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Vou. XXXII BROOKLYN, N. Y., AUGUST 15, 1912 No. 16 THE MARK OF CRYSTALLIZATION OF CHARACTER “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things that are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the work for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’—Phil. 3:13, 14. In the epistle to the Philippians, St. Paul expresses his full appreciation of his opportunity to gain a prize, something worthy of laying hold upon, of grasping fully, of getting possession of. What was that for which the great Apostle was striving and which he had not yet attained? He spoke of this thing as a prize, which he was pressing along to win. We may view “the mark for the prize of the high calling” from two standpoints, both of which are correct. From one standpoint, this mark is that of heart-likeness to God’s dear Son, of perfection of intention, of love for righteousness, for God, for the brethren of Christ, and for the world, even our enemies. This degree of character-development should be attained as early as possible in our Christian experience, and should be such that, were we to die at any time after its attainment, God would count us worthy of a share in the first resurrection, From the other standpoint. this “mark for the prize of the high calling” is that of crystallization of character in the likeness of our Lord. After having attained a heart-likeness to Christ, we must hold it fast, and see that in all the testings which the Lord permits to come upon us, we are counted by him as overcomers, not in our own strength, but in that of our Redeemer. This mark of crystallized character is not attained so early in our Christian experience as is the mark of characterdevelopment. But by fighting the good fight until the end of our course, we crystallize our characters in love for the principles of righteousness, for God, for the brethren and even for our enemies. If thus faithful, we shall win the prize of glory, honor and immortality. PERFECTION, NOT CONSECRATION, THE MARK There is no reason to think that our consecration is the mark; for our testing, our proving comes after our consecration, and not before it. No one would be at the mark merely because he is consecrated, but because he had endured the testing, thus proving that his consecration was from the heart and that he was sincere in the devotion of his every power to the service of God. We cannot suppose that the mark is reached the next moment after consecration. Some degree of characterdevelopment must be possessed; there must be some mark of character, in order that God may count that person worthy of everlasting life. God’s standard of character is perfection, which must be maintained by loyalty and obedience under whatever tests he permits to come to individuals upon any plane of life. No one will get the prize of everlasting life unless he successfully passes those tests. We realize that the church has been under trial throughout the Gospel age, as to her worthiness to obtain “glory, honor and immortality’—joint-heirship with her Lord. —Rom. 8:17. From the Scriptures we learn that throughout the Messianic age the world will be tried by The Christ, and that even after passing that test they will not receive the reward of everlasting life until God shall have proved them at the end of Christ’s reign by loosing Satan for a “little season.” (1 Cor. 15:24; Rev. 20:7-10) The fact that the world is thus to be tried by both The Christ and God confirms the thought that God has a standard, or mark, of character to be attained by all those who are loyal and obedient to him—on any plane of existence. While this mark of character to be attained by the world during Messiah’s reign is not the one to which St. Paul refers in our text, nevertheless there is such a character-mark to be reached by mankind. Those who then attain the mark will have everlasting life on the human plane. But those who attain the mark to which the Apostle refers will be given eternal life on the divine plane. THE MARK OF CHARACTER-CRYSTALLIZATION The Apostle was a noble example of one who had reached the mark. So far as we know, he was ready to die at any time; hence it was not this mark of character-development to which he had not attained. He had not vet attained to the prize itself. and could not do so until his change should come. He was constantly pressing along, trusting that God would give him all the things that are in reservation for “them that love him.” (1 Cor. 2:9) We could not think the Apostle to mean that he would reach this mark of character-development just at the moment before death. This would be an absurdity of thought. Our Lord Jesus was at the mark of perfect character at the (255-256) time of his consecration; and he maintained himself at the mark. As a sacrifice he would have been acceptable at any time. It was his part to consecrate his life and not to hold it back. It was the Father’s part so to arrange matters that the Jews might not take our Lord until the Father’s hour for him had come. In everything that he did he submitted himself to the Father’s will. Our Lord spoke of his “cup” as the one which the Father had prepared for him—John 18:11. If our Lord had determined for himself the time and the manner of his death, then he was pouring the cup. If the Jews had determined these points, then they were pouring the cup. But neither our Lord nor the Jews did so, for hoth time and manner were foretold by the prophets. Our Lord took the cup and accepted it as the Father's providence for him. If the Father’s providence had led to his death a year sooner or two years sooner, if the Father’s will had been expressed in our Lord’s crucifixion at an earlicr time, even then it would have been well with him. But he “learned obedience by the things which he suffered.”—Heb. 5:8; 2:10. At Jordan our Lord was shown to he perfect and to have made a perfect consecration. both by the descent of the holy Spirit and by the voice of Jehovah. (Matt. 3:16.17) He had also a perfect body—though it was earthly—in which the new creature operated. But his obedience must be tested—his loyalty even unto death. Whatever the degree of testing to which our Lord might have been subjected, it was just the right amount, according to the Father’s wisdom. Our Lord would have been just as much an overcomer had he died at any time after his consecration. But if he had died sooner than he did, it would merely have proved that the Father did not require as much evidence of our Lord’s faithfulness and loyalty as he did require. OUR LORD AN OVERCOMER AT CONSECRATION Here some one may ask, “Is it proper to say that our Lord wag an overcomer as a new creature at the time when he made his consecration?” Our answer is, Yes. An overcomer is a victor. The word does not imply that a man has completed the victory, however ; for we sometimes say, He will lead them from victory to vietory. So with our Lord. He continued faithful ag an overcomer down unto death; but he was not counted as an overcomer until death. Between the Father and our Lord as a human being there was no Mediator, and as a new creature there was neither robe to cover nor advocate to represent in case of any deviation from the will of God; and the slightest deflection therefrom would have meant the second death. The Scriptures give us two pictures of our Lord as an overcomer at his consecration, where he gained the first great victory over his flesh. The first of these pictures (Lev. 16:11), the killing of the bullock on the Day of Atonement, represents the death of our Lord’s humanity at the moment when he consecrated himself at Jordan. There he gained a victory and continued victorious until the end of his course. The second picture is found in Rev. 5:2-7. Here our Lord is represented by a newly slain lamb. He was not this newly slain lamb at his death when he had finished his course, but at his consecration, when he began his course. The proclamation which the Revelator heard was. “Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” We read that John wept much, “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven seals thereof .... And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.” Our Lord alone was worthy of the honor of receiving the divine plan into his care. We also read that John looked and saw the newly slain Lamb open the book.—Rev. 6. After our Lord had entered upon his consecration he was the newly slain Lamb. Then the Father gave into his hand the scroll of the great divine plan of the ages—the scroll written on both inside and outside. The outside he was already able to read. But the inside, which contained information on spiritual things, remained sealed. As soon as our’Lord came up out of the water after his baptism, he was begotten of the holy Spirit and began to understand spiritual things, “The heavens [higher things] were opened unto him.” The time when he began to be considered the slain Lamb, the time when the scroll was delivered to him, wag the time of his consecration. [5080]