A
Short Analysis of an Article on the Nature and State of
P.B [Sep. 25, 2019]
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Ecclesiastes and Ephesians have been quoted. I agree with these references quoted. There is also an admirable level of sophistication that is at once spiritual and humbling. What is peculiar to a dialogue of ideas, is the broad range of investigative temperaments that exist between Agur (Proverbs) and Solomon (Ecclesiastes).
With Agur, the philosophical investigation, first begins with the abode that was placed above the heavens: 'who hath ascended above the heavens, and descended...'. This line of spiritual metathesis on part of Agur leads him to the meditation of Jehovah and the Messiah ('what is his name, and what is his son's name?'). Agur's study finds him in the course of spiritual exploration of the Persons of Godhead, the Father and the Son (though Christianity have the fullest and the complete revelation as regards to this).
However, for Solomon's study, the subject was things under the heavens. This squarely brings him to the contradiction of death (resurrection truth is hidden). The vanity that the Preacher declares is closely associated with the vacuum deafness of death across his book (Ecclesiastes), finally culminating with the surreal vision of the old man nearing death in chapter 12:1-7. For Solomon, the study was providence and death, both which are issues under the heaven's (resurrection is hidden).
Brother Luke has also presented an excellent difference between the tree of
life and tree of knowledge, and explained later how man fell to the sophistry
of the devil (serpent). I consider this to be a difference of exceptional
character.
I would like to here, present the same in the light of the Lord being tempted in the wilderness, as presented in the Synoptics. The devil quoted from the scriptures - it was the knowledge of the law (or the mystical connectedness with the tree of knowledge) But, then Christ was obedient through the entire temptation. This character of messianic obedience, is celebrated by the writer as *Wisdom* in the book of proverbs. And this *wisdom* is accounted as a *tree of life* (Proverbs 3:18), which is Christ.
In the temptation, the two trees merged in the mystery of patience and trial (Adam failed, but Christ succeeded). The devil quoted the knowledge, the knowledge of the law, the tree of knowledge: but the Lord assimilated the trail of legal knowledge with His perfect patience and obedience, embodying in Himself as the Tree of life (which in turn becomes the object of grace for humanity). This close integration of ideas is peculiar and exemplary.
In the book of Proverbs, *Wisdom* is a reference to the obedience of Christ in fulfilling the counsels of God - Proverbs 8: 'my delight with the sons of men'. His obedience was to converge on the same enterprise that God was at, in His counsels towards man. It is obedience in Christ to do the will of God, that is the tree of life (and since this was obedience, the metaphor was feminine symbolizing dependence: wisdom is shown as a woman. In Proverbs, Wisdom at some places is Christ (Proverbs 8), and at other places is a reference to the remnant of testimony - 'a house of seven pillars' (Proverbs 9). King Solomon asked God for wisdom pertaining to the latter (wisdom as in reference to testimony, government and providence), but receives later the former as well (the revelation of the Person of Christ).
In the new testament, (James epistle, and in John),
wisdom (/logos) is the oracle , a prophetic extension or the Person, by
whom all counsels are brought to pass. Here, it is not just messianic patience,
but totality of His Personhood.
Brother Luke has also catalogued the entire history of the world as a junk of Cainanite history and semantics of natural instincts, corrupted by sin and flesh. This Darbian thought emerges, as a fundamental premise to base the world as a system of evil. Remarkable comparison indeed!
I would like to add a line on Cain's genealogy - Jabal, Jubal and Tubalcain. They did their best to make the world a livable place in apostasy and in abandonment from God. The four enterprises were - tents, animal husbandry, music and metallurgy. These correspond to ideas of private property (tents and cattle), intellectualism (music) and expansion/colonialism of war (bronze and iron). All culture revolves around the *institutions of private property*, *institutions of academia* (music/arts) and *institutions of the military* (iron/bronze - 1 Sam 13:20).
The history of the world is the history of cataclysmic
innovation in these three forces - real estate, academia and war. But the
history of providence is to generate a cosmic parallel in three successive
layers:
[*law, here I mean the Mosaic in contrast to the heathen codes of
superstition.]
Brother Luke also mentions about Nicodemus in para 3. He has excellently
furnished the character of Nicodemus, in connection with the present subject.
For the study of Nicodemus reflects universality
of divine purposes -
We find Nicodemus in John, chapter 3 in connection with the
Passover (read with ch. 2:23-25 as the background),
then in chapter 7, in connection with the last day of the great feast of
tabernacles and finally in John 19, just preceding the
day of the great Sabbath (v31, v39). All three occasions
offering universal thoughts of divine purposes. The
Passover being Christ for refuge for humanity (brazen serpent lifted by Moses)
against divine wrath, the tabernacles referring to Christ for divine blessing
in the consummation of times (millennial) and the Sabbath as Christ' death
being the ground for eternal rest. In short - redemption, blessing and
eternal rest (the tomb was in a garden, whereas in the first Sabbath in
genesis, there was no tomb in
In para 4 and para 5, Mr Luke has expressed the universality of man's sin - both Jews and Gentiles. And here, quite intelligently he has left a point unaddressed, but still leaving scope for understanding what he has in his mind. He as referred to the Ephesian truths about man's inherent imbecility and sin. Perhaps this being a sermon, he has not entered into the full implications of his subject, but it nonetheless very important, to delineate these ideas.
Humanity after the fall has been considered from two approaches - perhaps, this is an element of dynamism that is critical to our consideration.
Firstly, human race is seen in real time, as living with a drive for sin. There is a lethal drive towards sin, an inclination for all transgression. This eventually leads to death, and by death, the point here, is spiritual death (not merely, the biological death). For redemption, what is necessary is that man must taste death before he is resurrected - since death is the eventual price of sin, and there can be no redemption by not dying in sin first. In order to get out of sin, we need to pay its price, which is death. Here, enters the doctrine of epistolary baptism of Pauline epistles (not Baptist John's messianic baptism). In Romans and in Colossians, where humanity is still seen actively involved in sinning, they have to first pay the eventual price which is death, before they can be redeemed. Now, Christ dies for them (instead of them). Here, the criticality begins - the humanity (believing humanity), is identified with Christ' death - figure of Pauline baptism (not to be confused with John's baptism), such that spiritually, the believers are identified with death of Christ (or the death of their old flesh with the cross). And after this - redemption ensues by the doctrine of resurrection.
Secondly, humanity is also perceived in a different way. Two other approach is more radical. Here, humanity is not seen as sinning in real-time, but as already entered the sphere of death - as having already entered the eventual price of sin - death. This is Ephesians - where humanity is seen not as in Romans and Colossians, living in sin, but rather, already dead in sins and trespasses. This is not real time connection, but the ultra-fluid time suspended reality of essence - man is seen to be dead in sin. And hence, there is no baptism in Ephesians (baptism of the Spirit into the body of Christ is there in Ephesians, but this is different from baptism unto death). In fact there is no resurrection in Ephesians as in Romans and Colossians - but instead, there is a different idea, called as the 'quickening' idea. Man is quickened as a new creation.
Both these lines of ideas are Darbian, and are most critical to survey the duality of Man's sin - alive in sin, baptism unto death and resurrection (Romans and Colossians), whereas in Ephesians (dead in sin, and quickened). In the former, it is real-time while in the latter, we have entered a suspended time reality of perspective. Both are true and effective.
Both these approaches are in a figure typified by the red
sea and
Coming to para 6 to para 11, Mr. Luke has introduced a solemn consideration of light and darkness. This is a very critical consideration, and Mr. Luke has tried to present some good thoughts on this line of thought:
Light in its essential quality is holiness (not merely righteousness). God is
light (1 John). The other intrinsic essence of God is love. God is love.
The synoptic Gospels treat light as an ingredient quality of testimony - 'ye are the light of the world' (Matt 5, Mark 4 and Luke 11). It is the visible testimony of God's people in the world. A similar idea is expressed in Philippians, where the believers are lights kept in the midst of a crooked generation.
In John, this is not the case. In John, light is defined from at least (as what I can readily know), from four perspectives:
Firstly, it is a light that lightens every man, in other words, it is not a reflected light - it is the revelation of the moral and spiritual glory of the Person of Christ in His own Person (in case of the synoptics, the testimony of a gathering was a light in the world, as far as it reflected the radiance of heaven's purpose. It is reflected light, but never light in its own)
Secondly, the light is holiness - it is the judicial presence of God and man in
this presence. This is difference from the law. In the law, we had holiness but
with condemnation. In grace, we have holiness and repentance. This becomes the
message in John 8, where Christ is the light of the world (v12). It is light -
holiness but at the same time, that which can prevent the adulteress of John 8,
to be safe. This was not the same case under the law - the light was there, but
condemnation was there as well.
In John 1, the light is original in itself (unreflected). This is the uniqueness of Christ Person. He is never lighted by the other, but He lightens every man. This is His personal glory.
In John 8, the light is a contrast to the law. Christ stoops
to write on the ground - the legal dispensation is there, but the Law Giver was
finally come in the Person of Christ, and reveals grace to those who are cursed
under the law. Here, the light is not just about His Person, but it carries the
knowledge of grace to save those cursed under the law.
In John 9 (v5), the light is about His Person - He is the Sent One (Siloam). Here, it is the case with light appreciated and the rest blinded.
In John 1 and 8, the light is the glory of the Person and
His grace. In John 9, it is appreciation by others - those who are washed by
the water (word of God action through the Spirit) of Siloam (to witness that
Christ is the "Sent one").
In John 11, the light again is about being appreciated
(v10), but this time it is not as in John 9, the appreciation of the fact that
He was the 'Sent One' (Siloam) but that of the resurrection power in Himself
(by the raising of Lazarus). If the light aspect in John 9 is about Christ
entering the world, then the light aspect in John 11,
is about His resurrection power - life in Himself (but in John 11, it is its
testimony in the world).
The gospel of John deals with light as a testimony in the world, while in 1 John, it is light as a privilege within the veil - being in the light as He is in the light.
Even light as testimony in the world is
different in John and in the Synoptics. In the Synoptics, it is light in
Mr Luke's great contribution is in his treatment of the inability of the world to appreciate the Light in Christ. This is a peculiar idea. In the Synoptics, it is moral light - whether the city on a hill top or of Christ in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. People can discern moral light, but in John, the light isn't just moral but it was knowledge of certain ideas ( *Word*) and life (resurrection): in Him was *life* and the *life* was the *light of men*. This complex internal silos of associations between life, light and word is not there in the Synoptics, and as such in John it is not merely moral life, but light that is associated with revelation (Word) and resurrection (life). The pool of Siloam is revelation of the 'Sent One' while in case of Lazarus, it is resurrection as experience. It is because the light in John, it is revelation and life, that darkness could not comprehend it. Moral light can be discerned but not the spiritual revelation and life in Christ (unless by the power of the Spirit). This has been excellently conveyed by Mr Luke.
In para 11 and 12, Mr Luke has a
made a critique of C.S Lewis.
In para 13, 14 and 15, brother Luke has communicated the beautiful idea of
judgment and glory.
John 12 warrants some study in a specific way - since it is
the only place (beside the gathering on the day of
Pentecost in
John 12 brings the entire nation (
It is worthy to remember, that the world is judged when
In para 16 to 18, brother Luke connects the subject of the
tree of life with the apocalypse of John, the Ephesian
promise. This is a gargantuan thought of great spiritual insight. But, Mr Luke , in my observations has
omitted the mention of the tree of life in the visions of prophet Ezekiel
flourishing in the new temple. The implication is clear - Mr
Luke has shown Christ for a heavenly church not for a millennial
In his remainder paras, brother Luke has summarized the remnantal affections for a heavenly kingdom.
This is remarkable, as whether it was the respected patriarch Abraham or a dying thief on the cross - it was the same heavenly glory, a city whose builder was God, a paradise up there.