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Chapter 20
"For God has allowed us to know the secret of His plan, and it is this: He purposes in His sovereign will that all human history shall be consummated in Christ, that everything that exists in heaven or earth shall find its perfection and fulfillment in Him." [Ephesians 1:9-10, Phillips].
"And this is in harmony with God's merciful purpose for the government
of the world when the times are ripe for it-- the purpose which He has
cherished in His own mind of restoring the whole creation to find its one
Head in Christ; yes, things in heaven and things on earth, to find their
one Head in Him." [Ephesians 1:10, Weymouth]. The wonder and glory
of this passage of scripture is such that one can only bow in worship,
to praise the Lord for His mercy and love. Such a plan, such a merciful
purpose, to gather together in One, to reconcile all things into Himself--
a redemption that is full and complete in every part, and which covers
the whole of the universe. Hallelujah!
"And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile
all things unto Himself ; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth,
or things in heaven. And you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies
in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of
His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable and unreproveable
in His sight." [Col.1 :20-22].
The word "reconcile" in the Old Testament means "to cover" or "to make
atonement." The many sacrifices made upon the altar served to cover over
the sins of the people, making a certain kind of peace between God and
man. Yet under the limited meaning of the word "atonement" we do not have
a complete answer to our need, for we need more than a covering over of
sin, but a complete and finished putting away thereof, never to be remembered
any more. "But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of
sins every year." [Hebrews 10:3]. "But now once in the end of the world
(Greek, age) hath HE appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself."
[Hebrews
9 :26]. In Christ there is no more remembrance of sin, for HE
brings
forth a new creation life, old things passing away, and behold, all things
becoming new. The Dictionary defines the word "reconcile" to mean, to unite,
to bring back to harmony.
But in the New Testament Greek we really find the depth of meaning for
this word, which is TO CHANGE THOROUGHLY. There can be no true unification
without first a thorough change. Thus we are not seeking for just a present-time
harmony, covering over the past, and hoping for the best in the future,
but we desire that the Spirit of God, working within, shall bring a thorough
change in us, and then we shall be united with our Lord. There will be
no fear of the things we covered over rearing their ugly heads and distressing
us again, making a break in our fellowship, for there will have been a
thorough correction, and all things made new. Thus, we repeat, there
must be a change before unification, "for what fellowship hath righteousness
with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?
What concern hath Christ with Belial, or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel?" [2 Corinthians 6:14-15].
"In beginning God created the heaven and the earth." [Genesis 1:1]. "For
thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God Himself that formed the
earth and made it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He
formed it to be inhabited." [Isaiah 45:18]. Created it "not in vain,"
the Hebrew word for "vain" is "tohu" meaning, ruin, waste, confusion, or
without form. God did not create in ruins, in waste, in confusion,
for He is not the Author of confusion. With the introduction of self-will
and sin in the universe, the earth BECAME "without form and void."
This chaos resulted as rebellion and sin made their entrance into the universe--
God allowed, yes, God planned, yes, to work out His purpose of the ages,
through the interplay of good and evil.
The heavens and the earth were not always separated, but they formed a
glorious oneness, and will again be united at the end of the ages. All
separation is the product of sin, selfhood, and a part of the present
arrangement of this world's system, but a unification is going to be made
complete, and all things thoroughly changed and rectified, so that harmony
shall again prevail throughout the whole of the universe.
The words "to sin" in either Hebrew or Greek mean, "TO ERR, TO MISS
THE MARK." It speaks of that which turns away from the true course,
causing a separation by its own selfhood course. Sin did not originate
in the earth, it began in the heavens, thus causing confusion, chaos, separation.
And the heavens needed also to be purified, but they couldn't be purified
with things of the earth, such as the sacrifice of lambs, goats, etc. "But
the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these," [Hebrews
9:23] hence, Christ Himself became the better, supreme sacrifice.
The very word "heaven" means THINGS HEAVED UP. Anything that
is "heaved up" bespeaks of a violent reaction to force. They weren't eased
up, or gently lifted up, but heaved up. Sin causes a tremendous upheaval,
with one realm being heaved up, thrust away, and the other part becoming
dense, and grossly material, shrouded in darkness, Chaotic, and void.
But these two realms shall not always be so separated, for "It shall come
to pass in that day, I will hear, saith the Lord, I will hear the heavens,
and they shall hear the earth." [Hosea 2:21].
The truth is both startling and challenging, that, from the lowest part
of the earth, to the highest outreach of the heavens, divine harmony
shall be restored, for
HE is reconciling all things to Himself.
A manifestation of the OUT FLOWING LIFE, and Christ's victory at
Calvary.
But it is not just the scope of "things on earth" being reconciled, that
startles us most, for it goes on to say, "and things in heaven." This implies
that the heavens needed reconciling. Perhaps we ought to point out that
when we speak of "heavenly things" we are not just referring to the starry
heavens, or other far flung solar systems, though it is possible that they
are linked to God's great purpose to be unveiled in the ages to come, but
right now we have a different realm in mind, such as described by G. Campbell
Morgan. "This all-inclusive term (heaven) has reference first to angels
intelligences described elsewhere as Thrones, Dominions, Principalities,
and Powers" unquote.
(Editor's note: we reference G Campbell
Morgan's writing "The Bible and The
Cross." End of note). Praise God, these also are included in
the reconciliation and peace secured by the blood of His cross.
"Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed.
Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down
from heaven." [Psalm 85:10-11]. What a glorious unification in this
verse! Omitting the fact that they are already met together in Christ,
let us note them individually. They all exist in the nature of God.
MERCY --love's expression of tender compassion.
TRUTH --which is uprightness, steadfastness, stable, and builds.
RIGHTEOUSNESS --justice, that which is right, with-out deviation.
PEACE --absolute safety, unity, completeness.
When sin made its entrance into the universe it broke up the harmony of
these, and there is a necessity of reconciling until all is restored. God
is a God of truth. Sin violates the truth. How then is it possible
for God to manifest "mercy" towards one whose action threatens the very
stability of His universe? Truth is stability, steadfastness, but sin violates
that position, then dare we express love towards the one so bent on destruction?
The presence of SIN begins to place a mark of distinction between each
of these, whereas before they were all merged into one blending of harmony.
God is a God of righteousness, and that which cannot deviate from
absolute justice and uprightness. The introduction into the presence of
righteousness of that which contradicts it, must make peace impossible.
Thus, by the very necessity of the essential facts of His Being, in the
moment sin existed in the universe, there was need for reconciliation,
if mercy and truth were to meet together; righteousness and peace to kiss
each other. Behind all of this interplay, and the accomplishment
of God's purpose in its allowance and solution, stands the immutable wisdom
of God. HE FOREKNEW all the consequences of the presence of evil, and
in His own determinate counsel, completely planned He for the fullness of
reconciliation before He cast forth into manifestation this whole drama
to pass through its cycles, and then to consummate in ultimate victory
back into Himself.
Reconciliation, therefore, in order to be complete, must be such that there
be made possible the continued activity of Mercy and Truth, Righteousness
and Peace, so that violence is not done to any of them. Such great reconciliation
is provided for "IN THE BLOOD OF HIS CROSS." By the inspiration
of the Spirit the Psalmist beheld a time of such glorious reconciliation,
when every one of these elements in the nature of God could operate in
harmony with each other. The answer to all of these is found in "His
cross." "GOD WAS IN CHRIST RECONCILING THE WORLD UNTO HIMSELF."
[2 Corinthians 5:19]. It was GOD, who during the hours of travail
on the cross, was reconciling through this manifestation of Himself, in
the man Christ Jesus, all things back into Himself.
We become sentimental when we think of Jesus as a baby laid in a manger,
pure, innocent, and tender. And then we combine this form with God,
and know that this is Emmanuel, God with us. Then during the years of His
ministry, with signs, wonders, miracles, we again see "the finger of God"
in demonstration. But now, can we see that this IS GOD IN CHRIST
when the cross comes into view, and hell's legions are turned loose to
wage their warfare against Him? Ah, yes, beloved, here is the point
of rare unification, as God reaches out and gathers ALL THINGS into Himself.
Christ, by the cross, demonstrated that love meets the law as it suffers
and fulfills it. Grace satisfies the demands of truth by meeting
all the issues of its violation.
Mercy can operate on the basis
of justice because God has gathered the whole into His own heart, and suffered
to reconcile all things into Himself. How little we know of
suffering. We suffer because of our own mistakes and self-produced
contrariness to things about us. Perchance we even suffer as busybodies,
and are resisted for it. But have we yet begun to learn what it means
to fill up in our body that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ?
[Colossians 1:24]. Those who follow on into the fullness of conformity to
His death, and the fellowship of His sufferings, are beginning to know
the travail ,of the conflict as the Spirit moves within, to reconcile so
many of these contrary situations.
Never was holiness more vindicated, than at the cross, when Jesus "suffered
for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." [1 Peter
3:18]. Never was love more lavishly outpoured than when "God so loved
the world that HE gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth
into Him should not perish, but have age-abiding life." [John 3:16].
We stand in awe before this fulfillment of Genesis 22:8, when by the Spirit
Abraham prophesied to Isaac, "GOD WILL PROVIDE HIMSELF a lamb for
a burnt offering." And that is just when He did, He provided HIMSELF!
Stripping Himself of His glory, He who was in the form of God, took upon
Himself the form of man, and offered that form in that great sacrifice,
yea, POURED OUT THE LIFE CONTAINED IN THAT FORM, which life was
freely given to reconcile all things back into Himself. Never was
grace more majestic in its operation, than when "He made Him to be sin
(Greek, literally,
A SIN-OFFERING) for us, Who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." [2 Corinthians 5:21].
The law demands, "the soul that sineth, it shall die." Why? Because the
only way to end the wayward course of self's rebellion is to DIE OUT
to that course of action, and to be reconciled back into the will of God.
But how can we "die" to that which has captivated us, especially when we
are "dead in trespasses and sins," and cut off from the LIFE of
God, and His power which is needed for our overcoming? Death-- which
came as an enemy, and separated us from righteousness, and the life of
God, must now be REVERSED, so that we DIE to this carnal
realm, and are restored into fellowship and harmony with our God. THIS
DEATH-ROUTE WAS BLAZED OUT FOR US BY CHRIST. "That He by the grace
of God should taste (experience) death for every man." [Hebrews 2 :9].
And now He is able to indwell us by His Spirit, and give us the power to
walk in His steps, and follow through the process of "death to self" that
we might come alive to God, praise Him!
"What are we then to say to FACTS like these? If God is for
us, who can be against us." [Romans 8:31, Williams]. This is not some weird
figment of a vain man's distorted imagination, dreams of the night,
THESE ARE FACTS. God is working a THOROUGH CHANGE, and He has
already begun with a firstfruits company, gathering a remnant out of each
generation, until the appointed hour when He shall begin the greater scope
of the restitution of all things spoken of by the mouth of all His holy
prophets since the world began. If God be for us, who can be against us?
"He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall
He not with Him also freely give us all things." [Romans 8:32].
"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of
His son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
[Romans 5:10]. The thorough change is wrought in us via the operation of
His cross. The death process-- our identification with His sufferings,
being made conformable to His death, will produce this change, and without
it no change can be made, for "except a corn of wheat fall into the ground
and die, it abideth alone," [John 12:24] and not only does it abide alone,
but it remains unchanged. "That which thou sowest is not quickened, except
it die." [1 Corinthians 15:36]. With the climax of the cross bringing final
death to the carnal mind, we will emerge out of the barren tomb as a new
creation. We have possessed "in part" the life of God, and we have thrilled
to its surgings within us, but we must have the WHOLE, being thoroughly
changed into His same image. Nor is this the end of reconciliation, when
the complete change is made in us, it is just the beginning, for when we
are fully fashioned into the image of Christ, then shall we also receive
both the ministry and the word of reconciliation. For God has chosen
His firstfruits company to be "partakers of the holy calling" wherein they,
too, shall be ministers of righteousness to help carry His life to all
mankind. A ministry of reconciliation [2 Cor. 5:18], of changing
others so that they might be drawn into unification and harmony with God.
This is a NEW ministry, based upon a new covenant, "established
upon better promises." [Hebrews 8:6].
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves;
but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of
the new testament ; not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter
killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." [2 Cor. 3:5-6].
Herein is a ministry of mercy and grace! "To wit, that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto Himself, NOT IMPUTING THEIR TRESPASSES UNTO
THEM." [2 Cor. 5:19]. Not charging them with guilt, to heap upon
them loads of condemnation, but simply to give the GOOD WORD, namely,
that
GOD LOVES THEM, forgives them, and is ready to receive them
back to Himself. All is well, come home forsake your wayward course,
the Father waits to forgive and receive you. No word of condemnation,
not imputing a list of sins against you, but a word of hope, of grace,
of love.
Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. This word "for" is the same word
as used later "in Christ's stead." In behalf of Christ, as though God did
beseech by us, "we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God."
[2 Corinthians 5 :20]. God is going to beseech the whole creation
through the christed (anointed) company of which The Christ is the Head.
The word "beseech" is a strong word, bespeaking of laying hold in earnestness.
This
company will be filled with divine compassion, "for the love of Christ
constraineth us." [2 Corinthians 5:14]. And will this ministry be
effective? As, yes, "And I heard every created thing in heaven and
on earth and under the earth and on the sea and all that is in it, crying
out together, To Him Who is seated on the throne and to the Lamb be ascribed
the blessing and the honour and the majesty (glory, splendor) and the power
(might and dominion) forever and ever." [Revelation 5:13, Amplified].
Yes, He purposes in His sovereign will that all human history shall
be consummated in Christ. Everything that exists in heaven and earth shall
find its perfection and fulfillment in Him. AII things shall "center in
and tend to consummate and to end in Him." [Romans 11:36, Amplified].
Though the ages run their course, and the time seems long; though the judgments
are required and the discipline is severe; though there be many paths washed
with tears, and the valley be deep, yet God hath purposed that all shall
be fully restored, and the great age of jubilee shall see a universe redeemed
from the tyranny of change and decay, delivered into the glorious liberty
which rightfully belongs to the children of God, and the whole purpose
of the ages shall rebound to the glory of God. We bow to worship HIM
who truly "doeth all things well."
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