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Contents - Spirit of the Word - Covenant Eschatology - Introductory Note - New Stuff
Whispers of the New Covenant
by Ray Prinzing
16 - SUMMARY
"For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."
(1 Corinthians 13:9-12).One of the great hopes of a believer is that the day will come when all of the "in part," that which is fragmentary and incomplete, shall be swallowed up into the whole. Presently, Paul says, it is as if we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim, or blurred reflection, as in a riddle or enigma. We see, and yet we see so little. In moments of quickening, when the revelation bursts upon our consciousness, we glimpse into the things beyond, but then the veil returns, and we wait for the full dawning of that day when we shall know and understand clearly-- becoming one in Him, "in Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:3).
We dare not, we cannot be satisfied with anything less than a complete revelation and manifestation of His glory. Nor will He allow us to be satisfied with anything less, for He has apprehended us to become ONE in Himself, that He might share His glory with us. "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that you have sent Me, and have loved them, as you have loved Me." (John 17:22-23).
When Isaiah saw the glory, and the Lord of that glory, he was prepared for all the purging process necessary to bring Him into oneness with the Lord of glory. He said, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged." (Isaiah 6:5-7). Thank God for the purgings, for once we have caught a glimpse of our Lord, we shall never be satisfied until we are pure as He is pure, holy as He is holy.
But an unfolding revelation of HIM does bring a cleansing and a change, something that the preaching of doctrines never can do. Oh, let us go on to perfection. Those who know not that there is a prize, surely will not "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14), But those who have caught a glimpse of the regions beyond, will never be content to dwell in the lowlands of the flesh and carnal mind any longer. As Johnson Oatman has beautifully written:
"My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay.
Though some may dwell where these abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.
Lord. lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on heaven's tableland,
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground." Amen!We read of those who "have tasted of the good Word of God, and the powers of the world (age) to come..." (Hebrews 6:5). If anything will make you a "misfit" for this present age, it is to catch a glimpse of His glory, and to taste of the power of the age to come. There is a cup to partake of-- not just the cup of suffering, but also of the blessing. Paul writes, "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16).
"Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink all of it; For this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." (Matthew 26:26-29).
We have been fellowshipping with Him, sharing that cup, and known it as a cup of suffering, etc. but there is much more to come, for He promised that He would "DRINK IT NEW WITH YOU in My Father's kingdom." That NEW CUP is not one of more suffering, nor of death, but it is of RESURRECTION LIFE, of the GLORY of His Kingdom in the reality of the NEW COVENANT.
He says today, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me." (Revelation 3:20). Since He already stated that He would NOT drink of the cup again, till HE DRANK IT NEW in His Father's kingdom, it becomes obvious that if He comes in, TO SUP WITH US, it is to share with us of the blessings of the new covenant dispensation. And the very next verse confirms this, for He goes on to state, "To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." In the sharing of His throne, it is self-evident that we are partaking of the new covenant kingdom, even as He promised. Praise God!
Presently it is a matter of degrees of participation. Even to speak of an "earnest" portion is no indication of measured amount. Some will lightly sip of the cup, and others will draw deeply, with an intense desire for much more. Yet while it is written that we need to leave "the principles of the doctrine of Christ, and LET US GO ON TO PERFECTION," (Hebrews 6:1), the writer also goes on to clearly state, "And this will we do, if God permit." (verse 3), for it is still, "God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13).
Ezekiel had a vision of the waters that issued out from under the thresh hold of the house of the Lord, and as they were measured, "the waters were to the ankles;" measured further, and "the waters were to the loins;" another measurement "and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over." (Ezekiel 47:4, 5).
How beautifully this is expressed in the old hymn:"The mercy of God is an ocean divine,
A boundless and fathomless flood.
Launch out in the deep, cut away the shore line,
And be lost in the fullness of God.
But many, alas! only stand on the shore,
And gaze on the ocean so wide,
They never have ventured its depths to explore,
Or to launch on the fathomless tide.
Oh, let us launch out on this ocean so broad,
Where floods of salvation o'erflow.
Oh, let us be lost in the mercy of God,
Till the depths of His fullness we know.
Launch out into the deep, Oh, let the shore line go.
Launch out, launch out in the ocean divine,
Out where the full tides flow." (A.B. Simpson)One cannot linger in the works of the first covenant, and still experience the expanding reality of the NEW. We may stand on the shore line of His grace, gaze with wistful eye upon its blessing, but if we turn again to the bondage of self-doing, we will never know the joy and freedom which His grace provides. We can speak loud and long about how it is all "IN CHRIST," but if we never enter into UNION WITH HIM, how will we know its reality? Thus, we say again with the Psalmist, "O God, You are my God; early will I seek You: my soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see Your power and Your glory, so as I have seen You in the sanctuary. Because Your loving kindness is better than life." (Psalm 63:1-3).
In the plan and purpose of God, Jesus "verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you." (1 Peter 1:20). This is tremendous! Long before there was the advent of sin into the world, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, was foreordained, fully known by God to be the Lamb which would take away the sins of the world. "Not that He should offer Himself often... For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world has He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself " (Hebrews 9:26). So, though in effect He was the LAMB SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, yet He was not manifest as such until the end of an age-- when He would fulfill all the types of the sacrifices under the First Covenant, and at the same time He would open up the way-- BEGINNING THE OPERATION OF THE NEW COVENANT. Yet, even so, there has been a long span of time since He ratified the new testament with His blood, and the day of its full manifestation. IN Jesus we see the glorious fulfillment. In ourselves we see the "in part." But this much is certain, the IN PART measure that we have is a guarantee of the fullness to come. Praise God!
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that has this hope in him purifies himself, even as He is pure." (1 John 3:2-3).
While presently it "Does not yet appear what we shall be," we do have a solid hope of BECOMING LIKE HIM, and SEEING HIM AS HE IS. "If we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." (Romans 8:25). Furthermore, Paul writes, "Hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Spirit which is given unto us." (Romans 5:5). Our HOPE IS SECURE, anchored in our Lord Jesus Christ, and ROOTED IN THE LOVE OF GOD.
Truly, the new covenant is a LOVE RELATIONSHIP. It is the expression of God's love to us, and our returning love to Him. All the righteousness of the law, the will of God, is fulfilled BY LOVE. "We love Him, because He rust loved US." (1 John 4:19). There is a BECAUSE-- and it is GOD'S LOVING US. He is the Initiator of all our loving. It is HIS life and love expressed through us, and being returned to Him again. Only in the measure we receive of His love, do we have anything to return to God, for in ourselves we have nothing.This is the glory of the new covenant-- it is GOD ALL THE WAY, loving us, redeeming us, and then bringing us into the fullness of His life. Praise Him!
O grace of God that antedates the times and ways of men,
Inworking wonders of His love untraced by mortal pen.A plan so great the ages' course is fitted for its need,
Each year and month and hour move in perfect measured speed.While wisdom joins its wonders rare to execute God's will,
To undergird each forward step and guide each move with skill.A purpose, wisdom, grace, and life, all this to reign supreme,
New covenant He makes with men, creation to redeem.We struggled oft' and labored hard all self to thus erase,
How little did we comprehend His all-sufficient grace.Man's feeble efforts, sure to fail-- an awkward stress and strain,
That genders weary night and days, to harvest fruitless pain.The more we seek all self to slay, the more we give it life,
Till all dismayed we're sure to find the atmosphere is rife.Then, by His Spirit, let it be, sovereign God supreme,
Perfecting us by love divine, surpassing every dream.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We praise God for the 'in part,' we praise God for the whole,
The vision He's imparting brings joy unto my soul.
I dare linger no longer in ways of self pursuit,
For in His presence only we find the absolute.
He is our life, our substance, the vict'ry for each day,
New Covenant unfolding to undergird our way.
How swift the old is passing, let all things become new,
Praise God for truth unfolding, His Word, my friend, is true!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"He sent redemption unto His people: He has commanded His
covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His name." (Psalm 111:9).Contents - Spirit of the Word - Covenant Eschatology -
Preface
1 - He Takes Away The First
2 - God Was In Christ
3 - Ending The Stone Age
4 - God's Commandments Are Promises
5 - Jesus, The New Covenant 'Yes'
6 - With Shoutings Of Grace
7 - A New Covenant Spirit
8 - A New Covenant Generation
9 - New Covenant Security
10 - A New Covenant Name
11 - Embracing The Choice Vine
12 - New Wine In The Cluster
13 - In That Day
14 - Kingdom Of The New Covenant
15 - Beholding--Near And Afar Off
16 - Summary