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PAGE 176
THE
point of difficulty in a correspondent's mind is this
-- if the "defective faith" of the apostles
did not necessitate their re-immersion, why should the
defective faith of our contemporaries? In other words,
if the ignorance of the apostles in regard to the death,
burial, and resurrection of Jesus, and the things founded
upon these facts, did not invalidate their baptism by
John, why should men's ignorance of the kingdom of God
and His righteousness, make invalid the immersion to
which they have been subjected? Is not their immersion
the "one baptism" although their "faith" is
defective of many things embraced in the "one faith" and
the "one hope of the calling"? (Eph. 4:4-6)
This appears to be the difficulty for us to consider. Let
us see, then, if it be real and insuperable or not.
In the first place we remark that the case of the apostles
is exceptional. They were Israelites under the law, which
was then in full force, the Abrahamic covenant not having
been confirmed by the blood of its Mediator, the Christ. They
were not required to believe in the mystery of its confirmation
any more than the prophets were until the confirmation was
established. They were under a dispensation of "justification
by faith", not of "justification through, the faith";
because when they were justified "the faith" (See
Rom. 3:30) had not come (Rom. 3:30; Gal. 3:24). Until the
resurrection of Jesus they were "under the law" as
Jesus was himself under the law, which was the schoolmaster
of Israel who were "shut up to the faith which should
afterwards be revealed". This was a position which could
only be occupied by Israelites previous to the revelation
of the faith. After that faith came, they were no longer "shut
up". (Gal. 3:23-25) The apostles were shut up as Daniel,
Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel were "shut up to the faith".
Their faith was the faith of these prophets, with the addition
that they believed that Jesus was the Son of David and Son
of the Deity whom He had anointed with the Holy Spirit; in
other words, "the Christ the King of Israel" (Mark
15:32) whom He had covenanted to Abraham and David to inherit
the land and to occupy the throne.
PAGE 177
This was their faith. They believed the things covenanted
to Abraham and David, and that Jesus was the Christ; but they
did not understand nor believe, though it was told them, that
Jesus should be put to death and rise again; they did not
know, in any sense of the word know, that there should
be remission of sins to the prophets and themselves through
the death and resurrection of Jesus; that is, through the
crucificial outpouring of his soul as the blood of the Abrahamic
and Davidian covenants, in the promises of which they believed.
This is evident from Luke 18:31-34, where it is written that
Jesus said to the twelve: "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem,
and all things that are written by the prophets concerning
the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered
unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated,
and spitted on; and they shall scourge him, and put him to
death; and the third day he shall rise again. And they
understood none of these things; and this saying was hid from
them, neither knew they the things that were spoken". John
tells us that their ignorance of this class of truths continued
until Jesus was glorified (John12:16). Then they received
the Holy Spirit, the spirit of truth, which guided them into
all the truth: and showed them many things which in the beginning
of the week of confirmation, Daniel's seventieth week, they
were not able to bear (John 16:4,12,13,25).
The apostles, then, were justified by faith in the gospel
of the kingdom, and in Jesus as its anointed king. This is
positive. They were not justified by faith in a Christ who
they believed would suffer death and rise again. This is negative.
That they were justified before the death of Jesus is evident
from John 15:3, where it is written, "Ye are clean through
the word which I have spoken unto you". This word which
Jesus spoke to them was "the word of the kingdom",
also styled "the Gospel of the Kingdom", and "the
kingdom of God" (Luke 18:17; 9:60, 2,6; 8: 1; 4:43,18;
Matt. 9:35; 4:23). Faith in it and Jesus was justifying. It
cleansed, or purified them all from sins, except Judas. He
was excepted, and pronounced "unclean"; for he had
not received "the word" into an honest and good
heart.
The apostles believed all they were required to believe. They
were not required to believe what was purposely hidden from
them. They had honoured God in accepting His counsel preached
to them through John the baptizer. They had been baptized
with "the baptism of repentance for the remission of
sins", (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3) predicated on faith in the
promises covenanted to Israel's fathers, and the approaching
manifestation of the Christ. When he appeared they recognized
him. He preached the same gospel as John, but amplified in
detail. They believed it, and Jesus completed what John had
begun in washing their feet, and without which they could
have no part with him in the joy that was set before him (John
13:8). They had washed in John's baptism, therefore they needed
not save to have their feet washed by Jesus, who thus "shod
them with the preparation of the gospel" and made them
clean every whit (verse 10; Eph. 6:15). Things being thus
ordered, it only remained to redeem them from the curse of
the law to redeem them by the same act that should purchase
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and all the saints under the law,
from its curse.
This redemption was effected by Jesus submitting to be made
a curse for them. This was accomplished, not by his wilful
violation of the law, but by his enemies nailing him to a
tree, or cross; and so forcibly bringing the curse of the
Mosaic law upon him, which says, "Cursed is every one
that hangeth on a tree". (Gal. 3:13) Thus the nature
crucified was cursed, eternally cursed; and therefore can
never occupy the kingdom of God and the earth for ever. The
life of the nature that transgressed in the person of the
first Adam, became a covering for sin in the sinless person
of the second Adam. When glorified the crucified nature was
transformed into holy spirit-nature, styled by Paul, "spiritual
body", (1 Cor. 15:44) or the body consubstantial with
the Father. This is the nature Jesus now possesses, and to
which he attained at the price of "the crucifixion of
the flesh" in every sense of the phrase.
When the redemption price was thus paid the law of Moses had
no more dominion over the apostles. Its curses had become
ineffectual in their case. Every whit clean by the arrangement
indicated, they could stand up on Pentecost, and under inspiration
of Holy Spirit, could reveal to the astonished Israelites
the new doctrine of God's system of justification in the name
of Jesus, attested by the law that cursed him, and by the
prophets. Being redeemed from the curse of the law they had
received the adoption of sons; and because they were sons
He had sent forth the spirit of His Son into their hearts;
and they could stand up and proclaim without sin "justification
through the faith", (Rom.3:30) independently of the sacrifices
prescribed by the ritual of Moses. "The faith" had
come, and they were no longer under the Mosaic schoolmaster.
The reader, then, will bear in mind the distinction subsisting
between, "justification by faith", and "justification
through the faith". (Rom. 3:30) The apostles and prophets
were justified, or cleansed from all their sins "by faith";
but since the day of Pentecost no Jew or Gentile can obtain
pardon or purification by the same formula as they. To believe
the word of the kingdom, and that Jesus is Son of God, will,
since that notable day, save no man apart from the revealed
mystery; nor would the belief that the Christ should die and
be raised again, apart from the recognition of Jesus as the
Christ, and the word of the kingdom, save a believer. The
area of "faith" was enlarged by the apostolic proclamation
into "the faith", so that after the day of Pentecost
the doctrine of the apostles presented people with more things
to be believed for justification than were believed by Abraham,
Moses, David, Daniel, or themselves. Till the glorification
of Jesus they were "fools, and slow of heart to believe
all that the prophets had spoken"; (Luke 24:25) for they
did not understand that the Christ ought to have suffered
the things Jesus suffered, and afterwards to enter upon his
glory (Luke 24:25,26). But when Jesus was about to betaken
up and received into glory, he opened their understanding
that they might understand the scriptures of Moses, the Prophets,
and the Psalms, concerning him; and said unto them, "Thus
it is written, and thus it behoved the Christ to suffer, and
to rise from the dead on the third day; and that repentance,
and remission of sins should be preached in his name among
all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (verse 44-47).
Such
was the case of the apostles in regard to their personal
justification, which resolved itself into :
1. -- Their baptism of John's immersion of repentance
for remission of sins through the word Jesus
should preach to them.
2. -- Their belief of that word of the kingdom in an
honest and good heart.
3. -- Their confession that he was the anointed Son of
the Deity and King of Israel; and,
4. -- Their feet being washed by the personal ministry
of the King himself.
Here
was a work of the Spirit which occupied a much longer
time to accomplish than a modern clerical religion-getting.
This is the excitement of an instant which leaves the
proselyte as ignorant of the truth as it found him: whereas
the cleansing of the apostles every whit was, like that
of Abraham's justification, an affair of years.
The apostles were a practical illustration of the word in
Dan. 9:27 concerning the transactions of the seventieth week, "He
shall confirm a covenant for many one week, and in half of
the week he shall cause to cease from sacrificing and offering".
They belonged to the Week of Confirmation, in which the Spirit
was causing to cease from sin-offerings; preparing a covering
for iniquity; introducing a righteousness for the hidden periods;
sealing the vision of the eighth chapter, and ,the prophecy;
and anointing the holiest of the holy ones, or saints. Their
baptism of John did not cause them to cease from sacrificing
and offering according to the Mosaic law; nor did their feet-washing
by Jesus. Till he put away sin-offerings by the sacrifice
of himself, the immersed apostles were under the dominion
of the law, and bound to attend to its requirement; but when
Jesus died "to redeem the transgressions under the law",
their iniquity and that of all the prophets was, covered;
and in his resurrection their justification was complete.
The righteousness they had acquired was such as the law could
not give. This could only represent the taking away of sins,
not actually and permanently abolish them; while the state
perfected by the death and resurrection of Jesus invested
them with a purification which needed not to be renewed in
all subsequent time, and would be found sufficient for the
Millennial Period and beyond, in other words, "for ever".
After Deity was "justified in spirit", (1 Tim. 3:16)
by the perfecting of Jesus, the apostles no longer offered
sacrifices and offerings. They "ceased sacrificing and
offering", though sacrifices and offerings continued
to be offered according to the law for nearly forty years
after by all Israelites who did not submit to the Deity's
system of righteousness exhibited in the gospel the apostles
preached.
From these premises the reader will perceive that John's baptism
was altogether wrong and out of place after the resurrection
of Jesus. It was quite right in its right place; but altogether
wrong out of its place. A pre-pentecostal immersion is therefore
impossible; and the case of the apostles who are subjects
of it, altogether irrelevant to any supposable among us. Their
faith was according to the formula of the week of confirmation,
which terminated with the cutting off of Messiah the prince
at the crucifixion. It was not defective for "justification
by faith", though it was defective for "justification
through the faith", which, however, when they were cleansed
was to them impossible, seeing that "the faith" had
not then as yet come. (See Rom. 3:30)
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