Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

Let me remind you again of the divisions of this epistle:—that the first two chapters speak of the family with their Father, and the last three chapters of the family in the world. You will observe, there are two words, both translated “little children,” in what we have read; one word in our version, though two words in the original. The one word refers to the entire family; the other word should have been rendered “babes,” and refers to those who have been new born of the Spirit. It is important to understand this at the outset, because on its apprehension will the interpretation of this portion of the epistle depend.

The first word, “little children,” refers to the entire family, and comprehends all the “fathers,” “young men” and “babes.” But in verse 13, the word rendered “little children” refers to a class contra-distinguished from the “fathers “and “young men.” First, we have the entire family, (verse 12); then “fathers,” and “young men,” and “babes,” (verse 13). Then again “fathers,” “young men,” and “babes,” (verses 14-18). Then, after that, again, the comprehensive word, “little children.” (verse 28). At the outset, we have a characteristic of the whole family:—“Your sins are forgiven you;” and at the close of this section (verse 28,) all are exhorted to abide in Christ; and in between these we have three divisions of the family. You will note that of the entire family it is said, “Your sins are forgiven you.” This is said absolutely of every member of the entire family, “Your sins are forgiven you.” As sure as any one is a member of God’s family, so sure is it that his “sins are forgiven” him. He may have fled to Christ but for half-an-hour, or he may have been His disciple for fifty years; he may have grown much, or none at all; but whether grown or not, of all the family it is true, “your sins are forgiven you.” Oh, grand word this!—“Your sins are forgiven you;” and the reason is, “for His name’s sake.”

Then we come to the classification—“fathers,” “young men,” and “babes.” The arrangement proceeds on a strictly correct plan, and reminds us of the parable of the talents—five, two, one.

There is an order of grace, and an order of responsibility. Sometimes God speaks first to the highest, and sometimes first to the lowest. The order of responsibility begins with the highest, and the order of grace with the lowest. I think, too, that it is not an unfrequent classification of the people of God, their being arranged into three divisions. Take, for instance, the parable of the sower. There you have three classes of unprofitable hearers, and three classes of saved hearers:—“some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred-fold.” I believe this passage alludes to the parable of the sower. There is one class of false professors who are overcome by the “devil,” another by the “flesh,” and a third by the “world.” I believe we have allusion to these here, as in the words, “Ye have overcome the wicked one.” Then there are several other Scriptures, which speak in a similar way as to the growth of the children of God. Let me explain. If we are “forgiven,” we are in the family, and one is as near to God as the other. When we speak of “attainment,” we mean attainment in knowledge. Each one, the very least, has been bought by the blood of Christ, and no one can be bought beyond that price. Being bought, he is one of the family. We sometimes hear people speak of “second conversions.” I think there is a danger in such a notion. If we are Christians, we have been “buried,” “raised,” and “seated with Christ in heaven.” If you are Christians, you are brought as near to the Father as Christ is. Attainment in knowledge is the question here. The babe on the breast may be tenderly loved by the mother; yet be unconscious of the mother’s love. Will not the babe be happier when it knows and becomes conscious of the mother’s love?

I believe that there are also three stages of rest for the soul. “Come unto Me,” said the Lord, “all ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” There is first the rest for the sinner; then there is the rest for the obedient Christian,—“take My yoke;” and then there is the rest of God, which we are slow to enter into. “They shall enter into My rest.”

I think, too, there are three “peaces.” There is peace with God through faith; then there is the peace of God—when we “cast all our care upon Him, knowing He careth for us;” and then there is the presence of the God of peace when we are obedient. (Philippians 4.) Peace with God is through being justified by faith; the peace of God is by rolling our cares on Him, and knowing that He will take them up; and then, if we do what He tells us, “the God of peace shall be with us.” There are also three stages of joy.

Now, as to the terms, “fathers,” “young men,” and “babes.” They tell of growth. To the “fathers” it is said, “Ye have known Him which is from the beginning.” The words refer to Christ. The epistle begins with “that which is from the beginning.” It looks to Christ as coming out from from God, as the centre of the divine counsels. He that knows most of Christ must know most of God. The “fathers” have nothing else to do but to be lost in the full enjoyment of God’s love in Christ. To the “young men” it is said, “Ye have overcome the evil one.” This is an earlier stage in the divine life—to be separated from evil. To the “fathers” it is not said that they are separated from evil; but this is the word specially addressed to “young men;” yet here the common saying holds good—”the child is father of the man.” If we really want to increase in the knowledge of Christ, it is most important that we should purge ourselves from iniquity. The two help each other; if we want to increase in the knowledge of God, our way is to depart from iniquity; and if we want to come out from all iniquity, and to bring forth much fruit, the true way is to see the love of Him. “Increasing in the knowledge of God” is in the path of fruit-bearing, and the great way to be fruit-bearers is to know God Himself. Thus, here, the youth being “father to the man,” being clean of iniquity, he is in the way to become full of the divine intelligence of the love of God in Christ.

Then, “I write unto you, little children”—actual “babes”—those who have not known God long; but even these know that God loves them; even the actual “babes” know that in love to them God sent His Son. You see the difference between the babes and the fathers. It is much to see that all the divine counsels meet in Christ; that is the knowledge which the “fathers “learned; but even the babes know that they have a merciful Father, and that He sent His Son to redeem them.

But now, having addressed words of encouragement to each class, He begins again; for He has some solemn counsels and warnings to administer to them. Thus the principal lesson is in the second address; but though he has something fresh to say to the other two groups, he has nothing additional to say to the “fathers.” Their eyes are on the right object, and, says he, “Are they on that?” Are you directing your gaze wholly to that? Then I can say no more to you; I would not take your eyes from Him; be increased in the knowledge of Rim, and see that all glory and grace meet in Him.

But to the other two classes there is something special. To the most advanced he says, “Go on, go on!” nothing more. He changes the word “write,” and puts it into the perfect tense. In the second address it is, “I have written.”

To the other groups he has a word of warning. Now look at the word of warning to “young men;” the warning to them is, “Love not the world.” The third class of professing hearers was overcome by the world in the parable of the sower. They brought forth no fruit to perfection. I do not mean to say that anyone who has eternal life in Him can lose it; but this refers to the manifestation of the life. These young men are exhorted to beware of the “world.” It is their most powerful foe. By and bye the flesh will be their temptation; but first, Satan, hiding as it were behind the world, makes short work of them. “The world” is the deadliest foe with which the child of God has to contend. Observe, “young men” are specially cautioned to beware of “the world;” as much as to say, You have overcome Satan; but now there is the world. And then we have the solemn word, “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Thus, always, you have the three foes against the three friends:—Christ and the devil—the Spirit and the flesh—the Father and the world. Then there is another strong expression: “For all that is in the world, etc.;” for all, emphatically all. Then we have “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life;” all will be a snare to us. The term “lust of the flesh” denotes what the flesh lusts after; the “lust of the eyes” what the eyes desire. I sometimes think, when in the streets, watching people looking into the shops, if their affections were set on things above, would they stand looking at the ribbons, and laces, and gold chains? “When I see children standing round a confectioner’s «hop, so sure as I see them there, I guess their desire; so when I see grown people doing as I have said, I think of the lust of the eye. Were an angel from heaven to be commissioned to go to Regent-street, I suppose all the gay equipages and shops would not attract his eye one moment, because he would have no lust of the eye; his one thought would be, “Lord, Thou hast sent me here; what next, Lord?” It is very solemn that people professing godliness should allow the lust of the eye.

Then there is the “pride of life”—the boasting of life—whatever leads anybody to think himself superior to another—the elation of life—“I am somebody, I am learned, I have had a superior education;” this is the elation of life. Not that I have a word to say against the best education a father can give his children; let them have the best. But I say that anything which leads to elation, which leads one to say of another, he is not educated as I am; anything which leads one brother to distinguish himself in the flesh over another, is not of “the Father,” but of “the world;” and it will all go, for “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof.” Then in the 18th verse we come to the babes; for the word “little children” should again be rendered “babes.” It is the same word as in the 13th verse; it is the third group, the youngest born. For them there is a word of warning. There is none for the fathers: there is a word for the young men, —“Take heed of the world.” Then there is a word, of warning to the “babes;”—“Little children, it is the last time, and as ye have heard that Antichrist will come, even now are there many antichrists.” Now you see what the warning is, they are warned of antichrists. There is a difference between “Antichrist “and “antichrists.” You will observe “even now there are many antichrists.” You will never see “Antichrist” if you are Christians; you will be in the clouds before then. By the Unction being shewn to be in opposition to the antichrists, we obtain a clue as to what it is that is said to hinder the development of the Antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2. For as there is no question that the Unction here is the Holy Ghost, so St. John becomes the inspired commentator on St. Paul, to tell us who is the Hinderer, viz., this Unction.

God always lets a dispensation go on until its sin has culminated perfectly. The last dispensation culminated in the murder of the Lord Jesus. The tendency of that time was to reject that which was of God in prophets and scribes; now it is quite contrary; the tendency is towards the reception of the false. The end of this dispensation is to be the worship of Antichrist, who will show himself in the temple of God; not the rejection of the true, but the reception of the false. Antichrists are in the professing body. Some think that Antichrist will be an infidel; others that he will be a compromise between superstition and infidelity. But, however, these antichrists are now in the professing body.

Now look at the 27th verse: “You do not need any one to teach you;” strange words! and yet, it is God who says, “You do not need any one to teach you.” We all admit that we do want teaching; what reason, therefore, for this expression? Why, putting these passages together— what is said about the teaching and the Antichrist —it seems to lead us on to the fact, that teachers often stand before their hearers, and, instead of the eye, the ear, and the heart being withdrawn from the poor thing that is seen to Him who is unseen, the teachers gather them round themselves, and the poor silly sheep are instructed to receive their “ipse dixits,” as if they were the oracles of God, and to have their eye rivetted on human teachers, rather than upon Christ unseen! I believe it is possible for the teacher so to perform his office, as to fix attention on himself, and on what he gives, rather than upon Christ. There is a great danger in this, and it is not an imaginary one. There is a tendency in young believers, frequently, to make too much of those who have been a blessing to their souls. The babes are reminded that they have known Christ, and that they are not to gather round mortal man; because, if they did, they would put their teachers in a false position, for which themselves, rather than those teachers, were responsible before God. When I left the church of England, one of the oldest saints of God wrote me a letter, in which he suggested that the clerical element originated, not with the teachers; but with the desire of the people to have it so. Men do not like to lean wholly on God. They do not look to the Lord how the worship should be conducted, and they like a prearranged order. “There are A. B. and CD., and we have come to hear them.” I do not give this merely as my own conviction; it is that of Mr. J. 50:Harris, and has, therefore, great weight in the church of God. When the Israelites were brought into the wilderness, God called Moses up to the mount; the people did not like a prophet unseen. They wanted “gods” that they could see, that should go before them. So now, when people go to church, they gather in the name of an individual; they look for him to do something. I solemnly believe that if there be any covering of Christ—if there is any one making himself head, he is antichrist. He may be a good man; but he allows himself to be put in a false position. Therefore, the warning—“little children, beware of Antichrist;” for, that a man should be worshipped in the church of God is terrible. The last, the great Antichrist, is to set himself in the temple of God. The tendency is, that there shall be a man to set himself as the Lord; for people crave for what is visible. Although we need teachers, we must not rely upon them. “Whenever we come together, as members of “the body,” the Lord says, “I am there;” and then—whether there be persons sent to teach or not—there is the Church, and the Lord is there, though there may be no teachers.

Observe the words, “If that which ye have heard from the beginning,” and “the anointing which ye have received abideth in you, ye need not that any man should teach you.” What is the “anointing,” or unction? There is a Person to guide the people of God—the Holy Ghost. He is the true Teacher. He may send teachers; but then they are not to be put in a false postion. The Holy Ghost is our Teacher. And thus you will see that the apostacy has two stages. On the Divine side, the apostacy consists in the rejection of the Holy Ghost; on the human side, it consists in leaning on some one, instead of Christ, and instead of the Holy Ghost the Comforter.

But here occurs a little difficulty. How can little babes “know all things?” The answer is, that having the Spirit we know Christ. If our eyes be on the risen Christ, however much we may lack in knowledge of details, we have the fundamentals of the knowledge of all things. There is nothing which you and I can learn, except in connection with the Christ in glory. If we want to know God, how He loves, how we may be like Him, how to “know all things,” we must look to Christ. There is no question which you and I can put, that you will not find an answer to in Him. What is the glory given to us? What is the love with which we are loved of God? and other questions, are all answered by His words, “Where I am, there shall ye be also.” “As Thou hast loved Me, so have I loved them.” The basis of the knowledge of all things is found when we fix our eye on Christ. The “lie” (verse 27) is anything that takes the eye off Christ. “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning.”

Now observe the difference between the way of “Antichrist” and the teaching of the “Unction.” The “Unction’s” teaching is that Jesus is the Christ; that Jesus came from the throne of God down to the cross, and to a borrowed grave. That is the teaching of the Unction concerning Jesus. He came down. Now, the way of the world is to struggle to be up, and to strive to outvie one another, and to be uppermost. But the path of our Lord was to descend; His entire journey was one of descent. You now believe that Jesus is on the throne of God; well, if you believe this, you will follow His path, and not care for place, aggrandisement, or power. He who gave up everything is now on the throne of God. You will often have your trials; but if you believe in Him who gave up everything, you will feel that you need them. If you believe that Jesus is on the throne of God, you will trust God. The Unction will teach you, that the way to aggrandisement is a subterranean one,—that the path to true glory is one of suffering. Let the Unction abide in you; do not care to be great; let your Father see to all that; do not care to be A 1; let your Father exalt you in His time.

Now note the contrast between the path of our Lord, and that of Lucifer, son of the morning. The path of the devil was this:—God made him very high; it is no Miltonian idea. He was the son of the morning. But he was lifted up with pride; he would fain be higher. Then he began to fall; now he is in the air; presently he will be on the earth; then he will be put into the abyss; and then, after the millenium, he will go into hell. God puts him down, because he would go up. Christ was in the bosom of the Father, and He came down to the cross; and then, God put Him high above all heavens, that He might fill all things. Now, you do not believe in the devil’s path; but in that path in which the Unction leads; for we come together before the Lord, owing One as our Leader, and speaking what God shall teach us. God will supply all our need; for “this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life.”

Read on to the 26th verse: “These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.” I wonder that God’s people do not heed this warning; that they do not cease looking to this and that man, but to the precious Lord Jesus Christ; that they do not rely upon the Holy Ghost, whose work it is to abide in them, and teach them of all things.

Then, we have a solemn address given to all the family. We have done with the three sections, and again we see the entire family. “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed, before Him at His coming.” All of you, abide in Him, and then we shall be bold at His appearing. Human props will be weak then; but leaning on Christ we shall have boldness, and not be ashamed. There is a little difficulty, but only at first sight, in that word “appear.” Some of you have heard of two schools of doctrine, taking different views on this question. On the one hand it is said, the Church will go through the tribulation, and that the first thing is for Christ to come down to be seen by righteous and wicked, and then to call up His saints. And, on the other hand, it is said that as Christ’s first coming was in two stages, beginning at Bethlehem and ending at Calvary, so His second coming will be, first for His saints, and secondly to the world as its Judge. His first thought is about “My saints;” “My sheep;” and when He comes, at that moment His people will go up to meet Him, and when He appears they will appear with Him. I go with all my heart, with the second. Observe the words, “We may have confidence.” If the taught abide in Christ, the teachers are to have a reward. In proportion as a teacher has been anything himself, and has led souls to himself, instead of to Christ, he will lose his reward; in so far as he has been faithful, he will have a reward—a reward for service when Christ appears. You must note the change in the pronouns: “we;” that is, the teachers, may have boldness. I have thus taken you through half the epistle—the family with the Father.