 |  |
Reckoning and Reality
(A sequel to the series entitled "Emmanuel, God with us")
No.1.
The Seven Steps to Reality.
pp. 39, 40
Our first concern must be to establish the connexion, suggested in our title, between
the present series of studies, and the series already in progress under the title "Emmanuel,
God with us". To avoid repeating what has already been written, we represent this
connexion by means of a diagram. We trust that this, together with the accompanying
explanation, will suffice to make the point clear.
---Illustration---
(BE-XXXVIII.39).
At His birth the Saviour became Emmanuel ("God with us") but, although this
condescension is beyond the power of man to compute, it did not itself accomplish
redemption from sin. It was only a step in that direction. The preposition meta ("with")
does not indicate union, but association. By His very sinlessness the Saviour was
"separate from sinners". The Incarnation provided the body by which He was to make
the one all-sufficient sacrifice for sin. The last occurrence of the word meta, before He
endured the cross, is found in the record of Mark 15: 28, "He was numbered (reckoned)
with (meta) the transgressors". At this point a new principle is introduced, the principle
of "reckoning". By this principle "He Who knew no sin" could be made sin for us, even
as we who had sinned, could be made "the righteousness of God in Him".
Because of this principle of "reckoning" (Rom. 4: 10), or "counting" (Rom. 4: 3), or
"imputing" (Rom. 4: 22-24), as the word logizomai is variously translated, we are
enabled to "reckon" ourselves "dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus
Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6: 11). In connexion with this "reckoning" a new preposition
sun is introduced, displacing the preposition of mere proximity meta by the preposition of
union. We are made one with Christ, not in and by His birth, but in and by His death.
This new bond of union which commences at the cross, leads on to the glorious
climax of being "manifested with Him in glory" (Col. 3: 4), where "reckoning" is
exchanged for "reality".
There are seven rungs in the ladder of grace, commencing with the Cross and ending
in Glory. We will arrange the seven passages concerned in the order in which they
appear in the development of the doctrine, and also in such a way that the first rung in the
ladder shall be the lowest on the page.