Alistair M Brown
1 Corinthians 12: 7-12
1 Corinthians 14: 26
Colossians 3:16
Ephesians 4: 15-16
These scriptures are all very well known to the beloved brethren. They have come into my mind in connection with a matter that is currently causing concern among the brethren. Some dear ones with whom we walked have gone away to Christian companies where pastors are given an official position. Some may themselves want to take up the position of a pastor. I do not want in any way to criticise people who are believers. But I thought of these scriptures, and there are others too which could be referred to, which confirm the truth that setting someone up, a man, or indeed a woman, in an official position of authoritative teaching in a Christian company, requiring them to study and to take a degree, and perhaps also paying them to do so, is not according to the truth. That, of course, has been taught among brethren for about 180 years, but it is important that we have a conviction ourselves as to the truth according to Scripture. It is not a matter of traditional teaching, although we are glad of those who have gone before, and who have demonstrated that certain things which were and are widely held in Christendom cannot be substantiated from the Scriptures. It is very important that we go to the Scriptures to see what the truth is, and that we have a conviction as to it, and that we hold to it. These are the scriptures that would help, for example, if I was seeking to persuade a fellow believer that the matter of a pastorate or priesthood or ministerial arrangements could not be substantiated from Scripture. These scriptures go to the heart of Christianity; they go to the heart of Paul’s teaching as to the body of Christ. Each of these scriptures refers, either directly or by implication, to the body: that is what Christ identifies Himself with on the earth, what serves Him, what represents Him, and what pleases Him.
And then as I read these scriptures at home, I began to be very much searched by them. It is one thing to refer to Scripture to justify the holding of the truth - and it is right to do that. We should not refer to Scripture to justify our point of view, but we should refer to Scripture to justify the truth, because the Scriptures are the truth. We derive the truth from the Scriptures. But as I read each of these scriptures, I felt searched by them, because they all refer to what the Lord looks to find among the members of the body.
The scripture in chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians refers to the operation of the Spirit, and that is a very blessed and sensitive matter. What the apostle is bringing before the brethren in Corinth is that the Spirit is sovereign in His operations in the assembly, in the body, and that He does things according as He sees fit. He does that sovereignly. It is not for me to say what I will do; it is for the Spirit to say, and the Spirit distributes these things that are spoken of here. Some of them are not generally found among believers now - gifts of tongues and gift of healing are not generally found among believers. But there are other examples of what the Spirit might distribute, and He may distribute to any one. That is the point. In His wisdom, He can give the word of wisdom to any believer in a company. And He could give the word of knowledge to anyone; and certainly “to a different one faith, in the power of the same Spirit”. What is stressed is the sovereignty of the Spirit, and the variety of His ministrations, but the unity of that work of His. The apostle emphasises that it is one Spirit, the same Spirit, and he emphasises that it is all in the body. At the end of the passage he says that “for even as the body is one” - the human body - “and has many members” - as members of the body are one - “so also is the Christ”. He is speaking about the Christ, the body representing Christ, being inseparable from Him.
I find that very searching, important and real. The question that I raise with myself is whether I am subject to the Spirit and sufficiently sensitive to His promptings, and receptive to what He might give me. I am sure that every one here has been dealt a measure of faith; the Spirit comes into that. Do I use the faith that I have? Do I keep it bright and active and sharp? And if I am given a word of wisdom, not that any one would claim that, am I ready to bring it in for the edification of the body? That is searching. It means that I cannot be a passenger, that at any time the Spirit might speak to me and give me some impression to bring in. It might be to a sister, or to a brother. If to a sister, it might be imparted as a word of wisdom spoken to someone else. A brother might do the same, or bring a word of wisdom into a meeting. The Spirit might work at any time. We can take that from this scripture - He might work with anyone at any time. That is His prerogative; He can do that as the saints are in the liberty of the Spirit, and, as subject to the Head, are in the good and the experience of the truth of the body. How important that is, how wonderful, but how searching too, because if I am going to be in the good of this, I have to be self-judged, and I need to make way for the Spirit, I need to sow to Him. These things are not easy, but they are very important, and they are according to the truth. As we accept this, we are aligning ourselves with the doctrine, with the living truth that the apostle Paul seeks to bring home to these Corinthian brethren.
And then in the fourteenth chapter, there is another reference to “each of you”. I felt very searched by this when I read it. “What is it then, brethren?”. It immediately follows on from the passage speaking about prophesying. Then he says, “whenever ye come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation”. How searching that is. Do we come to the meeting with something of our experience which has been wrought out with God, ready to contribute, at least in spirit, and perhaps if the opportunity arises, out loud - “each of you has”? The apostle credits the Corinthians with that. And we would credit one another with that. But the searching thing for me is whether I can say that of myself, that when we come together, I have a psalm, I have some experience to contribute; or a teaching, something for the edification, teaching, building up and encouragement of the saints. We cannot say much about a tongue nowadays, but a revelation - that is a spiritual impression. It is something like what we had on Lord’s day afternoon when we gathered in this room, and spoke about the glories of the Lord Jesus. Do we bring a view of His glories with us to the meeting? “Whenever ye come together, each of you has”, the apostle says. This has not been set aside by the passing of twenty centuries: this is true now. As the saints gather in the light of the truth, seeking to honour Christ, seeking to make way for the Spirit, and under the headship of the blessed Lord Jesus, the apostle says of them: “whenever ye come together, each of you has”. What a blessed thing that is, and yet how searching. How spiritually invigorating, and how morally invigorating, to apply this to ourselves. But also how important it is that we are honest with ourselves. Is it the case that when I come to a meeting, I have something to contribute? Because if I come ready to contribute in my spirit, that will add to the material with which the Holy Spirit can work in the body, in the representation of the body in this circle. If I come with something, and you come with something, sisters and brothers, if all of us come with something, the Spirit has wealthy material that He can work with. Without in any sense claiming anything, and making no boast of any kind, I think that the saints here and in many places experience something of that. Spiritual wealth comes into circulation, and it is enjoyed. There is edification and building up and formation after Christ. These are all things that the Spirit is doing. It is testing but also very encouraging.
In Colossians, it is something of the same thought, but what is in the apostle’s mind is the word of the Christ dwelling in each of them richly. That would be an individual matter: the word of the Christ is to dwell in you and me. And then the matter of wisdom comes out in teaching and admonishing one another. So there is no hierarchy or stratification. We can teach and admonish one another in wisdom. Love would come into that wisdom - regard for one another. Each would esteem the other as more excellent - each having regard for the qualities that are in one another. These are features of the body; how important they are, but also how searching. Would I be able, in wisdom, to teach or admonish someone else, and maybe more searching still, be ready to accept teaching or admonition from another, a sister or a brother, who might have something delivered to them to impart to me? Would I be ready for that? Because that is what the scripture lays before us, as the normal experience in a Christian company. “Whenever ye come together, each of you has” these things; it is the normal experience of a Christian company. The matter of teaching and admonishing one another must be when the saints are together, because we could not teach or admonish one another when we are alone. It is presented here as the normal experience of believers as together. Psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God; it is a lovely picture of saints together in harmony, encouraging one another, exhorting one another, edifying one another, bringing in their own experience, which psalms would speak of, bringing in some appreciation of the attractiveness and the glories of Christ in these hymns and spiritual songs.
The matter of singing would be a matter of being together; I do not think what is envisaged is solo singing: it is the voices of saints blending together. Each of these scriptures brings before us what is collective and mutual, and every one has their active, vital, living part in the matter. This is of the utmost importance. Also it is honouring to the Spirit, because as responding to His promptings, we acknowledge the liberty of the Spirit. And it is honouring to Christ, who is the Head. It is what is in the divine mind, that believers should be so. It is therefore to be vitally maintained in the experience and enjoyment of it.
Ephesians 4 brings it all together in this beautiful passage that describes how the body works together. It is very much a collective passage, but what is in mind is that “we may grow up to Him in all things, who is the head, the Christ”. His glory as Head is gladly and willingly acknowledged and ministered to, and then that glory is brought off the page of scripture and made to live, brought into demonstration and active living reality. These are real people that are spoken of here. These are real believers such as those sitting in this room. We do not form the whole body, not at all, but we are to be found in the good of it, in the enjoyment of what Scripture says. It speaks about being “fitted together, and connected by every joint of supply”. It is individuals who are fitted together, and individuals who are connected by every joint of supply. You might say, it is like a matrix, it is not a hierarchy, but the members of the body have their links with one another horizontally. The members keep these links or joints in good order, and what flows through them is love and concern, and care and regard for one another. Then each member of the body has its link vertically with the Head, whom we are to hold fast, as another scripture enjoins us. What a blessed picture that is. Then this whole organism is living according to the working in its measure of each one part - there we have the individual again. You might think, ’I am a rather unimportant part of this Christian company, I am just young, or I feel that I do not understand things very much’. No! “According to the working in its measure of each one part”; each one is vital in the operation of the body, each one loved by the Head, each one linked through these connecting joints of supply to the Head and to all the others. What a blessed matter that the apostle should speak of the "measure of each one part”. No-one can elect themselves out of this, and no-one would want to, because it is so blessed.
Then it speaks about “the increase of the body to its self-building up in love”. There is an organism. We often use that expression; it does not come into Scripture but it is well justified by this scripture here. Living relations are enjoyed, and glory given to the Head! The glory that is given to the Head is enhanced by the fact that these relationships are living and involve each one part in its measure. None other than the Head, none other than Christ, could so impart the impulses of life to a company, that these things could be written of them. You might take an analogy in the world, that somebody proceeds by diktat or by enforced means to subdue others’ wills to their own. Our wills are subdued to the will of Christ - of course they are - but the motivation is love, and loyalty to the One who gave Himself for us. The result is an organism made up of those who love Him, who are connected together and connected to Him, and each one part in its measure is contributing to that. We can certainly safely say that there is no organism like this anywhere in the world around. You will not find it anywhere - you will only find it in a true Christian company. And then I search myself as to the importance of maintaining this in my own exercise, in my own measure contributing to it, my “one part” in measure contributing. How searching, but how encouraging it is! I would encourage us all to be vitally in these things, and to be living, spiritual contributors to the body, and to the glory of the Head, for His Name’s sake.
Grangemouth
21st February 2012