The Only True Emancipation from All Forms of Legalism Is To See Christ
The next great movement of God in this world is the New Testament. It begins with the incarnation of the Son of God. It goes on to the resurrection of the Son of God. And it goes on to show that the full meaning of the Son of God is to be manifested though the Church. It is always God's Son in view. Every new movement of God is taken by a fresh presentation of Christ. In the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation, Christ is seeking to bring back the churches to their former spiritual position. This is a move to try and recover what has been lost. And therefore you have in the first chapter that matchless presentation of Christ. What a wonderful description of Christ that is! Just read it again, every detail in that description is of some aspect to Christ. It is a symbolic, comprehensive presentation of the meaning of Christ. I think it is perfectly evident to us all, that from the Book of Genesis in the creation, to the Book of Revelation at the end, God always moves on the ground of His Son.
So we come back to Paul, this is a new and mighty movement of God. It is the emancipation of a people from all the death of legalism. The people of Christ's day were as much in bondage to legalism as Israel was in bondage in Egypt. And the same God Who said to Moses, "I have seen the affliction of My people, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; and I am come down to deliver them. Come now therefore, and I will send you." The same God saw the bondage of the people to that legalistic system, laboring and heavy-laden under the yoke of legalism. The same God said, "I am come down to deliver them." And as it were , He turned to Paul and said, "Come, and I will send you." A chosen vessel for the liberation of His people.
So great is this matter with God. Well, all these are gathered into these words, "It pleased God to reveal His Son in me." "I have been crucified with Christ" to the whole system of legalism. 'It is true that I am alive, and yet it is not I, but Christ Who liveth in me.' This is one more chapter on this very great question, 'What is Christianity?' Is it a legal system imposed upon God's people? Or is it a great liberating spiritual movement from heaven? The answer is found in this: "Have we really seen the Lord? Have we really seen the significance of Christ?" Only if we have, shall we be a free people.
The Rule of Heaven Will Divide Between the Evil and the Good, Between the Leaven and the Unleavened Bread
The Gospel by Mathew, chapter thirteen, and verse thirty-three: "Another parable spake He unto them; "The Kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till it was all leavened". This is the fourth parable on the kingdom, and like the ones before it, it has two interpretations. Bible teachers are quite divided on the meaning of this parable. The most popular interpretation is that the leaven is something good. Indeed, i is the Gospel of the Kingdom, and the Gospel of the Kingdom is going to spread all over the world until there is nothing bad left. Indeed, the world is going to become wholly good in this dispensation. I say, that is the most popular interpretation. It is popular because it is just what we would like it to be. We would very much like that to be true. But is that the true interpretation of the parable?
The much less popular interpretation is that the leaven is something BAD. And that evil is going to spread more and more over all the world. Well, that is not a popular interpretation, and it is not popular because we do not like that idea. HOWEVER, it is NEVER a matter of whether a thing is popular or unpopular. A doctor's medicine is not a popular thing because we do not like it, but it is the right thing. And there are many quite nice things that are not good for us. So it does not depend upon whether the thing is popular. The thing is, is it true? Which is the right interpretation?
For myself I come down on the second interpretation; that the leaven is NOT something good, but something evil. And I am going to tell you why I believe that is the true interpretation. If you look into your Bible, and trace this word leaven all the way through, beginning with the first mention of leaven in the Book of Exodus, until you come to the First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter five, you will find that with one possible exception, leaven is always something bad. It is always something which God will NOT allow. In the Old Testament, God gave very, very careful instructions about leaven. The Passover bread was to be unleavened bread. In every Jewish household, to this day, on the eve of the Passover they light a lamp and the wife or mother takes the broom and sweeps every room and every corner to see if she can find any leaven. So that wherever this word is used right through the Bible, it is almost if not altogether, an evil thing.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 9)
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