THE POWER AND METHODS OF THE GOSPEL.
THE commission given by our Lord to his apostles, and through them to his followers of every age, is expressed by Matthew in the following words:— "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Matt. 28:18-20. The original word for "power"—in the Revised Version, "authority"—involves both. The authority includes the power. To this the apostle refers when he says of Christ that "God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name." Phil. 2:9. Of the fullness of the power which rests in Christ, the apostle again says:— "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him; and he is before all things, and by [in] him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church. . . . For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell." Col. 1:16-19. His authority and power are both manifest all through his brief earthly mission, in opening blind eyes, unstopping deaf ears, causing the tongue of the dumb to sing, healing the sick, restoring the lame, cleansing the leper, casting out demons, speaking the dead to life, creating food for the multitude, and stilling the waves of the sea. This was the One who sent the apostles forth with the assurance that all power was his, and that he would be with them in that power to the end of the age, or till closed the gospel message. Their work was to preach, and teach, make disciples, and minister the gospel to fallen humanity. As expressed by Paul, their mission was to "preach the word" (2 Tim. 4:2); to "preach Jesus" (Acts 5:42; 11:20; 17:18); to "preach Christ crucified" (1 Cor. 1:23; 2:2). The gospel, the word of God, the mystery of God, and Christ Jesus our Lord, are all one and the same thing. Paul uses all four of the terms in Col. 1:23-26. In verse 23 he speaks of the preaching of the gospel, of which, he says, he is a minister. In verse 25 he says he is made a minister, "fully to preach the word of God" (margin, compare with Rom. 15:19). This word of God in verse 26 he declares to be the mystery in which is the riches of God's glory; and this mystery in verse 27 is declared to the Christians at Colosse to be, and hence to all, "Christ in you, the hope of glory; whom we preach." The apostles were commissioned to preach Christ by speaking his word. They were not to preach about Christ as a great figure of history, a wondrous character, but they were to preach him as a living, personal, indwelling Saviour from sin and the power of sin here and hereafter. Christ in infinite wisdom, Christ in almighty power, Christ in boundless love, Christ the all in all—this is to preach Christ, and only those who know him can so preach him. Those who by faith receive such a message from God, receive Christ with that message, and thereby become acquainted with him. And those who drink at that fount will not seek to quench their thirst at the polluted waters of the broken cisterns of earth. Jer. 2:13, 14. Those who know his power will seek no other to propagate his gospel or aught embraced in his gospel. The power which fitted them for their work was the Spirit of God (Acts 1:8; 2:1-4), mightier than all the armies of earth, for it was creative power. The only aggressive weapon which they bore was "the sword of the Spirit," "the word of God," and their armor of defense was that provided of God for all his people—truth, faith, righteousness, peace, salvation. Eph. 6:13-17. These weapons are "not carnal," yet were they "mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." What could do more? If the thoughts are yielded to Christ, all is yielded. It was the work of Christ, to win. He who had all the force of heaven at his command, who could have called down twelve legions of angels to scatter the mad horde which were leading him to death, never used violence. When James and John in their zeal for doing some great thing wished to call down fire upon the village of the Samaritans who had turned from Christ, Jesus rebuked them with: "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village." Luke 9:55, 56. Jesus would not avenge those who turned him away. When Peter, in zeal for his Master, rashly drew his sword in defense of him he loved, Jesus said: "Put up again thy sword into his place; for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." "The cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?" Matt. 26:52; John 18:11. To Pilate Jesus said: "My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence." John 18:36. Paul as ambassador of that kingdom, says that, knowing the terror of the Lord at the final judgment, he persuaded men, and in Christ's stead he besought them to be reconciled to God. 2 Cor. 5:11, 20. Even to those in Christ he writes: "Not that we have dominion [lordship] over your faith, but are helpers of your joy; for by faith ye stand." 2 Cor. 1:24. All of these and many more evidences show that, not by alliance with earthly power, not by the aid of human device or law, was the gospel to be preached to the world or supported. In no way is any relation with earthly power set forth. Christians were to pray for such government as would not hinder2them in the worship of God (1 Tim. 2:1, 2), and to every ordinance of man not contrary to the truth of God they were to submit (1 Peter 2:13; Acts 5:29). They were never to seek to influence government in any other way than in pleading with God and preaching Christ. Paul plead his case before rulers, by preaching Christ. Peter was released from prison because his brethren sought God. Christ was all in all, and as he possessed all fullness, he was sufficient. But as soon as the church became backslidden, as soon as she departed from Christ and his gospel, she made friends with the world; or, rather, she departed from Christ by making friends with the world. Losing the authority and power of Christ, before which idol shrines had melted away, the church sought civil power, and finally won it. But the very moment she wedded herself to civil power, she rejected Christ Jesus, her lawful husband. Rejecting Christ, she of course lost the power which came from Christ, and for this power she has endeavored to provide a substitute in civil enforcement of dry, dead church dogmas, while the living, progressive, growing truth of Christ was rejected with the Master. What was the result of this departure? Let all the foolish disputations and strifes of the first centuries answer; let the bitterness, the rancor, the foolish philosophizing, the inflow of pagan superstition, the anathemas of the "Fathers" and councils, so called of the church, answer; let the building up of creeds without number apart from God's word, the enforcement of those creeds by civil power, the putting of Christ to death anew in the persons of millions of his saints—let these reply. All these and more came as the direct result of rejecting Christ for the world. And the present age is seeing this same rejection of Christ, the same building up of creeds, the same efforts to lay hold on the civil power to enforce church dogmas, as witness the efforts to obtain Sunday laws; and inevitably will follow, yes, even now does follow, the persecution of those who do God's will as they read it in his word and see it in the life of Christ. Well did Jesus say in speaking of the persecutions to follow the proclamation of his gospel:— "They shall put you out of the synagogues; yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN THE FATHER NOR ME." John 16:2, 3. To know Christ, to know God in Christ, to know his word and truth as it is in Christ Jesus, to have Christ formed within the hope of glory, is all that is needed. And those who have this have all. They will never seek earthly power.