Position And Condition

by J. Miller, Ayr | Category: Position And Condition | Jan 1968

Under the Old Covenant there was a divine position for God's people Israel, and also a condition on the part of Israel proper to that position. The position in which God's ancient people were to dwell was the land of Canaan, and the place of their sanctuary and service was called "the place of the Name". There they were to bring all their burnt offerings and their sacrifices, their tithes and heave offerings, and there they were to do all that God commanded them. That place was also called "the hill of the LORD" where were God's house and altar. The males of Israel had to appear before God three times in the year, at the feast of unleavened bread, at Pentecost, and at the feast of Tabernacles alter all their crops had been gathered in, and none of them had to appear before God empty (Exodus 23.1-l7; Deuteronomy 12.10,11).

After saying, in Psalm 24.1, that "the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein", David asks,

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?

And who shall stand in His holy place?" and he answers,

"He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;

Who hath not lifted up his soul to vanity,

And hath not sworn deceitfully" (verse 4).

This is the condition required by God of those who shall ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place. A condition of holiness is demanded of those who occupy a position of holiness. David goes more minutely into this. In Psalm 15 he says of such a man: (1) He must walk uprightly, (2) work righteousness, (3) speak truth in his heart, (4) slander not with his tongue. (5) do no evil to his friend, (6), take not up a reproach against his neighbour; (7) he despises a reprobate, but (8) he honoureth them that fear the Lord, (9) he sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not, (10) he putteth not his money to usury, (11) nor taketh reward against the innocent; and David concludes with the words, "He that doeth these things shall never be moved". Thus we see that position and condition were definitely joined in the Scriptures of the Old Testament.

As it was of old even so it is now. The book of the Revelation (chapters 1-3) gives us the last sight of collective testimony in apostolic days. In chapter 1 we have the position of the seven churches in the province of Asia defined. They are described as "a kingdom, priests unto His (Christ's) God and Father" (Revelation 1.6). At that time there were only seven churches of God in Asia. There were another three at an earlier time. There was Troas, where Paul and his companions broke the bread on that memorable first day of the week (Acts 20.6-12). There was also a group of three churches in the south-east of Asia; Laodicea, Hierapolis and Colossae, of which only Laodicea remained by the time that the Revelation was written. Churches of God are planted and cared for by human instrumentality. Paul planted the church of God in Corinth and Apollos watered it, and God gave the increase (1 Corinthians 3.6). Elders, who are also overseers, feed and take care of a church, so also are they responsible to see to the orderly cessation of a church where death has removed all that were therein, or where the saints have removed, or yet again, where sin has corrupted such a church. For it is a solemn fact that a church of God can be corrupted, as Paul warned the Corinthians: "if any man destroyeth [A.V. defile] the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (I Corinthians 3.17). The Greek verb phthdro is rendered destroyeth or defile; its noun form phthopa means corruption, ruin; so that a church of God, which is temple of God, planted by man, can be corrupted and ruined by man. This is something very different from the Church which is Christ's Body which is preserved by Christ, and will be presented by Him to Himself without spot or wrinkle or any such thing

When John turned to see the voice which spoke to him he saw seven golden lampstands (not candlesticks as in the text of both the A.V. and RV.). Each of the churches was a golden lampstand. This shows their divine position. The condition of each differed. Following the illustration of the golden lampstand in the Tabernacle, the lamps were of the same precious metal as the stand on which they were placed, one on each of the six branches and one on the central stem. In the Revelation the lamps placed on the golden stand signify saints or children of God and the lampstand signifies a church of God.

In the Tabernacle gold speaks of divine glory. Likewise in Revelation each lampstand was divine. The stand was "of God'" and the lamps were "of God". Many children of God see the wrong of a mixed communion of saints and sinners in a so-called church, but they do not see, in many cases, that saints of God should be together only on a golden stand. This has led to the confusion that exists and the scattering of the saints of God.

While the churches in Asia were of the same quality of metal, their condition was different in each case. The churches in Ephesus and Laodicea were threatened with the removal of their lampstands. The Lord holds nothing against the churches in Smyrna and Philadelphia, but the other three, those of Pergamuni, Thyatira, and Sardis, were in a sad condition.

Being in a divine position does not admit of degrees, such as good, better and best. Collective position is either right or wrong, something or nothing. But the condition of churches admits of degrees; this we can plainly see in the case of the seven churches in Asia. The condition of a church of God is largely the responsibility of the saints that are therein. If it is to continue, a very solemn responsibility rests on their shoulders. Saints may become careless and lo6se in their mode of living; they may go to sleep as to their part in the carrying on of the Lord's work. There are many reasons for assembly life becoming so low that the testimony of the church practically ceases to exist, and eventually the Lord removes the lampstand out of its place.

At the close of the Old Testament, God's people, Israel, were in a sad condition. They were saying, "It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge?" (Malachi 3.14). Because of their neglect of God's things God became silent. There was no prophet, no vision, and when there is no vision the people perish. Such were the days of the infant Samuel, for then "there was no open vision" (1 Samuel 3.1). He while yet a child was "established to be a prophet of the Lord" (verse 20).

The next message of the Lord after Malachi's day was that which came by John the Baptist out in the wilderness. Though he was the son of a priest he had no message for the priests or people in the temple. If they would hear God they must go forth to him to the wilderness. May the Lord be pleased to raise up evangelists, pastors and teachers among His people, that by them we may hear the living word of God, and that He may save His people and keep us till He comes again.

J. Miller, Ayr | Jan 1968
Position And Condition