If we wish to make real progress in the ways and truth of God, we must ever read the word of God in the light of the exhortation: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:1515Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)). God has at sundry times and in divers manners spoken in times past (Heb. 1:11God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (Hebrews 1:1)). If therefore we jumble up and do not understand these various actings of God, we must fail to know His truth.
We cannot in this paper take up these different dispensations and the various ways God has made Himself known by. Our present object is to direct attention to that which God is now, and has been since the descent of the Holy Spirit, doing; and this is the practical question that concerns us. We will go step by step, so that all may understand clearly what is the present acting of God.
Now the Lord Jesus Christ came from heaven that He might, by the sacrifice of Himself, atone for our sins, and so open the way for God to come out in the fullness of His nature—love, and the greatest of His relationships, even that of a Father. This has been done. Sin has been atoned for, and God has rent the veil of the temple in twain from the top to the bottom. God has come out to us who believe, as LOVE, and as our God and Father. And not only so, but in Christ, the Head of the new creation, we have been brought to God, and united to Christ by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Our fellowship is truly with the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The blessed Lord had cried, saying, "He that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters;" and this He spake of the Holy Spirit, who was not yet, because that He (Jesus) had not been glorified.
Now, ten days after the Lord Jesus had been glorified at the right hand of the Majesty on high, the Holy Spirit did descend from heaven and indwelt those who believed in Jesus, and so united them to Christ in glory, in whom dwells the fullness of the Spirit. Acts 2 reveals this wonderful event. Multitudes were at that time delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of the Son of God's love. (Col. 1:2222In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: (Colossians 1:22).) Satan was naturally alarmed, and at once set up a tremendous opposition, the head of which was one Saul of Tarsus. Saul did all he could to destroy the saints of God, but if God be for us, who can be against us? and therefore the more the saints were persecuted, the more they multiplied and grew. Saul of Tarsus, fearful as was his enmity against God and His Christ, was yet an object of the eternal love of God. And so we read that while he was going on a mission of destruction, the God of grace and glory met and stopped him in his wild career, the Lord calling to him from heaven, saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou ME?" The Lord Jesus had met Satan before this, and had overcome him. He now again meets him and dismisses him. Mark the words of our Lord, "Why persecutest thou ME?" (Acts 9.) We have said that the Holy Spirit of God when He descended on the day of Pentecost, had, by indwelling the believers, united them to Christ in heaven, hence the word "Me." "Why persecutest thou MET' Such was the closeness of this union, that the members on earth could not be touched without the Head in glory being touched also. This is most important, and it is precious as it is important—Christ and the believer are one.
Saul is converted to God, and is himself united by the Holy Spirit to the Christ in heaven. To him, in a special manner, is committed the doctrine and the truth of this union of believers to Christ in heaven. The mystery had existed before the coming of the Holy Spirit, but the teaching or the doctrine of the mystery had not been made known. This was given to Paul, and to him alone, by the revelation of God. It is this I desire to call attention to now, as being of much and practical importance to us; much, very much real blessing is missed by not understanding the truth of this "ME," "Why persecutest thou ME?"
It is in the 3rd chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians, that Paul gives us the Spirit's instruction on the subject of this "ME," that this is the one body of Christ, and this is the truth of this dispensation. The Apostle opens the subject in a somewhat remarkable manner. He says, "If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God," there is something new there. He would not have written, "If ye have heard" if it had been a well-known subject he was about to speak of. In the first place, then, this new thing was the "dispensation of the GRACE of God." The dispensation of the law was a well-known subject and that of the prophets. But now it is the time of grace, when God is displaying His rich, free, and full favor to the chief of sinners. We are saved by grace; we stand in grace; we are kept by grace; yea, God is making Himself known in every aspect and variety of His grace, for He is "THE GOD OF ALL GRACE." The law was given and confined to the Jews, but now "the grace of God that bringeth salvation hash appeared to all." It is, then, now the dispensation, not of law, but of the revelation of God in His FREE, FULL, and SOVEREIGN grace, and it is grace that reigns through righteousness, God being perfectly just in showing forth all His favor and love to whomsoever He will.
Now we go a step further. In this day of grace, there is a something brought out, which the Spirit of God calls "the MYSTERY." This is something quite new. New to man, but not so to God, because it was His eternal purpose to bring it out, and it was hid in God from the beginning of the world. (Eph. 3:9-119And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: (Ephesians 3:9‑11)) It must be observed, too, that the apostle says, "How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery." It was by revelation. Why so? Why not by the Scriptures? This is very important. It was not made known by the Scriptures for this simple reason, that it is not to be found in the Scriptures as written in Paul's times. This great mystery is not anywhere mentioned in the Old Testament or hinted at. The mystery could, therefore, alone be made known to Paul by a direct revelation of God, and in this way it was made known to him.
Again, it is of interest and importance to us to notice that this mystery had been kept secret, hid in God from all eternity, and never made known to any one until after the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Mark too, how he insists again and again on this, and that most emphatically. Observe then, please, how he writes (Eph. 3:33How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, (Ephesians 3:3)), "He made known unto ME;" ver. 4, "Whereby when ye read ye may understand MY knowledge in the mystery of Christ;" ver. 5 is very marked indeed. He writes, "In other ages was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now revealed." Then again he says," Whereof I am made a minister;" then, "Unto ME," ver. 8, and in ver. 9, "to make known unto ME." Thus, then, we have it plainly stated by the Spirit of God that this mystery was hid in God from all eternity, until He, by revelation, made it known to the apostle Paul, and to no one else.
The question now arises, what is this mystery? It is clearly stated in the 6th verse of this third chapter of the Ephesians. It is, that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs with the Jews in the common blessings of the Gospel. That the Jews should no longer be the only recipients of God's blessings, but that the Gentiles should be brought into the favor of God, and be as "the SAME BODY." Since the death of Christ, the grace of God went out alike to Jew and Gentile, and of all nations and peoples, God would take out a people and form them by the Holy Spirit into ONE BODY. All believers in Christ were to be sharers of the same salvation in Christ, and to be of the same body, and of this body Christ is the Head in heaven. God hath raised Him from the dead and glorified Him in heaven, seating Him far above all principality, and power, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but in that which is to come, and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the Head over all things to the Church, which is the fullness of Him who filleth all in all. (Eph. 1:21-2321Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. (Ephesians 1:21‑23).) Thus, then, the Lord Jesus has been raised from the dead and glorified in heaven, not only as Lord and Savior, but as the HEAD of a BODY. In this Head the fullness of the Spirit dwells, and to this Head all true believers are united by the Spirit dwelling also in them. "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." (1 Cor. 12:1313For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13)). "There is one body and one Spirit." (Eph. 4:44There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (Ephesians 4:4)). It is the special work of the Holy Spirit to gather of all nations a people, and form them into one body, uniting them as members to Christ, the glorified Head. This union is most perfect and intimate, so that we are one Spirit with the Lord, and Christ says of us, We are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. (Eph. 5:3030For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (Ephesians 5:30)). This is so complete, that Christ loves the body as Himself. The Christ of God is Christ and His members in one body. He can and does call it Himself ME. "Why persecutest thou ME?" The Holy Spirit is the true Eliezer who has come out from the Father to find the true Rebekah for the heavenly Isaac, even the Lord Jesus Christ. It is indeed a great mystery, but it is concerning Christ and the Church. (Eph. 5:3232This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Ephesians 5:32).) And I again say this is of the utmost moment to us, for this is truly practical truth, and it is the special and the practical thing that is engaging the thoughts and the affections of the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven, and it is the one thing that is occupying the activities of the Spirit of God. We are called to live not only as children of God, but as members of the one body of Christ. If we do not understand this truth we are as yet ignorant of the present actings of God in the earth.
The apostle having thus stated what the mystery of Christ is, proceeds to show its practical character. He says that he was the minister of it, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto him by the effectual working of His power; and the object, therefore, of his ministry, was to make all men know what is the fellowship of the mystery of Christ's body. This body of Christ, then, was to be seen, and the end of Paul's ministry was to make it seen. It was to be a witness for Christ in His rejection. The body of Christ is or was to be the epistle of Christ, seen and read by all men. Not only were the individual believers, but the one body of Christ was to be His epistle, that He might be seen and read in it while He was Himself absent. This is of real importance and interest to us. Where is now to be seen the one body of Christ? At Corinth we read of all the saints assembling by the Holy Spirit in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to break bread in remembrance of Christ, and thus they did as members of His one body. (1 Cor. 10;11.) Any one going to Corinth on the first day of the week to break bread could easily find the one body of Christ. All in Corinth would know. Where is this now? Does the world believe that God has sent Christ by seeing all the members of Christ's body gathering as such by the Holy Spirit, to the name and person of the Lord?
Then there was a second object in the ministry of Paul, in connection with the one body of Christ. It was to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known the manifold wisdom of God. God's purpose is, that in the Church all the various and manifold aspects and counsels of His wisdom should be displayed, so that all the heavenly intelligences should see and know it. But what do they see looking down from heaven at the one body of Christ? Do they see the body of Christ in its oneness, or in its divided condition? This is surely an important and practical question for all true believers, and should not our hearts and consciences be exercised on its account? To man on earth the one body of Christ was to be the witness and the epistle of Christ in its oneness. So, too, the angels in heaven were to see this one body of Christ in all its oneness. Is it not all a sad failure? Do then let us have a conscience about this solemn matter, It is indeed a matter for much exercise; the Spirit of God is here to form this body and bride for Christ, and man has come in and caused a failure, I mean as to its being seen by man and angels as one body. Of course, blessed be God, there is the one body by the one Spirit, and yet in glory God will accomplish all His purposes respecting it. If we feel this failure, and look to the Lord about it, and what is due to Him in this time of ruin, He will give us light and guidance, so that we may to the best of our ability glorify Him. He will indeed show us His mind and will, if we are really exercised about His claims, and if we confess to Him the sin of the Church's departure. What a principle it is in a day of Church ruin to feel, may I say, a sympathy with the Head of the body—the Church, to have a real and a practical interest in all that which is so interesting to Himself. But such even now is the oneness of the members by the one Spirit that we may have, and the Head of the body delights that we should have, and feel a concern in all that concerns Him. We are not writing about an idea, a mere theory, but a clear and practical reality. May we then encourage ourselves in this blessed, new, and divine intimacy of communion, with our Head in heaven.
There are some further details of truth as to the one body in 1 Cor. 12. It will indeed be well if the reader would take it up, and give it prayerful and repeated attention, dwelling on each verse, and I may indeed say each word, for every word of God is pure and needful. I can now only make a few comments on this Cor. 12:12, 13 we have the Spirit of God's formation of the One Body. Next, the Spirit is Lord and sovereign, and bestows gifts to the members severally as HE WILL. This demands our serious and solemn attention and prayerful subjection. The Spirit of God is sovereign, and by Him it is we pray and worship, walk and serve. For it is He, and He alone, who can and does take of the things of Christ and show them unto us. It is not by human learning and wisdom we know God. It is not by power or by might, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord. If we do not then give the Holy Spirit His due, proper, and sovereign place, what are we, and what can we do acceptable to God? Then, again, this 1 Cor. 12 teaches that there is no independency in the one body of Christ. Each member is needed, however strong or weak, and each is dependent on the other. The Head needs all the members, and cannot say to the feet, I have no need of you. The members are to be in full and practical love and sympathy with each other, so that there should be no divisions in the body, but that all the members should have the same care one for another; for if one member suffer, all suffer with it; and if one member be honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Thus, then, we have seen that it is the clearly revealed mind and will of God that His children, united by the Holy Spirit into one body, should be so seen of man and angels. Now, are our wills one with God's, and are we ready to do all He would have us to do in respect to the Body of His Christ? Again, I say, read the Word of God, and in doing so, wait on and expect the Holy Spirit Himself to teach, and He will do so.
I add a few scriptures for the reader's prayerful attention. John 11:5252And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad. (John 11:52); John 17:11, 2111And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. (John 17:11)
21That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:21); Acts 2:1111Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. (Acts 2:11); Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 1, 10, 12; Eph. 2, 3, 4; 1 Tim. 3:1515But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. (1 Timothy 3:15).