There can be no neutrality in divine things. When Christ's interests are at stake, we must either be for Him, or for His adversaries. We have it from His own lips,
“He that is not with Me is against Me, and He that gathereth not with Me scattereth abroad.” Matt. 12:30. To this there is, and can be, no exception. I turn to the Old Testament for illustration. We will begin with Ex. 32. When Moses went up into the mountain to commune with God, and to receive the tables of the law from His hand, there was no need to ask, “Who is on the Lord's side?” Such a question in the camp of Israel would be superfluous. But when Moses returned with the tables of the law in his hand, Aaron had made the golden calf, and the Israelites were worshiping it; and Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said,
“Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me.” “And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.” No one could be neutral at such a time; they must declare themselves either on the Lord's side, or against Him.
The second illustration is in Judg. 4 and 5. God gave Deborah and Barak a great victory over the Canaanites, which they celebrated in a song; but the inhabitants of Meroz, instead of sharing the victory, were cursed. “Curse ye, Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.” In other words, they were cursed because they were neutral.
Thirdly, in Judg. 19 and 20, we read of the terrible state of things in Israel, and how, with much suffering and loss, Israel put away the evil from among them; but in Chapter 21:8-12, it comes out on inquiry, that the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead had been neutral, and they were treated exactly as the children of Benjamin had been treated, who had sinned against the Lord.
Fourthly; we have the solemn history of the old prophet of Bethel, in 1 Kings 13. In chapter 12, we find the worship of the golden calves introduced by Jeroboam, with the avowed purpose of keeping the people of God from going to Jerusalem, God's center of worship. One of these golden calves was set up at Bethel. Chapter 13:11 tells us that an old prophet dwelt there, but we do not read of a word of protest from him against the king and his altar. On the other hand, there is no reason to think he joined in the idolatrous worship of the calf. He was neutral. Consequently we read of a man of God, sent by God out of Judah, to cry against the altar in the word of the Lord. Notice how carefully he was warned against having fellowship with anyone at Bethel. He was to eat no bread nor drink water there, nor to return the way by which he went. Now, Jehovah, whose word this was, knew before sending him that the old prophet dwelt there, but He meant the man of God from Judah to have no fellowship with him. We also see divine wisdom in his being forbidden to return the way he went; for that would have emboldened the weak ones to go to Bethel, and join in idol worship. (Compare 1 Cor. 8.) “Surely,” they would have said, “it must be right when such a man of God goes.” But although many saw him go, none saw him return. What a melancholy thing it is to read of the determined effort of the old prophet to make the man of God from Judah recognize him in his neutral position! First of all, he goes a journey to reach him (ver. 13). Secondly, he lies, and deliberately falsifies the word of God, to accomplish his purpose. What a warning, for all time, to beware of those who are neutral in the things of God, and who, like the Pharisees, will compass sea and land to make one proselyte!
Finally, what can be worse than spiritual neutrality, or indifference to Christ, as set forth in Rev. 3:15-18?
“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot, so then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of My mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor and blind, and naked.”
The next verse tells us of gold tried in the fire, of white raiment, and of eyesalve; that is, divine righteousness, practical righteousness, and spiritual discernment. Where these things are found, there is no lukewarmness, neutrality, in what is due to Christ. But wherever we find neutrality, in what is due to Christ, we are sure to see spiritual blindness and want of practical righteousness, as in the case of the old prophet of Bethel. Whether the gold tried in the fire is also lacking, we must leave the judgment seat of Christ to determine. It is said in 2 Tim. 2:19,
“The Lord knoweth them that are His,” but our side of it is, not neutrality or indifference, but,
“Let everyone that nameth the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
Reader beware of neutrality! “Who is on the Lord's side?”