Genesis Chapter 17 - Schoolmaster to Christ

Schoolmaster to Christ
GENESIS CHAPTER 17

Scripture Reading: Genesis 17 (KJV)

God's remedy for Abraham's failure is now set before us. "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God: walk before me, and be thou perfect." ¹ This is a most comprehensive verse. It is evident that Abraham had not been walking before the Almighty God when he adopted Sarah's expedient in reference to Hagar. Faith enables a man to walk up and down before the Almighty One. Unbelief is always thrusting in something of self, something of circumstances, second causes, and the like, and thus the soul is robbed of the joy and hence, the calm elevation, and holy independence, which flow from leaning on the arm of the One Who can do everything. Is God an abiding reality to your soul? Are you walking in simple faith and dependence?

"Walk before me." This is true power. To walk thus, implies having nothing before our hearts save God Himself. If our expectation is founded on men and things, we are not walking before God, but before men and things. It is of the utmost importance to ascertain who or what we have before us as an object. To what are we looking? On whom or what are we leaning, at this moment? Does God fill our future? Have men or circumstances filled our hearts? Is there any space allotted to the creature? The only way to get above the world is to walk by faith, because faith so completely fills the heart with God, that there is no room for the creature, no room for the world. If God fills our vision, we can see nothing else. Only then are we able to say with the Psalmist, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence, I shall not be moved" (Ps. 62:5, 6). This word "only" is deeply searching. Nature cannot say this. This is not to say that the direct influence of a daring and blasphemous skepticism will shut out God altogether; but it certainly cannot say, "He only."

As in the matter of salvation², so in all the details of life, from day to day, God will not share His glory with the creature. From first to last, it must be "He only." It will not do to have on our lips the language of dependence on God, while our hearts lean on some creature resource. God will make all this fully known; He will test the heart; He will put faith into the furnace. "Walk before me, and be thou perfect." Only in this way can we reach the proper point. When the soul is enabled by grace to rid itself of all fondly-cherished creature expectations, then, and only then, is it prepared to let God act; and when He acts all must be well. God leaves nothing undone. He will perfectly settle everything on behalf of those who truly trust in Him. When unerring wisdom, omnipotent power, and infinite love combine, the confiding heart enjoys unruffled repose. Unless we can find some circumstance too big or too little for "the Almighty God," we have no proper base on which to lay a single anxious thought. This is an amazing truth, and one eminently calculated to put all who believe it into the blessed position in which we find Abraham in this chapter. When, in effect, God had said to him, "leave all to me and I will settle it for you, beyond your utmost desires and expectations; the seed and the inheritance, and everything pertaining thereto, will be fully and everlastingly settled, according to the covenant of the Almighty God" – then "Abram fell on his face." This is the only proper attitude for a thoroughly empty, feeble, and unprofitable sinner to occupy in the presence of the living God, the Creator of heaven and earth, the possessor of all things, "the Almighty God."

"And God talked with him." Only when man is in the dust, can God talk to him in grace. Here Abraham's posture is a beautiful expression of utter weakness and nothingness. This is the sure precursor of God's revelation of Himself. It is when the creature is laid low that God can show Himself in the unclouded effulgence of what He is. He will not give His glory to another. He can reveal Himself, allowing man to worship in view of that revelation; but until the sinner takes his proper place, there can be no unfolding of Divine character. How different is Abraham's attitude here than in the preceding chapter! There, he had human nature before him; here, he has the Almighty God. There, he was an actor; here, he is a worshipper. There, he was taken by his own and Sarah's contrivance; here he leaves in God’s hands, himself and his circumstances, his present and his future, allowing God to act in him, for him, and through him. Hence, God can say, "I will make" "I will establish" "I will give" "I will bless." In a word, it is all God and His actions. This is real rest for the poor heart.

The covenant of circumcision is now introduced. Every member of the household of faith must bear in his body the seal of that covenant. There must be no exception.

‘He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh, for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child, whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people, be hath broken my covenant.’

We are taught in Romans 4, that circumcision was "a seal of the righteousness of faith." "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Being thus counted righteous, God set His "seal" upon him.

The seal with which the believer is now sealed is not a mark in the flesh, but "that Holy Spirit of promise, whereby he is sealed unto the day of redemption." This is founded on his everlasting connection with Christ and his perfect identification with Him, in death and resurrection; as we read in Colossians, ‘And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ; buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him, through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.’

This is a glorious passage, unfolding to us the true idea of what circumcision was meant to typify. Every believer belongs to "the circumcision" in virtue of his living association with Him who, by His cross, has for ever abolished everything that stood in the way of His Church's perfect justification. There was not a speck of sin on the conscience, nor a principle of sin in the nature of His people, for which Christ was not judged on the cross. They are now looked upon as having died with Christ, lain in the grave with Christ, been raised with Christ, perfectly accepted in Him – their sins, their iniquities, their transgressions, their enmity, their uncircumcision, having been entirely put away by the cross. The sentence of death has been written on the flesh; but the true believer is in possession of a new life, in union with His risen Head in glory.

In the above passage, the apostle teaches that the Church was quickened out of the grave of Christ; that the forgiveness of all her trespasses is as complete, and as entirely the work of God, as was the raising of Christ from the dead – the result of "God's mighty power," or, as it may be rendered, "according to the energy of the might of his power" (Eph. 1:19). This is a truly wonderful expression, calculated to set forth the magnitude and glory of redemption, as well as the solid basis on which it rests.

What perfect rest for the heart and conscience. What full relief for the burdened spirit. All our sins buried in the grave of Christ – not one left out. God did this for us. All that His searching eye could detect in us, God laid on the head of Christ when He hung on the cross. God judged Him there, instead of judging us in hell forever. This is precious fruit – the admirable, the profound, the eternal counsels of redeeming love. We are "sealed," not with a certain mark cut in our flesh, but with the Holy Spirit³ – the entire household of faith is sealed in this way. The dignity, the value, the changeless efficacy of the blood of Christ, is that the Holy Spirit can take up His abode in all those who have put their trust in the faith of Jesus Christ.⁴

We pray that all who know these things "be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord."

Footnotes:
¹ When Abraham was called upon to be "perfect," it did not mean perfect in himself; for this he never was, and never could be. Simply stated it meant that he should be perfect regarding the object before his heart; that his hopes and expectations were to be perfectly and undividedly centered in "Almighty God." In looking through the New Testament, we find the word "perfect" used in at least four distinct senses. (1) In Matthew 5:48, we read, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." From the context, we learn that the word "perfect" refers to the principle of our walk. In verse 44, we read, "love your enemies . . . that ye may be the sons of your Father which is in heaven; for he maketh the sun to rise upon the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust." So, to be "perfect" in the sense of Matthew 5:48, is to act on a principle of grace toward all, even toward those who are injurious and hostile. A Christian going back to law, asserting or contending for his rights, is not "perfect as his Father" for his Father is dealing in grace. (2) In Hebrews 9 we have another sense of the term "perfect" - "perfect, as pertaining to the conscience." This is a deeply important use of the term. The worshipper under the law never could have a perfect conscience, because he never had a perfect sacrifice. The blood of a bullock and a goat did well enough for a time, but it could not do forever and, therefore, could not give a perfect conscience. However, now the weakest believer in Jesus is privileged to have a perfect conscience. Why? Is it because he is a better man than the worshipper under the law? No; but because he has a better sacrifice. If Christ's sacrifice is perfect forever, the believer's conscience is perfect forever; the two go together. For the Christian not to have a perfect conscience is a dishonor to the sacrifice of Christ. It is tantamount to saying that the effect of His sacrifice is only temporary, and not eternal. This brings it down to the level of the sacrifices under the Mosaic economy. It is needful to distinguish between perfection in the flesh and perfection of the conscience. The former exalts self; refusing the latter, dishonoring Christ. The babe in Christ should have a perfect conscience; whereas the Apostle Paul did not have, nor could he ever have, perfect flesh. The flesh is not presented in God's Word as something to be perfected, but as something crucified. This makes a wide difference. The Christian has sin in him, but not on him. Why? Because Christ, who never had sin in Him; had sin on Him, when nailed to the cross. (3 & 4) Finally, in Philippians 3 we have two other senses of the word "perfect." The apostle says, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect," and yet a little further on he says, "Let as many as be perfect be thus minded." The former refers to the apostle's full and everlasting conformity to Christ in glory. The latter refers to our having Christ as the all-engrossing object before the heart's affections.
² For more information on salvation see "God's Salvation" in Contents section of StudyJesus.com.
³ For more information on the Spirit see "God the Spirit" in Contents section of StudyJesus.com.
⁴ By understanding Paul's long sentence in Romans 3:21-26, we understand the Gospel, all of Romans and the Bible. The 1885 English Revised Version changed "the faith of Christ" to "faith in Christ" in Romans 3:22; Galatians 2:16, 2:20, 3:22; Ephesians 3:12; and Philippians 3:9. In his book, "Commentaries on the Old and New Testament," James Burton Coffman concludes that the KJV is a correct translation of all these verses, a fact confirmed by the total agreement of the Emphatic Diaglott in each case. James Macknight, Adam Clarke, as well as other older commentators, also agree with the KJV translation of these verses - "the faith of Christ," like the "faith of Abraham" in Romans 4:16. We asked a full-time minister serving a large church, about whether he believed that to be saved one had to believe in the "faith of Jesus Christ" to which he wrote: "God provides righteousness to those who believe. If through the faith of Jesus - everybody would be saved." We asked the same question to a university Bible professor, who expressed a view of modern translations held by many today. He wrote: "Both ideas . . . are biblical . . ." However, we also presented the question to an elder of the church, who wrote: "The believer's faith causes him to respond to that perfect justification which is and was brought by Christ in His obedience to God's will of offering His son as the perfect atonement for all mankind (sins)." We concur with the elder and older commentators, as well as Coffman, whose commentary on this verse is a scathing rebuke of many modern-day professors and preachers. Coffman points out that we should stay with the KJV in this verse, because changing it represents the same tampering with the Word of God which resulted in the monstrosity of changing "the righteousness of God" to "a righteousness" (Rom. 3:21; 1:17). He writes: "the true Scriptural justification by faith has absolutely no reference to the faith of stinking sinners, but to the faith of the Son of God. The only end served by this change was to bolster the faith only theory of justification." He further writes: "the true grounds of justification cannot ever be in a million years the faith of fallible, sinful people, would appear to be axiomatic. How could it be? The very notion that God could impute justification to an evil man, merely upon the basis of anything that such a foul soul might either believe or do, is a delusion. Justification in any true sense requires that the justified be accounted as righteous and undeserving of any penalty whatever; and no man's faith is sufficient grounds for such an imputation. On the other hand, the faith of Jesus Christ is a legitimate ground of justification, because Christ's faith was perfect." In the absolute sense, only Christ is faithful - "Faithful is he that calleth you" (1 Thess. 5:24). Only He is called "the faithful and true witness" (Rev. 3:14). The faith of Christ was also obedient; a perfect and complete obedience, lacking nothing. Therefore, we conclude that the sinless, holy, obedient faith of the Son of God is the only ground of justification of a human being - Christ only is righteously justified in God's sight. How then are we saved? We are saved "in Christ," having been incorporated into Him - justified as a part of Him. Our study prompts agreement with Coffman's conclusion that faith is not the ground of our justification; it is not the righteousness which makes us righteous before God. The "faith of the Son of God" is the only basis for our justification, and that faith is definitely included in the "righteousness of God" mentioned in this verse. Even the righteousness of God through faith of Jesus Christ shows the principal constituent of God's righteousness. In conclusion, God's righteousness is the righteousness of Jesus Christ - His absolute, intrinsic, unalloyed righteousness - implicit in His perfect faith (mentioned here) and His perfect obedience (implied). The contrary notion that God's righteousness is some imputation accomplished by the sinner's faith is unfounded. Any righteousness that could commend itself to the Father and become the ground of anything truly worthwhile would, by definition, have to be a true and genuine righteousness. That righteousness was provided by the sinless life of the Christ, summarized in this verse as "through faith of Jesus Christ," the idea being much clearer in the KJV, "The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ." We concur with Coffman on this subject, including his final conclusion, ". . . the word believe in this verse refers to sinners" faith (believer's faith) which is no part of God's righteousness at all, but, like baptism, is but a mere condition of salvation - being neither more nor less important than baptism."