Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 3:12-13; 2 Tim. 2:19-22
I do not believe that the church is in ruins. The church could never be in ruins, but I do believe that the outward testimony of the church is in ruins. Truth has been lost, the churches are divided, and schism is found everywhere. The foundation is right, but the building is not all of silver and gold. There is much wood, grass, and stubble. The distinct Christian testimony to the world has been lost; man has failed in this respect, and we find ourselves in great confusion. We are Christians, but we have been brought into a state of great confusion. After reading a few chapters of Concerning Our Missions, an aged missionary said, "We have been born hundreds of years too late. It is now very difficult to put things right." We are in days of outward ruin; things have departed from what was set down by God. Because of this kind of ruin, the apostle John's ministry had to come in. We can call this the days of the "Babylonian captivity of the church." Little by little the Lord has been bringing things back, restoring truth that has been lost.
Does the Word of God tell us what we can do in these days of recovery? What is the part of the faithful ones? There are Scriptures that deal with this. Herein lies the peculiar preciousness of 2 Timothy 2. This chapter deals with days of departure. I believe that God allowed degradation to come in before the death of the apostles in order that we might have instruction when we find ourselves in a similar departure. Second Timothy is the last letter written by Paul and is altogether different from 1 Timothy. The first letter deals with church order. When God's house is in order, the elders and deacons are spoken of. But in 2 Timothy there is nothing about elders or deacons; only faithful men are spoken of because God's house was no longer in order. What should we do with the testimony when the church is not in order? We must hand it over to the faithful ones. In days of departure the elders are not necessarily faithful. In 1 Timothy the church of God is looked upon as "the house of God," but in 2 Timothy there is no reference to "the house of God"; there is only reference to "a great house." Paul did not say that this was the church, but he did use this term as a figure of speech. I regard the "great house" as the outward testimony in those days. All Christians were in it, but some to "honor" and some to "dishonor." This stands for the Christian sphere. According to its nature the church could not degenerate to this, but its outward sphere could.
"But in a great house there are not only gold and silver vessels but also wooden and earthen; and some are unto honor, and some unto dishonor" (v. 20). What are vessels "unto honor, and...unto dishonor"? It is a separation between what is of God and what is of man. "Gold" stands for what is of and from God. "Silver" signifies redemption through the cross. Gold is everything that is from God, and silver is that which has gone through the cross of His Son. "Wooden" represents the humanity of man, and earth, his natural life. "Earthen" refers to those who are living a life according to man and according to the natural life. It refers to those whose nature is the animating power within them. God is seeking to have everything out of Himself, not out of man. We have to refuse all that is out from man. In order to be a vessel unto honor there are certain conditions, and there are things that have to be done.
Verse 21 says, "If therefore anyone cleanses himself from these." One has to separate himself from the earthen vessels. This is not only a matter of whether we are made of gold and silver ourselves; it is not a matter of our personal life alone. In this verse we are told to purify ourselves from those earthen vessels by separating ourselves from them. God is after two aspects: our personal cleansing and our association with others. I, myself, must stand for nothing earthly or of man, and I must refuse to do anything from myself. This is the personal cleansing. Yet at the same time I must separate myself from anyone who is a wooden or earthen vessel. This is the aspect of association. This does not mean we are to separate ourselves from them as Christians, but from whatever they have been doing that is of wood, grass, and stubble. We have to separate ourselves from a fellow Christian whose work is wooden in nature, and we cannot associate our work with his.
The emphasis here is on "vessels." A vessel stands for doing something; it represents the side of work. People will call us separatists, because not only do we refrain from doing those things, but we also will not associate ourselves with those who do them. We will not associate ourselves with their work, with the established order of things, or with the man-made system. We must be clear on this point. We are not separate from them as persons but as vessels.
The Exclusive Brethren tried to throw away the man, the person. We are in fellowship with every true believer of God, but it is what they are as workers that we have to stand apart from. We should not be linked up with that work. This is something that cuts. We should have nothing to do with the earthen vessels. We cannot be linked up with that system of things. We cannot be separated from other people as children of God; we cannot be separated from them as persons, but we can be separated from them as vessels. This will mean that we are "sanctified, useful to the master, prepared unto every good work."
Verse 22 says, "Those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." This is different from salvation where all are saved. This only refers to those who call out of a pure heart. We follow after and associate ourselves with such persons. They are our fellow-workers. This association is based on four things: righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Notice that peace is spoken of last, not first. Some say, "Peace at any cost." Man always puts peace first and righteousness last, but that is not God's order. We must maintain fellowship with all the children of God, but at the same time, we must separate ourselves from the vessels of dishonor.
