THE SUPERIORITY OF CHRISTIANITY
Allan P Grant
John 16: 33 (from “be of good courage); 17: 15-16
1 John 2: 14 (from “I have written to you, young men”)-17
Mark 10: 35-45
John 14: 27
Deuteronomy 11: 10-15
I would like to speak of how superior Christianity is to the world. These scriptures speak of the contrast between the world and Christianity.
Christianity takes its character from the Lord Jesus Christ. John speaks much of the world, and it is a system of things where Christ has no place. That is what characterises the world, man’s independence, seeking to be independent from divine resources, independent of God. As the word says in John 17, we are left in the world; and these chapters are written to encourage the Lord’s own. He was going away, and they were being left here: “I do not demand that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them out of evil. They are not of the world, as I am not of the world”. What an encouragement that is for us that we do not belong to this scene: we belong to heaven. Christianity is a heavenly system; it is very different to what we find in the world. Christendom is a mixture of Christianity and the world, spoiling what is for God’s pleasure. I thought these scriptures we read would help us to see the superiority of Christianity; it is superior to everything that has gone before. The epistle to the Hebrews, as we often say, is a book of better things, greater and better than what had gone before in Judaism. The epistle is written to encourage the Jews to see the superiority of the new heavenly system that they were having a part in. It is a great encouragement to us too to see the greatness of what we have a part in in Christianity.
The hymn we sang at the beginning expresses our position well - ‘Not of the world’, (Hymn 284); and it speaks of the words of Christ drawing us to the Father’s world. The Father has His own world. The Scriptures often contrast the Father with the world. The Holy Spirit is contrasted with the flesh, but the Father has His own world. Christ is the Centre of that world; the Son of God is the Centre of the Father’s world and that is where we belong. I would encourage us all to find our life there. Think of the Lord Jesus giving Himself, as Paul says, to “deliver us out of the present evil world”, Gal. 1: 4. We know what marks the world, what decline there is, even where Christianity has been known, what decline there has been over the last years, even in our lifetime; each generation declining further.
The Scriptures set out various types of the world, and they all involve men seeking to be independent, having their own thoughts apart from God. The first one was the tower of Babel, speaking of the glory of man, “let us make ourselves a name” (Gen 11: 4), that is what marks the world. Egypt too, “My river is mine own, and I made it for myself”, (Ezek 29: 3); it is selfishness and independence from God. Moab too speaks of the pride of the world, Sodom the immoral character of the world, all written for our education so that we keep ourselves apart from it, as the Lord says, we are to be kept out of evil, we are in the world but not of it.
The Lord is speaking to His own in chapters 13 to 16 of John’s gospel and His final word there is a word of encouragement, “be of good courage: I have overcome the world”. What power there is with Christ to overcome. John’s epistles involve what is worked out in ourselves, and the saints are to be overcomers, having victory over the world. He that believes that Jesus is the Son of God has victory over the world, 1 John 5: 4-5. He is not drawn into it but victorious over it. The Son of God is the Centre of God’s world. As believers move through this scene as overcomers, they are not drawn into the world or taking on its features. The Lord’s word would encourage us in our pathway here, “I have overcome the world”.
We read in John’s first epistle. John is writing to young men; he takes account of the various stages of growth, little children, young men and fathers. He writes to the little children about the wrong teachings that might come in, that they might be preserved; but to the young men he says, “Love not the world, nor the things in the world”. I think it has been said as to “love not the world” that it is the Egyptian world, but the “things in the world” is the world of Jericho, man’s learning and all that kind of thing, refined learning of the world. Jericho was a hindrance to the enjoyment of the land. But he says here, “Love not the world, nor the things in the world. If any one love the world, the love of the Father is not in him”. Think of the Father’s love; it is centred on the Lord Jesus and our safety is to keep our eye and our affections towards Christ and to love the One that the Father loves. John describes the character of the world here and it is written to the young men. We might have thought this would be written to the little children, but it is written to the young men. Mr A J Gardiner once said that a great many of us are in that stage of growth; most of us would not claim to be fathers, The Substantiality of Christianity p57. There is less danger with the fathers who are satisfied with Christ, knowing Him that is from the beginning.
But with young men there is still a danger, even those who are, as it says, “strong” and the word of God abiding in them; there is still a danger of some feature of the world attracting them. But what John says here is important to take account of too, that “the world is passing”. The Lord has overcome the world. The walls of Jericho fell flat when the people shouted, the people following the ark; there was no good foundation there, but what the Lord is building up will stand for eternity. It says here, “the world is passing, and its lust”. That covers all these different features of the world. All that men are building up at the present time, very impressive to the natural mind, but it is all passing, “but he that does the will of God abides for eternity”. The Father’s world is eternal. It is worthwhile going in for these things, the things that belong to the Father’s world. John is encouraging the young men, not to be attracted by anything in the world, or any feature of the world. It is like Colossians, where Paul speaks of philosophy and vain deceit and these things that were a danger to the saints, things that would distract from the glory of Christ. Anything that belongs to the first man finds its place in the world but think of the Lord Jesus, the Object of the Father’s love, He is the Centre of God’s world. The heavenly city is established on a sound foundation. So, it is worthwhile going in for these things because everything in the world and what men have built up is going to come to an end.
We read in Mark’s gospel. I was thinking especially of verse 42, where He speaks of what happens in the world, “Ye know that those who are esteemed to rule over the nations exercise lordship over them; and their great men exercise authority over them; but it is not thus among you”. In the Christian circle things are different from the world. We see how men in the world are aspiring to have the first place, but in the Christian circle there is no room for that feature. Christianity is different, “it is not thus among you; but whosoever would be great among you, shall be your minister”. Think of the lowliness that marked Christ, that is what belongs to Christianity, the opposite of what we see in the world. In Great Britain we have recently had a change of Prime Minister and what competition there was for the first place; that is what the Lord is speaking of here, men and women seeking place and power over others. But the principle amongst the saints is entirely different; the Lord Jesus says, “I am meek and lowly in heart”, Matt 11: 29. In Mark’s gospel He is coming to minister, to serve; this is the servant’s gospel. Think of the Lord taking that place as a bondman. A bondman has the lowest place in society. Think of the Lord coming in as a bondman, and He is the Model for us. The Lord is gentle and gracious with James and John, who do not exactly shine here, but they are rather bringing in something amongst the disciples that did not belong there, causing the disciples to be divided and bringing in an element of bad feeling. The Lord indicates here that the feature of lowliness is what belongs to the Christian circle.
Paul, I think, exemplified that very fully. How often he speaks of his own failure and also refers to himself as “less than the least of all saints” (Eph 3: 8), what a lowly place for such a distinguished servant to take. He was given such a place by the Lord, appointed to bring out these great ministries, the fulness of the glad tidings, but he says of himself that he was “the least of the apostles”, 1 Cor 15: 9. The humble and lowly spirit that marked him is what belongs to Christianity and to the Christian circle. Paul says he was with the Ephesians, “serving the Lord with all lowliness”, Acts 20: 19. Think of the distinction of our heavenly portion and of the place we have as sons before the Father. As enjoying the fulness of divine blessing, we will be marked by lowliness here.
We read in John 14, as to the character of Lord’s giving. It says, “I leave peace with you; I give my peace to you: not as the world gives do I give to you”. The greatness of divine giving often affects us. Mr Darby’s hymn helps us understand this verse:
That love that gives not as the world, but shares
All it possesses with its loved co-heirs
Hymn 249).
I think that helps to give the sense of this scripture, the Lord sharing what He has, His things, what He possesses as Mr Darby says. Think of the greatness of divine giving. The world does give; there are those who give large sums of money to help others which I would not speak against, but often they have their own name attached to it, their own glory is before them. But the Lord says here, “not as the world gives do I give to you”. God giving His Spirit to us, giving His Son for us: what could be compared with such divine giving? And as the Lord says here, He is sharing His peace with His own, “I give my peace to you”, the peace which He Himself enjoys. How often this comes into this gospel, twice He says in John 20 “Peace be to you”, v 21, 26. Think of enjoying in your soul dear brethren, the peace which the Lord enjoys. “When he giveth quietness, who then will disturb”, Job 34: 29. He gives peace that is lasting; He has “made peace by the blood of His cross” (Col 1: 20); He is giving peace. The word in the verse we read is, “Let not your heart be troubled”; what an encouragement to us in an adverse scene having this peace in our hearts. That is what the believer can enjoy.
Christ is sharing His peace, and later in this gospel (John 15: 11) He is sharing His joy too. Think of the Lord’s joy, and that is shared with the saints. The Lord’s joy is in being before the Father: we are brought to share His place. His place is our place, we say sometimes. Think of the Lord’s love in sharing the greatest things with His own.
In John 17 too, the Lord says, “the glory which thou hast given me I have given them” (v 22), the glory of sonship, particularly the enjoyment of our place as sons. It is very wonderful that the Lord as Man shares these things with His own. We do not share in His deity; that is beyond us. But there are things that He has as Man that He shares with the objects of His affection. These things are for our encouragement and enjoyment. The world does not provide anything that can be compared with it. The world is looking for peace, looking for joy, but they seek it without Christ, they will never find these things outside of Christ. May we be encouraged to enjoy these things that the Lord gives and shares.
I think too that the principle works out amongst the saints, sharing what we have in a spiritual way with one another, “sharing the portion of the saints in light”, Col 1: 12. Each one of us has some particular impression of Christ that no other one has, each one has been given grace that can be shared with others; that principle belongs to Christianity. All have a measure of faith, a measure of grace from the Lord, and sharing what we have is of spiritual benefit to others. There is no loss in sharing these spiritual impressions with one another.
We read lastly in Deuteronomy. Moses here is seeking to attract the saints, the people of God, into the land; they are about to move into the land of God’s purpose. We were speaking in the reading of Caleb in this connection. Moses here is describing the land; he says first of all, “is not as the land of Egypt, from whence ye came out”. It is quite a contrast. The Egyptian system was very poor and impoverished, “and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs”, involving human effort. But what a comparison, the heavenly land is watered with “the rain of heaven”, a bountiful supply. Our brother mentioned this in the reading, that there is a bountiful supply from heaven. Christianity is maintained from Christ in heaven. Malachi says, “if I open not to you the windows of the heavens, and pour you out a blessing, till there be no place for it”, Mal 3: 10. This rain is a great blessing. Rain generally speaks of spiritual ministry from Christ as Head. That is how the saints are refreshed and the rain is necessary for growth and fruit to be formed. There is the “early rain and the latter rain”, linking with what we spoke of in the reading as to the early part of the dispensation and also what is to mark the end of the dispensation. But the Lord would maintain that supply as He says, “hearken diligently unto my commandments”. If we make room for the Lord and continue in subjection, I think we can rely on this supply of living heavenly rain, heavenly ministry. Moses says, “My doctrine shall drop as rain”, Deut 32: 2. What a blessing to have this rain. Rain is refreshment from an uncontaminated source. The supply of water from an earthly source may be contaminated but rain particularly emphasises the purity of ministry from Christ. We would seek that that would be maintained amongst the saints.
As Moses says, how different it is from the Egyptian ways of refreshment. Egypt had its river. They had their irrigation system, but it involved human effort; and that principle has been brought into Christendom, human thoughts and human innovations, but there is a lack of spiritual refreshment. We would seek to be exercised that this rain of heaven is found amongst the saints, and I am sure it is. We had a period where we had very few fellowship meetings, but we are thankful that the Lord has opened up the way that these meetings can be arranged again, three-day meetings too. These are times of heavenly refreshment. We would seek that this would be maintained amongst the saints. “Water of the rain of heaven, a land which Jehovah thy God careth for; the eyes of Jehovah thy God are constantly upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year”. The end of the year would be in view of fruit. The Lord would be looking for fruit as a result of the ministry that comes to us. Fruit that delights Him. He says, “I will give rain to your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain; and thou shalt gather in thy corn, and thy new wine, and thine oil”. It suggests a state of richness and prosperity, spiritual prosperity as receiving what comes to us from Christ. “I will give grass in thy field for thy cattle; and thou shalt eat and be full” suggesting a realm of satisfaction and a bountiful supply of food and spiritual ministry bringing Christ to us. The Spirit would give us spiritual understanding and maintain things in freshness.
May we be encouraged to see the glory and distinctiveness of what belongs to Christianity as drawing from Christ, as He is the Source. It is often said that the land of God’s purpose is a land of no imports, no need of anything outside of Christ and the Spirit, “ye are complete in him”, Col 2: 10. Moses is a teacher in this book; he is teaching the people as to what belongs to the land, attracting them into the enjoyment of God’s purpose. So, may we be freshly attracted and as we are enjoying our heavenly portion, we would seek that anything that belongs to this world is excluded. There is always a danger of bringing worldly principles in amongst the saints causing division and scattering but we would desire that the supply of pure rain is maintained bringing refreshment for the saints and fruit for the pleasure of God.
May we be encouraged in view of the glory of God and what is for His pleasure being maintained.
For His Name’s sake.
Calgary
8th October 2022