shown as much as anything in refusing to own when we are wrong.
There is instruction for the remnant. Let everything be right. Seek to meet the mind of God as to others. We can all see where there is no reserve, everything clear and open: that should characterize the saint of God.
God is no adversary to man, and if it is a poor sinner it would be a wrong thought altogether that God needed to be reconciled. Take John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16), it would not admit such a thought! And when you get that full presentation of the gospel in 2 Cor. 5, it is, “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself,” for the sinner is God's adversary. Yet on the other hand, we must not forget that whatever God does, it must be in perfect righteousness—consistency with Himself. He has given Christ as the Lamb; what His holiness demanded, His love provided; and the cross has put God in the wonderful position of being able righteously to bless the vilest sinner according to the full love of His heart. But God is a judge; the Father is never called so except in the discipline of His children (1 Pet. 1). It is man who has made God a judge, not in His nature, but through man's sin. And here as to Israel, sin had made Him an adversary by their rejection of Christ, culminating in the cross, and now they are cast out of their land; or, in the language of our chapter, are “cast into prison.” The cities of refuge have a certain correspondence to it, for they must remain outcasts until “the death of the High priest.” That is, when there is an end of Christ's priestly services for His people as now going on, then Israel will return to the land of their possession. Today when any of them are converted they lose their nationality and become members of the body of Christ, where there is neither Greek nor Jew. But, as in Isaiah 40:22Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. (Isaiah 40:2), the time will come when God will deal with them again in grace. Where they are now, nationally, the veil is on their heart when they read the Old Testament. But the veil will be taken away and repentance wrought—a necessity for the whole human race if any are to be blest. In Acts 3 it was promised that on Israel's repentance “times of refreshing” should come from the presence of the Lord. So as we read that verse we must remember where they are now, as a people, and that repentance must and will be wrought in them. In Leviticus 23, on the great day of atonement every soul was to mourn or else be cut off; and in Zechariah we see that repentance is then wrought and they all individually mourn. We have an illustration of this in Joseph; his brethren must be broken down; and you get in that wonderful outpouring of Judah's heart a sample of the repentance of the remnant.
On the ground of law payment must be to the uttermost farthing; and it has been paid in the cross of Christ for the believer. Though God has not made a covenant with the church they get the benefit of “the blood of the covenant.” The blood has been shed, but the making of the covenant is for Israel and is yet future. We get the blessing of it, however, for the atonement is world-wide and not for the nation only— “their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” —future for Israel; true of us now, as Hebrews 8; 12 show. The majesty of the law was never so upheld as in the death of Christ. He kept it perfectly in every step of His life, magnified it, and made it honorable; but He bore the law's curse for those who had broken it. Though Gentiles were not put by God under the law, yet the blessing of Abraham comes on them through Jesus Christ in consequence of Christ being “made a curse for us” (Galatians 3:8-148And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 10For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. 12And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. 13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:8‑14)). When we come to think of the law it demanded what man never could give, and cursed him for not having done it; but grace first blesses a man and then enables him to work far more than the law demanded.
Rom. 8:33For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Romans 8:3) shows that the law, though “holy, just, and good,” was weak through the flesh, but the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled by us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. That is what the Spirit produces because we have the new life. The new life alone was not sufficient. We need the spirit too. Compare Romans 7 with Galatians 5 (ver. 17 should be “that ye may not do,” not that ye cannot do).
(To be continued)