“G.” Please explain the meaning of 1 Cor. 10:31 “Do all to the glory of God.” How is this to be the primary object of all we do, such as using natural talents and the like
A. First of all we should seek to know the direct subject before the mind of the Spirit in any Scripture; for to introduce a thought which is not there only makes it more difficult to understand it. The apostle Paul has specially before him the thought of meats offered to idols, with the conduct becoming those who are Christ’s in their practical walk in the world. Whether it were eating or drinking, or whatever we do, all is to be done to God’s glory, and not to please ourselves and our selfish ends. We should think of another’s conscience, even if our own were free, and all things lawful to us. A weaker one might be stumbled by our liberty; better then, to deny ourselves than injure him for whom Christ died. Especially then, should we observe this care and solicitude for the conscience of another in the things of God. He is best kept himself who thinks most thus of his brother; and he who in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. No offense should be given by abusing our Christian liberty, whether to the Jew or to the Gentile, or to the Church of God; seeking thus the profit of others and not our own.
As to the use of natural talents the principle holds good. We are not our own, but are bought with a price (and what a price!) We should seek to know what is the will of the Lord in their use. We may be able to serve Him by them in working for our bread, or for others, or to help in the Lord’s work if the former be unnecessary. And we have to think of His will, not our own. When it becomes a question of doing our own will it is sin.
The Lord may use our natural talents in His service by bestowing spiritual gifts upon us. Natural ability is recognized in the Lord’s bestowing spiritual gifts in the parable of the talents, (Matt. 25). The ability is recognized, then the gift bestowed, and then increase is to be made by trading with the same in His service. But the simple question of everyday life is, whether it is the will of the Lord or my own will, which actuates me in the use even of natural talents and ability; if it be His, it will surely be to “God’s glory” in a scene where His glory is trampled underfoot, and man’s will characterizes the world.
Another writes (from Hastings) as to ministering in everyday life to others, even when such is refused. Let us be assured that the Lord will open a door for service of such nature, as He does for every kind of true service to Him; when He does not, we cannot force one open. The flesh may refuse our services of love (even as it did Christ’s), but divine love is never checked by the ingratitude of its objects, as a spring is not hindered by the channel through which it flows. To resist flesh is to feed it; to bow to the will of the Lord in meekness is our path. To recognize flesh in another is but to provoke and call it into action, as recognizing it in ourselves is but to give it a place once more. Flesh likes this, for it cannot bear to be reckoned dead and incapable of good, whether in ourselves or in another.
“H.” There is an expression often met with, “The cup of wrath,” and Christ drinking it. The thought may be scriptural, but I cannot find it in the Word, &c.
A. The expression is not cited as a text, but it is the expression of a truth in Scripture. This is a common and everyday thing. Christ made propitiation, and bore the wrath. We say He made atonement for sin, and rightly so; the word signifies that wrath was there, and should be appeased. The same word is used by Jacob, when he says, “I will appease him by a present” (Gen. 32) Christ did all this just because wrath was there against sin and sinners. He met fully the character of God without changing it, and thus opened a righteous channel for His love to flow. It is not said in terms that He bore wrath, lest you should think He was personally under wrath Himself; but as a propitiation He met it, thank God, as we can say. Wrath against sin and sinners is constantly mentioned in Scripture. “Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee.” (Job 36:18.) “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men,” &c. (Rom. 1:18.) “And were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.” (Eph. 2:2.) There are many other passages, as a Concordance will show. I have not one by me at present.
This wrath must be met, and Jesus met it. But before He went to the cross, where He did so, He revealed the Father, which is always God’s name in grace as revealed by the Son. When you think of God as such, you think of a holy being; when of the Father sending the Son, you think of grace. At the cross He met all that the nature of God required, and brought more glory to Him than if there had been no sin, and this, too, as a Man. (See John 13:31,32.) There (the cross) you see a Man meeting God in righteousness and judgment against sin, as in life He was showing what God was for man in grace. There you see truth, holiness, righteousness against sin, love to the sinner, majesty, all uniting, yet for the moment the evil seemed to triumph over the good. Thus the cross was the perfect solution of the question of good and evil according to the nature of God Himself; evil completing itself, and good having its perfect triumph; God glorified, and His justice which refused admittance to the sinner, hanging up a vail between him and God, is disarmed, and now only finds her happy task—the vail being rent by the stroke which met her claim—in clothing the sinner in the best robe, whose entrance to God’s presence hitherto she denied.
Jesus was the declarer of the Father when here, and all the fullness of the godhead was pleased to dwell in Him bodily. (See Col. 1:19;2. 9.) I do not believe there will be any other revelation of God-nor could there be. When God has been revealed there can be no more to reveal. “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” We shall see more plainly when flesh and sense are gone, but the object will be the same-Jesus-forever. Two verses of a well-known hymn, on Rev. 5, convey to my mind the thought better than most human words can do—
“All the Father’s counsels claiming
Equal honors to the Son;
All the Son’s effulgence beaming,
Makes the Father’s glory known.
By the Spirit all pervading,
Hosts unnumber’d round the Lamb;
Crown’d with light and joy unfading,
Hail Him as the great I AM.”
“The presence of “his glory” would refer more to the unveiled glory of God, which we never yet have seen, nor could we with mortal eye. So Gabriel spoke of standing in the presence, or before God; Jesus too, of the angels beholding the face of His Father; which means that they are mystically represented before Him who thinks in grace of such. To seek to learn some other thought from the passage would be, I fear, but to introduce one.