(Eph. 4)
Now I see distinctly the difference between the Holy Ghost in the individual, and in the assembly. But there are two or three things still that I would like cleared up before leaving the subject.
1. From what has been said about the Church, I learn that its existence on earth is limited to the period between the day of Pentecost, after the ascension of Christ, and the rapture of the saints before the millennium: thus leaving both the Old Testament saints and the millennial saints out of the Church. Now, are not all believers in every age the children of God? and, being possessed of the same life as such, are they not all of the one family?
True, most true and important, and most delightful to dwell upon. But hast thou not learned, my soul, the difference between oneness in life, and “the unity of the Spirit?” Every quickened soul in every age must possess eternal life. And no quickened soul can ever perish. There never can be a breach in the family of God. We do read of the possibility of one who has preached to others being himself a castaway; but we never read of the possibility of a child of God being a castaway. The very idea is foreign to all scripture, and impossible in the nature of things. A child born must be the child of its parents, good or bad. The apostle does not say, “Lest I, though a child of God, should be a castaway.”
The plain truth is this, I believe—the Corinthians, like many in our own day, were too much occupied with human eloquence. They were in danger of thinking more of fine speaking than of Christ. This greatly troubled the apostle; hence the strength of his language, and the alarming nature of the case supposed. “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection; lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” This is the passage that has made millions to tremble, and which has led many to deny that eternal life means eternal life; as if the Spirit of truth meant conditional life, when He uses the word eternal life. Well then, what does this hard passage mean? Simply this: by the apostle thus bringing in himself and supposing the case to be his own, he presents it in the strongest way possible. His object is to press upon the Corinthians, and upon us all, the solemn fact, that though a man maybe a preacher, if he is not subject to Christ—if he is not vitally connected with Him, he is not saved—he is not a child of God. Judas was a preacher, and many, alas, since his day, have been preachers who never were born again. But some will say, “Was not the apostle Paul a child of God?” Certainly, he was, and he had no fear of being lost. Such a thought, we believe, never entered his mind, and such a thought never ought to have entered the mind of any Christian. But he illustrates the supposed case in his own person, as he usually does, and as public speakers generally do. (See Rom. 7 and Phil, 3) In the wisdom of the Holy Spirit he is seeking to lower their estimate of mere natural abilities however great. No word can be more awfully solemn to unconverted preachers, but it has no terror to the children of God. But to return.
The common possession of eternal life by every quickened soul, from the beginning to the end of time, is what we may call oneness in life. Besides, the life is from Christ and by the Holy Spirit. But this is not “the unity of the Spirit,” spoken of in Eph. 4 “There is one body and one Spirit.” This is something more than all having the same life—though all must have life in order to belong to it. It is a unity in virtue of the Holy Ghost’s presence on the earth. And this unity, which He began to form at Pentecost, will be completed when the Lord comes to call His bride away. These are the true limits, and the Lord’s coming is the true hope of the Church. “We wait for his Son from heaven” (1 Thess. 1:9, 109For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:9‑10).) The body could have no existence on earth, until Christ its Head was seated in heaven, and the Holy Ghost come down. It is perfectly plain then, from these facts, that none can be included in the Church the body of Christ, but the saints of the present dispensation.
2. What is the difference between the habitation of God in the Old Testament and in the New?
It was typical in the one, it is real in the other. When redemption was typically accomplished by the passover and the Red Sea, an habitation for God is immediately desired by the redeemed people. “The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation; he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him. Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, Ο Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the sanctuary, Ο Lord, winch thy hands have established.” (Exod. 15) This is the first place in scripture in which we meet with the words “habitation” and “ sanctuary.” Until redemption was accomplished, God could not even speak about dwelling on the earth. Neither is “salvation” spoken of until we come to the passage of the Red Sea. Then we hear the word used for the first time. “And. Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not: stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.” We must have the combined types of complete redemption— the blood of the Lamb and the Red Sea, or death and resurrection—before we can have full salvation.
All these revelations from God—so rich in blessing to man, awaited the full accomplishment of redemption, though typically. The passover is never called salvation, though the most remarkable type of redemption that we have in the Old Testament. But it must be viewed in connection with the Red Sea. There must be the full and final deliverance of the people from the land of Egypt, and the complete destruction of all their enemies, before the congregation of the Lord can know anything of peace, or be the dwelling place of God. Though under the shelter of the blood, and perfectly safe, there was no peace or rest for the people, while they were encamped “between Migdol and the sea.” Plenty of doubts and fears there. They felt and cried out as if in the jaws of death. This painful fact is typical of every believer’s position who has not entered into the great truth of his death and resurrection hi Christ. We must see death, the grave, sin, Satan, the world, the flesh, behind us, before we can have perfect peace with God. And this great sight can only be seen from the wilderness side of the Red Sea—from heaven’s side of the grave of Christ. No one ever had a glimpse of such truths while encamped “between Migdol and the sea.” But, thank God, their doubts and fears did not sink them in the dark waters of judgment. Doubts or no doubts, fears or no fears, the blood of the Lamb is the same, and all whose doorposts were sprinkled with the blood passed safely and triumphantly through the deep: the feeblest as well as the strongest. “Not a hoof was left behind.” The sea stood still—the waters were as ramparts around the Israelites. But the Egyptians, forgetting to put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their houses, sank as lead in the mighty waters. Courage, confidence, boldness, without the doorposts of the heart being sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, is of no avail. Nothing save the “token” of the blood can take the soul through the waters of death; but when that “token” is possessed, nothing can hinder its triumphant passage.
How awfully solemn is the voice of these dark waters to every soul not yet sprinkled with the blood of the Lamb. All the chariots and horsemen of Egypt—all the wisdom and power of the world—are of no avail here. Nothing but the blood of the Lamb can take any child of fallen Adam through the waters of death. The Red Sea was the river of life and the way to glory to Israel; not because they were better in themselves than the Egyptians, but because they were under the shelter of the blood. Suffer, my dear reader, one word of loving warning, ere I turn to another theme. Hast thou faith in this precious blood? It is the only “token” and passport that will take thee through the river of death. Without it thou must sink, unsaved, in the cold, deep, dark waters of death. Oh! what an end for the path of pride in this world! And what a beginning of endless woe! Ο hear, I beseech thee, the word of faithful affectionate warning and invitation now! Be thou young or old—be thou in health or in sickness—be thou, as men reckon, good or bad, believe in Jesus—dependent entirely on the efficacy of His blood, and thy sins, however many, are all forgiven, and thy precious soul is saved; yea, though this word meet thee on the very margin of these waters, or with one foot in the sea, and the other on dry land,—if thou art only this side of hell! believe the word of God about the blood of Jesus—have faith unwavering in the power of the blood—honor it with thy fullest confidence, and it will take thee as safely through, and land thee as safely on the shores of eternal glory, as if thou hadst been a saint for a hundred years! Such is the unlimited—unfailing power of the blood of Jesus. “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” And again in the New Testament we read, “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” These are God’s own words; believe them now—trust them now, and all is well—well with thy soul—well forever.
I now return for a moment to finish my answer. In the Old Testament, the habitation of God was founded on typical redemption; in the New, it is established forever on eternal redemption. This is enough to account for the difference between them. “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (New Testament prophets, associated with the apostles in this work. See chap, 3:5), Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.”
In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:20-2220And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:20‑22).) But this theme is inexhaustible. So I must recommend for thy meditation, the whole line of truth on this blessed subject, from Exod. 15 to Rev. 21—from the banks of the Red Sea to the eternal state. It is from the new heavens and the new earth that we have the final testimony, as to God’s chosen, loved, and eternal dwelling place. “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.” Rev. 21:33And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. (Revelation 21:3).
3. In what sense can we say that the Holy Spirit dwells in the Church now, seeing it is so defiled, corrupted, and contrary to God?
When we speak of the Church of God, and of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the Church, we are thinking of it in its redeemed character; as one with Christ, and as cleansed by His precious blood. Thou must learn to distinguish between the “great house,” or that outward corrupt thing here on the earth, and “the body of Christ”—that which is united to Christ in heaven, by the Holy Ghost on the earth. Then thy thoughts will dwell on that which is infinitely precious to Him. “He loved the Church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such tiling; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Eph. 5:25-2725Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. (Ephesians 5:25‑27).
This is the Church—the body of Christ; and this is the habitation of God. This is Christ’s building, built with living stones; and which partakes of His life and preciousness. (1 Pet. 2:2-92As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. 4To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, 5Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 6Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. 9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: (1 Peter 2:2‑9).) One with Him in position, privilege, and glory—the fair and spotless bride of the Lamb—the beloved spoil of the last Adam. He loves her as His own flesh. And now, my soul, dost thou wonder that the Holy Ghost dwells here? Nay, verily, rather would I say, “This is where the Holy Ghost ought to dwell.”
“One spirit with the Lord;
Ο blessed, wondrous word!
What heavenly light, what power divine,
Doth that sweet word afford!
‘One spirit with the Lord;’
The Father’s smile of love
Rests ever on the members here
As on the Head above.
‘One spirit with the Lord;’
Jesus, the glorified,
Esteems the Church for which He bled,
His body and His bride.”