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The great confession of things in heaven, things on earth, and things under the earth is
that "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father". Here again the dominion over
both dead and living is manifest.
We do not embark here upon the fact that whoever bears the title "Lord" is the
Jehovah of the O.T., as too many and weighty matters arise out of this to be discussed
here. We hope to deal with this question in another series. We must not, however, omit
one passage, namely, I Cor. 8: 5, 6:--
"For though there be that are called gods, either celestial or terrestrial (as there be
gods many, and lords many), yet to us there is but one God, the Father, of Whom are all
things, and we for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by Whom are all things, and we by
Him."
To understand this passage we must make a digression. When Paul went to Athens
and preached the gospel, some said:--
"He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange (or foreign) DEMONS" (Acts 17: 18).
Now what was there in the gospel as preached by Paul that could have led to such an
idea? The Scripture says that the Athenians thought this:--
"Because he preached unto them Jesus, AND THE RESURRECTION" (Acts 17: 18).
What connection can there be between "Jesus and the resurrection" and "foreign
demons"? We must understand that among the Gentiles demons were supposed to be the
spirits of men who had died. These demons acted as mediators between men and the
far-off celestial gods. They were the "gods terrestrial" and the "lords many" of
I Cor. 8: In the O.T. these terrestrial gods, demons, or mediators are called "Baalim";
which Paul literally translates "lords". When Paul spoke of "Jesus" Who had died and
yet Who lived again, when he spoke of Him as the Lord, and as the Mediator, he was
using expressions that implied, to the heathen mind, a foreign demon. "To us", said the
apostle, "there is but one Lord, one Mediator". The words are used with precision:--
"One God, the Father, OUT OF WHOM (as the originating cause) are the all things
(ta panta, not `all things' in general, but that particular universe directly brought into
being for the purpose of the ages), and we for Him; and one Lord (the Mediator),
THROUGH WHOM (the mediating cause) are the all things, and we through Him."
There is no question raised here of the Deity of Christ, the whole question is one of
mediation. This is the great feature in the unity of the Spirit. At either extreme is the one
body and the one God and Father. Access is through the one Lord. As the Lord, too, He
rules and has supreme dominion, and all profession of the unity of the Spirit that does not
recognize the necessity to obey the one Lord is likely to be an empty profession.
ONE FAITH.--As this item is picked out for separate treatment in the next section of
chapter 4:, and space is limited, we pass on to:--