(Continued from p. 138)

VII.-IN ABRAHAM’S HISTORY

Continuing our study of Abraham's history we may find in the events recorded in chs. 16 and 17 further lessons of the cross.

First, we see Abram turns aside to seek the fulfilment of the promise by fleshly means, rather than wait for God's disclosure of His way for its accomplishment. This history affords instruction as to the way of fruitful-ness according to God-the lesson of death applied to the flesh, and the truth of resurrection-power acting for us and in us, so that Christ (of whom Isaac is the type) is brought forth in us practically speaking, that is, His spirit and mind formed in us and His ways of holiness and grace made to characterize us. In this connection the spiritual meaning of circumcision finds its place, and we know how this is taken up in relation to the cross in Col. 2.

The lessons of this history are applied in Gal. 4. There we learn the difference between bondage under law and liberty through grace. This brings in the gift of the Spirit (Gal. 3), the place of sonship (Gal. 4), and the fruit of the Spirit, the flesh being judged and refused as we who live in the Spirit walk by the Spirit (Gal. 5). In all of this the Cross has its place (Gal. 3:1,13; 4:5; 5:24).

Not apart from the lesson of death being applied to the strength of the flesh, even though it be directed in effort after the realization of desires which flow from grace, can real fruitfulness be known-even that which God brings forth through His own power working in us, the power of the Spirit. Nothing else avails. This is the lesson in Genesis. There must not be confidence in the flesh, and so after Abram's failure in self-effort God again speaks to him. He had made his own effort to fulfil the promise, with evident failure, and now thirteen years later, when as yet there had been no accomplishment of it from God's side and death reigned as far as human strength was concerned, the Lord appears to announce Himself as "the Almighty God"-thus the One perfectly able to accomplish His promise without man's assistance. He reveals Himself in this character when the failure and helplessness of man is fully shown. Thus the admonition follows:"Walk before Me, and be thou perfect." This Abram had not been doing, as his course with Hagar witnessed. Rather, he had walked by sight and not faith, and in this respect fell short of being perfect.

Here, then, we have another example of how God who is faithful comes at the fulness of time to accomplish His word and will, when we have reached the end of our resources. This serves to magnify His grace, and leaves man without ground for boasting save in the Lord. It is this-as with Abram, so with us-which brings in full blessing. So now the fact that the promised seed shall be brought in through Sarai and not another is declared by God (ch. 17:15-22). This is spite of utter helplessness from man's side, as the apostle comments, "And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about one hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that, what He had promised, He was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:19-21). Thus, though fully conscious of the deadness of nature^ he believed God to be the One "who quickeneth the dead."
This illustrates for our instruction the great ruling principle, not only in regard to our justification before God, but also of all true Christian experience in which the fruit of the Spirit is to be borne.

The truth of the Cross must necessarily entwine itself with the obedience of faith, as shown in the history before us in the ordinance of circumcision and Abraham's obedience to it. By this he declared his faith in God's word, and was walking before God as the Almighty. The significance of this ordinance in relation to the cross may be gathered from Col. 2:11. In Him in whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, in whom we are complete, who is the Head of all principality and power, in Him "ye have been circumcised with circumcision not done by hand, in the putting off of the body of the flesh [body here meaning the totality of what is spoken of], in the circumcision of the Christ" (New Trans.).

Primarily meaning to cut off, and so cast aside as useless, circumcision is the apt figure of judgment on the flesh in its totality, so that seeing this to have been done at the cross according to God's reckoning we now practically are to give it no place, casting it aside as judged, counting it dead and useless. Here the death of the cross is spoken of as "the circumcision of the Christ," since He who had come "in the likeness of flesh of sin" died there as a sacrifice for sin, so that in this way God "condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). He at that time taking a place of identification, as before God in judgment, with all that the flesh is, endured the judgment it deserved; thus it, we may say, was cut off from Him, and now through death He is forever free from the necessity of taking up any question as to sin to bear judgment from God. "For in that He has died, He has died to sin once for all" (Rom. 6:10). Thus He took the place of bearing the judgment of God upon the body of the flesh, so that, knowing that God has judicially dealt with it in this way, we may now apply the truth of it to the evil nature still in us, finding thus the way of freedom to walk after the Spirit and bear His fruit, Christ being formed in us and His life manifested in our mortal flesh.

Therefore as for Christ there ended once and forever any connection on His part with the body of the flesh, its judgment being fully accomplished in His death which is here spoken of as His circumcision, and now He is known in resurrection, so with us as applying the truth of the one to ourselves in regard to the flesh, we are to act upon the other, that of our being raised with Him in order that we should be found walking in newness of life and spirit. The application of both these aspects of truth is given in Col. 2:20-3:4.

With this we may also connect what Scripture says in reference to putting off the old man and putting on the new (Col. 3:9-11; Eph. 4:20-25). With this much practical instruction and exhortation are given. Our walk in this world is not to be according to what we have learned of man, his evil ways, "in which we also once walked when we lived in these things" (Col. 3:7, New Trans). This is the very opposite to what we have learned of Christ, the truth of whose mind, character, and holy ways was perfectly manifested in Jesus (Eph. 4:21). The life of Jesus is to be manifested in the believer, and this result is linked with the meaning of His death as applied to us (2 Cor. 4).

The putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new is not something to be done each day. It is rather viewed as accomplished at the commencement of the Christian experience. It is 'Tiaving put off… and having put on." Judicially this is true of us as seen identified with the death of Christ, for "our old man has been crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be annulled, that we should no longer serve sin" (Rom. 6:6). This is God's view of the matter, and He no longer sees us invested as before, but as having put off the old. Our practical answer to this as born of God is found in putting off that body of evil dispositions which was manifest as ruling our former manner of life. This is spoken of in a personified way as "the old man," for it characterized us individually as men. This results in the putting to death our members which are upon the earth, and our putting off, as having no part in our daily living, those evil things mentioned (Col. 3:5-8).

On the other hand, if all of the old is seen to pass under judgment and into death at the cross, the believer is now viewed as identified with Christ risen-"Ye have been raised with the Christ." In God's view we are invested with the new man, and what comprises this and is to characterize us individually is the body of divine dispositions created according to God in righteousness and holiness of truth. In a word, the one is the old nature with its system of evil dispositions, and the other is the new nature with its system of divine dispositions which is according to the image of Him, 1:e., God, who has created him, I.e., the new man, to which pertains none of those distinctions found among men in the flesh, "but Christ is everything, and in all." Our practical answer to this truth is "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4), and our putting on, so as to characterize our daily living, those things mentioned in the accompanying instruction and exhortation (Col. 3:12, etc.).

We have died with Christ-that is God's view.

We reckon ourselves dead-that is faith's answer,

We put to death-that is what we are to do now daily, and so come to live a new kind of life, no longer practicing sin, which is lawlessness, but righteousness as bondmen of God, having fruit unto holiness and the end eternal life (Rom. 6:22).

Thus like Abraham, utterly helpless and hopeless in ourselves as to fruitfulness, we find power in God and from God, working in us, for He quickeneth the dead. He is the Almighty, the God of resurrection to us, so that in us, as in Abraham and Sarah, He fulfils His own word. It is all of Him, and so we come to walk before Him and to be perfect, as applying the truth of circumcision to all that is of the old man and walking in the power of the new. It means to walk by the Spirit, for according to God we live in the Spirit and are to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5). It is that new order of life which God has created (with which we are now identified as having been raised with the Christ), which is to come out in us day by day as those who are new creation in Christ Jesus. "As many as shall walk by this rule peace upon them and mercy." The apprehension of the truth we have outlined is power for the practice of those moral features and spiritual qualities which form a true expression in us of the life of Jesus-the mind of Christ. John Bloore

(To be continued, D.V.)