9
THINGS THAT ARE MORE EXCELLENT
be made manifest'; `every man's work of what sort it is'; `if any man's work abide'; `if any man's work shall be
burned'.
Before we turn to the second reference, we ought perhaps to anticipate an objection. Some have said that the
whole atmosphere of the revelation of the mystery is of such grace as to rule out all idea of reward or loss. Of
course this is perfectly true if we confine ourselves to the revelation of doctrine, the revelation of our perfect
standing in Christ. But even the Epistle to Ephesians, with its wondrous acceptance in the Beloved, warns its
readers against some terrible sins, and in the practical section the apostle writes :
`Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond
or free' (Eph. 6:8).
Colossians is even more to the point :
`And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive
the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong
which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons' (Col. 3:23-25).
To those who bow before the authority of Scripture, these two citations are the end of all argument, and as we
are not writing to persuade others, we can now pass on to our second illustrative passage in 2 Timothy :
`... if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him: if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him: if we deny
Him, He also will deny us: If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself' (2 Tim. 2:11-13).
Here are two statements which, if not divided aright, appear contradictory - `He will deny us'; `He cannot deny
Himself'. But the first deals with living, and the second with reigning. Now living is one thing; receiving a throne, a
dominion and a crown is another. Both attainments have the necessary qualifications prefixed.
How may we hope to `live with Him'? This is settled once and for ever by the fact that all who believe in Christ
are reckoned by God to have `died with Him'. This cannot be altered. It can neither be won nor lost. It stands
entirely in grace. It is God's free gift, and even though one thus saved should become unfaithful, nevertheless, He
will abide faithful to His work and promise. He cannot deny Himself; such shall be saved, just as surely as the man
of 1 Corinthians 3.
How may we hope to `reign with Him'? This does not depend upon being reckoned to have died with Christ. It
is connected with a voluntary fellowship with His sufferings. If we endure, we shall reign; if we do not endure, then
we shall not reign. No cross, no crown. If in the realm of suffering and reigning we draw back, we cannot lose our
life, for that is not in question, but we can forfeit the reward; in that sphere, and that only, `if we deny Him, He also
will deny us'.
The reader may well ask why we have digressed from our main theme and entered into this discussion. The
reason is that we desire to show these five great epistles of the mystery give balanced truth. We have not five
epistles written about privilege; neither have we five epistles written about responsibility. We have a pair that lays
the foundation, and a pair that deals with the building and one that sets forth the atmosphere of this calling; the first
pair reveals our standing and acceptance, and the second pair, our state and our acceptableness. They are related as
follows :
A EPHESIANS. - Standing.
Accepted in the Beloved.
B PHILIPPIANS. - State. Work out your own salvation
A prize in view.
C PHILEMON.
The truth seen in daily
living.
A COLOSSIANS. - Standing. Presented unblameable.
B 2 TIMOTHY. - State. Not crowned except he
strive lawfully.