It is a very serious question—a question of great interest to oneself, but yet a greater interest to the Lord Jesus. What are we here for? He was here for us. Now we are to be here for Him. It is a great moment for your soul when you apprehend that you are here for Christ as a member of His Body, that you belong to Him.
Paul understood it when he said, “That I should preach . . . the unsearchable riches of Christ.” We are left here to be descriptive of Him in the place of His rejection, to represent Him here as a member of His Body. As children we are in the highest relationship; but as united to Christ we are in the highest position (believers are second only to the Trinity and higher than angels - Heb 1:14 - 1Pe 1:12—NC), and not only that, we are brought into the fellowship of the counsels and interests of God.
If I look into the Old Testament history I see that God always had a testimony on earth. With Noah it was power in Government; Abraham’s testimony was as the man of Faith—called out; Joshua to bring the people of God into the Land; David had the City; Solomon the Temple; Christ came, and He was on the earth a complete testimony. Every effort was made to get rid of Him!
Rejected here He is called to sit at the Father’s right hand; and what comes out now is the Mystery—that His Body is here. It was revealed only to Paul. It was made known to Him at his conversion in the question, “Why persecutest Me?” Until Christ was in glory the truth of the Body was not made known, but “hid” (Col 1:26, 27). He was fully rejected, as it was disclosed. If you get hold of the simple fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was refused a place here, and that His Body is here (to represent Him as if He was still here—NC), it will alter the whole complexion of your life.
They sent a message after Him in the person of Stephen (Act 6:3, 5). He said, “I see . . . the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” That is the Man to be maintained here. One believer or two could not set forth Christ down here. It must be the whole Body—all the saints; but the feeblest member is necessary to the full description of Him. All may not be walking consistently, but every member of the Body is necessary (every single believer testifies to Christ’s saving grace—NC) to set forth the exalted Man here where He was, and is refused!
It is an immense thing for the heart to get hold of. Paul tells us that he would have all men see what is the administration of the mystery (Christians are Christ’s Body - Eph 3:9—NC). It is a thing which should be seen here. He preached among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of the Christ—concerning the Head and the Body! What can affect our hearts like the fact that we are called to be descriptive of the exalted Man in the place where He is rejected—Christ in heaven, manifested on the earth through His Body—the Church (Col 1:18).
What can move your heart more than that this blessed Man should be manifested in all His beauty by His members here where everything is against Him? Would you like to be in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, testifying of the Lord Jesus and setting Him forth? It is the Father’s purpose for you. But you will not be descriptive of Him here if you are not in spirit with Him where He is (believers must know the definite assurance of gaining heaven, where He is—NC)!
—J B Stoney
MJS daily devotional excerpt:
"When we rely upon and cater to the old man, that ground produces "the works of the flesh" (Gal. 5:19–21). But as we abide in the risen Lord Jesus, that new ground of our position, His life will be manifested in "the fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22, 23). -MJS
"God’s Word declares that we are ‘dead indeed unto sin,’ but nowhere does it say that we are dead in ourselves. We shall look in vain within to find death there. We have died to sin; not in ourselves, but ‘in Christ,’ and our death with Him is as sure as His death, and since we died with Him it is impossible for His death to be certain and ours uncertain.
"We were crucified with Him because we were in Him (Gal. 2:20). We are raised in Him (Eph. 2:6); we are complete in Him (Col. 2:10); we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Him (Eph. 1:3); the entire work regarding us is not done in us but in the Lord Jesus—the Father has done all in His Son. If you stand on the ground of what the Lord Jesus is (abide), you will find in your growth that all that is true of Him is becoming true of you; but if you remain on the ground of what you are in yourself, you will find that all that is true of the old man is true of you in life and walk."
"The purpose of Paul, in Romans Six, is to show how completely the believer is identified with the Lord Jesus when ‘He died unto sin.’ To enter fully into the meaning of that death is to see that He has emancipated us from any further dealings with our old master, sin. The believer is privileged thus to take his position in the risen Lord Jesus, who is now ‘alive unto God.’ From that ground he is henceforth to regard sin." -Eliza Hodges (1803-1867)
Paul understood it when he said, “That I should preach . . . the unsearchable riches of Christ.” We are left here to be descriptive of Him in the place of His rejection, to represent Him here as a member of His Body. As children we are in the highest relationship; but as united to Christ we are in the highest position (believers are second only to the Trinity and higher than angels - Heb 1:14 - 1Pe 1:12—NC), and not only that, we are brought into the fellowship of the counsels and interests of God.
If I look into the Old Testament history I see that God always had a testimony on earth. With Noah it was power in Government; Abraham’s testimony was as the man of Faith—called out; Joshua to bring the people of God into the Land; David had the City; Solomon the Temple; Christ came, and He was on the earth a complete testimony. Every effort was made to get rid of Him!
Rejected here He is called to sit at the Father’s right hand; and what comes out now is the Mystery—that His Body is here. It was revealed only to Paul. It was made known to Him at his conversion in the question, “Why persecutest Me?” Until Christ was in glory the truth of the Body was not made known, but “hid” (Col 1:26, 27). He was fully rejected, as it was disclosed. If you get hold of the simple fact that the Lord Jesus Christ was refused a place here, and that His Body is here (to represent Him as if He was still here—NC), it will alter the whole complexion of your life.
They sent a message after Him in the person of Stephen (Act 6:3, 5). He said, “I see . . . the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.” That is the Man to be maintained here. One believer or two could not set forth Christ down here. It must be the whole Body—all the saints; but the feeblest member is necessary to the full description of Him. All may not be walking consistently, but every member of the Body is necessary (every single believer testifies to Christ’s saving grace—NC) to set forth the exalted Man here where He was, and is refused!
It is an immense thing for the heart to get hold of. Paul tells us that he would have all men see what is the administration of the mystery (Christians are Christ’s Body - Eph 3:9—NC). It is a thing which should be seen here. He preached among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of the Christ—concerning the Head and the Body! What can affect our hearts like the fact that we are called to be descriptive of the exalted Man in the place where He is rejected—Christ in heaven, manifested on the earth through His Body—the Church (Col 1:18).
What can move your heart more than that this blessed Man should be manifested in all His beauty by His members here where everything is against Him? Would you like to be in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, testifying of the Lord Jesus and setting Him forth? It is the Father’s purpose for you. But you will not be descriptive of Him here if you are not in spirit with Him where He is (believers must know the definite assurance of gaining heaven, where He is—NC)!
—J B Stoney
MJS daily devotional excerpt:
"When we rely upon and cater to the old man, that ground produces "the works of the flesh" (Gal. 5:19–21). But as we abide in the risen Lord Jesus, that new ground of our position, His life will be manifested in "the fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22, 23). -MJS
"God’s Word declares that we are ‘dead indeed unto sin,’ but nowhere does it say that we are dead in ourselves. We shall look in vain within to find death there. We have died to sin; not in ourselves, but ‘in Christ,’ and our death with Him is as sure as His death, and since we died with Him it is impossible for His death to be certain and ours uncertain.
"We were crucified with Him because we were in Him (Gal. 2:20). We are raised in Him (Eph. 2:6); we are complete in Him (Col. 2:10); we are blessed with all spiritual blessings in Him (Eph. 1:3); the entire work regarding us is not done in us but in the Lord Jesus—the Father has done all in His Son. If you stand on the ground of what the Lord Jesus is (abide), you will find in your growth that all that is true of Him is becoming true of you; but if you remain on the ground of what you are in yourself, you will find that all that is true of the old man is true of you in life and walk."
"The purpose of Paul, in Romans Six, is to show how completely the believer is identified with the Lord Jesus when ‘He died unto sin.’ To enter fully into the meaning of that death is to see that He has emancipated us from any further dealings with our old master, sin. The believer is privileged thus to take his position in the risen Lord Jesus, who is now ‘alive unto God.’ From that ground he is henceforth to regard sin." -Eliza Hodges (1803-1867)
