“For all things are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours; and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” (1 Cor. 3:22-23.)
Public attention in England has been awakened the last few weeks by an extraordinary will case, in which four hundred thousand pounds are involved. The counsel, attorneys, and proctors on each side, have pleaded and done their best for the respective claimants. The judge of the Probate Court takes time to consider the case before giving his decision. What a moment of suspense for all parties!
“The heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” will do well to turn all this to account, by contrasting the uncertainty which all the contending parties must experience during the interval which the judge claims, and subsequently the dissatisfaction which the decision will occasion to one class of those disputants, when judgment is given, With the unchallenged title and undisturbed enjoyment of the believers portion in and with a risen and glorified Christ and Lord! Indeed it is well for us as the children of God, not only on an occasion like the present, but at all times to assure ourselves, by reviewing the way in which all is signed, and scaled, and delivered, and witnessed by “the earnest of the Spirit,” that no disturbing power or voice can ever be raised against us, for who can dispute the title of Christ to be the Head over all things to His body the Church, “the fullness of Him that filleth all in all?” Nay, in the conscious security in which all is held and kept by the power of God, our fitting acknowledgment is found in thanksgivings and praises. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ.” No One “shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect!” is the challenge from the Supreme Judge Himself. “It is God that justifieth,” silences every accuser, and is the warrant for faith’s boldest expectations, sustained on the fact, “it is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Do “the heirs and joint-heirs with Christ” think of the day when the voice which once shook the earth, shall once more shake “not only the earth, but also heaven,” they are only to be reminded, that they shall be with the Maker, and that “the things which cannot be shaken may remain,” and that the kingdom which we receive cannot be moved. How secure from the top to the bottom, from the highest heavens to the earthly places are all the interests of the people of God, as we thus glance over their vast dimensions, or view them more closely in their solid foundations! Do we think, moreover, of our personal fitness—we are again put into the place of worship and praise, as we give “thanks to the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” It is by these ways that “the heirs and joint heirs with Christ” are made meet for the inheritance. Nor shall we forget the new titles and relations by which we come into possession—for we are a “forgiven” people, a “redeemed” people, a “translated” people, a “delivered” people, and we love to insist upon these peculiarities, with ourselves if needs be, through unbelief or misgivings and with others if occasion require, on account of their being still occupied with flesh and blood, and their supposed moral fitness for the kingdom of God. When most confident of our personal meetness in Christ, and most sure of our heavenly calling through Christ, and of the Spirit sealing—we do well for ourselves and in true love to others to remember that flesh and blood cannot enter within the precincts of these dominions and estates-nor will any pretensions founded on creature confidence or attainments be recorded; or the fairest genealogy of mere human descent be accepted—no, not one! Most resolutely will every such testimonial be denied, for upon the vestibule of this Probate Court is written, “They that are in the flesh cannot please God,” and again “No flesh should glory in His presence, that, according as it is written, he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord.” Creation ground and the creature are now set aside, and afford no warrant for the spiritual confidence. The new genealogies and titles of the children of the Father, “the heirs and joint heirs with Christ,” begin their new pedigree as “born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Redemption by the precious blood of Christ is their boast, deliverance from the entire sphere where edam fell, and all its consequences too, by the death and resurrection of Christ, is their joy—life, eternal life, in union with the Second Man, the ascended and glorified one, is their new dignity, and quickened with, raised with, seated in Christ in the heavenly places—their new Church position in glory. In this way, and by such means, the sons of put in their birth qualifications, as born again of the Spirit, born of God—and in this manner our redemption standing and title are accredited in the ascended glorified representative forerunner. “We are all the children of God by faith in Jesus Christ,” and, “if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” We thus put in our proofs of “qualification by birth”—of our “redemption by blood”—of our “relationships by life” with the Second Man, the word made flesh, and can say “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that ladeth not away, reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.” Such an outline is the Christian’s great will case, to be made good in actual manifestation when Christ comes in His glory. “All things are yours—whether the world, or death, or life, or things present or things to come, all are yours; and ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s!” Being thus assured on all hands of the validity of our title—and that no adverse claimants can ever put in a plea or demurrer against our undisturbed enjoyment, let us now open “the will itself” as related in the glorious 17 chapter of John! “These words spoke Jesus, and lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify Thee, as thou host given Him power over all flesh that He should give eternal life to as many as thou host given Him.” What would our brightest glories and choicest blessings be worth to us, except given in the power of a life which can appreciate and enjoy them, with the Father and the Son? “This is life eternal that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou last sent.” Was there ever such a will as this, which gives in the first place a life, “eternal life,” the very capacity of holding and knowing all our blessings with the Father and the Son? Another part of this will is, “I have manifested thy name, unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world, thine they were, and thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word.” What grants and interchanges of rights are we introduced to here, respecting ourselves! “Now, they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of Thee, for I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them.” Precious deposits these by words and ways and works, Lord Jesus! What son; what heir, what joint heir, does not delight in the security of all, as we hear Him further say, “I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine, and all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them.” What words are these, as He lifted up His eyes to heaven, concerning us in relation to Himself and to God! What will He say more? Be astonished, ye heavens, and wonder, O earth, as He prays— “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” What a will is this in all its parts, and this will is ours! The codicils are equally remarkable (if one may so speak upon such matters) as we hear Jesus say further, “and the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one”—and lastly, “Father, I will, that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me, for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” One thing alone remains to be done, which He who alone could do it, has done, and will do in the full performance of every jot and tittle of His own will as He says, “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me, and I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them!” Love is now become our great guarantee for the accomplishment of this will of the Father respecting the many sons, and many brethren, and many heirs and joint heirs! Power, Almighty power had done much in this old creation, and will do more in the new creation; but what a ground of confidence is ours, when we see that love has come in, and unites itself with this Power! The heart and baud of God the Father are one in the fulfillment of all that could meet and satisfy the desires of Christ; and we are introduced by grace into these glories, and made the third parties in this eternal will of God, and in these everlasting counsels of the Godhead. The undisclosed love and the “hidden wisdom” had originated and planned all in Christ, before ever the world began: the Son of the Father had in the “due time” of these eternal purposes, made them all know, and put aside all the disqualifications, and secured them all by His work on the cross by His triumph over every adverse power in the sepulcher, and by His own glory at the right hand of God. The Holy Ghost has come down at Pentecost as the Paraclete, to seal the Sons of the Father, the heirs of God, and the joint heirs of Christ in undisputed title, to be witness and earnest of all they are to inherit and enjoy when the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, and we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air. What a moment! and what a people! “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy—to the only wise God, our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.” J. E. B.