Crystallization Study of Psalms(1) – God’s system of grace and God’s system of government(message 2)

The second message from the Crystallization Study of the Psalms(1) is entitled the Revelation concerning Christ in God’s economy – and I was very much impressed with the two systems of God.

There are two systems of God in the universe – two ways God relates to man and to His creation – which are the system of grace and the system of government. I was impressed in the message with the fact that the system of grace IS FOR the government of God, and God comes to us as grace so that we may be under God’s government in God’s kingdom.

The goal is not the system of grace – but God in Christ as the Spirit comes to us for our enjoyment that we may kiss the Son and be strengthened to be under God’s government! Here are some more details about these two systems:

The system of Grace – which is secondary – is the system in which God in Christ comes to us for our salvation.

It includes everything pertaining to redemption, salvation, the forgiveness of sins, justification by faith, reconciliation, regeneration to be the children of God, having the divine life, being brothers and sisters in the church, the infilling of the Spirit, the church as the house of God, Christ as everything to us for our enjoyment, Christ as our Savior, Shepherd, life, etc – all this is Grace!

SADLY – this is ALL that most believers see, and even all they WANT to see! But God has another system – the system of government (much developed and spoken of in the ministry of brother Watchman Nee).

The system of God’s government – it refers to how God works, manages, and arranges things according to His plan and will.

He wants to have a corporate expression of Himself, and this expression requires a realm, a sphere, where God can be manifested – this realm / sphere is the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of God is where God can do whatever He wills without any resistance!

The kingdom of God is that realm in which God exercises His dominion and maintains order so that He may be expressed! It began with the creation of the angels – they were beings who were subject to God’s rule.

But there was a rebellion among them which resulted in a judgement upon the pre-Adamic world, and now in this universe the fundamental issue is THE RIGHT TO RULE – Who Rules in the Universe!?!

Then God created man in His own image and likeness so that this man would express Him and represent Him(governmental) and subdue the earth!

But Satan poisoned the man created by God, man fell into sin, and fallen man has a manifold problem with God – the problem of sin itself, and man’s refusal to be ruled. In 1 John 3:4 we see that sin is lawlessness, the throwing off any principle of government!

There is a relationship between these two systems. After men fell and God spoke to the man and the woman and the serpent, there was a promise of the Redeemer – the seed of the woman… (Gen 3:15, this is grace); God made them coats of skin (this is grace), and then thrust them out of Eden (this is government).

Grace forgives, but government judges and disciplines. Under God’s government there are so many human institutions and responsibilities. God made us man and woman – this is His government. Marriage is one man for one wife – this is ordained by God.

The law that human beings – especially the males – must work in order to earn their living – this is government. Government concerns how God works – how God manages the universe, the world situation, the churches, our lives, and how He arranges things, strictly according to His will and plan.

Praise the Lord, when the Lord Jesus came, He came with both grace and government. In Luke we see the Man-Saviour, the highest standard of morality, the divine attributes expressed through the human virtues, Christ’s dying for our redemption, Christ charging us to preach the gospel – in Christ we see the gracious words proceeding out of the mouth of God.

The Lord is the Saviour and He came according to the system of grace to save us out of our fallen situation. But the Gospel of Luke is not the first gospel – rather, it is the Gospel of Matthew, which is concerning government. Here we see Christ as the Son of David to bring in God’s kingdom.

We need to know our Lord, appreciate Him without bias, in these two ways! On the cross He prayed – Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing (Luke 23:34)!

YET this One is the KING, and all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth! Hallelujah, there’s One Person in which grace and government meet!

Because we were fallen and because God made an eternal selection concerning us, the Son came in grace to save us so that we may recovered under God’s government and learn how to maintain, uphold, and proclaim it to the rebellious nations!

This is a particular responsibility of the church – to be a community of grace, a realm of government, and a kingdom proclaiming the change of the age, so that the kingdoms of this world may become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ!

Remember: the system of government is not FOR the system of grace; rather, the system of grace is FOR the system of government.

Without mercy and grace we are hopeless and we can never be recovered, but once grace saves us, we should NOT suppose that we are free to do whatever we want – as if there’s no government! Such an attitude will bring in dispensational punishment. Grace enables us to accept God’s government.

Many of us cannot yet accept certain situations, circumstances, or things that happened to us under God’s sovereignty – so the Lord doesn’t come to us in flaming judgement, but in grace so that by grace we might kiss the Son, love Him take, take refuge in Him, believe in Him, enjoy Him… and the more we enjoy Him, the more we yield to Him, and the more we sincerely subject to the Lord in His way of dealing with us, to how the Lord wants to direct our lives!

[sharing inspired from the second message in the Crystallization-Study of the Psalms(1) – “not my own words”, but very much inspired from the brother’s speaking.]