28. Combination and Unification

Combination and Unification

Chapter 27 When fragmentary truths are unified and systematized, they not only interpret each other, but exhibit the proportions and dimensions of the whole structure or body of truth. While each has its individual value and pertinence, it is not independent of the rest nor complete without them, but has its place in the whole, and without it there is something lacking. Our study is not exhaustive until the minutest of these fragments of truth is found and set in its proper relation. A fine instance of the use of combination of narratives may be found in the story of the woman with the “issue of blood.” There are three records, each incomplete without the others: Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Luke 8:43-48. We present them in combination: But as he went, much people followed him, and thronged him. And, behold, a certain woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, and had suffered many things of many physicians, neither could be healed of any, and had spent all that she had upon physicians, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind him and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within herself, “If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.” And the woman was made whole from that hour; and straightway her issue of blood staunched, and the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And when all denied, Peter and his disciples that were with him said unto him, “Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, ‘Who touched me?’” And Jesus said, “Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.” And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. And when the woman saw that she was not hid, fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, she came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth, and declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she was healed immediately. And Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said unto her, “Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

Thus blended into one, there appears a threefold classification, and seven particulars under each.

1. Her condition: An infirmity—a bloody flux—of twelve years’ standing—many physicians—all means exhausted—not healed but incurable—nothing bettered but rather worse, etc.

2. Her course: She heard of Jesus—came behind—said within herself—touched His garment—was made whole—and at once—and felt herself healed.

3. Her confession, etc. Jesus knew in Himself—turned and asked who touched me?—declared virtue had gone out of Him—brought her to confession—comforted her—sent her away confirmed in her cure.

Taken thus together, we trace every step in her distress and extremity, inward perplexity and resolve, outward approach and act, His treatment of her and her final approval and dismissal.

Fragments of an ancient Creedal Hymn seem found scattered through Paul’s epistles—a possible primitive confession of faith framed in brief and striking parallelisms, and commonly called “faithful sayings,” or utterances full of faith, embodying the tenets of faith. These faithful sayings, collated and arranged, exhibit order, completeness and design, and, in the original, a beauty difficult to transfer into English. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation”—naturally introduces a quotation from this early hymn or creed, and like phrases are used in other cases. To exhibit this hymn in its unity, we omit what serve as introductory clauses to the various parts, and cast the rest in a common mold, giving the various texts together at the close.

1.1 Timothy 1:15 “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

2.1 Timothy 3:15-16 “Pillar and mainstay of the truth, And, beyond dispute, great, Is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit; revealed to messengers, preached among the nations; believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

3.Titus 3:4-8 “When the kindness of God, our Savior, And His love toward man appeared—

(Not by works of righteousness which we had done, but according to His mercy) He saved us, through the washing of Regeneration, And renewing of the Holy Spirit, Which He poured forth richly upon us, Through Jesus Christ, our Savior;

That, being justified by His grace, We might become, according to hope, Heirs of Life Eternal.”

4.Romans 10:8-10 “This is the Word of faith: That if thou shalt, with thy mouth, confess That Jesus is Lord: And shalt, in thine heart, believe That God raised Him from the dead, Thou shalt be saved: For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; And with the mouth is confession made unto Salvation.”

5.2 Timothy 2:11-13 “For, if, together, we died, Together shall we also live:

If together we endure, Together shall we also reign, If we shall disown Him, He will also disown us;

If we are unfaithful, Faithful He abideth; For disown Himself, He cannot.”

6.1 Timothy 4:8-9 “Bodily exercise profiteth a little; But godliness is profitable unto all things, Having promise of the life that now is, And of that which is to come. For to this end we labor and suffer reproach, Because we trust in the living God; Who is the Savior of all men, Especially of those that believe.”

7.Ephesians 5:14 “Sleeper, awake! And arise from the dead! And upon thee Christ will shine.”

8.1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 “If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, Even so them which sleep in Jesus Will God through Jesus bring with Him.

We who live and remain unto the coming of the Lord Shall not precede them who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself from Heaven will descend, With a shout, With the voice of an archangel, And with the trump of God!

And, first, the dead in Christ will rise:

Then we, who live and remain, Shall be caught up together with them, In the clouds, in the air, To meet the Lord: And so with the Lord shall we ever be!”

It is conjectured that these poetic fragments, and sayings of faith, counted worthy of all acceptation, are parts of some original creedal hymn or hymnal creed; and they certainly contained a brief compendium of truth, such as: The mission of Christ Jesus to this world—salvation for sinners; The central truth of the Incarnation and its necessity to church life; The doctrine of Justification by faith and Regeneration by the Spirit; The terms of Salvation and Obedience: faith and confession; The Identification of the believer with the Lord Jesus—in suffering and glory; The double promise of blessing to the believer here and hereafter; The duty of watchfulness—and the privilege of a life of resurrection power; The blessed hope of Resurrection and glory at the Lord’s coming.

We have one prominent case of Divine enumeration. Jehovah charges Israel with having “tempted” Him “now these ten times.” (Numbers 14:22). Commonly reckoned as a round number, it suggests investigation, and, without counting the individual revolt of Miriam and Aaron against Moses, we trace ten prominent testings of God’s patience and forbearance:

These ten examples exhibit all the forms of such “tempting” God, of which His professed followers could well be guilty, until at Kadesh all previous unbelief, distrust, disobedience and cowardice reached a climax and brought a crisis. The Tenses of the Believer’s Life

If what is taught about past, present, and future facts in our experience is first gathered out, separated and then combined, we shall find, as to

I. The Past A completed Body of Scripture, A finished Atoning Work of Christ, An outpoured pentecostal Spirit, A constituted Church of Christ.

II. The Present A risen and exalted Savior and Intercessor, A full establishment of the “Means of Grace,” An appointed work of universal service, A perfecting process of disciplinary suffering.

III. The Future Resurrection and translation at Christ’s Coming, Perfected redemption, body, soul and spirit, Final glory with Christ in Heaven, New creation and consummation. In Scripture classification, what Dr. A.J. Gordon used to call his “three pigeon holes,” may be found very helpful. For example, label three such “pigeon holes” respectively with the words salvation, sanctification, service. Then in each put the texts and teachings which belong there, carefully discriminating as to things that differ. Even intelligent believers are continually mixing and confusing what the Word of God never confounds. Salvation is God’s work for, and gift to us; Sanctification, His work in us; Service, His work through us. In Salvation we do nothing but accept a free gift. In Sanctification we work with Him, as beautifully set forth in Php 2:12-13. In Service we surrender ourselves as instruments and agents, for Him to work through us in accomplishing His purposes. To introduce the personal effort and warfare needful in Sanctification into the department of Salvation is to become legalists and turn free grace into self-righteousness. To confuse service with either of the others is to mistake what is to be accomplished for us and in us, with what is to be accomplished through us in others.

Let us try the pigeonhole device with mere catchwords to illustrate what belongs to each department. In 2 Peter 1:5-8 we have the three all presented:

“Faith”—Salvation.

“Add to your faith, virtue, knowledge… charity”—Sanctification;

“If these things be in you and abound… neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge,” etc.—Service.