The Divinely Appointed Remedies: "Gold"
Our Lord counsels us to "buy of Me
gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich" (Revelation 3:18).
We all know that the "gold tried in the fire is faith that works by
love" (COL 158).
If we already possessed the "gold’,
we would not be urged to "buy" it. We must cease assuming that
we already possess it and need only more efficient methods of displaying
it — more modern methods of journalism, more money for TV and radio
stations, or better techniques of homiletics. Our need is basic. In
respect of the very "gold" itself, the True Witness says our
treasure-box is empty. Christ Himself says so.
It is quite possible that once we
"buy" the gold itself so that we actually do possess it, we will
not be so distraught in our search for adequate means to display it.
Perhaps the Lord of hosts who says, "The silver is Mine, and the gold
is Mine", will then convict generous hearts to give prodigally for
the world-wide display of His people’s "gold" when that time
comes.
It is the "angel" who is
counseled by the True Witness, not just "some" individuals here
and there. It is the general body of the church leadership. There is no
way that we can evade the direct point of his "counsel". All
attempts to evade it will only result in more confusion and postponing the
finishing of Gods work for further decades. Heaven pity us if we remonstrate
with our Lord and insist, "But I have always understood the gospel
and taught it with power! I know I understand it. Thou canst not
mean me! Thou hast blessed my work so wonderfully. ‘We
have eaten and drunk in Thy presence, and Thou has taught in our streets!’
‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have
cast out devils? and in Thy name have
done many wonderful works?'" (Matt. 7:22; Luke 14:26).
Our Lord says to the lukewarm
"angel" in this time of such immense eschatological opportunity,
"I feel like vomiting you out of My mouth (mello se emesai)" (Rev.
3:16). This warning is parallel to that Christ gives those who say,
"Lord, Lord, open unto us; … I tell you, I know you not whence ye
are; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity. There shall be weeping
and gnashing of teeth" (Luke 13:25-28). That’s an awful word —
"iniquity". We instinctively pass it on to our non-believing
neighbors. What we need to realize is that Christian experience perfectly
acceptable in times previous to the cleansing of the sanctuary becomes
"lukewarmness" in our day. Measured devotion appropriate during
the ministry of the High Priest in the Holy Apartment becomes
"iniquity" when weighed against the incomparably greater scope
of consecration appropriate to His ministry in the most Holy Apartment.
(See Leviticus 23:27-32).
To our High Priest, there is no more
nauseous sin than this. And still it is not "works" that He is
talking about. The "gold" we lack is not more feverish activity.
That we are truly "rich" in already. It is faith, pure and true,
that we must "buy".
Why "buy" it? Why doesn’t He
say, "Ask of Me, and I will give it to you"? Could it be that we
must surrender our false concepts of
faith in exchange for the true? The Laodicean message recognizes that we
are in possession of some kind of tender that must be exchanged at the
heavenly commissary for the "gold", like one barters for an
object to be bought. The counsel to "buy" is very significant.
Note what "goods" we do possess:
Because thou sayest, I am rich and
increased with goods. (Rev. 3: 17)
What greater deception can come upon
human minds than a confidence that they are right, when they are all
wrong! The message of the True Witness finds the people of God in a sad
deception, yet honest in that deception … Those addressed are
flattering themselves that they are in an exalted
spiritual condition … secure in their attainments … rich in
spiritual knowledge."(3T 252-253. emphasis added).
The "price" we must give up is
"deception", false "spiritual knowledge". In other
words, we must surrender our false ideas and mistaken conceptions in order
to "buy" the "gold". Let us look again at the inspired
definition of the "gold" that we need:
That the trial of your faith, being
much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with
fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing
of Jesus Christ (1Pet 1:7).
The gold tried in the tire is faith
that works by love. Only this can bring us into harmony with God. We may
be active, we may do much work; but without love, such love as dwelt
in the heart of Christ, we can never be numbered with the family of
heaven. (COL 158, emphasis added).
The gold here recommended as having
being tried in the fire, is faith and love. It makes the heart rich; for
it has been purged until it is pure, and the more it is tested the more
brilliant is its luster. (4T 88).
We have been talking about "faith
and love" for many decades. Don’t we have them by now? What meaning
is there here? Can we gloss this over with a few
pious platitudes? Or is our Lord trying to tell us that we don’t really
understand what love is, and therefore cannot have true faith? Is the
"angel" of the Church destitute of "such love as dwelt in
the heart of Christ"?
Yes, he is, according to the True
Witness. This is very shocking to contemplate. But let us look more deeply
into the matter. There are two great antithetical ideas of
"love". One has come from Hellenism and is the kind of
"love" on which popular evangelical Christianity is based. The
other is completely different, and is the kind of love that can have its
source only in the ministry of the true High Priest in His cleansing of
the heavenly sanctuary. (EW 55, 56).
Our Lords charge becomes baffling and
incomprehensible to us when we are ignorant of what that love really is.
"Love — why, that’s the very thing I’m strong on! I know I love
my loved ones and my brethren. What lack I yet?" Self-satisfied
hearts will feel no need and probably at this late hour cannot be
awakened. But many do indeed feel a great need and will immediately
recognize the "gold" when they see it.
Remember that in its full context, the
inspired pen says the "gold’ is "faith that works by
love". Therefore, in order to understand what the True Witness means
by saying "buy of Me gold tried in the fire", we must first of
all examine what "love" is. Only then will we be able to
understand what "faith" is.
Christ
Himself makes clear what New Testament faith is
|
