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Chosen no: R-503 a, from: 1883 Year. |
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Destroying The Enmity.
For He is our peace who made both one and
the middle wall of the enclosure broke down; the enmity, in his flesh
[even] the law of the commandments in decrees bringing to nought; that the two
he might create in him into one man of new mould, making peace; and might fully
reconcile them both in one body unto God, through the cross--slaying the enmity
thereby.--EPH. 2:14-16. (Rotherham's translation.)
The Apostle is addressing Christians --converts
from heathen nations--Gentiles, and is showing that the difference, in God's
estimation, between Jew and Gentile, has now ceased. The Jew once had special
favor, brought about by the typical sin offerings, though it was only typical
of the real favor with God, which the gospel church enjoys-- brought about by
the better sacrifice (which needeth not to be repeated year by year) and the
better covenant than the law. This contrast of their former condition as
Gentiles, from the former condition of Jews, is referred to in vs.
11-13. But now, in Christ Jesus, ye who at one time were afar
off [from God's favor] are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
This shows how the Gentiles were brought
into favor and communion with God--"by the blood of Christ." Now, the
Apostle proceeds to show how the Jew got a blessing through the same
"blood" of Christ--they who had been favored by the Law ordained to life. [The favor under the Law covenant was, that if any Jew could
keep the Law he should have a right to life, and should never die. Rom. 10:5. Gal. 3:12.]
But that Law which seemed a promise or covenant by which they could have
life--hence regarded a blessing --was found to be of no advantage, but rather a
curse, because it did not give life to a single one of them. This was
not because of faultiness of the Law, for the Law was holy and just and good. (Rom. 7:12.) The fault was in the Jew who, because
of sinful propensities and imperfect organism, inherited through the fall of
Adam, could not keep the Law, and hence could not claim the life promised under
that Law covenant. Thus, it will be seen, that the Law which was to bless them was found to curse or condemn the Jew, and was for this reason
reckoned his enemy --called "the enmity," or
OPPOSITION, or CONDEMNATION.
What advantage had the Jew, then, do you ask? He
had the first opportunity of the Gospel high calling, and will have the first
call under the restitution. Then, too, some out of that people were developed
into fitness for the spiritual kingdom, and some for the earthly kingdom.
The Apostle having shown, as already explained,
that those who had been Gentiles, without the Law, received their adoption and
favor through the blood of Christ, now shows that the Jew had received an
equally great blessing from the same one sacrifice, saying, "He is
OUR peace." He settled the curse or condemnation of the Law which was upon
us Jews. Not only did he settle fully the original claims of the Law violated
by Adam, which condemned both Jew and Gentile, but he did even more for us
Jews; he removed from us the galling yoke of the Law covenant under which we
could never have attained life, and has offered us life as a gift or
favor. Thus both the original curse or enmity between God and us Jews,
as well as the secondary enmity or curse of our Law, which, as a
partition, formerly separated us from you Gentiles; this was all taken away, so
that both you and we may now have access to God through him who, by his
blood--by his cross--destroyed all curse or enmity.
The design is, that ultimately there shall be
not Jew and heathen, but that all men shall be made new--re-created of a
new mould. The old Adamic mould was spoiled by sin in the very outstart, but
through Christ mankind is to be perfectly restored--re-moulded.
Let it be noticed that the enmity or opposition
was of God and toward men; men did not condemn God; but God did condemn men on
account of sin. It was not Adam who became angry and offended with Jehovah and
left the Garden of Eden. It was God who said, Cursed is the ground for thy
sake, and who condemned (cursed) both man and woman to labor, sorrow, pain and
ultimate death. Hence the enmity or curse which Jesus destroyed by tasting death
for every man, was the enmity or curse which was the penalty of the
broken law. When, therefore, we are justified to freedom from that condemnation
or curse of death, by our ransom, it follows that we are
justified to life, happiness, etc., such as was possessed before the curse
came. And as surely as Jesus bought all, so surely will he in due time provide
a deliverance for all by a resurrection.
In this connection, it is well that all should
remember that the Bible presents God to us in various characters. He is the
FATHER that pittieth his children, and also the JUDGE of all the earth who will
do right, and by no means clear the guilty. It is in the aspect of a Judge that
God is represented in the matter of sin and its penalty.
Now, a righteous judge must decide a case
according to the law; and, where law is violated, he must condemn the violator
according to the penalty mentioned in the law, no matter who the culprit may
be, whether a near relative or the judge himself. [In Pennsylvania this really happened last
month. A judge unwittingly violated a State law, condemned and fined himself
according to the prescribed penalty.] Thus with Jehovah, when his loved child
and creature Adam violated law, he must condemn him. Since the law was,
"In the day that thou eatest thereof dying, thou shalt DIE,"
the Judge must execute the penalty, and sent the cherubim, drove the condemned
ones from the garden of life-sustaining trees into the barren land
outside, (where they would be unable to sustain life and must die), the sterile
and unprepared earth; left in that cursed or barren condition because God
foreknew its necessity as the prison or work-house in which man should exhaust
his condemned life and realize the bitterness and evil of violating God's law.
The prisoner who is guilty, and who hears his
sentence uttered by the judge, may often think of the judge as his pitiless ENEMY and may seldom know of the sympathy and love of the man existing
behind the stern look of the magistrate who represents THE LAW. So, too,
some who appreciate not the love element in the character of the Judge of all
the earth, and see not the wise provision of the Law which cuts off from life
the disobedient, and will not permit them to live forever in sin, such think of God only as the unbending and severe Judge. It is only those who have
caught a glimpse of God's plan for the liberating of the guilty prisoner whom
He himself had justly condemned--only these can realize the great love
wherewith the Judge loved us while we were yet sinners, while he was
condemning us, and while he was permitting our deliverance into the great
prison-house of death.
The Judge did not show much of His love for
quite a while, but merely thundered forth the disapproval of Law against sin
and its penalty, against sinners, sternly declaring that the Law cursed all such--was at enmity or opposition to them. Thus did the Judge
convince all of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and then in due time He
showed His love for the prisoners by himself providing the ransom. In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, [R504 :
page 3] because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world,
that we might live through him (1 John 4:9).
Now, all may see that this causes the character of the Judge to shine out the
brighter. His great love and pity is seen the more clearly as we mount it upon
the background of unbending justice, which could in "no wise clear the guilty," even though pitied and loved.
This furnishes the key to an appreciation of the
statement: "If when we were enemies [convicts before the Judge] we were
reconciled to God [our penalty paid] by the death of His Son; much more being
reconciled [guiltless--acquitted by the Judge who once condemned us] we shall
be saved by His life" (Rom. 5:10). He who
paid our ransom for us will bring us out of the prison-house of death, and the
Judge will not object, but approve of our liberty.
Again, speaking of his confidence, that his
condemnation had given place to approval and justification, Paul introduces
this same judgment scene, and shows that there need be, can be, no mistake
about it. He asks: "What shall we then say to these things?" [He has
been arguing justification as a basis or step to glory and heirship]
"If God be for us, who can be against us?" [If the Judge who once
condemned us says our ransom price has fully met the demands of the Law against
us, why should we be in doubt about it? There could be no better evidence.]
"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things? "Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is GOD that
justifieth." [There could be no higher court to which to appeal, and
the Judge pronounces us justified--freed from the condemnation of all
inherited weakness and sin.] "Who is he that condemneth?" [Dare
anyone claim that I am still guilty? If so, he must be ignorant of the ransom paid, ignorant that our substitute tasted death for every man. It should be a
sufficient answer to such a one to tell him that] "It is Christ that died;
yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8:31-34).
This same subject--the sinfulness of all, God
their condemning Judge, Himself also their deliverer by providing a ransom, and
the CONSEQUENT righteousness of God in cancelling the sin--is
forcibly set forth in Rom. 3:22-26: "For
there is no difference [between Jew and Gentile], for all have sinned and come
short of the glory of God. Being justified [cleared of guilt] freely by His grace [favor] through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom
God [the Judge] hath set forth to be a propitiation [satisfaction--for
Adamic sin] through faith in his blood. To declare His [the Judge's]
righteousness for [in] the remission of sins that are passed through the
forbearance of God." [i.e., the Judge sent his Son and paid the claim against the condemned race, in order that he might set them at
liberty without violating his own laws]. "To declare, I say, at this time
His righteousness: that he might be JUST and [also] the justifier of
[sinners] him which believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:22-26). So
then, that which was "enmity," which once hindered approach to
God, which once condemned, was removed by virtue of the blood of the cross, and
now all may come unto God realizing that our ransom settled the claims of
justice once and forever. Indeed, since Jesus became the propitiation for our
sins, instead of refusing to receive or commune with the condemned, the
Judge and Father is sending out messengers during this gospel age, and will
continue the same during the next--to inform them of his reconciliation, as we
read: "Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech
you by us; we pray you, in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20).
W.T. R-503a : page 3 -1883r