The completion of the preparation of our mediator for His work as such, required His death and resurrection. It is shocking to the mind of some to speak of Christ having to be educated and perfected for His office of mediator, but this He a.s.serts Himself. "For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings." "Though he was a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became unto all them that obey him, the author of eternal salvation." This officiating for man as mediator and high priest, is the only thing, as we now remember, in which Christ is said to have been specially qualified by His life among men. This is significant. The reasons for it are easily seen in the foregoing. He had to become a man, and these things peculiar to humanity He had to learn.
In offering Himself a sacrifice for sin, our mediator had to die. In order to His work as such, of which His death was only preparatory, He had to live again. His death was voluntary. He said, "I have power to lay down my life, and I have power to take it up again." In order to lay down His life, He had to be human; in order to take it up again, He had to be divine.
Having accomplished His preparatory work, Christ returned to the Father to make an atonement, and to sit henceforth as a mediator between G.o.d and men. He was equal with G.o.d before He left the heavens; He became the equal of man in His sojourn in the world. Hence He is now perfectly qualified for His work. But we find that we can not dispose of this subject in one chapter.
NEW TESTAMENT VIEWS OF CHRIST.
X.--CHRIST OUR MEDIATOR.--CONTINUED.
"But now hath he [Christ] obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises" (Heb. viii. 6).
Having considered Christ"s preparatory work, His earthly mission, we wish now to consider His office and work as mediator between G.o.d and men. Christ sought no additional honor because of His message to men and suffering on their account. On the contrary, He prayed: "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." But while He sought no additional glory, He found additional work. The office He now fills existed not till He ascended to the Father from an empty grave. He descended into the dominion of death and robbed it of its power. He dragged the captor captive, and gave gifts unto men. Ascending, as a conquering king, His angelic retinue raise the exultant shout: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in." "Who is this King of glory?" the guardian hosts shout back. "The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." Again, the gates of the eternal city are shaken with the shout: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in."
Christ was coronated King of kings and Lord of lords. He began at once His work of mediation. Through the Holy Spirit, sent as His advocate, He convicts men of sin, and brings them into harmony and union with G.o.d. His mediatorship involves a work of reconciliation. This is His fundamental work. The old theology was that Christ labors to reconcile G.o.d to men. Indeed, the world is not yet as free from the thought as the truth and the honor of G.o.d demand. Whatever may be true of the atonement, one thing is certain, it grew out of the love of G.o.d. "G.o.d so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." Any theory, therefore, that does not harmonize with this is false. G.o.d already loves the world. He loves sinners, even, who are not penitent. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. How dishonoring to G.o.d, then, to represent Him as unwilling to save agonizing sinners; so that the protracted prayers of the church are necessary, and often unavailing! Paul says that G.o.d was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself. The world had transgressed, had gone away from G.o.d, and Christ"s mission as mediator, is to bring it back in agreement and submission to the divine will.
The importance of the mediatorial office of Christ is very improperly apprehended. The necessity of a mediator between us and G.o.d can never be fully realized in this life. This belongs to that a.s.sociation of deep and profound mysteries emanating from the mind of G.o.d, that angels intently desire to look into. We are permitted to see only the surface in this life. But we know enough about the general character of His work, to know, that it has a value far above the world"s comprehension.
When one stands as our intercessor we are favored in proportion to his standing with the other party. When one seeks a favor at the hands of the chief executive of the nation, if he has no standing of his own, all depends on the standing of his advocate. If the one interceding for him stands high in the president"s favor, and has great influence with him, his request is favorably considered on account of his advocate.
When we consider the standing of the Son with the Father; that through Him the Father has sought the reconciliation of the world; that He is the "brightness, the Father"s glory, and the express image of his person;" we have perfect confidence that His pleadings will prevail.
But when the Father "so loved the world as to give his Son to die for it;" when He so loves sinners that His great loving heart goes out in yearnings for their salvation, why should His loving, struggling children need an intercessor with Him at all? This has been one of the questions of the ages. Theories more curious than satisfactory have been promulgated concerning it by the different schools of theology. We shall not presume to answer it, beyond the simple suggestion that this was the special work for which the divine Logos that was in the beginning with G.o.d, had to qualify Himself by special education. Hence it is a matter not of difference between the love and goodness of the Father and that of the Son, but of qualification by _experience_ in the trials, temptations and weaknesses of the flesh. The consideration of this fact would have saved the world from much vain speculation.
When Paul argues the importance of a mediator, it is not on the ground that the Son loves us more than the Father, but on the ground that He knows us by experience. "For we have not a high priest that can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace." The fact that our high priest, or intercessor, was "tempted in all points, like as we are," is the reason why we may approach a throne of grace with boldness. This boldness is simply a profound confidence based upon the humanity of our mediator.
When we approach a throne of grace, conscious of sin and imperfection, how little can we trust ourselves. We realize that we come empty-handed before G.o.d. With the poet, each can sing:
"Nothing in my hands I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling."
We can plead no merit of our own. We have no legal claim on the store-house of G.o.d"s boundless mercy and love. But we remember that we have a Friend; that this Friend has suffered the same trials and temptations; that He knows by bitter experience just how we feel; that He deeply sympathizes with us, and that He loves us with a devotion and faithfulness beyond human experience or expression. Remembering this, how can we feel otherwise than confident that an already loving Father will hear our pet.i.tions in harmony with His will, and bless us as His believing children? The efficacy of prayer, therefore, grows out of the mediatorship of Jesus, and the confidence in prayer grows out of our appreciation of the mediator and of His work. Hence a light appreciation of the mediatorial work of Jesus leads to a prayerless life.
Jesus Himself taught that there is no way of approach to the Father except through Him. "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." No man can approach G.o.d _in his own name_. G.o.d does not look upon men in their own personality. He looks upon them only _through their mediator_; and what He sees to commend, is seen and commended only through, and on account of, their mediator.
In other words, G.o.d sees the mediator only, not them. Hence the man that does not accept the mediator cuts himself off from G.o.d. He rejects the only way of approach to G.o.d. He prevents G.o.d"s considering his case; for G.o.d considers us only through the mediator. It is this fact, that G.o.d considers the mediator through whom the pet.i.tion is made, rather than the pet.i.tioner, that gives significance to the fact that our prayers are to be _in the name_ of Jesus Christ; and that we ask that our pet.i.tions be granted for "Christ"s sake." At a throne of grace we present the name of our intercessor. We ask in _his name_, not our own. We present Him, not ourselves. We hide ourselves behind Him, put Him in our place, and ask what G.o.d will do for Him. He authorizes us to thus use His name, and the blessings bestowed are just to the extent that that name prevails with G.o.d. Should Vanderbilt grant you the legal right to use his name to the full extent of your desire in presentation of checks, etc.; with his pledge to redeem all paper bearing his signature in your hand, his whole fortune would be pledged to meet the demands of your drafts upon him. Bankrupt financially, as you are spiritually, you present your check for a large amount and it would be rejected. But add to that the name of Vanderbilt, and your check is honored. You draw the money not in your name, but in his. The bank sees not you, but him. Now, just as you would thus present the name of Vanderbilt, with full a.s.surance of your request being granted to the extent of his fortune, you to-day present the name of Jesus at the court of heaven, and a heaven honors that name; its resources are pledged to meet your pet.i.tion. The name of Jesus, therefore, when thus presented, means to us all that it signifies in the government of G.o.d.
To the extent that His name is honored are heavenly blessings secured to us.
In the light of these sublime truths, we see the significance of the Saviour"s requirement that henceforth all prayer should be offered in His name. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, if ye shall ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name. Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive." What is called the Lord"s Prayer, is not in His name, because His mediatorship had not then been established. But now it would be sinful to repeat that prayer, as thousands do, and omit to offer it in the name of Christ.
The custom of Masons, and other secret orders, of having a form of religion that ignores Christ, that does not recognize His mediatorship and that is not offered in His name, is supremely wicked. It is a gross perversion of the religion of Jesus. And how Christian men, even preachers of the gospel, can find it in their hearts to acquiesce in such a thing, is to us a profound puzzle. The inst.i.tution that has no place for my Master has no place for me.
The only way of approach to G.o.d is through Christ as our mediator; and the mediatorial office of Christ is in the church, not in the world.
Hence, as G.o.d can be glorified only through Christ, He can be glorified only through the church. Paul, recognizing this, says: "Unto G.o.d be glory in the church, by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
NEW TESTAMENT VIEWS OF CHRIST.
XI.--CHRIST OUR HIGH PRIEST.
"Now, if there was perfection through the Levitical priesthood (for under it hath the people received the law), what further need _was there_ that another priest should arise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be reckoned after the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law. For he of whom these things are said belongeth to another tribe, from which no man hath given attendance at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord hath sprung out of Judah; as to which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priests. And _what we say_ is yet more abundantly evident, if after the likeness of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, who hath been made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life, for it is witnessed of him, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec" (Heb. vii. 11-17).
Each dispensation has had its priesthood. Each has had its priests and its high priests. Each has had its priests, its altars and its sacrifices peculiar to itself. Only priests in any age could worship G.o.d; and acceptable worship must ever be in accordance with the law of the priesthood.
During the patriarchal age the father of the family was priest. He offered sacrifice for the family. The grandfather, great grandfather, etc., was high priest over his posterity for all the generations descending from him while he lived. Adam was high priest of the whole race during his life. Then the high priesthood descended to each of his sons for the posterity of each. So Noah was high priest of all the post-diluvian world during his life. Then it descended to each of his sons. Each son was high priest of his branch of the family, in all its generations, during his life. In that age, therefore, as in this, there was a universal priesthood. The priesthood of the Christian dispensation is, in a certain sense, modeled after the patriarchal and in contrast with the Jewish. It is after the order of Melchisedec, and not after that of Aaron. Melchisedec was high priest of that division of the human family to which Abraham belonged, and this distinguished patriarch paid t.i.thes to him. If we do not misinterpret the law of the priesthood of that age, this could have been none other than Shem. Shem was then living, and Noah was dead; and Abraham belonged to Shem"s posterity. Hence no one else could be high priest while Shem lived.
Many have thought that because it is said he was "without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life," that he could not be a man. But they fail to observe that he was without these things _in the Aaronic priesthood_. For it is said that he had a genealogy, but that it was not in the priestly family.
"And they indeed of the sons of Levi that receive the priest"s office have commandment to take t.i.thes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though these have come out of the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not counted from them hath taken t.i.thes of Abraham." Shem had neither father nor mother, nor beginning of days, nor end of life, in the sense that the Aaronic priests had them; and this is all that is affirmed of Melchisedec.
When G.o.d called His people out of Egyptian bondage, and gave them the law, He gave them a new priesthood. The priests were now all confined to the tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron. Men could no longer build their own altars and offer their own sacrifices. On the contrary, they had all to bring their offering to the priests appointed of the family of Aaron, and have them make the offering. With a change of the priesthood came a change of the law. "For," says Paul, "the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also in the law."
The law thus changed was the law of worship through the priesthood. And as it was through this worship that pardon was obtained, the change of priesthood changed the law of pardon. Hence the law of pardon under each priesthood has been different from that under either of the others. After the establishment of the Aaronic priesthood, a descendant of Jacob could no longer build his altar and offer his sacrifice just as he had done before the change. And now a priest under the Christian dispensation can not offer acceptable worship as did either the Jew or the patriarch. The worship that once brought to one the divine blessing would now bring upon him a curse. How strange it is, then, that the denominational world in large measure go back to a different priesthood for their ideas of religion and salvation.
Under the law the kings and the priests were of two distinct tribes.
These were of the tribe of Levi; those of the tribe of Judah. Hence it is written: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." Christ was of the tribe of Judah; hence He, like Melchisedec, is both priest and king. He could not be a priest of the Aaronic order, for he was of a different tribe--a tribe of which Moses spoke nothing concerning the priesthood. Hence all the efforts to make Him a priest of that kind are refuted by that simple fact. Many insist that Christ was inducted into His priestly office at His baptism, and many vain speculations are based thereon. But this can not be. Christ was not a priest while He was on the earth, says Paul in these words: "Now, if he were on earth he would not be a priest at all, seeing there are those who offer the gifts according to the law" (Heb.
viii. 4). He could not be a priest on earth, because the Aaronic priesthood was then in force, and He was not of the Aaronic family.
Since He could not be a priest while on earth, it is folly to talk of His becoming a priest at His baptism. He could not become a priest till the law of the priesthood was changed, and that was not changed till after His death. The Aaronic priesthood was in full force till His death. He was made high priest, not by the legal ritual, but by the oath of G.o.d; and this oath was "_after the law_," not while it was in force. The law continued till His death, hence it was after His death that He was made high priest by the oath of G.o.d. He was a sacrifice when He died, not a priest. He could not be priest and sacrifice at the same time. After His ascension He, as high priest, made atonement with His own blood which He shed as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
Hence a number of facts show the utter folly of claiming that He was a priest among men.
It is through Christ as high priest that we worship G.o.d. We can worship acceptably in no other way. There are no other means of access to the Father. Only through and by the priesthood can G.o.d be worshiped. Hence the worshiper must become a priest, and then worship through Christ as high priest. All pretensions to approach G.o.d in worship, without recognizing Christ as our high priest and mediator, is only an exhibition of an infidel farce. It is an insult to G.o.d, because a rejection of His Son. Hence those who do not accept Christ as their high priest cut themselves off from access to the Father. Christ Himself says, "No man cometh unto the Father but by me."
Paul makes it a matter of rejoicing that we have a great high priest who can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; one that has been tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. Such a high priest knows how to sympathize with us, and to make for us all just excuses.
The earthly high priest went once a year, on the great day of atonement, into the most holy place, with the blood of others, to make atonement for the sins of Israel; but Christ, as the high priest of the good things to come, has entered the holy place on high, with His own blood, to make atonement for the sins of the whole world. The offerings made by the priests under the law pertained only to the cleansing of the flesh; but the blood offered by our high priest "cleanses the conscience from dead works to serve the living G.o.d."
NEW TESTAMENT VIEWS OF CHRIST.
XII.--CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from G.o.d, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord" (I. Cor. i. 30, 31).
In this language Paul affirms that Christ is our righteousness. This is a momentous thought. It goes to the heart of the scheme of redemption.
How is Christ our righteousness? What does Paul mean by the affirmation? The very life of Christianity is involved in the answer.
By one"s answer we know just where to place him in regard to the vital principles of Christianity.
That one must be righteous in order to be prepared for heaven, must be conceded by those who accept the Bible as authority. "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of G.o.d." And this must be a positive, not simply a relative, righteousness. Men may be comparatively righteous, and yet be wholly unprepared for the presence of G.o.d. The righteousness required in order to a home in heaven is absolute. All unrighteousness is sin, and one must be perfectly free from sin to be accepted in the Beloved. No sin can enter heaven. One can not stand in the presence of G.o.d, accepted through the righteousness of Christ, with the least taint of sin upon his soul.
Hence perfect righteousness is required. One must be righteous even as Christ Himself is righteous. Knowing this to be true, and knowing our own imperfections and shortcomings, even in our best estate, it is no wonder that the way is described as narrow. One can not but see at a glance his utter hopelessness if he has to depend on himself. If Christ has made any provision by which this righteousness can be attained then one can not but appreciate what Christ has done for him and his absolute dependence on Him for salvation.
Two distinct kinds of righteousness are clearly defined in the Word of G.o.d. They are in striking contrast. One is approved; the other condemned. One is of G.o.d; the other of men. One is of faith; the other of law.
G.o.d"s righteousness is not only a divine, holy principle of justice and mercy, but is also a system or plan of salvation. When Jesus applied to John for baptism, John declined. He was preaching the "baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." He also required a confession of their sins. They were baptized of him in Jordan, "confessing their sins." While he did not know Jesus to be the Christ, he knew Him as his kinsman, and he knew enough of the purity and sinlessness of His life to think that He should not confess His sins to be baptized for their remission. Besides he doubtless hoped that Jesus would be the favored one on whom he was to see the Holy Spirit descending and abiding upon Him. He, therefore, felt himself unworthy to baptize his cousin Jesus.
But Jesus said, "Suffer it now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." No matter what John"s personal feelings were, or the sinlessness and purity of Jesus, it became the duty of one as the administrator and the other as the subject to observe this divine appointment. Had their idea been that baptism was to be administered to those free from sin, such an objection could never have been raised.
Here the word "righteousness" evidently refers to G.o.d"s appointments in the divine economy--the plan of salvation.
When Peter went to the house of Cornelius to break the bread of life to the Gentiles, he said: "I now perceive that G.o.d is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth G.o.d and worketh righteousness is accepted of him." Here "righteousness" is something to be "worked." It is, therefore, something to be done. In it men are active. It is not, therefore, a quality in G.o.d or man, but something that enlists the activities of men. It is a plan by the observance of which men are accepted of G.o.d.