It is a matter of interest to
those established in the inspiration of the word of God to see, that the same
truths which are directly established in the doctrinal and didactic parts, are
also mirrored for us in the historic portions taken typically.
It is proposed then to add a few
samples of the types. …
1. ADAM -
The fundamental truth now under
consideration was imaged for us at the very epoch of the Fall.
Jehovah created Adam and his
wife naked, but they felt no shame. Thus
they were morally innocent, not righteous.
They sinned, and at once
innocence departed; and a sense of shame came on them. The need of covering for their nakedness made
itself painfully felt. Thus, ever since
the entry of the knowledge of good and evil (or conscience), man has felt the
necessity of righteousness.
Adam and his wife attempt to
retrieve their loss. They manufacture
their own clothing out of the covering of the tree. “They
sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Thus fallen man attempts to create for
himself a righteousness in which to appear before his
fellows and before God.
But their clothing did not avail
in the Lord’s presence. A sense of
nakedness and condemnation took possession of them, and the sentence went forth
against them as sinners.
Eternal life at first was near
them, but was then put beyond their reach.
“Lest he should put forth his hand,
and take of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever, the Lord God drove
him forth from the Garden.” A flaming, sword guards all access to the tree
of life; to teach him, that once fallen,
man cannot earn for himself eternal life.
It must come through another; it
must be the gift of God.
After the sentence of God’s
justice comes the work of his mercy. “Unto Adam also, and to his wife did the Lord God make coats
of skins, and clothed them.” Man
would present righteousness to God: he must receive
righteousness as a gift from God. God provides for the guilty, clothing. Whence came it? From sacrifice of animals
slain for sin. Animals were not
then eaten for food. The death of the
victim was not enough for the guilty pair.
God did not mean to set man back again into his previous standing as
innocent, or naked without shame. He
would clothe the guilty himself. The
skins of the victims, while they were alive, were their own covering; but after
death, they might be stripped off and made the coverings of others. Thus our righteousness before God arises not
only out of the death of Christ, but out of his [His] obedient life.
His death is no covering; his [His] obedience is.
As the skin of the victim, the produce of its life,
became alienable and transferable by its death, so the righteousness of our
Lord by his [His] death
becomes imputable to us, and the covering by God for our spiritual nakedness.
The coats of skins made by God
and given to our first parents were ‘coats of God,’
although they were furnished in the first instance by the backs of beasts. So the righteousness of Christ is the
righteousness of God, although Jesus be in one view
the man, and his [His]
obedience human. As the skin of the
sacrifice fitted to the shape of Adam and worn on his shoulders became Adam’s
dress; so the righteousness of Christ applied to faith becomes its righteousness.
Jesus passed through the sword
of fire, and plucked for us the fruit of the tree of life; and now he that
believes has a title to life eternal, and to the Paradise of God. Adam’s coat of skin did not admit him to lost
Behold then in this example
God’s picture of the refusal of man’s righteousness, and of his providing a
better righteousness imputed to us, a righteousness which, from different
points of view, is denominated our righteousness, and the righteousness of
God.
2. NOAH -
We proceed a little with the
sacred history, and find wickedness overspreading the whole face of the
earth. After much patience, comes the
sentence of destroying wrath about to overtake men. Even thus the righteousness of God the ruler
is revealed from heaven against all the untold trespasses of mankind against
Him, and against their follows.
But one was soon righteous
amidst the evil generation. His name was
Noah – giver of rest. Thus Jesus is the
one Righteous One. To him God makes
known his purpose of judgment: with him should his covenant of mercy stand
good. A flood of destruction was coming
on the globe, and escape should be given to him and his. For this purpose he must construct a vessel
capable of holding himself, his family, and the creatures to be saved. The shape and dimensions of the vessel are
given by God; and Noah by his obedience brings the scheme of God to
accomplishment. Thus to Christ the
righteous was entrusted the framing a righteousness for his house, according to
the commandment given of God. The ark of
Noah was the effect of much labour, the great result of his life. The righteousness of Christ is the finished
work of his [His] life. The intent of Jesus’ righteousness is to save
others; just as Noah’s ark was prepared for the saving of his house. We, if we be men of faith, are Christ’s
household.
The ark, when complete in its
timbers, was to be pitched within and without with pitch. The Hebrew word for ‘pitch’ signifies also atonement. And thus, to the active,
and completed righteousness of Christ’s life must be added the atonement of his
death. The pitch alone would not save:
it was not the ark, but only its supplement.
Even thus the death of the Lord Jesus is not our righteousness,
necessary as it is to the sinner’s justification.
The ark in one view was Noah’s
ark, for he made it. In another view,
’twas the ark of God, for he [He] commanded
it to be made, and as the Great Architect gave the directions for its
construction.
The family of Noah entered his
material ark on their feet. We enter the
ark of Christ’s righteousness by our faith.
After they had entered, God shut the inmates in. Thus God undertakes for the final salvation
of all believers in His Son. After they
were safe within its walls the food came down, and all outside were destroyed
in the waters, while the ark safely passed through them. Even so, “he that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned.”
Looking
on this scene, Peter says, “Antitypically whereto baptism now saves us also.” Does baptism save? Listen to his distinction of its two
parts. “Not
the putting away of the filth of the flesh;” no mere
application of water to the skin; “but the
answer of a good conscience toward God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who
is gone into heaven, angels, and principalities and powers being made subject
to him,” 1 Peter 3: 21, 22. As the ark of God, after having passed
through the waters, rested on the loftiest mountain; so the Righteous One,
having completed his work, is resting for us in the heaven of heavens. “For
Christ also once suffered for sins, the Righteous One, instead of unrighteous
ones, that he might bring us to God.”
The Apostle presents our Lord as the well-doer, no less than as the
sufferer for sin. And having thus spoken
of Jesus the Righteous and of the baptism he commanded, in the next epistle he
speaks of the characteristic faith of the believer as having entered into this “righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ,” as
Noah’s sons entered into his ark. Those
within the ark were to rest there in safety while the deluge of wrath was
subsiding, and at length to go forth of the ark into the new earth purged of
the waters of judgment. Even so the
believer is to abide in Christ and his [His] righteousness till in eternal life he enters on the
‘new heavens and new earth’ in
which righteousness shall dwell, and into which judgment shall never penetrate.
3.
The Most
High describes
But that cleansing was not
enough: it left her still naked. “I clothed thee also with
broidered work, and shod thee with badger’s skin, and I girded thee about with
fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.” 10.
Even so atonement, while it
washes away our iniquities, leaves us naked: we need righteousness beside, and
this is supplied to us in the obedience of Christ imputed.
4. PRIEST’S ROBES. -
At Sinai took place a scene
something resembling that in the Garden of Eden. The Israelites appear in their own clothes
before God: but they feel naked and troubled, though their raiment was washed
for the occasion. They promised to God a
righteousness which they never fulfilled.
But within this general picture is
a smaller. one, which gives us a view of the coats of
skin, God’s own provision. For while
Israel in general was to stand afar from God when he had descended on the Holy
Mount, the Lord chose for himself those who should stand before him as
ministers of his royal tent. How might
they draw nigh? First, they were to be
bathed in water. Ex. 29: 4. But that sufficed not, for it left them
naked. The priests were to be clothed in
holy garments, made for them, not by them. They were devised of
God “to cover their nakedness.” Ex. 28: 42. For if not clothed, or not
clothed as required, they would bear their iniquity and die. Thus the righteousness of God’s providing
through a greater than Bezaleel clothes us as the
priests of God, after being washed from our sins in his own blood.
5.
SACRIFICES. –
In the
offering before God of animals there must be found perfection of nature, and of
parts. Then came
imputation of sin by the laying of hands upon the head of the victim,
accompanied sometimes with confession of the offence: and then death was
inflicted. The Passover-lamb was to be
without blemish, in full perfection of life before it was slain. Ex. 12: 5. And so with the other
sacrifices; anything superfluous or deficient destroyed its acceptance. “It
shall be perfect to be
accepted.” Even thus the
perfection of our Lord’s obedience preceded his death, and was necessary to our
justification.
6. In Zech. 3. -
we have a vision
of the Jewish high priest standing before Jehovah, and Satan beside him,
accusing. “Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments.” Here was Satan’s ground of accusation. The angel then “spake unto those that stood before him, saying ‘Take
away the filthy garments from him.’
And unto him he said, ‘Behold I have caused thine
iniquity to pass from thee.’” That was well: but he
still appeared in nakedness. The angel
therefore proceeds, ‘And I will clothe thee with change of raiment.’ “So they set a fair
mitre on his head, and clothed him with garments.” Here are
the two parts of justification set before us in their order. Then must Satan be silent.
After these types of the Old
Testament, we come now to two New Testament parables.
7. THE WEDDING GARMENT. -
This well-known parable was
addressed by our Lord to the unbelieving
chief priests and pharisees, refusers
of him [Him]
who is the Lord our righteousness. He
tells them of the invitation which their nation had received to his kingdom of millennial glory,
and of their rejection of it. And now he
proceeds to speak of faith in his [His] righteousness, as the preparation absolutely
necessary for participation in the coming feast. The scribes and Pharisees trusted in their
own righteousness, even as the ill-clothed intruder imagined that his ordinary
dress would be good enough for the king’s entertainment. Jesus therefore, gives them to understand
that a better righteousness than their own was required. He secretly hints, too, that this robe was
provided by the lord of the feast. For
when the intruder is challenged with the enquiry, ‘How
could he enter without a wedding garment?’ - he
is speechless. Now human nature is ever
ready with its excuses. And here was a
most favourable field to reply, ‘You have collected
together from the roads, all, as many as you have found, rich and poor; how
could you expect of the poor that they should have a dress suited to a royal
feast?’ His silence then must be
supposed to arise from a part of the story not expressly told us - that the
king provided dresses suited to the occasion for all comers. We must suppose, too, that this dress was
offered to him, and refused; that he saw all the other guests around him so
habited, and must have perceived, that he himself ought to have appeared
arrayed in like fashion.
Thus the Saviour foretold that
some would enter his church, creeping in without faith in him and in his
righteousness, but detected at length, and cast forth for their unbelief in the
great day.
8 -
PARABLE OF THE
In this, I suppose, that the Jew
is the merchantman, and that by his seeking for goodly pearls is intended his
pursuit of good works, or works of righteousness, as Moses commanded. Deut. 16: 20; Zeph. 2: 3.
But he learns that there is one pearl of far greater value than any he
has seen – “of great price.” That is the righteousness of the Lord
Jesus. Enamoured of its beauty and
value, “he went away and sold all that he had
and bought it.” Even so the Jew,
enlightened by divine grace, perceived that if he would obtain the
righteousness of Christ, he must part, with all his own righteousness. But he who gives up his own righteousness may
receive that of the Saviour in exchange.
The pearl is not the church, and
the seeker is not Christ. The merchant of the parable was seeking
goodly pearls but Christ was not seeking many beauteous churches; the Father
had prepared for him the one body. The parable supposes that the merchant,
passing by all other pearls, is attracted by one superior to them all. How is this true of Christ? If it be said there are many churches, how
does Christ leave them for the one church?
The one Church is composed of many churches: but many pearls did not
make up the one of the parable.
Moreover, it is Christ’s purchase which gives the church its worth;
while the pearl is of great value before it is bought.
The pearl is beautifully adapted
to signify the righteousness of the Christ; for it is the produce of an animal
the valuable result of its life, capable of being obtained only after the
animal’s death. It is quite separable
from the animal after its death, and then appears in its full perfection.
We have an inspired comment on
this parable, in the account given by Paul of his confidence and delight in his
own righteousness, till the superior righteousness of the Lord Jesus flashed
upon him; and then he gladly parted with all his former gains to win Christ and
“the righteousness which is from God upon faith.”
This doctrine of the Lord’s
righteousness as the enriching of the believer, and especially of the believing
Jew, was during our Lord’s life a secret of God, not openly proclaimed, and
only made known at the descent of the Holy Ghost, and the further light then
imparted.
In conclusion, we reject Mr. Darby’s scheme because it renders
it impossible for the God of justice and truth to justify the sinner; and
because the cardinal passages contain statements incompatible with the idea of
the ruler’s justice being the righteousness intended. We reject it, because the dominant passages
bear clear evidence of the other sense: in the Old Testament descriptions of
the righteousness as being near, sent from God, revealed, created; in its
declared purpose – [eternal] salvation; in its being made the possession of the [every regenerate]
believer, so that he may call it his own; and in its being spoken of as a robe
and a covering. Of like sufficiency is
the New Testament evidence; where the Holy Spirit speaks of the righteousness
as lately discovered, as sent from God, as the good news, as salvation, as
received by faith, the covering of the believer, the obedience of the Second
Adam, the righteousness of the Christ, the fulfilment of the testimonies of the
law and the prophets.
In short, the passages which
speak of it will bring out their evidence in opposition to Mr. Darby’s theory
very simply if arranged into two classes.
There are those which speak of it in its -
1. Remedial character. The righteousness of God, on the opposite
view is the acting of God’s justice toward one worthy of it. But both in the Old Testament and in the New
the cardinal passages describe it as the result of God’s mercy to the lost, intended
to supply their need, and to bring them [eternal] salvation, in the absence of any righteousness of
their own. To this class belong Rom. 1., 3., 9., 10. 1 Cor.
1.; 2 Cor. 5.
2. The second class lifts into
view the obstacles which this discovery of God’s grace met with in its going
forth to the sons of men. In those
passages we see the passions of men in play against it; we see it brought into
collision with its rival righteousness.
The righteousness furnished by God meets with a formidable antagonist in
the righteousness which the law demanded to be furnished by man. In this class we see the pride of the heart
preferring its own flawed and condemned obedience to the perfect righteousness
of God (Rom. 9. 10.; Phil. 3); we see
also the surrender of the worthless rival by the elect. Now the justice of God is no rival to the
obedience of man. But the obedience of
the Jew might be in his eyes more than equal to the goodness of Jesus the
Galilean.
I have done. May the good Lord accept all that is according
to his word! Will the brethren our
opponents believe that this is written, not to provoke, not as a trial of
intellectual superiority, but under a sense of duty to Christ and in the belief
that it cannot but be beneficial to the saints to make a deeper acquaintance
still with the texts which bear upon this great question. While I believe ‘the Plymouth Brethren’ on this point
to be in error, I rejoice to believe that they are children of God, whom I
shall meet in the city of our God.
ROBERT
GOVETT.