Chapter
VI.
PRESENT TRUTH
63
AT least seven realities not seen by the Old Testament writers were brought
into view and made possible through the cross. These, with all correlated
truth, form the distinct revelation of "grace and truth" that
"came by Jesus Christ" and "the New Testament in his blood."
Peter writes of this body of Scripture as "present truth" (2
Pet. i. 12), doubtless from the fact that it sets forth the divine blessings
and relationships which are obviously effective within the present age.
These new unfoldings of "grace and truth," it will be seen,
are in no way related to, or a part of, those earthly kingdom revelations
which had been previously recorded by the sacred writers. Much is in contrast
between these two bodies of truth; but it is even more important to see
that a great difference lies in the fact that one treats of a celestial
sphere of spiritual reality which is as much above the temporal, earthly
covenants of the other as heaven is higher than the earth.
These new conditions
flowing from, and made possible by, the cross are not a readjustment of
defeated Old Testament purposes, or the merging of the old order into
the new. What was purposed in the earthly kingdom is still following its
own
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divine order and development to its own mighty consummation. Its present
form is exactly what God intended it to be at this hour, and all this
will lead as certainly to the fulfillment of every predicted manifestation
in the earth. Christianity is totally opposite to Judaism and any mixture
of the two must result in the loss of all that is vital in the present
plan of Salvation. One made its appeal to the limited resources of the
natural man and conditioned his life on the earth: the other sets aside
the natural man, secures a whole new creation in Christ Jesus, and counsels
that new being in his pilgrim journey to his heavenly, home. Israel's
kingdom revelation, dealing with the past or present, does not gather
into itself the distinct relationships that form the elements of "present
truth," which are for this age only. On the other hand, the kingdom
realization awaits the return of the King. The prolonged dispersions of
Israel among the nations, with the divine preservation of that people,
is not only clearly anticipated in Scripture (Hos. iii. 4, 5; Lk. xxi.
24; Rom. xi. 25; Acts xv. 13-18; Lk. xix. 11-13), but is one of the most
evident facts of history. With the Gentile world opposing the Jew, at
times bent upon their extermination, behold them now! Although comparatively
few in number, they are rapidly rising to the place of command among the
peoples of earth in finance, in the professions, in science and the fine
arts. What this augurs to the devout student of Jewish prophecy is obvious.
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The new issues, growing out of the cross, which confront the Bible student
are:
1. Life
from God through a new birth by the Spirit.
What relation
to God was accorded to Old Testament saints is not clearly revealed. Doubtless
they were individually renewed by the Spirit as they came to believe in
God for their personal salvation. Whatever may have been the result of
their spiritual change, they knew nothing of a new life and sonship as
it is set forth in the New Testament. Nicodemus, than whom the nation
could then produce no better, and representing the very highest product
of the "Jew's religion," needed to be told that even he "must
be born again." So foreign was this to his knowledge of truth that
he could only reply: "How can these things be?" Paul, who had
lived "in all good conscience" within the revelations of the
nation's faith, must be transformed into a new creature on the Damascus
road. After this he ceased not to pray for like members of his own nation
who had a "zeal for God" that they, too, might be saved. One
passage upon this point may be sufficient:
"But
when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law,
that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because we are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father.
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Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then
an heir of God through Christ" (Gal. iv. 4-7).
The new life
by the Spirit is presented in the Scriptures as the fundamental and distinguishing
fact of the Christian. Upwards of a hundred New Testament passages emphasize
this truth. In these passages a "new creation," or species,
is said to be formed by the mighty creative power of God (Eph. ii. 10).
This newly created one is not of this earth, but is a citizen of heaven
(Phil. iii. 20). He is a legitimate son of God by a legitimate birth through
the Spirit (Jno. iii. 6);possessing the divine nature (2 Pet. i. 4), which
is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. iii. 23). Being properly
a son of God, he is said to be an heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus
Christ (Rom. viii. 17; Gal. iv. 7).
God alone is
sufficient for the miracles that together produce a Christian, and the
reasonableness of the way of salvation is seen in that it must be received
as a gift and on the basis of trusting Him for its accomplishment. This
fact of regeneration is the only present issue between God and an unsaved
person. When this is accomplished the obviously desirable reformation
in life and conduct will be outwardly manifested by the new inwrought
divine nature and power.
How short the
vision is which can see no farther than to strive for the reformation
of an individual in matters of purpose and conduct, as desirable as
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such reformation may be, when the divine plan to produce a whole new being
with its new heart, disposition and power is so plainly revealed! It is
puerile to be obsessed with a by-product of the fact of eternal life.
Certainly this is not an abstract issue: having passed from death unto
life has been, and will be, the abiding miracle in the life of individuals
of all generations from the cross of Christ until He comes again. As certainly,
also, such efforts toward reformation cannot be justified from Scripture;
for interpretations which would suggest conduct to be the primary issue
between God and the unsaved cannot be found unless Israel's law is borrowed,
or the humanly impossible walk of the regenerate is imposed upon the unregenerate.
2. A new
standing.
It was never
said of any Old Testament saint that he was "a member of the body
of Christ," or that he was "accepted in the beloved;" but
the New Testament saint is all this, and has been "made the righteousness
of God in him" (Rom. iii. 21, 22; x. 3, 4; 1 Cor. i. 30; 2 Cor. v.
21; Eph. i. 6).
3. A new
sufficiency.
As truly as
the Christian is a new creature and a heavenly citizen, so every condition
within the new life is supernatural. The human limitation has been perfectly
anticipated and provided for in the fact that the all-sufficient Spirit
indwells every saved person (Rom. v. 5; viii. 9; Jno. iii. 6; vii. 39;
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xiv.16, 17; Gal. vi. 4; 1 Cor. vi. 19). This universal abiding presence
of the Spirit in a saved person, providing nothing short of the sufficiency
of God for the least of His children, is a vastly different relationship
than had been known before (Jno. vii. 37-39).
4. A new
service.
Service, in
the Old Testament, consisted largely in going into the temple, or tabernacle,
to offer a sacrifice for sin: in the New Testament it is going out to
the uttermost parts of the earth to witness to a perfect sacrifice fully
accomplished. The former had self with its personal needs in view: the
latter has found rest for self, and from self, and moves out to others
in the mighty empowering "gifts of the Spirit."
5. A new
rule of life.
The Epistles
of the New Testament present a distinct heavenly rule of life which is
gracious in contrast to law. They instruct a heavenly citizen in his normal
walk and life. Attempted obedience to these precepts will never make a
heavenly citizen: they are rather set before him because he is already
a heavenly citizen through the power of God. Therefore they do not carry
a legal imperative; but are presented as "beseechings," and
under the suggestive phrase, "as it becometh saints." The law
was given to Israel alone and only when she had been redeemed out of Egypt.
The law of Moses did not redeem Israel: it became her rule
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of life after she was redeemed. That redemption out of Egypt anticipates,
in type, the blood redemption of the cross. So, also, a new governing
rule of life is given to those who are looking back in saving faith to
Calvary. Obedience to the new principle of life under grace would not
save one. It only suggests the normal manner of life for those who have
already become heavenly in being through the alone sufficient power of
God. The new principle of life through grace is superhuman (Eph. iv. 1-3,
30; v. 18-22; 2 Cor. x. 4, 5; 1 Pet. ii. 9, etc.); but according to the
purpose of God it is to be perfectly fulfilled by the power of the indwelling
Spirit (Gal. v. 16; Rom. viii. 2). The law said, "Love thy neighbor
as thyself" (Lev. xviii. 18; Mt. xix. 19; xxii. 39; Rom. xiii. 9;
Gal. v. 14; Jas. ii. 8). Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto
you that ye love one another as I have loved you" (Jno. xiii. 34,
35; xv. 12, 13). There could not be a more impossible requirement than
that we, of ourselves, should love as He has loved us; but such divine
love is produced in us by the unhindered Spirit (Rom. v. 5; Gal. v. 22).
6. A new
purpose.
Most evidently
God is not now offering an earthly kingdom to any one nation; nor is He
saving every individual of all nations. There is a process of selection
going on (if it be held that God is now accomplishing His own will), and,
while the Gospel might be preached to all, there is no evidence from
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history that all who have heard it have been saved, or teaching in the
Scripture that all would be saved. God is seen to be dealing with individuals,
both Jews and Gentiles, and in such a manner that each one thus dealt
with is to be finally changed into the image of Christ, and collectively
as His body and bride to be forever with Him.
7. A new
prospect.
Centuries before
the cross the King and His Messianic kingdom was rightfully expected by
the nation to whom the manifestation of the King and the establishment
of the kingdom had been promised, and this kingdom was still in view when
the new revelation concerning the return of Christ was presented. While
the promises to Israel are suffering prolonged delay, the heavenly bride
is being called out, and unto her is given a new hope and prospect: "The
Lord is at hand" (Phil. iv. 5).
In the light
of these seven "present truth" realities we are enabled to recognize
how great is the effect of the change from "the law which came by
Moses" and "grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ."
And when these changed, age-long conditions have run their course we are
assured that there will be a return to the legal kingdom grounds and,
the exaltation of that nation to whom pertain the covenants and promises.
The last two
elements of "present truth" presented above will each in turn
be the basis for a further study of kingdom truth.
*
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The
Kingdom in History and Prophecy
was originally published by the
Sunday School Times Company, 1021 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA.
Copyright 1915. 4th Edition, 1919. Public domain.
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