For the last two months we have been considering Christ as the great Teacher, the Prophet like Moses who was to be revealed in the fullness of time. We have based our thoughts on the words of Moses when he explained his responsibilities to Jethro, his father-in-law. Now let us notice one final aspect of what Moses said about his obligations to the Children of Israel: “When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another” (Ex 18:16). Moses had to listen to what each party said; then he had to discriminate between them and give his judgement to the parties.
So Christ in this world, as the great Prophet, was often discriminating between one and another. He showed people how to answer the question: Who were truly worshippers of God, following Him sincerely and doing His will, and who were not? It was all too easy for people with corrupt hearts, wanting to think well of themselves, to assume that all was well. And it still is. But how will we know whether we are right before God or not? We need someone to “judge between one and another”, between those who have new hearts and those who do not, between those who are on their way to heaven and those who are still wandering on towards a lost eternity. We need the Prophet like unto Moses to teach us. This He does through the Scriptures.
In particular, we have Christ’s words when He was in this world and discriminated between those who had true hearts and those who did not. On one occasion He passed judgement on “certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others” (Luke 18:9). As an example of such people He referred to a Pharisee who was praying at the temple. In his prayer, the Pharisee referred to what he considered highly positive aspects of his life: his fasting and his giving of tithes, while contrasting himself with others whose sin was obvious. He was complacent about his religion and his standing before God; he was utterly self-satisfied; he had no consciousness that he was a sinner himself; so he felt no need of a mediator when approaching God. In choosing to describe this Pharisee, Jesus no doubt took an example whose self-righteous character was particularly blatant.
As we examine ourselves in the light of Christ’s depiction of this man’s character, we are to ask ourselves if we are conscious of being sinners. The point is not so much: have we committed outward transgressions – that should be obvious – but are we conscious of having sinful hearts, hearts whose natural tendency is to sin against God. If so, it should also be obvious that we need a mediator who can stand between us and God. Yet it is natural to want to remain independent of God, refusing to submit to the Mediator whom He has appointed: Christ Jesus, His own Son, who took our nature so that He could suffer and die in the place of sinners.
Among those whom the self-righteous Pharisee despised was a publican – a tax collector – who also had gone up to the temple to pray. This second man knew that he was a sinner; so he was convinced that he needed forgiveness. He had no long list of virtues to proclaim before God. In fact he could not think of any; what he needed was mercy. How appropriate for him to be in the place where, in a remarkable way, God was making known that there was forgiveness for sinners!
At the temple, however far off he was standing, he could see the smoke ascending from the sacrifice burning on the altar. By faith this publican was receiving God’s revelation, in His Word and through the sacrifice, that there is salvation for unworthy sinners. And the Saviour went on to make clear that God was accepting this sinner rather than the man who refused to confess to his transgressions; He noted that the publican “went down to his house justified rather than the other”. The one man was justified before God – accepted as if he had never sinned, as if he had always kept the law – but the other man was not justified; he was still under condemnation.
Again and again Jesus made such distinctions, judging one type of character as evidence of a sinner who had been saved and who therefore had a new heart, whereas another, and opposite, type of character indicated someone who was still unsaved. He spoke of the “good tree” which brings “forth good fruit” and the “corrupt tree” which brings “forth evil fruit” (Mt 7:17). He then emphasised: “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit”. And the lack of fruit will bring tremendously solemn consequences: “Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire”. So how would His hearers know if they were safe from the fire which burns unquenchably in a lost eternity? His answer was: “By their fruits ye shall know them”.
And what are the fruits? Corrupt fruit includes self-righteousness, self-satisfaction, an absence of concern about heart sin, and being careless about obtaining mercy from God. Good fruit, on the other hand, includes a sense of need before God, and a sense that this need can only be satisfied in God’s mercy, through the Mediator that He has provided.
We have noted a few examples of Christ’s discriminating teaching during His time in this world; they were recorded in the Word for the good of sinners in all generations, including ours. Accordingly such teaching must have its place in the preaching of every minister who wishes to present the whole counsel of God to his hearers. But how is this teaching to penetrate into our understandings so that it will have an effect on our thinking about the state of our souls? It must be applied to our souls by the Holy Spirit. Thus we again see Jesus Christ occupying the office of Prophet, when He applies this aspect of the Word, by the Spirit, to individual souls today. On the one hand, He convinces unbelievers that they are not bearing good fruit, that what they assumed were the effects of a saving work in their hearts were not in fact genuine. On the other hand, He shows believers that they are, in fact, bearing good fruit, and so brings them to an assurance of salvation.
Preaching in 1738 Ralph Erskine highlighted some of the corrupt fruit brought forth by unconverted sinners. “What books”, he asked, “do you choose? Would you not, many times, rather read any wild romance than sit down and search the Scriptures? Any book rather than the book of God. And … what company do you choose? Is it not any carnal company rather than the company of the godly? Any diverting or debauched company rather than spiritual and edifying company? ‘He that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked.’ Any conversation or communication is chosen rather than such as is instructive in religion.”1
Erskine was, at this point, focusing on discriminating between true believers and those who were manifestly worldly. At other times he would have discriminated between true believers and those who had a form of godliness but denied its power. The former emphasis is largely absent from today’s preaching; the latter emphasis must be close to non-existent. The consequence is that many who are still in their sins are not troubled in their consciences and they continue to profess faith in Christ although they have never truly looked to Him for salvation.
Now it must be emphasised that, however faithful and discriminating preaching may be, it must be accompanied by the Holy Spirit or it will not work conviction in those whose profession of faith is not genuine. But if preaching lacks this discriminating note, there is a great danger that an increasing proportion of a church’s membership will be unconverted. What the Church today requires is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. When He is thus given, not only will many of the openly ungodly be convinced of their need of salvation but also many church members. Such conviction is a necessary preliminary to finding eternal safety. May God grant it!
1The Works of Ralph Erskine, vol 3, Free Presbyterian Publications reprint, 1991, p 74.