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Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Phil. 3:10-16; 1-2, 2 Tim. 4:6-8, 18a
Since the kingdom of God is a matter of God’s reigning, it is also a matter of God’s administration. The Bible shows that in order to obtain a kingdom, God must bring in His administration. The Bible shows not only that God grants us His grace but even more that God has an administration toward us. God has an administration toward the entire universe and the whole human race, and much more toward His children and His house, His church. His administration is His government. We should not have an inaccurate concept, thinking that God grants us His grace in a light and casual way. God’s granting us His grace and salvation is for the carrying out of His administration. All of God’s work in us is based upon and according to His administration. God has a plan in the entire universe and in the church. Everything in God’s plan must be executed through His governmental administration. God’s salvation is not only a matter of grace but also a matter of His administration.
God in His plan intends to obtain a full kingdom in the universe. He desires to obtain a kingdom that encompasses the universe. Within the sphere of the entire universe, every single creature will submit to His authority. He desires to bring all the creatures under His divine authority. Through such a reign He will be able to carry out His will and fulfill His desire, and as a result, He will be able to express His glory, that is, express Himself. In order to obtain such a kingdom in the universe, He must take certain steps in His governmental administration.
After Satan tempted man to rebel against God, the first step God took in the execution of His administration was to give His salvation to man. God gives salvation to man so that man may submit to His Son and receive the ruling of the heavens. We should never think that our being saved is something coincidental or accidental. The coming of salvation to us is a matter of the execution of God’s administration upon us; it is the execution of God’s divine governmental administration and arrangement upon us. Since God has such a plan, He executes it accordingly, carrying out His salvation in us so that we may become His kingdom.
After our salvation the second step of God’s administration begins in us—He brings a heavenly authority, a heavenly kingdom, upon us and into us to which we must submit. From the time we are saved, God’s desire is not merely to exhort and teach us to be perfect; rather, He desires to make us perfect through His administration. If He merely exhorted and taught us to be perfect, it would not be a matter of His administration. Since the first step of God’s administration is to make us His kingdom, He must take the second step to execute His administration in us. After we are saved, He desires that we continually submit to the authority of the kingdom, that is, that we be ruled by the kingdom. This is a matter of His governmental administration. This is not merely a matter of teaching, instructing, nurturing, or exhorting but a matter of carrying out His governmental administration.
If God gave us merely teaching or exhortation, it would indicate that He desired only that we be perfectly good men. However, after we are saved, the second step of God’s work in us is a governmental administration, a governmental execution. He requires us to be subject to the authority of the heavens and to be ruled by the kingdom. It is not sufficient for us merely to be perfect, nor is it adequate for us merely to have the thought to do good. We must see that God has a government, an administration, to be carried out in us. The reason we conduct ourselves and work in a certain way is not merely so that we would do good but so that we would be ruled by God. The reason we do not do things or act in a certain way is not merely to avoid making mistakes but so that we would be ruled by God. We have clearly seen that today God simply desires that we submit to His authority. This is the second step of God’s administration upon us after our salvation.
Regrettably, after being saved, few submit to this authority. For instance, after being saved, a brother is brought under God’s ruling, which requires him not to lose his temper with his wife as he did before. From this point on, his losing his temper with his wife is not only a lack of morality but also an expression of not being restricted or ruled by God. This means that he not only commits an offense against his wife but he also rebels against God’s ruling. He is one who is saved and who has been brought into God’s kingdom through His salvation. In him God has a kingdom administration, a governmental execution. Under the ruling of His kingdom, God does not permit His children to lose their temper freely or treat their wives loosely. If a brother treats his wife properly, it indicates not only that he is a good husband but also that he submits to God’s authority. Conversely, if he as a husband does not conduct himself properly in that he loses his temper all the time, it indicates not only that he is not a good husband but also that he rebels against God. This means that he does not submit to the second step of God’s governmental administration.
The third step of God’s administration is discipline, or chastisement. After we are saved, we should love our wives and treat others with meekness under God’s ruling. This is not merely a teaching of the Bible but a demand of the life within us. The Holy Spirit who dwells in us often demands that we deal with our family with meekness and treat others with consideration. The Holy Spirit gives us the feeling that if we do not treat our family with meekness, we are rebelling against God’s rule. However, we are often careless, disregarding the sense of the Holy Spirit in us, and we act according to our own will. When we want to lose our temper, we lose our temper, and we may even use ugly words to reproach people. When God sees that we do not submit to His authority and ruling, He is forced to execute the third step of His administration, which is to discipline, to chastise, us through the environment.
For example, perhaps one morning a brother quarrels with his wife, and after he leaves home, he has a minor automobile accident. At that time the Holy Spirit rebukes him inwardly for quarreling with his wife, and he realizes that the accident is from God’s hand in His governmental administration. He spontaneously repents, confesses, and prays, “O Lord, forgive me and save me. I will not do this again.” After this incident, however, he is in himself again, and soon enough, his temper comes again and flares up freely, without any sign of his being under God’s ruling. He had repented and confessed, but after the incident he still was not under God’s ruling; he lost his temper as it pleased him. At this point God can only say, “Once again I will exercise My administration over this one.” This time the discipline will be more severe. The brother may have a serious illness that will not be taken care of merely by his regretting and repenting. It may take half a year or a year for him to recuperate by being confined to bed and thereby being disciplined by God.
Today most Christians acknowledge the doctrine concerning discipline and chastisement. However, this discipline, this chastisement, is not merely a doctrine but also a matter of God’s governmental administration.
A brother once asked me, “I know a brother who is truly saved, but I have seen him losing his temper with his wife for over ten years, even until today. Why has God not disciplined him through the environment for all this time?” This situation bothered this brother very much. In another situation, after a brother is saved, he may continue to love the world, going from place to place in the world. This one rebels against God’s government and does not submit to the second step of His administration, but God apparently does not execute the third step of discipline on him. Some situations are even more puzzling. It seems that with some brothers, the more they love the world, the more they prosper, succeed, and make money. Why is this?
According to our understanding, whoever loves the world will be chastised by God or have his worldly things destroyed by God. But in fact, God is greater than our concept. His administration, His government, is beyond what we can imagine or determine. We may think that if God’s children make a mistake today, God will chastise them today. Our God, however, does not have a hot temper. When children make a mistake, if their parents chastise them immediately, this indicates that the parents are hot tempered. Some parents, however, are patient and tolerant. Although they know that their children have done something wrong, they do not chastise them immediately. Rather, they still care for their children in order to make them happy. They wait to discipline the children until the weekend or until after the children finish an examination in school. The parents exercise caution because they know that since there is an examination coming, they should first take care of the children by feeding them so that they can take the examination properly. Such parents are not small-minded. They do not immediately discipline or chastise their children for their mistakes; they first consider their children’s schooling and examinations. If parents immediately discipline and chastise their children, it shows that their temper is hot, and their mind is narrow.
If parents are broad-minded and moderate in their temper, after they see their children make a mistake, they will consider whether it is appropriate to punish them at once or whether they should wait until another time. After some consideration the parents may feel that according to the present situation and need of the children, it is not fitting to handle the matter immediately. Thus, they may wait for several days before handling the matter. In caring for our children of different ages, we all have different ways of handling things according to their different needs. To illustrate, suppose a father has a daughter who is only four or five years old; she does not yet go to school and spends most of her time playing at home. One day she does something wrong and is caught. Therefore, the father calls her and asks her, “Do you know that you have done something wrong?” She says, “Yes, I do.” Then he continues, “Should you be punished?” She knows that she should be punished. Then he asks her, “How many times should I spank you?” She says, “Three times.” Eventually, he spanks her only twice, and she goes away crying.
The next day her older brother commits the same mistake, and she is happy because she will have someone as a companion in having been spanked. She runs to tell her father, “Dad, my brother committed the same mistake.” This may occur near the time when her brother is supposed to go to school. Thus, after some consideration, the father allows her brother to go to school first. When the little girl sees that her brother has left for school, she grumbles, “I did something wrong yesterday, and my father spanked me twice. Today my brother did something wrong also, but my father did not spank him but allowed him to go to school.” As she says this, she goes and asks her mother to come and help her with her case.
Actually, it is not that her father dismissed the punishment but that he hid it within himself. Perhaps the father did not punish her brother on that day, but rather gave him some money to buy lunch because he had to stay at school for a long time. The father thus took care of his son’s need, wanting him to study well, but his younger daughter was upset when she saw that. She saw that when her brother did something wrong, instead of punishing him, her father allowed him to go to school and even gave him money for food. She wondered, “How can this be?” She did not know her father’s heart. If he had punished her brother at that moment, perhaps her brother would have refused to go to school, and this would have frustrated his schoolwork, which would have been a loss to him. Therefore, her father simply allowed him to go to school and cared for him so that he could study well. A few days later, perhaps on Saturday, because there was no school the next day, the father was able to deal with him and thus settle the matter.
This illustration is to help us see something concerning God’s discipline. Hebrews 12 says that “the fathers of our flesh...disciplined...as it seemed good to them” (vv. 9a, 10a), meaning that fathers know how to discipline their children in the most profitable way. However, when the Father of spirits disciplines us, He knows all the more when to discipline us (vv. 9b, 10b). We should never think that all of God’s disciplining and chastening of His children must be done today. The Bible does not present this limitation. On the contrary, the Bible shows that when the Master comes, some slaves will receive a greater chastisement (Matt. 24:48-51).
Our God is great. Unlike us, He does not become angry easily; He will not chastise us immediately when He sees a mistake in us. He is very great, and particularly, He is full of wisdom. With some, He chastises them immediately, but with others, He waits for a while. How long will He wait? He may wait until He comes back. In our earlier illustration the father waited until Saturday to deal with the son’s mistake. Our “Saturday” will be the time of the Lord’s return. At that time He will settle accounts with us. He will examine us and hear our case; that time will be His judgment. I hope that we are impressed by this. However, this is not a threat; rather, this is light from the Bible.
In the Lord’s table meeting God’s children always like to pray, “O Lord, You are pleasant. You are truly desirable.” Also in the prayer meeting they pray, “Lord, You are truly desirable. O Lord, You are good.” It is true that the Bible says that the Lord is pleasant and desirable (S. S. 1:16; 5:16). However, we must also know the fear of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:11). Therefore, when we exhort others, we should not only say that the Lord is desirable; we should also speak concerning the fear of the Lord. One day we saved ones will have to stand before Him. His giving us grace is according to His administration. He cannot grant us grace and at the same time disregard His administration; rather, He dispenses grace and simultaneously carries out His administration. It is not possible for us to enjoy the dispensing of His grace without experiencing the carrying out of His administration.
All that He does toward us is a matter of His governmental administration. If we are a saved one, we should be under His ruling; this is according to the principle of His administration. If we are not ruled by Him but act according to our own will and desire, we will have no way to escape from the third step of His administration, which is His discipline as His chastisement on us. However, this discipline is according to His good pleasure and His multifarious wisdom. If He thinks that it is profitable to discipline us today, He will discipline us today; if He thinks that it is profitable to discipline us in the future, at a more suitable time, He will discipline us then. As long as we do not live under the ruling of His life, sooner or later we will experience His environmental discipline; this is unavoidable.
We all should seriously consider whether it is acceptable for a saved person, who has received the Lord’s salvation and has become a child of God, to continue to act casually, according to his own desire. Is it acceptable for him to ignore God’s will and disregard God’s ruling? Suppose that a saved one remains merely saved, acting according to his own desire for his whole life and never caring for God’s administration. Suppose that eventually, when the Lord Jesus comes, He brings this one into His kingdom unconditionally to reign with Him and then places him in the New Jerusalem to enjoy God’s eternal blessing. If God did this, could He be called the righteous God? If He acted in this way, the God of the universe would surely be an unreasonable God who had no administration or government; He would be at most a benevolent God.
Our God, however, is not like this. It is not that no matter what we do, He simply gives us grace continuously; nor is it that once a person is saved and becomes a child of God, God simply loves him blindly, bestowing on him grace, peace, and blessing and eventually, when the Lord Jesus comes back, allowing him to reign with Him and enter into the New Jerusalem. Our God is not a God who is only kind and good. Rather, He has thoughts, principles, and rules; everything He does is according to His plan. All things must be headed up in Him and come under His ruling. He grants us salvation so that we may submit to His Son and be children of obedience who submit to His authority and rule. If we do not submit to His rule and authority, He will not let us go easily. Rather, He will have to execute the third step of His administration on us. If He does not discipline us today, He will discipline us at a later time.
Paul saw this vision, knew this matter, and understood that this was serious. He lived under this vision and dared not be loose in any way. He told the Corinthian believers, “Lest perhaps having preached to others, I myself may become disapproved” (1 Cor. 9:27). When we read Paul’s word, we can sense his state of mind. He saw the future judgment, the coming glory of the kingdom, and the prize that the Lord had set before him for him to obtain in Christ Jesus. He saw that the prize was glorious. He used an illustration, saying that not everyone who runs on a racecourse receives the prize; only the one who runs well, who does not fall down, and who finishes first receives the prize (v. 24).
We know that today’s races in track and field events are from the Greek culture. Paul wrote concerning this to the Corinthians. At that time Corinth was a great city in Greece, and running races was very popular among the Corinthians. Thus, Paul used this as an illustration to show the Corinthian believers that from the time they were saved, they were running on a racecourse. God had set them on a racecourse; this is the second step of God’s administration. Depending on how they ran the race, there would be a result, which is the third step of God’s administration. If they ran well and finished ahead of the other runners, they would receive the prize, but if they did not run well, they would suffer loss. Paul said that he was running, “not as though without a clear aim” (v. 26a). He knew that there was a clear aim for which the Lord Jesus had called him. Therefore, he says, “I box in this way, not as though beating the air” (v. 26b). What did he do? He says, “I buffet my body and make it my slave” (v. 27a). Paul made his body submissive to him. He did not submit to his body but made his body submit to him. Why did Paul treat himself this way? It was because he feared that he would be loose and thus not submit to God’s authority and be under the ruling of the heavens. If this had been the case, Paul, having preached to others the glorious message of the reward of the kingdom, might himself have become disapproved. Hence, Paul seriously buffeted his body by exercising self-control in order to run the race before him.
Paul first wrote the book of 1 Corinthians, and then a few years later he wrote the Epistle to the Philippians. From 1 Corinthians we can see that from the early stage of his service to the Lord, Paul was already running on the path of following the Lord. When he wrote the book of Philippians, he was older and was imprisoned in Rome. Even in this situation he says, “Not that I have already obtained or am already perfected” (3:12a). He told the Philippians, “One thing I do: Forgetting the things which are behind and stretching forward to the things which are before, I pursue toward the goal” (vv. 13b-14a). He knew that there was a prize set before him, but still he dared not say that he had obtained it. This may be compared to students taking examinations in school. From the first day of school they study diligently, and after some time examinations come. Prior to this time no one dares to say that he will surely obtain the prize for receiving the highest score.
This is similar to the situation of Paul when he was in prison in Rome. At that time he was nearing the end of his race, but he still dared not say that he would obtain the prize from the Lord. He knew that he was about to die, and he was assured that he would one day be resurrected. In 1 Thessalonians 4, when Paul speaks concerning the hope of the believers, he says that all the believers would be resurrected (vv. 16-17). Paul knew that he would certainly be resurrected and that in the future, when the saints are resurrected, there will be a group of believers who will obtain an extra-resurrection. All the dead believers will be resurrected, but only some will obtain an extra-resurrection, an out-resurrection (Phil. 3:11).
The resurrection spoken of in Philippians 3 is not an ordinary resurrection but an out-resurrection. Here in Greek the prefix before the word resurrection indicates that this is an out-resurrection. This word is inadequately translated not only in the Chinese Union Version but also in many other versions, including many English versions. This kind of resurrection is not merely a resurrection but an out-resurrection, an extra-resurrection. Some may ask, “What is the out-resurrection, the extra-resurrection?” It is easy to understand if we again use the illustration of students taking an examination. For instance, there may be fifty students in a class, and all of them must take the examination. The top student takes the examination as everyone else does, but the examination to him is an outstanding examination. Everyone, including him, takes the examination. However, to others, their taking of the examination is ordinary, but his is outstanding because he not only passes the examination but also receives the prize. Hence, we need to see that overcomers, such as the apostle Paul, will not only be raised from the dead in a general way, as all Christians will, but they will also receive the prize in resurrection. Thus, the resurrection to them will be an out-resurrection, an extra-resurrection.
In his later years in the Roman prison Paul still did not dare say that he had already obtained the prize of the out-resurrection. This is similar to someone running on a racecourse. Not until the last step can he say that he has obtained the prize. In 2 Timothy 4:6 Paul says that the time of his departure is at hand; that is, he was about to be executed and martyred. We see that even Paul’s death was not an ordinary death. He was a drink offering poured out before the Lord. In verse 6 he says, “I am already being poured out.” Paul’s entire life was a drink offering; his life was wine poured out before the Lord whom he loved, served, and followed. He poured out his life before the altar. Because he knew that he was about to be poured out and that the time of his departure was at hand, he declares victoriously, “I have fought the good fight; I have finished the course; I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness” (vv. 7-8a). The crown is a symbol of reigning and of receiving a reward. Hence, Paul was saying that a reward was prepared for him. Moreover, he goes on to say, “With which [the crown of righteousness] the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing” (v. 8b).
In 2 Timothy 4 Paul solemnly charged Timothy by the appearing of Christ Jesus and His kingdom to faithfully carry out his work (vv. 1-2). Before Paul’s death he gave Timothy a charge. Why did Paul charge Timothy by the Lord’s appearing and the Lord’s kingdom? Paul did this because he knew that the matter of the Lord’s appearing and His kingdom is a solemn and grave matter. He knew that when the Lord comes, all the saved ones will stand before Him and be judged by Him according to what they have done. Paul knew that this is a serious matter. He also knew that when the kingdom comes, some will receive a reward, and some, a punishment. Paul, of course, knew that the Lord’s salvation is sweet and is a cause for our singing, but he knew all the more that the Lord’s appearing is fearful and that the Lord’s kingdom is righteous. When the Lord comes, we will stand before Him to settle our account with Him, making everything clear and answering for everything. Matters such as how we conduct ourselves and how we work after we are saved must be clearly examined before the Lord.
This settling of accounts will determine our position in the glory of the millennial kingdom. Determining our position in the kingdom is a serious step of God’s administration, God’s government, in us. The Lord cannot treat everyone alike and bring all the saved ones into His glorious kingdom. If He did this, it would indicate that God had no administration or government. We know, however, that God has His administration and government. He will determine our position in the glory of the kingdom according to our submission to the heavenly ruling from the time of our salvation. This is a serious exercise of God’s administration, God’s government. It is for this reason that the Lord’s appearing and His kingdom were a warning as well as an incentive to the apostle Paul. He was one who daily lived in the light of the Lord Jesus’ coming, who was under the Lord’s judgment, and who faced the glory of the kingdom. This resulted in his following the Lord with fear and trembling. This was the reason he charged his beloved Timothy by the Lord’s appearing and His kingdom.
Thus, we see that God’s kingdom is God’s administration, and since it is God’s administration, it is a warning as well as an incentive to us from God. May the Lord be gracious to us that all of us saved ones will see that the Lord not only dispenses grace to us but also exercises His administration, His government, upon us. He will never act against this principle. We should never think that because everything is peaceful today, we can be at ease. One day the Lord will return; He will come to examine all matters. Therefore, His appearing and His kingdom should be a warning, an alerting word, as well as an incentive to us. May the Lord have mercy on us that we will be faithful to this word.
