Notes of a Reading on John's Gospel
Table of Contents
Notes of a Reading on John's Gospel: John 1:1-12
Chapter 1:1-5. These verses are abstract-not history. In verse 5 we have a very singular statement. The light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Now, naturally, light cannot shine without putting aside the darkness. The light thus shining then is a very out-of-the-way, non-natural thing. As light, it is an immensely deep truth, that while God is light Himself, yet when we look upon it as it is here revealed in the world, it is for men. In the Greek the last clause of verse 4 is a reciprocal proposition. " The life was the light of men." It is not for angels, but for men. God is revealed in a way especially suited to man. It is mercy, grace, patience, &c., with which angels have nothing to do. Here then we see God revealed as the light of men and no one else. Abstract godhead is light for everyone and everything. Here it is God revealed as the light of men, and after Him as thus revealed even angels have to search. " Seen of angels." If they want to learn what God is in the character of life and light, they must learn what Christ was upon earth.
" In Him was life." This was His nature. There never was a created being of which we can say, " in him was life." We have no life in ourselves. As believers, Christ is our life. Life is in Him -ours is derivative, being from Him. Because He lives, we shalt live also.
This life is distinct from the Holy Ghost, which Christ Himself did not get officially until He was baptized, and so life and the Holy Ghost are separate things to the believer. This is seen in the difference between the Epistle to the Ephesians and the Colossians. In the former there is not merely life, but the Holy Ghost pent down as earnest of the inheritance and the power of service; while in Colossians, where life itself in connection with the Head is the subject, we do not get the Holy Ghost once mentioned, but simply the new man.
Verse 9 simply means that Christ being here, the light was not for Jews merely, but for every man-the world. Not that every man would positively see it-we know they did not-but it came for them, with an aspect towards all.
In the first part of this chapter we get what is before Genesis. When Genesis begins we have the word already, for in the beginning the Word was. The divinity and personality of the Word are very carefully spread out. In the beginning was the Word-when everything began it was; for it did not begin-it had not beginning. Then " the Word was with God." There I get, as far as our ideas and language go, personality—." the Word was God." There I get divinity. In verse 2 we get another thing, which the Fathers, as they are termed, did not understand, but were quite wrong as to it; namely, eternal personality. As to the term personality, I do not think much of it; but I know of no better. Human language is defective here.
The force of the term " Word" is that which expresses God's mind. Christ was the only living expression of truth as it is in God. The Word was the expression of God, but it is not language, but a person. The Greek word λογος does not mean merely Word, but the thought also. Word, thought, and expression of thought are all indicated in Greek by the term λογος.
Image and likeness. The term image does not express so much as likeness. Image carries with it more the idea of representative-as the image of Jupiter, which is more that which is representative of him-not his likeness. Whereas likeness may not be representative of a person, but conveys to us the idea of what the original is like. Man stood in Eden both as the image and likeness of God. He was the center of a system-in this sense representing God-for all creation centered up in Adam. Man was the image of God, not of the Word as such, although he is a type of the latter.
In this chapter we get first what the Word is in His nature and person; ( ver. 1, 2;) then we get Him as Creator, (ver. 3,) where we see Him as the maker of everything in the most absolute way.
The anti-nicene fathers were not at all orthodox. Heathen philosophy got amongst them. They were really the corrupters of the simplicity which was in Christ. Their notion was, that the Word only came out to be a person at the creation. Justin Martyr even said, that it was impossible that God should become a man. This was the result of an attempt of man to philosophize on the nature of God, to explain which is impossible.
Verse 4. In Him, was life. That is, in its very nature life was in Him. We have life as given to us by God, but in Him was life, and this was the light of men. This light is not the light which Paul says, in 1 Tim., " No man can approach unto." This was abstract Godhead -which is and must necessarily remain inaccessible light. But in the Word, the Light is seen as the light of men-light shining out for men. It shines out to sinners, and, if they receive it, also in them. Believers ought to exhibit it. In 1 Tim. 6:16, the light spoken of is quite inaccessible (ἀπρόσιτον). It is such that not only no man, but no being, (see Greek) can approach unto. This is quite different from what we have in John 1:4. In the first part of the verse in Timothy the word man is left out. It really means " no being." It is unrevealed divine light-what God is in Himself in the abstract. In the second part of this verse, " man " does come in; but the apostle is simply confirming and applying his statement; bringing it home, as it is called.
Now this light which has come out, which is revealed, the WORD, is for man; it is not adapted to angels, although they, no doubt, may see it, but it is for, fitted to, and takes its character from man. Grace, mercy, patience, love, is its character. Showing God to be connected with man in a way in which He could not be in connection with angels. This gives man a wonderful place among the creatures of God.
These first five verses in John 1 have a kind of covering character to the whole gospel. Up to the end of the eighth chapter, we find the light manifested, but men unable to use it. In chapter ix. we find Christ giving eyes in order that the light may be seen. Before this the light does not shine so as to dispel the darkness. Power is needed to work upon man and not merely light. We see here the moral effect of the light as revealed among men. God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all: there could not be darkness where He was, but there might be blindness: so here, the darkness comprehended it not. In chapter ix. we find Christ giving eyes to see the light; without this all was of no use. It is a most remarkable fact to see this light shining and the darkness comprehending it not.
Verse 6. It is very noticeable here, how that verse 5 drops from abstract statement into history. " The light shineth" but the "darkness comprehended it not." Hence we get in verse 6 history commenced. God not only sends light but sends a witness to bear testimony to the Light. Here we get the activity of God's goodness still dealing with the responsibility of man, supposing, of course, grace to make it effectual. " There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came to bear witness," &c. Verse 9 should be read, according to the best Greek authorities" That was the true Light which, coming into the world, lighteth every man."
It is a remarkable witness of the great grace of God, that He sent not only the true Light, but a witness to the Light-a witness, as it were, that the sun was shining; not only putting it there to shine, but sent to tell us to look at it. This shows us God's grace and the hardness of man's heart. At the creation, the light that shone needed not a witness to it. It was there, and man saw it; but then man was good.
In verse 10 we find that the world would not have Him. Although the world was made by Him, yet it knew Him not. Hence we get an entirely new thing brought in. " To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become sons of God," &c. Here I see how I get the power. Through receiving Christ I get life-giving power. It is not in myself at all. John is very absolute in his statements, because he deals with the truth itself. Hence we get absolute Calvinism, or rather absolute grace. Now here man is nothing at all-has nothing to do with it. Man may receive the Word-believe it-but Christ gives life. It is a gift. When we get to the root of the matter God is seen in action, and man is nothing. Still there is man's responsibility. Outwardly, as to man, it is either a good will or a bad will, but secretly and really the life comes from God. We here get another thing-life by receiving the Word: hence it is we are sons. Before Christ was revealed there might be life, but there could not be sonship. This was only brought out when the Son came into the world and was received. The expression, " power to become," is a bad translation: it should be, " right or title to be sons of God."
This verse also goes outside the Jews: it embraces all that believe. Those who are here made sons are so in contrast with the fleshly relationship which was found in the Jew. This gospel generally set things in contrast with Judaism, as may be seen in almost every chapter.
We get in this gospel no allusion to Pentecost amongst the Jewish feasts that are alluded to, because Christ here always gives us things upon earth. The pass-over was on earth, and He will be on earth at the feast of tabernacles. Christ was in heaven at Pentecost.
" Believe on his name." His name expresses what He really is. To us that name is " Jesus," which is not an official name, but a personal one. It is by this name we are saved. In the Gospels " Christ" is always an appellation-" the Christ." It became eventually a personal name and is so used frequently in the Epistles of the New Testament.
(To be continued.)
Notes of a Reading on John's Gospel: John 1:13-17
Before He rose from the dead, and ascended on high, Christ alone was anointed with the Holy Ghost. After He had died for us, He received it for us; but it could not be for us until He had atoned for sins; but it is important to see that then He received it for us.
As to the Holy Ghost, it was a question discussed between the eastern and western churches whether He proceeded from the Father only, or from the Father and the Son. But the question is simply a theological one, and it is not worth while taking up either side-in one sense, they are both right.
In answer to a question on John 14, as to the Holy Ghost, " He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you," it was remarked that there was one very unhappy thing in our translation of the New Testament—the pains-taking change of words in English to represent the same word in the Greek. The passage quoted is an instance of the evil of this; for its force seems to be that the Holy Ghost was already with them, but would soon be in them; but the true meaning is, " He shall abide with you, and be in _ you," i.e., " He shall not leave you as I do now, but remain with you; and more even than that-He shall be in you." It is really descriptive of what the Holy Ghost would be when He came. He would abide with them, and not leave them.
We have an instance of the same thing in our translators in John 5, as to the word " damnation."
Ver. 13. Those who are said to be sons are further said to be born of the will of God-the will of man and of the flesh having no place.
Ver. 14, &c. In this verse Christ is seen in His own proper revelation, but as the fullness to us. " The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth: and of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace." The other parts of this passage are parentheses. Verse 17 continues what John the Evangelist says. The expression "grace for grace" is cumulative, meaning grace upon grace.
The verse should be, " We beheld His glory, the glory as of an only-begotten from a Father," &c. Here it is the kind of glory that the apostles saw that is mentioned. It was the glory of an only-begotten from His Father-it is the character of the glory which they saw. s They saw Him in sonship-glory, and in only-begotten sonship-glory. This glory is His; in it He is entirely alone. None but Himself can be only-begotten: it is personally His alone. It is not here " the glory which thou halt given me I have given them." In John 17 we get both ends, so to speak, of His glory; for in one sense He takes His glory again as man. But there is an aspect of His glory in which none can partake with Him.
He dwelt among us full of grace and truth, and of. His fullness have we received. I cannot say I am full of grace and truth; I have received of Him. We get the same thing that is in Him, but in a derived way. He is the source and center, and we shall always see something in Him far above us, and which will give the heart delight. The nearer we get to Christ the more shall we see this. There is, however, something more for us than even sharing His glory-we shall be like Him when we see Him as He is. I see then the glory and blessedness in which I am found in Him. What I have is His, and therefore I value and bless Him.
We are partakers of the divine nature, but we are not divinity. There are two Greek words used for the divine nature, θεότης and θειότης. The former really means divinity, and applies to Christ alone; the latter is such as may be used of us-godlike, divine. I could not say that in me dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead (θεὀτης) bodily, it would be blasphemy; but Christ could, because He was 0€07719, I can, however, say I have the divine nature (θεία φύσις) by faith. But this is very different from Godhead. As Son He was divine (θεὀτης). This is seen in the transfiguration where we see the two glorified ones in the same glory as Christ, but directly there is a thought of classing them essentially together, then there is a testimony to His divine nature, and the other two disappear. It is a very important thing to see clearly the difference between the divine nature in us and in Christ; we shall find the word of God very clear and exact on this point. I must have the nature of Christ to understand divine things, and to partake of His glory; but I must distinguish between His nature and His person, for when I get to His person He stands essentially and entirely alone. " We beheld," i.e., they apprehended that Christ was before them as a Son from His Father. This does not so much refer to what the apostles apprehended in His lifetime on earth, when they were dull; but is their apprehension of what they saw as they looked back upon it by the help of the Holy Ghost, and understood what it was they really did see. Before the Holy Ghost came they had not true apprehensions of it. The whole' life of Christ was a moral manifestation of His glory. Even the miracles in John are presented as manifesting His glory, and this glory was the glory of the only-begotten of the Father. The miracles of Christ have a very deep character, there are heaps of things to be noticed of them. There was in them something more than the outward act of power-even divine grace and love to man in his lost and ruined condition. There are also Christ's character and spirit to be seen in them. This is most remarkably seen in His raising the son of the widow of Nain, and still more at the grave of Lazarus..
Ver. 17. We get contrast here. The law was given by Moses: it was not sent-it was given. A person comes. When God did not come, He gave a law. Law is not a revelation of God's character: it is absurd to apply it thus to God. It is not a transcript of God's character, but of the creature's character. How can " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" apply to God? He has no neighbor. Law expresses the perfection of the creature-not God. If it were fulfilled on earth, we should have a heaven upon earth. Christ even was not simply perfect according to the law, but a great deal more-He loved sinners. Giving oneself up for others is not loving my neighbor as myself merely, but better than myself. I am bound as a creature to love my neighbor as myself; but Christ was not bound to die for sinners. As a Christian I have to act as He acted. What He did went much further than the law. Still He came to do God's will. " Lo I come to do thy will, Ο God." Hence all that will became duty to Him. So with us. We are creatures, and as creatures we owe it to God to do all that His love requires of us. It is quite wrong to be afraid of the word commandments. God has His commandments for His children to keep, so also has Christ. It is not law in the scriptural sense, but still it is commandment. Love is the fulfilling of the law; and therefore if I love I do not want law, but I do want commandment, the expression of God's will. Christ was not a lawgiver, although He gave commandments. Moses was the lawgiver-law came by him. We have to do with obedience, but not with law. I do not call my Father a lawgiver, although He gives me commandments and I obey them. I am subject to Him. So the saints are under subjection to Christ.
Grace and truth came by a person-Jesus Christ. Here we get a perfect contrast. Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ-by a person. In fact, God Himself came and brought grace and truth. The law is given to me to pre scribe a line of conduct by which I learn what my duty is, and it claims judgment; but Christ comes when law has been broken, and judgment must be condemnation, and He brings with Him grace and truth. Truth is not judgment, although it leads us to judge ourselves. The truth comes about something. So in this case. The devil and man looked very amiable until Christ came and put matters in the right light-brought in the truth. I must not forget this, the truth is about something. Now when the truth comes it is with grace, otherwise it would upset us; and it is an immensely important fact that truth and grace are come. If I have Christ I have everything needed for the knowledge of God, of Satan, of man, and of the state of my own soul, and I have perfect grace with it. The truth itself is not here the question, as that is abstract, still Christ was the truth. Yet the truth is something about another thing. God is not the truth, but the One from whom the truth comes.
(Continued from page 247)
(To be continued.)
Notes of a Reading on John's Gospel: John 1:18-34
When the Word came-Christ-He brought the truth about everything with Him-it was in Himself-He was the Truth, what He said thoroughly made known what He was. In Him I get the truth about God, about man, about myself, and about Satan. The error with which Professor Maurice set out was confounding the truth with God.
There is another thing-rectitude of heart and the truth always go together.
This is seen in Christ, who was Himself the Truth-it was in Him-and He was it; but we must always know in part. In Christ alone was there perfect reality, sincerity; and we have sincerity in so far as we have Him. Where Christ is not there is no sincerity-that is reality. There may be what men call sincerity, where the heart is dark, and has been badly taught; but in this case there cannot be reality, for the truth only is real. There may be ignorance, but ignorance may be culpable, for it. might have been prevented. It was the case with the Jews: they remained ignorant of Christ, because of the state they were in; hence He said, " They bad both seen and hated him and his Father." Yet in grace he prayed, " Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." So Peter says, " Brethren, I wet that through ignorance ye did it, as also did your rulers;" but surely this ignorance was highly culpable, however sincere they may have been in it. Paul also said that what he did against Christ was done in ignorance and unbelief; but he does not palliate, but himself confesses that he was the chief of sinners. Yet in his natural state he was sincere as men speak-following his conscience.
It is impossible that the truth can be separated from the grace in this verse, because it was God revealing Himself in Christ. God is love; therefore, if God revealed Himself there must be grace. Truth given without Christ coming personally would be judgment. God may give a law without revealing Himself, but directly He says " Came," then grace and truth must come out. The evangelist puts grace first, because doubtless he felt it was what really suited his own case. After the death of Christ grace reigns.
Ver. 18. Here we get Christ as the only-begotten Son. it is not, He was in the bosom of the Father, as though He had left it, but, " is in the bosom of the Father." There He is even when upon earth, and even upon the cross it was true. He was always in the nearness of intimacy indicated by the expression, " in the bosom a the Father."
On the cross He was, of course, not enjoying this relationship, but bearing wrath. The expression, " from the bosom of the Father," is rather inexact, for Christ never left the bosom of the Father. The passage, " Son of man which is in heaven" connects the manhood with the divinity; the Son was in heaven, and that Son was a man upon the earth, therefore might it be said, " Son of man in heaven."
On the cross, Christ was under wrath, and therefore-although He was then doing something on account of which the Father would in a very especial sense love Him-yet then. He could not be enjoying the relationship between Him and His Father. In one sense, the Father never loved the Son so much as when He was upon the cross. This was ' what was in the Father's mind, not what was in Christ's, who could not be enjoying His relationship and drinking the cup of wrath at the same time. He gave Himself up to drink this cup. On the cross He was entirely occupied in bearing the wrath: it. required a divine person really to apprehend infinitely what the wrath of God was. I apprehend that at that time Christ was fully occupied with what He was bearing-infinite pain-which He infinitely realized. God was to be glorified on account of sin, and only such a One as He could do it. Still it is a very deep mystery, and it becomes us to be very careful in speaking about it. We find, however, that the time Christ was upon the cross was most distinctly clouded. There is a period before the three hours of darkness and a period afterward, when Christ on the cross uses the term " Father." He does not use it during the three hours of darkness: during this time He appears to be entirely occupied with God-bearing wrath; everything is shut out but what was passing between Him and God. It is exceedingly terrible this three hours of darkness. It is this terrible character of bearing wrath which makes it so dreadful to think, that in His life Christ was bearing wrath. Christ sympathizes with the judgment He was bearing, feeling
that it was right. See Psa. 22 Christ really bore this wrath before His death, and when it was all done He gave up His life. After the bitter cry-My God, why hast thou forsaken me!—-we see Him calmly giving up His spirit to His Father. The depth of death, looked at as the wages of sin, had been gone through during the hours of darkness. We see first, all man's wickedness in His crucifixion fully brought out; then darkness-darkness and wrath-God forsaking Him. Afterward, having borne this wrath, He comes out and occupies Himself in fulfilling the rest of the scripture which had to be fulfilled in His death. The expression, " It is finished," shows us that just then He was departing because everything was done. It was a most blessed time for Him, for the bitterness of death was past-He was going to Paradise. He must actually die in order that the blood and water might come out for us. We never could enter into what Christ entered into upon the cross, therefore it was that He went through it for us.
We have no revelation of what He passed through during the three hours of darkness: we could not understand it, it was between Him and God alone.
In John's Gospel we never get Jesus dying, as it were, but simply His going out of the world to His Father. In John we get a divine person acting for us; in the other gospels, a man suffering for us.
His dying bodily was the giving effect to all that He did, in order to make it accessible to us.
He hath declared Him-not revealed. The word here used ἐξηγέομαι implies rather more detail. It is the same word which occurs in Luke for relations, and means to tell, narrate, recount, make known. It is a different word to that used in chapter 27:26, " I have declared unto them thy name and will declare it." In verse 18 of our chapter the word is used in the sense of relating what He knew of the Father. It would, perhaps, be better here to say, " Of the bosom of the Father," than " In the bosom of the Father." This verse closes the revelation of what Christ was. Now in verse 19 we get into history. Verse 15 is a parenthesis concerning the Baptist's testimony to Christ, who comes after John as to His appearance in the flesh, but is preferred before him, has the precedence of him, because He was before him. John distinctly apprehends this. Verse 16 should be read in connection with verse 14.
Ver. 19-28. We have here the Baptist's testimony as to his own position) and as to what Christ was. This carries us up to end of verse 28.
Ver. 29-34. The Baptist here says, " Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world." He does not say has taken away. The expression is abstract, and represents the entire bearing of Christ's work before God. Everything that God does now, it is in respect of sin; whether it be grace or judgment, it is in respect of sin. Well, the result of Christ's work will be that all will be totally changed, sin will be gone, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness; that is, Christ will be found to have taken away the sin of the world; for as the result of His work all God's dealings will be founded upon righteousness. The full effect of this will not be seen in the millennium, for then there will he sin to be dealt with, but not in the new heavens and earth. " Taketh away" has not in this verse the sense given in the margin of our Bibles-" Beareth away." It is not a sacrificial term. It has been said, by some that on account of what Christ has done no man will be condemned for sin as such, but because he did not believe in Christ. This is totally false, for God will judge men for sins. Christ said, " If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." The other doctrine is the result of trying to make God agreeable to sinners instead of sinners agreeable to God.
(Continued front page 352.)
(To be continued.)
Notes of a Reading on John's Gospel: John 1:31-51
It is because of sin that wrath comes. To deny this is to deny the word. If all that is meant is, that now God is dealing with the world in simple grace, there is nothing to object. But now, sin is the occasion of all His dealings
with the world; grace, mercy, and even providence, which has the character of patience towards the wicked, all have reference to the sin of man.
In this gospel, where grace towards the Church is so fully and distinctly brought out, the gospel towards the world is also much spoken of; it is always, in fact, the world-aspect we get in John, in contrast with the Jews.
It is not here " Lamb of God," in the sense of the Lamb suited to Him, but has more the idea of relationship, God's Lamb, as Abraham said to Isaac: " My son, God will provide himself a Iamb," &c.
Ver. 31. " I knew him not." John did know Christ prophetically, hence he said to Him when He came to him to be baptized, " I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" But he did not know Him as the Son of God until the Holy Ghost pointed Him out. The fact of John sending two of his disciples to Christ to inquire concerning Him, (see Matt. 11,) is collateral proof that John did not fully know who
Jesus was. As in the first eighteen verses we get the testimony of what Christ was Himself, in 19-34 we get John's testimony to Christ, which was that He was the Son of God.
Ver. 35, &c. Here we get another thing-the gathering to Christ of the remnant of Israel. This is the present historical result of the manifestation of Christ among the Jews. First we have the gathering to Christ through the instrumentality of the Baptist, 35 -42; then the gathering of Christ Himself and His disciples, 43-51; then the third day, a marriage in Cana of Galilee. There appears to be five days mentioned here: there are two days of the Baptist's testimony in Judea, a testimony first of darkness—" there stands one among you whom you know not;" (ver. 19-28;) then a testimony of light-" Behold the Lamb of God." (Ver. 29-34.) These two days are preparatory to the others; in them the sphere of the subject is larger-it is the world-but there is no gathering going on. In the three days, of which the marriage in Cana is one, Christ becomes the center round which others gather. In verse 35 John begins to gather to Christ: he sends by his testimony two of his disciples to Christ. Then verse 40, Jesus begins to gather Himself. All this gathering is among the Jews-it is the remnant. In chapter ii. we have the third day, when Christ comes to a marriage in Cana.
A question was now put as to the real force of verse 29, in answer to which it was said, God is now, on the ground of the work of Christ, dealing in grace. This verse refers to the result of Christ's work. Infants are not at all concerned in it especially. It shows the value of the work of Christ, not the application of it. It is not that what people call the guilt of original sin is removed. God is not dealing with men about this, but He will take even this up at the end in judgment; but what is here meant is, that Christ is the one who will eventually remove all sin from the world, so as to make it clear of all evil, and a dwelling-place of righteousness. Now, on the ground of the work of Christ, God is not imputing their trespasses to men; and upon the ground of Christ's being the taker away of the sin of the world, we can say to all men, " Come, for the blood is upon the mercy-seat." It is not merely from the men of the world, but from the world itself, that sin shall eventually be taken away. It is important to understand that I can go to every man in the world and invite him to come to God; but I can say to the believer, " There is something more to tell you, even that He has borne your sins in His own body on the tree." " Taketh away" is a more correct translation than " beareth away." In the passage " The living God who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe," it is God in His providence as the preserver of all men, and especially of those who believe. It does not refer to salvation from sin at all.
It is very clear that God loved all and Christ loved all. Hence He says, " For my love I got hatred." Christ died for all, gave Himself a ransom for all. " I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." He is the universal point of attraction for all. We should keep to this-it is for all. The blood is upon the mercy-seat for all. When Paul says, " I beseech you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God," I get there the action of the Holy Ghost urging men to come to God. Sinners are besought to be reconciled by Christ's ambassadors, but it is very remarkable to notice the following statement of the apostle: " For he hath made him to be.sin for us," &c. He does not say, He hath made Him to be sin for every man, speaking indiscriminately, as he besought them to be reconciled. No; he speaks of his own realization and blessing in company with other believers. It is a very important thing to keep clearly in mind the distinction between beseeching men to be reconciled to God on the ground of what Christ has done, and that special application of His work which enables the soul to say, " For he hath made him to be sin for us," &c.
We get the same distinction in figure under the law. There was the blood upon the mercyseat as a propitiation before God for sin, on the ground of which any soul in Israel could draw near to God; and, again, there was the high priest confessing the sins of a peculiar people over the head of the scapegoat who becomes thus a substitute for the people. The difference is between propitiation and substitution, and error is frequently connected with ignorance of this difference. We find this error in a good deal that is going on around us. It is owned by some that Christ gave Himself in devotedness and love to God for us, but directly substitution is brought in they deny it " in toto."
As to the preaching of the gospel to the world, the first fact I would present to men is, that God was here reconciling the world unto Himself. This strikes at the heart. God unmasks in the person of Christ what the sinner really is, but at the same time shows the fullest grace. Then I can say there has been a perfect atonement offered; come to God through it and you will be received. If any come, to them I can explain what the blood has done for them that believe. A great deal of what we call preaching the gospel is really speaking of the effect of Christ's work; we are really in the epistles. I think that the more we keep to the facts which display God's love, the more power there will be. God is now beseeching through His servants. He has, so to speak, humanized the means of salvation. In His own nature God is abstract. He dwells in light in which none can see Him, and to which none can approach, but He appeals to us through man and in man. But I should take care not to think for a moment that I can persuade any one to come to God. No, the work is God's alone; Ile beseeches by us.
As to the question, " How can you reconcile the fact of God's loving the world and not using His own power compulsorily to bring it to Himself," it may be answered, first-We have no right to judge God, but He will judge us. He has a perfect right to take what course He chooses. We cannot take up the question of God's justice. If the question was the result of a real difficulty in the mind, it might be suggested, that it is of more importance that God's character should be vindicated than that the world should be saved. God always acts for His own glory.
To return, however, to our chapter. When we get into the historical facts which were going on at the time, from the 35th verse, we get what did not occur before " the Christ;" for it is in Israel that the Son of God is found. This was during the first day of gathering. At verse 43 the second day commences. Philip is found by Christ, he finds Nathaniel. Here we find a difference. Christ says, Follow me. Philip gathers to Him. Christ is the center. It is not here, however, of sinners in the world, but of a remnant in Israel. Christ owns Nathaniel as an Israelite without guile. He says without guile, although his heart is full of prejudice, and he does not know Christ.
Nathaniel's being under the fig tree refers to his being in Israel. Nathaniel owns Him as the Son of God and King of Israel. The ground is completely Jewish. Nathaniel seems to have owned Him in the character in which he is spoken of in Psa. 2.
Verse 51. The word in this verse " hereafter," should be " henceforth." It is astonishing how not seeing things intelligently makes it impossible for a translator to give the true sense. There is the same mistake in the passage, " Hereafter ye shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven;" it really should be, " Henceforth ye shall see," &c. This verse (51) means that Christ was even then the subject of angelic attendance, which those who, like Nathaniel, by faith discerned in Him the Son of God and King of Israel, should henceforth see Him also as the one upon whom heaven opens and the angels of God ascending and descending upon Him. It refers to the time of Christ's earthly life. The Son of God was, as it were, Jacob at the foot of the ladder. He is not, as is generally thought, the ladder, but is at the foot of it. Heaven is opened and angels are going up and down from and to Him. Heaven is opened upon Christ on earth as an object; until He was there there was no object on earth upon which heaven could open. In the case of Stephen in Acts 7, we get another thing. Heaven is opened to him, and he sees an object up there for us the Son of man standing at the right hand of God. When heaven opened to Christ there was no object up there to Him, but He was Himself the object of heaven upon earth. He was heaven's object here, and now for us heaven is opened, and He is our object up there. Jesus is there, an object to fix our attention in glory, even as He was the object of heaven's attention when He was upon earth. It is a very important and blessed thing to see Christ upon earth the object of heaven. Here the Holy Ghost bears testimony to Him, and also the angels. It is not man which is the object, but the new Man,
Christ. Puseyism and infidelity, and almost every system of error, look upon Christ as one who is to help the old man, instead of seeing Him as the new Man, who has gone into heaven, where He has become an object for us. The reason of this is, that Christ in heaven brings into view the ruin of the old man, and man needs to be convinced of sin in order to receive it. It is therefore the more important for us distinctly to see in these days where so much is made of man upon the earth, that the word takes up a man in heaven.
(Continued from page 380, Vol. VII.)
Notes of a Reading on John's Gospel: John 2-3
(Chapter 2,3)
In this chapter we get particulars as to the third day. In chapter 1 we have from verse 35 two days of testimony, during which we see a Jewish remnant gathered; and now in chapter ii. we get the third day, in which we get two things-a marriage and a judgment; the marriage is at Cana in Galilee, the judgment is in Jerusalem, where Jesus drives out those who were defiling the temple. In the chapter, however, we get intimation that after all the temple was only " empty, swept, and garnished," for He was the true temple. The whole of this and the following chapter comes in before John is cast into prison, so that we learn that, before the commencement of Christ's ministry in Galilee, mentioned in Matt. 4, there was a dealing of His with those of Jerusalem. The scenes in John's Gospel are mostly laid in Jerusalem, but in Galilee in the other gospels.
The miracle of turning the water into wine, in connection with the marriage at Cana, is a figure of the marriage of Christ with the Jews-His recognition of that people as His own in the latter days. Its taking place at Cana sets forth His taking up the poor remnant of His people and leaving those of Jerusalem. When this marriage takes place, He will change the water of purification into the wine of joy. Water was set there for purification. It is a figure of the word which, in His absence, is here for our purification, not as the wine of joy. We are said to be "washed with water by the word." Our way is to be cleansed by taking heed to the word.
As to the judgment, it is the Lord whom they sought suddenly coming to His temple, according to Malachi. He did not, however, present Himself thus, but coming to it He finds these things in the temple, and therefore puts them out. The cleansing is by judgment here. He puts out those who defiled the temple. Thus have we in figure the two things which characterize the third day-the marriage of Christ with the remnant, when He will turn the water of purification into the wine of joy; and the judgment, by which He will put away those that defile God's house. The Jews asked for a sign in proof of the authority on which He did this; and He refers them at once to Himself. " Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."
It is beautiful to see the two things in this chapter, but they are morally instructive as well as figurative. The present separation of Christ from the people is seen in what passes between
Himself and His mother. When she comes He would not have to do with her, but the hour is coming when He will have to do with her. Still we find He went down with her to Capernaum. Having really done with the people after the flesh, He says to His mother, " Woman, what have 1 to do with thee;" and yet although thus separate from her He goes and dwells with her. We have the same thing in Luke, when he was twelve years of age. When He provided for His mother at the cross, it was in a certain sense the hour when He should do so. Going away Himself He provides for His mother as a thoughtful, dutiful son would do.
In the end of this chapter (2) we get into a transition. When He was at Jerusalem, many believed on His name when they saw the miracles which He did; but now He will not have it. Man may sincerely believe many things in the flesh, but this is what Christ will not own. Come here in a divine character He will not take Israel up on the ground of the flesh. That kind of faith which can be in man naturally He will not have-in fact it was valueless, even as far as man was concerned. Jesus did not commit Himself to them, although they had an honest conviction that the man who did all these miracles must be what He said He was.
Chapter 3 Then comes Nicodemus on the same ground, but with his conscience exercised. He comes apart from the world " by night." The Lord meets him with what was needed (by Israel it is true, but also) for everybody. Christ here clearly shows that He is not come to fall in with Judaism, but He brings out at once that God needed something else. Christ would not teach flesh. " Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The original word is weakly translated " again;" it really means "anew," from the beginning (ἄνῶθεν, from above, from the beginning, anew). The real force of the expression is" apparent from the answer of Nicodemus, who took it to mean a new birth. Now without this new birth, the kingdom of God could not be seen. Christ could not teach the old nature, or at least would not. The flesh or old nature is never spoken of in the Old Testament as such. In Gen. 6:3 we get, " My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh;" but this striving was between the Spirit of God in the ways and words of the godly, and the evil course of the ungodly. The spiritual nature in contrast with the flesh we do not get in the Old Testament. We do not read of any such conflict as this in one man of old. The full character of the flesh in man is brought out in the New Testament.. It was in the death of Christ that sin got its condemnation. This brought the flesh fairly out-put it in its own place. Law never brought it out thus. It is true that the moment I get to know that the law is spiritual, then I get fully upset, condemned. " I had not known lust unless the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." But even this did not condemn sin in the flesh, because I am still hoping that I may do better. But when I see the death of Christ, I see that the flesh contains no such thing as good. " The carnal mind is enmity against God, and is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be." It was condemned by the death of Christ as a sacrifice for sin, by what He bare for us, in our place. This, therefore, settles what and where it is. A true heart is often harrassed by the presence of the flesh, but there is deliverance when I find that God has condemned it by Christ's death on the cross, and that I have got another spring of life, on which the fruits of the Spirit grow. Now in the third chapter of John we get the thought that an entirely new thing is needed, and that it came down with Christ, was manifested in Him. It was with Him before He came down into the world, but it came down to us in Him, acting, it is true, in man's faculties and feelings, but still a new life. The thing is that we must have a nature capable of enjoying God. The Holy Ghost is, of course, required to reveal God, but when He is so revealed, I must have a nature capable of receiving and enjoying God and the things of God. For the character of this new life, see John's Epistles and also in Galatians. It should also be remembered that our life is not its own source, it is not the fountain, nor even a fountain, but a communication, quite derivative. It is not said that life is in me, but in Christ from whom I have it, have it in Him.
Verse 5. The bearing of this verse upon the life is, that water represents the application to us of the word of God, and that the Spirit is the divine communicator of life. Water is a common figure of the word. " Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." The word is the instrument by which the Holy Ghost works. It is that which appeals to men, and made effectual by the Spirit, purifies the person-the individual. The person is not a different one, but a new life which was not in any sense there before is put into him. We are thus begotten again, connected with which there is the washing of the person from the impurities connected with the old life. The result of the work gives us the fact of a new thing in us, but that it is not of us, but derived from another, see verse 6: " That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
Verse 7, &c. All must thus be born again-not Jews simply-but all. To see the kingdom of God is to apprehend it, to enter it, is more the idea of going in, taking a place in it. One might see it before it came, but one could not positively enter it until it was set up.
Verse 12, &c. Here Christ mentions the distinction between earthly and heavenly things. The new birth belongs to both. New birth was requisite for the earthly blessing of the Jew as Nicodemus ought to have known. Still the heavenly things in principle begin with the new birth, but as to their actual historical introduction, we do not get them till after the cross. Hence, when Christ comes to speak of the cross (ver. 14) He drops the kingdom and talks of eternal life, without which there could be no enjoyment of what is heavenly; but this revelation of what is heavenly brings out the complete ruin of what is natural; for so far from man being capable of enjoying what is heavenly, he is perishing, so we get the wondrous statement of the Son of man being lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish. The thought of perishing is deeper than the question of the kingdom. There was a must be that man should be born again, and there was a must be that Christ should be lifted up. Everything for man depended on this; even the Jews get their earthly blessings in connection with the heavenly man, But the Jews never get to that fullness of blessing which belongs to the heavenly people. Even in the millennium the Jews will not have the vail rent. They will not see Christ even as we now see Him by faith. They will see His manifestation on earth, but this is very different to what He is in heaven to us now, much more to what He will be to us in the glory. In the millennium the Jews do not see Christ as the light of the heavenly city, but they see His light through the city, through us. There is however, a manifestation of Him outside on earth which they will see, but this sight of Him will be very different from what we shall see of Him in heaven.
New birth depended, for us, on the death of Christ. All blessings come to us from that death. We get life through a Christ that died and was raised again, and we get it in the power in which He is risen. This is that which distinguishes the saint of the present dispensation. We are blessed in and with Christ. Death and resurrection are our portion, even His death and resurrection. We are not simply blessed through His death and resurrection, as the Jews will be at the latter day.
From verses 14-17 we have, as it were, the two sides of truth. Verse 14 brings out the necessity on man's side for Christ's being lifted up, " The Son of man must he lifted up, that whosoever believes might not perish." In verse 15 we find the other side, even that God in the greatness of His love has given His Son for us. 'These are the two sides of truth, necessity in man and love in God. Eternal life is precisely the same as everlasting life. The difference is one instance of the bad habit in the translators of the Authorized Version in using different words to represent the same word in Greek. The literal meaning of the word translated perish is utterly marred.
Verse 17, &c. Here we get this great truth that God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but to express His grace towards man. Hence is brought out man's sad condition, for the world would not have Him. The word condemn here is very unhappy; it should be judge the world: " He that believeth on him is not judged, but he that believeth not is judged already." The thing is that Christ did not come to judge the world, yet in one sense He did judge. He was light, and the fact of His coining was necessarily judgment. But still His purpose was grace. If a man do not believe he is judged already, for his very rejection of Christ manifests his condition, proves him utterly lost; hence
Verse 19. " This is the judgment, that light is come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light." His presence had the effect of judging, although He did not come to judge. There is a difference between condemnation and judgment. Judgment supposes an action of judging, but condemnation is simply telling out the sentence. It is here that if God judges the result must be condemnation, for man is a sinner. If I were the maker of this table, and I examine the table for the purpose of judging its real character, I am in reality judging myself as a workman; so if God had judged man as He made him, He would have been judging Himself. But if man has departed from God, then God judges him, and it must be condemnation. This principle goes further, explain- in.. why it is God will not judge the new life, because it is of Himself, and He cannot judge Himself.
All these verses up to verse 22 are addressed to Nicodemus, although, as John generally does, he gets into great general truths.
Verses 22.-36. Here we get John the Baptist giving place to Christ, and rejoicing that he has to do so. He especially testifies that Christ is from above-from heaven -and hence that no man receiveth his testimony. A very solemn statement. John's spirit here is very beautiful-the Bride is Christ's. To see gathering to Christ going on was a great joy to John, but there are some interesting details here.
The question arises about purifying between some of John's disciples and the Jews. It was a question about Christ and John, and, with a very low thought of the case, many went to Christ and left John. But John answers those who come to him about it, by showing that he is not the Christ, yea, never pretended to be. It was the One who came from above who was above all; but if this is so, there remains another solemn thing, and that is, if Christ came from above, no man receives His testimony. We have here also John's abdication, he gives up to Christ in solemn contrast with the Jews, who give up Christ. How different the spirit of the two! The Pharisee and John's disciples both seemed stirred up at the thought that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John. Not that He Himself baptized, but His disciples baptizing gave currency to the report. This John met by giving way to Christ with joy, although, as to man, none will receive Him. But while no man naturally receiveth the testimony, yet it is said, " He that hath received his testimony," showing us that divine grace has come in. Merely human belief Christ would not have. (See close of chap. ii.) To receive Christ's testimony, evidently supposes something quite new in the heart, and in connection with it we have the words of God and the Spirit given. And further, the Father having given all things into the Son's hand, Christ as the Son appearing on the scene alone, life in Him, but wrath abiding on those who believe not.
Christ did not begin publicly to preach until John was cast into prison. (See Matthew and Mark.) Christ was teaching and working miracles, but still He did not offer Himself' as the Messiah, saying as He does in Luke, " Now is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears."
It is John the Baptist that speaks in these closing verses. It was not John's every-day preaching, but so to speak, his dying note. Some have said that the language of these last verses is that of the Apostle and not of the Baptist, and have grounded upon it an objection to the gospel. But the notion of such is that man is the author of the gospels and not God.
(Continued from, page 380, Vol. VII)