Christ Jesus Manifested Unto
Us, And Not Unto The World
John 14:22
Judas saith unto him, not
Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt Manifest thyself unto us, and not unto
the world?
On the night of our Lord’s
betrayal, while in route to Gethsemane, before His Great High Priestly prayer,
and before He crossed the brook Ce-dron (John 18:1). He spoke, among others, these
words to His disciples: “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will Pray
the Father, and he will give you another comforter, that he may abide with you
forever; even the Spirit of truth;
whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:
but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave
you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world seeth me
no more, but ye see me, because I live ye shall live also. At that day ye shall
know that I am in my Father, and ye in me and I in you. He that hath my
comandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto
him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt
manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world?” (John 14:15-22).
Most likely the question asked by
Judas, not Iscariot, but Jude, the Apostle and writer of the Epistle bearing
that name: that is, Judas Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus: most likely,
he had in view the disciples: when he asked his question: “how is it that thou
wilt manifest thyself unto us and not unto the world?” However it is possible
that he had understood the wider scope of the Saviors mission, and referred to
all the elect of all ages as “us”. What ever his thought was, it is clear that
Christ is manifested to all the elect of all ages, by God given faith. And not
to the rest of the world, that is, Christ is not manifest to those who were not
chosen or elected in Him before the foundation of the world: who, according to
verse seventeen, cannot receive the Spirit. He, the Holy Ghost, is the Spirit
of truth, whom the world cannot receive; which demonstrates the fallacy of the
current popular persuasion that, “the world” as used in (John 3:16) is all men
without exception or distinction. The only world that God has reserved is the
world of elect men, who He loved (Revelation 1:5) and angels, who are “all ministering
spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation (John 3:16; Hebrews 1:14; I Timothy 5:21).
Christ Jesus as Savior is known
by God given faith: which is wrought, or put, in the heart of the elect by the
God the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the gospel (Romans 10:13-17; I
Corinthians 1:21). It is the Spirit of God, working in the heart, by infinite
power that puts faith in the heart. For in the promise of a new covenant it is
promised that those interested in the covenant will be caused to “walk in my
statutes, (God’s statutes: writer) and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:27). In the Old Testament this obedience of, walking
in the statutes, and keeping the judgments of God, is commanded: as it is
written: “Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man
do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 18:5). The commandment:
Ye shall keep my statutes, and my judgments, was given to those who, in
themselves had no abilities neither had they any enduring inclination to
perform such a task; which is proved by their perpetual failures in keeping the
law of God. For by the law is the knowledge of sin (Romans 3:20). The Old
Testament demanded obedience of those who in themselves were powerless to
perform the acts required of them. But in the promise of a new covenant, the
Spirit is promised who will enable those to whom He is given, “both to will and
to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13; Ezekiel 36:27). The Holy Spirit
is the empowering, inclining, and habitually abiding, Agent and principle of
new life in the heart of the people of God. The Spirit of Christ “effectually
worketh” (I Thessalonians 2:13) in the heart, that is, in the mind, the
affections, and the will, of the children of the covenant; and He is the perpetually
animating, and motivating, Agent and principle of the new life; which is the
cause of obedience. From this it is
evident that those who are, by the grace of God, brought to Christ as Savior
owe no debt of gratitude to themselves (Romans 8:12); for they were brought to
Christ by Power outside themselves; and above nature. Therefore the renewed
mind (Romans 12:2), the new heart, (Hebrews 8:10: Jeremiah 24:7; 31:33-34;
32;38-40; Ezekiel 36:25-27) is not sinners own principle, but it is the
instrument inclined by the grace of the Spirit of God, to cause, His children
of the covenant to believe unto righteousness and the salvation of their souls:
this secret, almighty power, working effectually, in the elect Makes them to
differ from the world (I Corinthians 4:7). Everywhere this new principle of
life is mentioned, in promise, it is by: “I will put” or “I will give” therefore
the children of God say: “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name
give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.” (Psalm 115:1).
On the other hand those who “dwell
on the earth” (Revelation 6:10; 13:14; 17:8), that is, the nominal church: such
as Sardis was, will be more apt to: “say to the seers, See not; and to the
prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things,
prophesy deceits: get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the
Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.” (Isaiah 30:10-11). The idol of
that church being their own acts of free will, they will not give glory to any
other than themselves, by vaunting their decisions, choices, contingencies,
above the heavens, they ascribe salvation to themselves; for according to those
of the, house of free will, they make themselves to differ by their own choice;
and according to them Christ Jesus by His death gave all men and every man
equal access to the salvation of God. So that it is only their act of deciding
that makes any difference, and so, according their doctrine it is their choice
that makes the difference between saved and lost, heaven or hell, bliss or
damnation, and according to the preachers of free-will- works religion: Christ
Jesus should have said, it is started; now each one must decide for himself
whether he will finish what I have begun: instead of His saying it is finished.
The universal testimony of the scriptures is, that Jesus Christ is the Author
and the Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1). Reader what do you say? Is the
purpose and grace of God in Christ Jesus the ultimate cause of your salvation:
or is your own decision based on the indefinite work of Christ for all men the
ultimate source of salvation: who gets the glory of salvation? Is it you,
because of your choice; or does God deserve all the glory, for His unspeakable
gift? Consider the request of Ephraim: “turn thou me, and I shall be turned;
for thou art the LORD my God.” (Jeremiah 31:18). Was the foundation of
Ephraim’s hope in himself, in his acts of turning himself, or was Ephraim
looking outside of himself to God for strength of every kind that was needed?
The foundation of Ephraim’s hope was God himself. And this is according to the
“better Promises” (Hebrews 8:6) of a “new covenant” (Hebrews 8:8): that, as it
is promised: “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put
within you: and will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and give you
a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in
my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
The Holy Ghost is the immediate powerful worker, revealing Christ in the
heart by the preached word, and thereby, putting faith in the hearts of the
elect; causing them to believe unto righteousness (Romans 10:10). In this way,
God in Jesus Christ, is revealed to the children of the covenant; and not to
the world.
AJ Ison
See the writers blof at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear the true gospel of Jesus Christ preached
at www.13thstbaptist.org webcasting
live at listed service times.
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