The Cross and the Battle for Sonship — T. Austin-Sparks

Being so bowed. May I just remind you of two things. Possibility, at least the possibility, that the Lord may be speaking in this place tonight. If our prayers are answered, it will be so, and if it should be so, we have accepted a solemn responsibility in allowing ourselves to hear the Lord speak.

It may be a very blessed thing to have the Lord speak, but it is a very responsible thing. We can never be the same before the Lord, should he speak. We together, Lord, have said, speak Lord in the stillness, I wait on thee.

Israel’s Unbelief and the Purpose of Salvation

It might be helpful, the object has application. The letter to the second place break up the application to particular, and we notice there is a great divide, as they were, to which he sought to bring.

Repeatedly emphasizing the letter as Christian. Make the division between, for just a few extra words, a particular connection. Just remember, that with the Apostle Paul, being with his very heart of the Hebrew scriptures, what we call the Old Testament, there would always be a mentality, the Holy Spirit would be taking, and although perhaps not what we are thinking now, there is.

Paul's interview speaks about having been redeemed with praise. This is not my interpretation, this is exactly what Paul said. They fell in the wilderness. They died in the wilderness. They did not go through that for which God brought them out.

And I say again, he used it as a very solemn warning to the Corinthians and says in effect, be careful, you are now in exactly the same position as Israel was in at that time, and I am warning you that your destiny can be the same as theirs.

You may fail to go through to what God has called you unto. You may, using his own word, perish in the wilderness. I know that will raise some questions in your mind, and I expect you would want to ask me those questions if you had the opportunity, if I gave you the chance, about final perseverance and being once saved and lost and all that.

But don't forget, we are not talking about salvation that is settled with the Corinthians. We are talking about inheritance, the purpose of salvation. Paul will make it very clear that you may be on the foundation, he is saying it here, in chapter three, you may be on the foundation which is Christ, but when you are on the foundation you may put up a superstructure which will be entirely lost, and all your life work go up in smoke.

And that's only another way of interpreting Israel in the wilderness. Now then, what was that lay at the root of that tragedy of Israel? And you have the answer in the fourth chapter of the letter to the Hebrews.

Now you know, men have struggled all through the centuries to get Paul out of the letter to the Hebrews. We are not going to argue about the authorship, but there is something here that is very similar if not identical in this tenth chapter of the first letter to the Corinthians and the fourth chapter of the letter to the Hebrews.

Notice in that fourth chapter, the writer, whoever he was, the writer is speaking about this very same thing. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief, and enlarges upon the tragedy of Israel perishing in the wilderness, and not going in to possess.

And then he uses that conjunction to which I drew your attention the other evening without enlarging upon it as I am now. For they entered not in because of unbelief, they perished in the wilderness, for the word of God is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the dividing asunder of both, and here are your two categories of this.

Old people perished in the wilderness. Spiritual people, which were raised up, went over and went through. Very impressive, isn't it? That little four, that mighty little four divides between soul and spirit.

The implication is not the act, the statement is. Soul, that's the cause of all the trouble in the wilderness. And if you remember the history of those years, those decades in the wilderness, oh how much soul.

The soul was always this, what am I getting out of this? How do I benefit by this? In Corrie, every one of you said, I. The spiritual, if you remember the changeover, the transition with Joshua, if the Lord's delight in us, then he will bring it in.

Oh, it's the Lord's delight, not mine. The difference between soul and spirit, definitely as we come into the letter to titulation present. I want you to notice that that is the big issue. Amongst them, the people of God, redeemed by precious blood, brought out of the world, and bondage to Satan.

The Corinthian Transition from Bondage to the Unveiled Spirit

And yet, after the second letter to the Corinthians, and after they got his first letter, oh what humiliation, oh what, there are broken people, they were not broken before. Now there are broken people.

They are weeping, and they are sobbing over what had happened. I say, the act of being planted at the root of something fundamental had been done. And therefore, they can come over Jordan, so to speak, come over, or get through, and ask God on new ground.

Altogether, the ground of the open heaven. The ground of the unveiled faith. Remember? The unveiled faith. When he shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now, the Lord is the spirit. The spirit is Lord.

There is liberty. You're over on the other side. There's a different atmosphere, isn't there, in the second letter to the Corinthians, from the first? Quite a different atmosphere, and it seems now that there are possibilities now.

And so they come into the good of the unveiled faith, which in other words, used by the apostles, is God who said, let light shine in darkness, has shined into our hearts. Give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Can't say that in letter number one, but you can say it in number two. Therefore, having this ministry. The ministry of the unveiled faith. I'm not going over all that we covered in a full hour last night.

But the point is, they are now represented in their spiritual position, and you're noticing the spiritual sequence of these letters, aren't you? In spiritual sequence, there's a move forward. The new prospect and possibility.

New potentiality. The New Testament, a new atmosphere. When the people got over Jordan, that's how it was. You breathe more freely. While you're reading the first letter to the New Testament, you're not breathing freely at all.

Not at all. The atmosphere is clearer and freer, and there's a move forward. It is a great move forward. Thereover, as I have said, something fundamental, though not final, has been done. It's been done.

Joshua, Jericho, and the Spiritual Campaign

Jericho did represent in its sevenfoldness the seven nations that were to be conquered. Seven is the dominant number there of Jericho. That is spiritual fullness or spiritual inclusiveness. When you've got Jericho, you have in figure and in spirit, and in spiritual position, you've got the land.

You've got everything. That is in the sovereign will of God. So being over into the second letter to the Corinthians, you are over, and you have encompassed Jericho, that is the foundation, is dealt with.

Now what? And now. Not now, soul, but spiritual people. You do not need me to go back to you to the beginning of the book of Joshua, the man standing with the drawn sword, captain of the host of the Lord, into which Joshua capitulated the campaign.

Well, you don't need me to tell you that that is the representation of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit taking charge of the campaign. We won't leave all these details. This is where we are in the second letter.

Everything looks wonderfully promising, doesn't it? New atmosphere, new prospects, new potentialities. What next? What next? AI, Galatians, tested progress, able to reverse, back onto the old ground. The whole thing is in jeopardy.

Galatians and the Battle Against Religious Systems

That's Galatians, isn't it? Holy, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord, for they tended, Babylonish God, full advantage of every, the world, we should battle for sonship. Remember the three major words in this letter, liberty, because of an ism, a mighty ism, in defining Judaism.

I'm going to say, we'll perhaps define it best as we enlarge this thing, but what I'm saying, it was an ism, an ism that did it. You're noting that? You really got a hold of that? An ism did it all, foiled it all.

It always had the same effect. See, I came across something written by a very well-known leader and teacher, a man who, over half a century ago, wrote Standard Lives of Christ and the Apostles, and the Apostle Paul, were the great vogue of that time, don't care so much about them today.

He wrote this. Allow me to read it to you, because it's so closely related to what we say. In the craft and subtlety of the devil and man, Christianity has ever tended to wither away into Judaism, into rabbinism, into scholasticism, into ecclesiasticism, into Romanism, into sectarianism, into dead schemes of dogmatic belief, into dead routines of elaborate ceremonial, into dead exclusiveness of party narrowness, into dead formulae of church, into dead performances of dead work, or dead assent to dead phrases.

That's pretty good, isn't it? They're all your isms. But if he lived today, I wonder how many more isms he would have. I'm not going to be so unkind as to give you the extended list. But think, think, this thing which has become defined as an ism, and that.

Sometimes it is a distinct error. We should mention the errors. Sometimes it is a mixture of truth and sometimes it is truth itself which has become an ism. Yes, the truth. Quite right, it's the New Testament, but it's become an ism.

And what is the effect of an ism? What do we mean by an ism? Well, that thing has had a fence drawn round it, and has in itself become the beginning and the end of everything. And that fence says, unless you toe this line, accept this ground, come on to this ground, there's no fellowship with you.

Fellowship is not possible. Only if you accept this interpretation, or this experience, or whatever it is, that you can put in the place of circumcision, except ye be circumcised, ye cannot be circumcised.

Remember that? A thing might be right in itself, but it has been crystallized into a finality. And a wall and door of exclusivism has been set up, that unless you come on to this ground, you are excluded.

In Christian history, never done in Christian history, spiritual life and triumph of duty didn't lift its head again. That time, the last state of that man is worse than the devil just making up something.

Universalism and the Loss of the Gospel’s Centrality

Dear friends, make no mistake about it, there are very fascinating and attractive isms. New Testament isms, and non-New Testament isms, somewhat extended life and ministry. Again and again, I have people of God, who were out in the open, going on with the law, in the liberty of the spirit, with great promise, and then they've been caught in some ism.

They are helpless in the tenets of that ism. Day and again, actually the British Israelism, whether it's right or wrong, it's a sidetrack, it's something with a fence around it. Anywhere with those people beyond that thing, that's the obsession.

I take it as an illustration of what I mean. Many others. There's a great ism sweeping right over America, and over Europe, at least now. Here, I can dare to mention this one, well I'm going to anyway.

Universalism. It's an ism which has captured multitudes, and you just can't get anywhere with these people, once they've got it. But I have known them all so promising, so promising. And then this thing, subtly along their way, so appealing.

Everybody, ultimately, including the devil himself, will be saved. What are you going to do with that? Willy nilly, they'll be saved. Undercutting so many of the very vitals of the gospel. I'm illustrating, I'm not just making a text, I'm trying to show what I mean.

But you may call these things vast errors. But there are things that are not such errors. Not such errors, indeed. In themselves they're quite true. They have become the beginning of all and the end of all.

The people who have taken them on. You can sit no further. No further. They have lost the great ground, the vast ground of God's full purpose for this dispensation, and become stuck on their own. Judaism has come to a standstill, or going round and round in a circle.

It should be a warning to us, because you see, this is the thing that has been the enemy all through the centuries. This sort of thing. The Lord does something, it's right. The Lord doesn't. Crystallized into a system governed by the devil.

Unless you come that way, no further. Stand on this, you're not included at all. Isn't this true? Go house after this letter again. You notice that there's a transition in this letter. A transition which is gathered under several words or names.

They all mean the same thing. Whether it is bondage on the one side or liberty on the other. Servant, the Lord, what does it announce? The servant, speaking of bondage, limitation. And what word really explains the servant?

From Servanthood to Sonship

In the Greek it's the bond. You must. Servant, you see, has no rights of his own, no liberty. He has to do what he is told. You must. And you must not. You cannot follow your own judgment. You've got to obey this.

Whatever it is. We call it legalism, but there are so many forms. It's the must. Life of the slave. On the other side, over again, the slave is the family. You know as well as I do what the difference is between those two.

I don't know how it is here in America, but I know how it is over our way. He goes out in the morning, be he the builder or the road worker or whatever he is, the employee, and he doesn't hurry the work at all.

He goes as slowly as he possibly can without actually making a breach of the law. And when he gets there, he takes so long to get his coat off, and then so long to get his shoes on, and now it's time to have a cup of tea with us, you know, or something.

And there are five men working on that road job, and one is doing a bit of tinkering with the job the other's all working on. And then you come along and say, Governor, what's the time? On with the coat, take up, go off.

And so they go through the day. They're the servants, the must people, and there's little of that But when you get the must of the builder, none of that. No, this thing is a matter of both interest and responsibility, and more of love.

And he'll work beyond the appointed hours, and he'll work, he'll work all the hours with him. Nothing like that. What is it? It's his spirit. It's the spirit carried on by another spirit than the spirit of the servant.

That's the letter of the regulations, you see. Friendship, liberty from all this demand, essential, obligation, never comes in. Never comes in thought. Liberty of friendship without considering personal interest, without asking any questions as to how much must I, how much can I not.

You see the difference? And we are all imperiled of some kind of must and drive. Even in the things that the Lord has done with us, blessed things that the Lord has done, if we are not very careful, we will bring them into a systematized form, and they will become our prison, and it will be the bond slave.

Sonship as God’s Ultimate Redemptive Purpose

Friendship, God's goal, you know the word is, the manifestation of the sons of God. That's the confirmation of everything. Bringing many sons to God. God dealeth with us as with sonship. There's no higher thought in all revelation.

It's not yet revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him. We shall see him as he is. That sonship finally consummated, and we are being dealt with on that principle of sonship, wonderful conception.

The apostle John, you see, the old man, in his past was contemplating his long life, their suffering and plenty of it, his long life, our union with his master. There's nothing to compare with this, says he.

Sonship, sonship, the highest thing ever thought of by God for redemption. We are in progress of this. Will the devil stop at anything to prevent us getting to that? Why? You see it's going to be this corporate sonship, glorified in union with the Son, who is going to dispose the whole kingdom of Satan, displace it, and take its place for the government in the ages to come.

And the prince of this world is not taking that easily. And so not only will he bring these persecutions and sufferings from the outside, but he'll bring these subtle snares of anism. He'll arrest our spiritual progress and cut us up to something smaller than God and he's frustrated at the end when he's done that.

So the point is, keep out in the open with the Lord. Keep out in the life of the Spirit. The Spirit will not let you go wrong. The Spirit will make known to you all that is intended for you. But don't begin to say to other people when you've got that experience or that life now unless you accept it and take this ground.

You see you're outside the veil. We are the people. We are the people. Truth begins and ends with us. Oh God save us from the spirit of it. Spirit of it. For you to go and think about the isms. Whether denominations are right or wrong, I'm not going to argue.

Legalism, Exclusivism, and the Danger of Religious Boundaries

But I will say emphatically denominational ism is wrong. And it becomes an ism. Something that binds you, controls you, sets the bounds for you. Then it's wrong. And whatever other things may be, for it is right.

Soon as the innocent succeed in making that the limit, however good, he's defeated the end, there will be an arrest and a reverse. And I can only now take you back in close by reminding you of how Joshua handled the situation.

Yes, he sifted this thing down a day. I sifted it down, down, down, down to the unit in the family. They toned Acan and it was a very drastic thing that was done because of the principle involved you see.

The principle involved. Whatever Joshua did with Acan, I don't think it compares with what Paul did with Judaism in Galatia, if any one be he an angel, which is any other gospel, let him be an angel, and I say again, I say again, I repeat it, let him be an angel.

Of any kind of legalism, except he be circumcised, oh, be careful of these exceptions, which are quite all right, except a man be born from a virgin, see the feeling of God, that's all right, but not a Judaistic, you see how the Holy Spirit, the word of keeping out in the open with the Lord as your governor, the Holy Spirit as your control, your teacher, and it is faith, when the Holy Spirit really is Lord, there's liberty, but it's faith, it's faith, remember again what John said about this, you have an anointing, and the anointing which you have received abideth in you, and you need not that anyone teach you anything, the anointing teacheth you all things, oh, be careful, be careful, I'm quite independent, I don't need anybody to tell me anything, that is not what John is saying at all, at all, what is John saying, there are many antichrists, there are many antichrists in the world, and an antichrist is not a furious, fearful creature you know, with a tail and a pitchfork, an antichrist is something that assumes the place of Christ, the devil himself is transformed into an angel of light, there are many, and with the natural judgment, natural powers, you are not able to distinguish between the true and the false, the Christ and the antichrist seem to be so much alike, you can't discern them, but the anointing will tell you, the anointing which you have received when you come into touch with something false will, if the anointing is really governing, say be careful, not in words, but inside, and have a feeling, there is something not quite clear here, not transparent here, not safe here, I don't feel happy about this, I can't tell you why, but I just don't feel quite happy about this, there is something in me that says, beware, the anointing will teach you, it's perfectly safe when the anointing is in charge, and here you are, here is your other humanity isn't it, the spiritual man, says Paul, discern it all, and I would close with just saying this dear friends, that in my judgment, the greatest need in Christianity and among Christians today is spiritual discernment, I could not say anything beyond that, I am convinced that in a day like this, of deceptions and misleadings and all that, the great need is the power of spiritual discernment, of knowing the Holy Spirit is able to warn you, just to warn you, not in words, it might be by words of scripture, but in your own spirit where he dwells, that's all right, go on, the arbitrator is life and peace, he will say, no, be careful, there is danger there, and then it is for us in our spiritual sensitiveness, take note of that, and let me tell you that it's not my experience that the Holy Spirit speaks with a shout, I very rarely know the Holy Spirit to speak out in a way that there is no mistaking it, in such a gentleness, such a gentleness, just something that I could miss if I didn't pause, and learn the voice of gentleness and the voice of the Spirit, that is sunshine, you see, growing to discern, to sense, to understand, spirit of sense, and I've said enough, may the Lord help us to understand, and if you are praying, and all your praying, whatever you are praying, ask the Lord, that by the Holy Spirit, he will develop in you, spirit of discernment, give you spiritual discernment, so that you, Paul put it in another place, can discriminate the things which are external, remember that, there is a difference in things, good, bad, indifferent, best may be able to discern the things which are external, may not have been very much entertainment, or fascination, attractiveness about all this, but we know that thou wouldst be very faithful with us, we want thee to do it, and if warning, and enlightenment as to peril, is thy mercy, thy grace, and thy goodness, and we'll be very grateful, if not tonight, a warning light is being shown, something to save us, oh Lord, how we want to go on, and go through, and come out into the ultimate, consummation, sons in glory, never arrested, never having our paths shortened, never brought short, oh Lord, we want to go on to full growth, to all that thou hast, hold us unto, now give us understanding, interpret to us, thy meaning, and what we trust to be thy words, and our minds, through Christ Jesus, and may grace, and mercy, and peace, from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us.