01.02. Who Are Those "of Christ Jesus"?

II. WHO ARE THOSE “OF CHRIST JESUS”? But it is urged that two important scriptures upon the topic of resurrection seem to contemplate all believers as sharing in the first resurrection. These are 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:1-58. The former passage speaks of those who “have fallen asleep through Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 4:14, R.V. marg.). Is this of necessity the fact concerning the end of all believers? Is there not such a thing as death through Satan, acting as the executioner of the sentence of the court of heaven against a believer’s sins?. (1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 11:30; Acts 5:10 : comp. 1 Timothy 1:19-20; 1 John 5:16-17; James 5:19-20).

Man through sin is by nature in the power of Satan as the one who, by his angel servants, ends human life when the Most High requires.* But the sinner who in faith submits to Christ is transferred from Satan’s authority and is put under that of the Son of God (Colossians 1:13), and thenceforth the Evil One cannot touch him (1 John 5:18). In life his Lord protects him and in death puts him to sleep. But on account of gross sin, of living again as if a servant of Satan, he may be “delivered unto Satan,” as regards his present experience (Matthew 5:23, Matthew 5:26; Matthew 6:13; Matthew 18:34-35) and his bodily life, in which case Satan may be permitted to cut short his life, as the above cited passages show.

[* Hebrews 2:14; Acts 12:23; Luke 12:20, marg. “they,” i.e., angels: contrast Job 6:1.]

It is not such A death that is “gain” within the meaning of Php 1:21. When Paul wrote of death as “gain” he made no general statement concerning all believers. He said, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” At that time he was a prisoner, and it was not certain that he would not shortly die for the faith. That was the death immediately in question, and similarly such an one as the faithful Stephen, dying as a witness for Christ, could say, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” The Lord accepted the trust, and the simple record of that dreadful moment is, “he slept.” Doubtless not martyrs alone but each who can truly say, “for to me to live is Christ” may add truly, “to die is gain.” Those who thus fall asleep will, as we expect, share in the first resur­rection; others have no guarantee that they will do so. But it is further urged that in 1 Corinthians 15:51, the Scripture declares that though “we shall not all sleep,” but some be alive at the descent of the Lord, yet “we shall all be changed,” and surely, says the objector with emphasis, all means all. Truly; but in 1 Corinthians 15:22, “For as in Adam all die, so also in the Christ shall all be made alive,” “all” means all of mankind, for every child of Adam will at some time be raised by Christ (John 5:28-29). But not all at the first resurrection (Revelation 20:5). Therefore in this very chapter “all” means different things, and in 1 Corinthians 15:51 requires limiting, since it refers to a smaller company than in 1 Corinthians 15:22. The last and immediate context is in 1 Corinthians 15:48-49, which speak of those who are to “bear the image of the heavenly,” that is, are to share with the Lord in His heavenly form, glory, and sovereignty. Now the more difficult, and therefore the more probable reading here is as in the R.V. margin: “As we have borne the image of the earthy, let us also bear the image of the heavenly.” It is evident that one copying a document is not likely to insert by mistake a more difficult word or idea than is in the manuscript before him; so that, as a general rule, the more difficult reading is likely to have been the original reading. Moreover, in this case “let us also bear” is so well attested by the manuscripts as to have been adopted as the true reading by Lachmann, Tischendorf, Tregelles, Alford, and Westcott and Hort, and is given as the text in the latest editions of the Greek Testament, those of Nestle and Von Soden. Ellicott prefers the common read­ing, but on subjective and internal grounds only, and his remark on the external authority is emphatic: “It is impos­sible to deny that the subjunctive, phoresomen is supported by very greatly preponderating authority.” Alford (on Romans 9:5) well says, “that no conjecture [i.e., as to the true Greek text] arising from doctrinal difficulty is ever to be admitted in the face of the consensus of MSS. and versions.” Weymouth gives the force well by the rendering “let us see to it that we also bear.” By this exhortation the apostle places upon Christians some responsibility to see that they secure that image of the heavenly which is indispensable to inheriting “the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 15:50). In this Paul is supported by Peter, who also writes of that “inheritance which is reserved in heaven” (1 Peter 1:4), which he describes by the later statement that “the God of all grace called you unto His eternal glory in Christ” (1 Peter 5:10). But Peter goes on to urge the called to “give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10), thus showing that this calling to share the glory of God has to be made sure. He is not at all discussing justification by faith or suggesting that it must be made sure by works done after conversion. Justification and eternal life are not in the least his subject. He writes expressly to those “who have [already] obtained like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). The calling of grace is to share in God’s own eternal glory, or, as Paul expresses it, to share God’s “own kingdom and glory,” and he tells us that he exhorted, encouraged, yea, and testified, to the end that his children in faith should “walk worthily of God” Who had called them to such supreme dignity (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12).

Since therefore this most honourable calling must be “made sure” by “walking worthily,” in order that we may be “counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer” (2 Thessalonians 1:5), the reading “let us also bear the image of the heavenly” becomes consistent and important. Thus 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 is addressed to those who are assumed (whether it be so or not) to have responded to that exhortation, and it will mean that “we [who shall be accounted worthy to bear that heavenly image] shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” Of that company it is strictly true that all means all.

Further, the primary antecedent to 1 Corinthians 15:52 is in 1 Corinthians 15:23 : “But each [shall be made alive] in his own order: Christ the first‑fruits; then they that are Christ’s in His Parousia: then the end . . .” Does not the whole sentence, in the light of other passages, carry the force: But each shall be made alive, not all at the same hour, but each in his own class or company (tagma); first‑fruit, Messiah; then, next, those of the Messiah, i.e., in His character as first‑fruit, at His Parousia; then, later, the end of all dispensations, involv­ing the resurrection of all, saved and unsaved, not before raised? Here is additional reason for R. C. Chapman’s view (to be considered later) that the first resurrection is one of “first‑fruits,” and not of all who will be finally raised in the “harvest” of eternal life. The translation “they that are Christ’s” is not an exact rendering. The Greek reads: “then those of the Christ (hoi tou Christou) in His Parousia,” and it is not a question of what these words may mean to an English reader to‑day with his mind obsessed by a certain theory, but what did they convey to a Greek ear of the day when they were written. (See Appendix.) In the ideal and possibility all who are “in Christ” are “of Christ,” but that it is possible to be a believer on Him unto salvation from hell and not to be of that privileged personal circle which He will acknowledge before God, angels, and men as His companions, is plainly taught in the Word. “If I wash thee not, thou [Peter, my believing, devoted follower until now] hast no part with Me” – not “in Me,” that would have forfeited all, including salvation; but “with Me,” which means that unwashed thou canst not continue in My company, My circle (John 13:8). Again, “Thou hast a few names in Sardis who did not defile their garments, and they shall walk [walk about habitually, peripateesousin] with Me in white, for they are worthy”; that is, they shall be My companions (Revelation 3:4 : compare the personal associates of king Rehoboam, those that had “grown up with him,” (1 Kings 12:7-10). With these who have thus walked with Christ in humiliation and shall walk with Him in glory contrast those mentioned in John 6:66 : “Upon this many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.” But of those who go on with Him He graciously adds, “The one overcoming shall thus [as the consequence and counterpart of having walked in white on earth, of having ‘kept himself unspotted from the world,’ James 1:27]­ - shall thus be arrayed in white raiment [as a companion of the King; indeed, as His wife, Revelation 19:8]; and I will, in no wise blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels”; the King’s public acknowledgment that such are of His honoured and intimate circle.*

[* Revelation 3:4-5 : comp. Luke 12:9, with the use the apostle and the early church made of that saying, as in 2 Timothy 2:11-13.] The fact that such as show special trust in and fidelity to God are granted intimacy with Him beyond others is very natural and it runs throughout Scripture. Instances are: Abraham, peculiarly the friend of God, from whom Jehovah would hide none of His purposes (Genesis 18:17-19): Moses, privileged beyond others of the people of God with mouth to mouth converse with Him, because he was faithful (Numbers 12:7-8): the prophets, without informing whom Jehovah would not act (Amos 3:7): of which Elisha is a notable instance, as witness the tone of surprise in his words, “Jehovah hath hid it from me and hath not told me!” (2 Kings 4:27). So God, reproving false prophets, says: “Who [of them] hath stood in the council of Jehovah?” and, “If they had stood in My council” (Jeremiah 23:18, Jeremiah 23:22) – not counsel, as A.V., but in “My secret council,” as the Hebrew means, whither faithful prophets were transported in spirit (1 Kings 22:19).

Thus also in the New Testament we learn of very many hundreds who believed on Jesus when He was here (1 Corinthians 15:6, e.g.), but of these, some few enjoyed His special love, as the Bethany family (John 11:5); a small band were honoured to share peculiarly His toil, ministry, reproach, and company, and will therefore be specially honoured in His kingdom (Luke 22:28-30;Revelation 22:14): of which few again a smaller circle were more especially favoured with His confidence (Luke 9:28; Matthew 26:37), and one was loved above them all (John 13:23; John 19:26, John 21:7, John 21:20). But as there is no respect of persons, no favouritism, with the Lord, as we are repeatedly and emphatically assured (Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 1:17 : etc.), there must have been reason for this distinguishing of some. In John 15:14-15, Christ lays down its condition in the words: “No longer do I call you slaves [though it is to be well noted from the openings of the epistles that that is exactly what they continued ever­more to call themselves]; for the slave knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known unto you.” Thus as with Abraham His friend, so with these, He had hid nothing from them, had had no secrets, but had made known unto them all that He had heard. But the terms of this incomparable friendship were, and are, “Ye are My friends if ye do the things which I command you,” a condition nowhere attached to the forgiveness of sins or to the obtaining of eternal life, but of the simple nature of things in friendship between the Creator and the creature, the King and the subject. To this privileged circle all indeed may attain, but it is reached by such only as pay the (in reality) purely nominal but quite unavoidable price of full obedience to their Saviour as their Lord.

Thus also in Hebrews 3:12-14, we learn that “we have become companions* of the Messiah (metochoi tou Christou), if it be so that (eanper) we hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end.” And in Hebrews 3:6 preceding we are told that we are the household over which the Son of God is ruler “if we hold fast our boldness and the glorying of our hope firm unto the end.” Israel, though redeemed by blood and delivered, did not become the “house” of God until one whole year after redemption (Exodus 40:1); and, though the people of God by covenant and redemption, they only narrowly escaped the penalty of never having God dwelling among them and so of not being to Him as a house (Exodus 33:1-3). To be a pardoned rebel, restored to being a loyal subject of the sovereign, is one thing, and is great indeed, but to be a member of the royal house, a chosen intimate of the sovereign, is much greater. His pardon Of the rebel, sealed and delivered, God never recalls; but the privilege of belonging to His Son’s personal circle is contingent and may be forfeited.

[* Darby, New Translation, note: “I use the word ‘companions’ as being the same one as in c.1:9 metochoi, to which, I doubt not, it alludes; that is, to the passage quoted, Psalms 45:1-17. ‘Partakers of Christ’ has indeed quite a different sense.”] The type of tabernacle and temple when taken in its entirety shows that the “house” of God may be forsaken by Him and be temporarily destroyed (Jeremiah 7:12; Psalms 78:60-61; Jeremiah 12:7; Psalms 74:7; Matthew 23:38); and the New Testament solemnly declares the same as to the believer: " “Know ye not that ye are a sanctuary of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. If any man destroyeth the sanctuary of God [mars it ‑ see Jeremiah 17:7, Jeremiah 17:9, where the LXX use this word ‑ so rendering the house unfit as a dwelling for the Holy One], him shall God destroy (see 1 Corinthians 5:5 : etc.), for the sanctuary of God is holy, which sanctuary ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). The believer who so lacks the spirit of Christ, and so walks according to flesh, as to incur that judgment, will indeed, by the changeless grace of God and through the eternal virtue of redemption by the precious blood of Christ, be himself, as to his person, saved, yet only “so as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15); but such will not be sharers of the privileges pictured as being the “house” of God or “companions of the Messiah,” the King. But inasmuch as all who rise in the first resurrection will share those very privileges (Revelation 20:4-6), it results that such as are adjudged by the Lord unworthy thereof will not have part in that resurrection, even as the many scriptures reviewed declare.

Thus the expressions “fallen asleep through Jesus” and “those of Him in His Parousia” (those who are to be com­panions with Him during the period of His “presence” as King of this earth), both allow for the solemn possibility of some who might have been “accounted worthy to attain unto that age [of the Presence] and the resurrection which is from among the dead” (Luke 20:35) failing to attain thereto.

Passages which deal with a matter from the point of view of God’s plan and willingness use general, wide terms to cover and to disclose His whole provision. But these must be ever considered in connection with any other statements upon the same subject which reveal what God foresees of the human element which, by His own creation of responsible creatures, He permits to interact with His working. Out of these elements, through self‑will in the believer, arises the possibility of individuals not reaching unto the whole of what the grace of God had offered in Christ. The isolation of the former class of passages produced Calvinism, of the latter Arminianism. Truth is found by construing all Scripture together. The principle of the divine provision is grace: the principle of our attaining is faith; and “according to your faith be it unto you” is the inflexible condition. Now faith is not merely an apprehending of ideas by the intellect, nor only the assent of the reason, though it includes of necessity both of these elements: faith is a principle of action which produces obedience to God and works out in love to men. Incipient faith obeys God upon the primary point of trusting to Christ for salvation from wrath, and it secures that primary benefit for which it trusts. Developing faith obeys God upon various successive points of His holy will; this issues in sanctity of character and purity of conduct; and according to this advance of faith in prac­tical godliness will be the weight of glory which each will be capable of bearing. Any particular possibility for which one’s measure of faith does not qualify will not be obtained. “The path of sorrow is not indeed the meriting, but the capacitating preparation for glory” (Moule on Romans 8:18).

It is unquestionable that this unchanging, because unavoid­able, rule operates undeviatingly as to benefits available in this life: the Scripture shows plainly that it operates as to benefits available beyond this life. Of these one is the sharing in the first resurrection and so inheriting the kingdom of God. There is not any ground in Scripture or reason why these particular privileges should be an exception to the invariable rule stated; for the rule lies in the essential nature of man and his relationships with God, and no suspension or exception seems possible so long as God is God and man is man. Apart from faith it is impossible for man to be pleasing to God or for God to grant to him the blessing of such as please Him. The measure of blessing in the possibility is the immeasurable merit of Christ, freely made available to sinners by the grace of God: the measure of blessing in actual attainment is our faith, faith as above defined and evidenced. Therefore both translation and the better resurrection are consequent upon a life of faith that pleases God (Hebrews 11:5, Hebrews 11:35).

“Such faith in us, 0 God, implant, And to our prayers Thy favour grant, Through Jesus Christ, Thine only Son, Who is our fount of health alone.” When it is said that the acceptance of the believer in Christ involves the imputation to him of all the acceptability of Christ, and that he is thereby qualified to share the eternal glory of Christ in the presence of the Father, and that conse­quently his own life and works can have no place in the matter, we point out that, inasmuch as the merit of Christ is imputed judicially to every believer equally, therefore every believer should of necessity share equally in all and every privilege, and no distinction in reward would be possible, one star could not then differ from another star in glory. But the opposite of this is taught in the Word. The imputa­tion of righteousness in Christ gives to every believer equality of standing and of opportunity, but it does not, and cannot, do away with the necessity for faith, or alter the rule that attainment is according to faith.

It being therefore the case that the first resurrection, while open indeed to all, is a prize which must be attained, and which, like every prize, may be forfeited, it is at once made clear why in Revelation 20:4-6, where the two resurrections are set, one at the opening of the Millennial kingdom and the other at its close, it is said that “blessed and holy” is he that hath part in the former, including pre‑eminently those who in varying degree had suffered for and with Jesus and for the word of God. And that some believers not accounted worthy of that resurrection, will rise in the second resurrection unto eternal life, though they will have missed reigning with Christ in His Kingdom, fitly explains why at the final judgment the book of life will be opened and searched (Revelation 20:11-15). Were it known as a fact that no possessors of eternal life would or could be there this examining of the book of life would not be required, nor should we expect the statement that “if any was not found written in the book” he was cast into the lake of fire; for in that event the natural expression would be “as their names were not found, etc.” A correct understanding of future events is of high value in the life of the Christian, but it is not fundamental to the gospel, neither does any rearranging of the order or par­ticulars of those events imperil the faith. Men of undoubted orthodoxy and greatly used of God have taken very divergent views on these topics, which teaches that great names cannot prove any one view to be the true meaning of Scripture. On the other hand, this divergence should assure toleration and earnest research, so that more light may be gained and ever closer agreement be reached.

It is worthy of mention that Hudson Taylor and R. C. Chapman held the view here advocated. In the Appendix to his small work on The Song of Songs, entitled Union and Communion (ed. 5, p. 83), Hudson Taylor wrote of such as “if saved, are only half‑saved:* who are for the present more concerned about the things of this world than the things of God. To advance their own interests, to secure their own comfort, concerns them more than to be in all things pleasing to the Lord. They may form part of that great company spoken of in Revelation 7:9-17, who come out of the great tribulation, but they will hot form part of the 144,000, ‘the first‑fruits unto God and to the Lamb’ (Revelation 14:1-5). They have forgotten the warning of our Lord in Luke 21:34-36; and hence they are not ‘accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.’ They have not, with Paul, counted ’all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord,’ and hence they do not ‘attain unto’ that resurrection from among the dead, which Paul felt he might miss, but aimed to attain unto.

We wish to place on record our solemn conviction that not all who are Christians, or think themselves to be such, will attain to that resurrection of which St. Paul speaks in Php 3:11, or will thus meet the Lord in the air. Unto those who by lives of consecration manifest that they are not of the world, but are looking for Him, ‘He will appear without sin unto salvation’.”

Robert Chapman about the year 1896 issued a series of Suggestive Questions. Number 10 includes the following: “Are not the redeemed in Revelation 4:1-11 and Revelation 5:1-14 the same with those in Revelation 20:4, ’Thrones and they sat upon them’? (Revelation 20:5) ’This is the first resurrection.’ Is it not a resurrection of first‑fruits?” . . . Now in the essential nature of the case first‑fruits are but a portion of the whole harvest, and so the Question proceeds: ’And the rest of the dead (in the same verse) do they not include all the family of God? not the wicked dead only. Hence, in Revelation 20:12, ’Another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works’ (Revelation 20:15). ’And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into.the lake of fire’.”

Further as to this last passage, the exact rendering in the Revised Version, “if any was not found written in the book of life he was cast into the lake of fire,” by its negative form strongly supports this view. If it should be said of the crowd at a platform barrier that, If any was found not to have a ticket he was refused admittance, no one would suggest the meaning that not one of all who were there had a ticket or was allowed to pass. The late Mr. E. S. Pearce was intimately acquainted with Mr. Chapman’s views for he lived with him many years. He wrote to me as follows: “It was Mr. Chapman’s desire that, by so walking with God and by obedience to His Word in all things, he might not shut himself out from the honour of reigning with Christ. He saw no authority from the Scripture for saying that all the children of God would. Revelation 20:4, ’And they sat upon them,’ Mr. Chapman con­sidered were distinguished persons, not all the saints."

Now from Revelation 20:4 and Revelation 20:6, “they lived and reigned” and “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection ... they shall reign,” it is clear that all who rise in the first resurrection do reign, from which it certainly follows that such as are not accounted worthy to reign do not rise at that time. Who shall say to what large degree this searching, conscience‑quickening belief contributed to the blamelessness of Mr. Chapman’s beautiful life? The doctrine of the coming of our Lord is in the Scripture so set forth as to promote holiness of life (1 John 3:3; 2 Peter 3:11-14; 1 Peter 1:13). That line of exposition will be found most accordant with Scripture which makes the most imperative demand for holiness. To gain that prize I towards that goal will struggle Which God has set before; To gain that prize ’gainst sin and death I’ll battle And with the world make war; And if it brings me here but shame and troubles And scorn, if pain life fills, Yet seek I nothing of earth’s empty baubles; My God alone my longing stills. To gain that prize, to reach that crown I’m pressing Which Christ doth ready hold;

I mean His great reward to be possessing, His booty for the bold.

I will not rest, no weariness shall stay me, To hasten home is best, Where I some day in peace and joy shall lay me Upon my Saviour’s heart and rest.

(From the German).