The first thing the soul needs to learn and know from God’s Word, is, where it is before God, or, “Adam, where art thou?” and the blessed way God has Himself met that deep, deep need of a fallen, sinful child of Adam, helpless to be anything, or do anything to make himself fit for God’s holy presence, God sending His own Son into the world, that we might live through Him, and also “to be a propitiation for our sins,” thus revealing Himself as a Savior God—as love! In a way too, that does not set aside His holiness, righteousness, majesty, or truth, but maintaining all that He is, so that “the righteousness of God” is revealed in the message He sends us, in “the gospel of God” (Rom. 1).
After, through grace, we believe this message, and are saved, “For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes it.” God gives us the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1), which gift is both the earnest of what we are going to inherit at the coming of our Lord Jesus, and gives us the consciousness of being brought into new and spiritual relationships, so that we know that we are not only saved sinners, and going to heaven bye and bye, but that we are sons now!
The spirit of bondage and fear are gone, and the spirit of adoption has come in, and we cry, “Abba, Father!” (Rom. 8). Also “Christ is in the Father, and we in Christ, and Christ in us” (John 14:2020At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20)): That we are in Christ before God, and Christ is in us before men! How precious it is to know our position before God, and acceptance in Christ! and our relationship to Him as children, dear children, and the Father’s love, the love of relationship!
But there is another relationship we are brought into, and another preaching, besides the preaching of the Gospel, called “the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the Mystery.” This Mystery (Eph. 3), was never known before the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, and is a consequence of His sending and giving the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, and was specially revealed to the Apostle Paul, and taught by him. Though it was illustrated in figure and type in the Old Testament times, the gospel was promised, and spoken of then, but not the Mystery as it is now. So, in Romans 16:2525Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, (Romans 16:25), we find it spoken of as a distinct testimony, and called “the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the Mystery.” Notice, that it is not only the preaching of “the Mystery,” but Jesus Christ according to that revelation! Have we believed it? Are we enjoying it?
In Ephesians 1 and Colossians 1, Christ is brought before us as exalted, and put over everything in heaven or on earth. “Head over all things to the Church which is His body!” Just as the first man Adam, before he fell, was put over everything God had created here below. But there was no helpmeet for him. He was alone, until God caused a deep sleep to come upon Adam, and “took one of his ribs,” and of the rib made a woman, and brought her to the man. She was not, like Adam formed out of the dust of the ground and then breathed into, thus getting the breath of life. But she was taken out of the man, derived her natural life, actually and literally from Adam! So that when Adam awoke out of that deep sleep, and saw before him that beautiful creature God had given him, he said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh, she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man!” And in Ephesians 5, this is referred to in connection with Christ and the Church (verses 31, 32).
Yes, dear believer, for we derive our spiritual life from our Head, Christ, having gone into the deep, deep sleep of death on the cross, and as the risen One becoming our life! He is going to present us to Himself “a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (as God presented Eve to Adam) when He comes again.
Then look at the love of this wonderful relationship to Christ in glory. “He loved the church and gave Himself for it,” on the cross, to save us. He goes on loving us as a man loves himself (Eph. 5:2929For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: (Ephesians 5:29)). Now He is on the throne, and because we are members of His body, we are of His flesh, and of His bone! So He nourishes and cherishes it His body, and His Bride. Adam and Eve became one flesh and “He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit!”
“One spirit with the Lord
Jesus, the glorified,
Esteems the church for which He bled,
His body, and His Bride.”
Is it not wonderful? And is it not blessed?
Now let me refer you to the Song of Songs, and ask you to read the 4th chapter, where in a figurative way, Christ speaks to us as a Bridegroom, and we learn how precious we are to Him, and His thoughts of us! Primarily, this is Christ and His earthly Bride. But the relationship of Christ and the heavenly Bride being the same we may, and should listen to, and enjoy the Bridegroom love of Christ to us, for thus He loves us! We read, as He looks at us from head to foot as it were, that in His eyes we are “all fair,” and though we know our love to Him is so feeble, He sees it, and calls it, having “doves eyes within our locks.”
Verse 7. “Thou art all fair My love, there is no spot in thee.”
How precious to hear Him say this to us. And how is it that He can do so? Dear fellow believer, because though redemption is not mentioned in this Song, or the precious blood, yet it is supposed and He, the risen One, being “our life,” He sees us in the life we have derived from and have in Him, as Adam looked at Eve in the life she had derived from him! Christ in giving Himself for us on the cross, cleared and cleansed us from our old Adam life, and all its sins too; so that He sees us “all fair, My love, no spot in thee.” “When Christ, who is our life shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory.” Then in the same chapter (S. of S.). He tells us that we are wholly, entirely His, for Himself! “We are not our own, for we are bought with a price!” (1 Cor. 6:19, 2019What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19‑20)). “A garden enclosed, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed” for Himself!
Do we believe this? Are we willing to be entirely His? Will you, like Rebekah, when asked, “Will you go with this man?” and Eliezer who had come to get a bride for Isaac, said, “Send me away to my master.” “Hinder me not.” Rebekah answered, “Yes, I will go.” May you and I, fellow believer, not cling to our country (the world), or our kindred (the unbeliever’s company round us), or our dearest friends, and relatives who would hinder us from being heartily and wholly yielded up to Christ our Bridegroom and Savior too, who loved us and gave Himself up for us—to have us for Himself!
May we too, say, “I will go!” for “I am my beloved’s, and His affections are towards me!” The journey will not last much longer, soon our Isaac, the true Isaac, will come to meet us. He is patiently waiting for His Bride.
“Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”