A positive message by Dr. E.W. Bullinger
From the book, The Church Epistles
You can save this page as a text file from your browser and read it off-line. It is about 16K. | |
The Church Epistles
Their Inter-Relation
We come now to consider the seven Epistles as a whole, and their inter-relation with each other.
We have seen that their order, like their number, is spiritually perfect.
We have referred to their division into three and four.
Let us first look at and compare the three -- Romans, Ephesians, and Thessalonians.
| |
| | |
They are treatises rather than letters (Lightfoot [Biblical Essays, p.288) says [comparing Romans and Ephesians], "Both alike partake of the character rather of a formal treatise than of a familiar letter."), and, taken together, they contain the whole revelation of the Spirit concerning Christian standing and state, both individually and collectively: the "all truth" into which He was to "guide" them (John 16:12).
Romans stands first, as containing the ABC of Christian education. Until its great lesson is learnt we know nothing. If we are wrong here, we must be wrong altogether. The Spirit has placed it first because it lies at the threshold of all church teaching.
It begins, "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, by Divine calling an apostle, separated unto God's Gospel, which..." and then he proceeds to unfold and reveal the Gospel of God's grace. Man is shown to be utterly ruined and helpless, and ungodly sinners of the Gentiles and Jewish transgressors are alike made to know themselves as lost, and how they are justified by God. The doctrinal portion, consisting of the first eight chapters, shows what God has done with "sins" and with "sin," and how the saved sinner has died with Christ, and is risen with Christ -- made a son and heir of God in Him.
This is where Ephesians starts from! It begins, not with man, but with God. It approaches its great subject, not from man's necessities, but from God's purposes. It is occupied not so much with what the saved sinner is made in Christ, but with what Christ is made to be unto him.
It is God's point of view rather than man's. Notice how it begins (after the salutation): "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ," and Christ is shown to be the Head of all things, the Head of His Body, the Church.
It is not so much the knowledge of ourselves which is the subject here, but the knowledge of God and of His purposes in Christ. Its first great prayer is "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Glorious Father, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the glorious riches [or the rich glory] of His inheritance in the saints. And what the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe" (Ephesians 1:17-19).
In Romans we have the Gospel: in Ephesians the Mystery.
In Romans it is Jew and Gentile sinners individually: in Ephesians it is the Jew and Gentile collectively, made "one new man" -- in Christ (2:15).
In Romans the saved sinner is shown as dead and risen with Christ: in Ephesians as seated in the heavenlies in Christ; while in Thessalonians he is seen for ever in glory with Christ.
Romans takes up the sinner in his lowest depths of degradation: and Thessalonians leaves him on "the throne of glory" for ever with the Lord: while, midway between, Ephesians views us now by faith as already seated with Him there. Our feet have been taken out of the mire and clay (Romans 1); they are now set upon the rock (Ephesians 1); and presently we shall be upon the throne (I Thessalonians 4).
This is the relation which these three Epistles bear to each other. Viewed together, they form the ABC of the Christian faith, as distinct from all else in the whole Bible -- nothing like it is found elsewhere. All the rest is written for us, for our learning. But this is all about us. The course of instruction is complete, and it is perfect. It commences at the lowest point and leaves us at the highest. We cannot proceed further in either direction. It begins with us on "the dunghill," and ends with us on "the throne of glory." It begins with us as "beggars," and ends with us as "beggars." It finds us "poor," and makes us "rich." And having brought us "low," it "lifteth us up" to the highest heaven, caught up to meet the Lord in the air, "for ever with the Lord." The Lord's dealings are thus stated in I Samuel 2:6-8, but how they were to be manifested in the Gospel of His grace is revealed only in these Epistles.
And now, having seen the mutual relation of these three Epistles, let us look at the other four.
Where are they placed? In our previous chapter we saw that they are placed in two pairs, the first pair coming after Romans, and the second pair after Ephesians. So that there are two Epistles arranged between the three.
Now the question is, Why are they so placed? There must be some design in this order; and it is not far to seek.
The first pair (Corinthians and Galatians) follow Romans because they exhibit departure from its special teaching.
The second pair (Philippians and Colossians) follow Ephesians because they exhibit departure from its special teaching.
So that we have the whole course of church teaching; the complete curriculum of Christian education, set before us as a whole, positively and negatively.
In the three (Romans, Ephesians, and Thessalonians), we have "doctrine" and "instruction." In the four (Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, and Colossians), we have "reproof" and "correction." Here is seen how "profitable" these Epistles are for the perfection (i.e., the complete education) of "the man of God," fitting I him out for every duty and every emergency.
But there is a further correspondence between these four Epistles.
The first of each pair (Corinthians and Philippians) exhibits practical departure, while the second of each pair (Galatians and Colossians) exhibits doctrinal departure. That is to say, in Corinthians we have practical failure as to the teaching of Romans, while in Philippians we have a failure to exhibit in practical life the teaching of Ephesians as to the unity of the members of Christ's Body. (We shall show this more completely when we come to look at these Epistles separately.)
On the other hand, in Galatians we have doctrinal failure as to the teaching of Romans. This is why Galatians and Romans are so much alike, as everyone knows; though, all that most can see in this likeness is that they were "written about the same time"! The real difference is that what is stated as "doctrine" in Romans is repeated as "correction" in Galatians. Romans begins with a declaration of God's Gospel. Galatians begins, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of God unto another [or different] Gospel."
So in Colossians we have doctrinal failure as to the teaching of Ephesian truth. (Lightfoot says, "The Epistle to the Ephesians stands to the Epistle to the Colossians in very much the same relation as the Romans to the Galatians. -- [Biblical Essays, p.395.]) In Ephesians, Christ is revealed and set forth as "the head of the Body." In Colossians we have the doctrinal evils which come from "not holding the Head" (Colossians 2:19).
We may thus exhibit the structure of: The Seven Epistles to the Churches
A | Romans. "Doctrine and Instruction." The Gospel of God: never hidden, but "promised afore." God's justification of Jew and Gentile individually -- dead and risen with Christ (1-8). Their relation dispensationally (9-11). The subjective foundation of the mystery. B. | Corinthians. "Reproof." Practical failure to exhibit the teaching of Romans through not seeing their standing as having died and risen with Christ. "Leaven" in practice (I Corinthians 5:6). C. | Galatians. "Correction." Doctrinal failure as to the teaching of Romans. Beginning with the truth of the new nature ("spirit"), they were "soon removed" (1:6), and sought to be made perfect in the old nature ("flesh") (3:3). "Leaven" in doctrine (5:9). A. | Ephesians. "Doctrine and Instruction." The Mystery of God, always hidden, never before revealed. Jews and Gentiles collectively made "one new man" in Christ. Seated in the heavenlies with Christ. B. | Philippians. "Reproof." Practical failure to exhibit the teaching of Ephesians in manifesting "the mind of Christ" as members of the one Body. C. | Colossians. "Correction." Doctrinal failure as to the teaching of Ephesians. Wrong doctrines which come from "not holding the Head" (2:9), and not seeing their completeness and perfection in Christ (2:8-10). A. | Thessalonians. "Doctrine and Instruction." Not only "dead and risen with Christ" (as in Romans); not only seated in the heavenlies with Christ (as in Ephesians); but "caught up to meet the Lord in the air, so to be for ever with the Lord." In Romans, justified in Christ; in Ephesians, sanctified in Christ; in Thessalonians, glorified with Christ. No "reproof." No "correction." All praise and thanksgiving. A typical Church.
And now we see another reason why Thessalonians comes last. There are no Epistles beyond this, because there is no higher truth to be taught. The consummation is reached. This is the highest Form in the school of grace, where the Holy Spirit is the great Divine Teacher. "All the truth" culminates here --the "all truth" into which He was to guide the Church of God. It is led from the depths of degradation (in Romans) to the heights of glory (in Thessalonians), caught up to be for ever with the Lord, and left there in eternal blessing "in," and "with," Christ.
This completes the view of the seven Church Epistles as a whole. It is interesting to note that Lightfoot's classification (Bib. Ess., page 222, etc.) is practically the same, even though he arranges the Epistles chronologically.
He puts Thessalonians by themselves, as standing alone and distinguished by their connection with "the Tribunal."
He places Corinthians, Galatians, and Romans together, as being all three connected with "the Cross"; while he places Philippians, Ephesians, and Colossians together, as being all three connected by their subject matter with "the Throne."
It is something to have such testimony as this in a matter so important. It is not affected by the different chronological order. The grouping is exactly the same; we have the same two groups, with Thessalonians standing out alone. This agreement with so thoughtful and learned a teacher will commend what we have written above to the attention of all earnest Biblical students.
  
This article appears on the site: http://www.peterwade.com/
Would you like your own copy of books by E.W. Bullinger and other authors? Go to our Selected Books. | |
|
