The Five “W’s”, and the How

Once again from the start, we entered the courtyard through faith in Christ as represented in the entrance curtain, the first step.

“We see, then that justification by faith, faith in Christ, our first step toward holiness, brings us into a condition of peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 5:1). When our sins are forgiven, or reckoned covered with Christ’s righteousness we are a step nearer to God, yet we are still human.

WE HAVE NOT YET BEEN BEGOTTEN TO A NEW NATURE NOR HAVE WE RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT AS OF YET, this despite what the blind guides would have many to believe.”

Remember, Justification means “to make right,” IT DOES NOT SIGNIFY ANY CHANGE OF NATURES; it simply means to make right that nature which was.

“The Scriptures teach that the result of belief is justification to that condition which Adam forfeited by his disobedience. He forfeited human perfection; moral–mental– physical. Belief in Christ as the Redeemer is the condition, on which this condition may be restored or recovered.”

“The Court represents all the believer’s experiences in justification, from the time he enters the gate, coming into the Court passing the Brazen Altar and the Laver till he comes to the door of the Tabernacle. It is tentative justification; from the time the individual begins to take the first step (Though not fully worked out or developed: not yet definite as of yet).”

“The process of tentative justification may in some be very slow. Often, they progress very slowly because they are still heavily influenced by the false doctrines and teachings of the church nominal. Thus, they tend to wander in and out of the courtyard, not realizing what the proper steps are.”

Most have no idea of any further steps, having been erroneously taught that there is but one step, a mere profession of belief in Christ and that this alone not only assures them of salvation but of a heavenly reward as well.

If they would but disregard the vein babblings of the blind guides for a moment and harken their ears, they would hear a word coming from behind them (coming from the written testimony), saying, “this is the way, walk you in it”, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left not knowing which way to go. (Isa 30:21)

“This is the way, walk ye in it,” will be the plain answer to every such inquiring heart.

“These steps (plural) of tentative justification in the Court are simply leading one to the point of vitalizing his justification.

The Where, Why, Who, What, How and When

The Where

“Jesus justifies at the Door of the Tabernacle; but He does not justify a person who merely wishes to put away the filth of the flesh. Only when one comes to the Door, ties himself up and makes a covenant with God, can he be fully justified. There the High Priest is ready to impute to him His righteousness and to accept him as a member of the Body of Christ–while at the door.” (Q411)

The Why

“Many have failed to see in the past, and some still fail to see, that justification by faith is a gradual process. Each step of faith brought us nearer to the climax. But the climax was not wholly reached until our faith manifested its perfection by our obedience and full surrender in consecration to the Lord. Then our great Advocate accepted our consecrated bodies and imputed to them of His merit, absolutely justifying them in the sight of Justice—the Heavenly Father… During the period of progress in faith, justification was being gradually approached, and the individual had more and more of the Divine favor (thus it is we speak of the individual as being tentatively justified). But not until the final step was taken did, he become fully justified to human nature–a son on the earthly plane.” (Q405)

“If the Lord should fully justify any one just as soon as he entered the Gate and came into the Courtyard to the Brazen Altar, there must, of course, be some object in that justification.

What could the object be?

The object of justification is to make one amenable to or ready for the reception of the Holy Spirit, and this does not take place until one has reached the door of the tabernacle.

If, therefore, he should be justified at the Brazen Altar and receive the Holy Spirit, all his earthly chances or privileges would be gone. He might want to go out–as many do–but it would be too late if positive justification had taken place. Whoever has not come to the point of making a Covenant with God, has not given up his restitution rights (his human life rights, which were secured through the ransom). Until his consecration, he still has an opportunity for these in the future, in the Millennial Age. But whoever makes this consecration and is accepted by the Lord (whoever is begotten of the Holy Spirit to a new nature, a spirit nature), will never get restitution or anything else on the human plane in the future Age.” (Q411)

“If we were accepted of God at the time of our first coming to Him before we had really made a consecration, and if He would impute His merit to us then, there would be no more for us to have in the future, for when once the merit of Christ is imputed there is no more to be imputed. In other words, when Christ died for our sins, there was one share for you and one share for me, and one share for each member of the race. When you get your share, you will never have it duplicated. If you misuse that share after you get it that is your responsibility, you are not to get a second share, Christ dies no more, death will have no more dominion over Him, and He makes an imputation of His merit only once on behalf of the human family; you get your share, and each other member gets his share.

The thought then, is, you see, that if God would accept us and justify us and thus give us the merit of Christ, and we do not go on to make our sacrifice, then we would lose all the privileges of the future; there would be no hope for such a person in the future life that he might get it under Christ’s Kingdom because he has had it now (And just as Adam was fully justified at one time, but only lasted two years before falling into sin and losing his justification, and thus his life rights, how long do you really imagine any of the rest of us would last).” (Q408)

In mercy, therefore, the Lord does not recognize any one until he has taken all the necessary steps in just such a tentative justification, and has thoroughly decided that he wants to be the Lord’s disciple, and has truly said so after he has sat down and counted the cost. Until he has come to this point of decision, the Lord will have nothing to do with him. But if he will bind himself up to that door by way of making a covenant with God, then the Lord will take charge of him and make everything work together for his good–but not until after he has taken that step.” (Q411)

Now how is this next step accomplished?

The Who

“Taking the picture of the Tabernacle, we see that none are permitted to go into the Holy except the priests, and so if we are ever permitted to go in, it is because God accepts us as priests, and He will only accept us as priests if we go by the terms and requirements He has arranged. We endeavor to draw near to God because we know that He desires us to draw near Him, as it is written, “Draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto you.” (Q408)

The Levites as you recall were not permitted to enter the Tabernacle nor to even attempt to glance within the enclosure as the priests entered or exited, this typifies those believers who have not yet fully consecrated themselves and therefore have not experienced a change of natures from that of the human nature, the “natural man” to that of the spirit nature, and thus are unable to view (to see) i.e. to comprehend spiritual things.1 Cor 2:14

A priest is one who is called to be holy, consecrated or set apart to the Lord, a servant of God, a teacher or minister of the Word of God, a mediator between God and men. “For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.” Nevertheless “No man takes this honor to himself (no one is called to be a priest), save he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.”

“The Apostle reasons (Heb 5:1-4) that all the Jewish priests were taken from amongst their fellows and especially ordained, or set apart, for their work, to represent their people before God, offering for them both their gifts and their sacrifices for sins. In this arrangement the priests were able to sympathize with the people, because they were subject to the same weaknesses, and also had need of the forgiveness of their own sins. But even amongst these imperfect, blemished, sinful priests, who needed to make offerings for their own sins, none was allowed to take this office of own self. God must call him to the office. Thus, it was with Aaron. God called him to be the head priest.” (R5472:2)

As there were certain requirements for entry into the typical or the Levitical priesthood (the Aaronic priesthood) so too with regards to the antitypical priesthood or Royal Priesthood, the Melchizedek order.

What are the requirements?

One can only join the priesthood by entering into covenant relationship with the LORD (Psa 50:5), through a full consecration, and surrender of the will (the “Second Step”).

Or as the Apostle Paul so states the matter, “I beseech you therefore, brethren [believers–justified by faith in Christ–Levites], by the mercies of God [manifest through Christ in our justification], that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice; [that you consecrate wholly thus becoming priests] holy, acceptable unto God.” Being justified freely by faith in Jesus, God reckons you as sinless–holy–and has agreed to accept every such sacrifice, “With such sacrifices he is ever well pleased.” By so doing you become priests, members in particular of the High Priest’s body.” (“Tabernacle Teachings”, Page 47)

How is this accomplished?

“After ridding one’s self of the impurities of the flesh at the Laver, an individual may wish to draw still nearer to God. He can come as near as the curtain, no nearer; for the First Veil represents the death of the will. The death of the will means that one is willing to give up every earthly interest to the Lord (this as said before includes ones restitutional rights, one’s human life rights). Unless he does this, he cannot go any further. Up to this time he may have been very much under the control of his own will. But when he had his own will controlling him it was not satisfactory; and now he wishes to get into harmony with God and do His will.”

This is where consecration comes, where we like our Lord who fully consecrated himself to the Father at the river Jordan likewise fully surrender ourselves, our wills to that of the Father’s, “Not my will, but thy will be done”, this is a covenant arrangement we make with the Father, if accepted it is irreversible. Once entered into, the covenant or agreement is unalterable; the matter is fixed and sealed. R131:5

At this point the individual knows enough about God’s will to know that it is better than his own; and now he is sure that he wants to do God’s will. At this point he will find that it will cost him something to have God’s will done in his life. He is therefore directed by the Word of God to sit down and count the cost.

How much will it cost?

Possibly the friendship of the world, his friendly connection with the world will be broken; for they will want an easier course in life than he will have. They will say that he is too good, that he wants things too good and that he cannot get along that way. Presently they will cut loose from him because he is too good for them. His company will no longer be agreeable; for they are working along different lines. He may previously have been keeping company with some people who used immoral language. He will have to be free from them; for he wants to be in fellowship with the Lord. This does not mean, of course, that he will not speak with them or do business with them; but it means that he will not want them for his companions; neither will they wish his companionship.

The washing process (which began at the Laver) will thus be going on; and as it proceeds in his mind and heart, as well as in his conduct, he will by and by come to say, “At any cost I would like to be the Lord’s. I understand that He has some great favor and privileges or blessings for those who become entirely His. I know enough to know that I would like to be on the Lord’s side and stand for the things that are lovely, good and true.”

The thing for him then to do will be for him to tie himself up to the gate post. It is necessary for him to restrain himself, to give up his own liberty. He may say that this is a pretty hard undertaking. Yes, but it is necessary to give up the liberty of his will and to say, “Hereafter, nothing but the Lord’s will for me. I agree that God’s will shall be first with me henceforth.” Do you say, “I have concluded that I will do it?” Then tie yourself up, making a covenant with God. Give yourself wholly to God, and like the Lord, say, “Hereafter, not my will, but Thine be done.” When you do this, you have tied yourself up at the door of the Tabernacle.” (1916 B.S.C.R. Page 766, Question number 9)

“Present your bodies” is the injunction which comes to us now (Rom 12:1). When we have done that, we have done everything in our power to do. There is nothing more we can possibly do after that presentation of our bodies as Sacrifices in that sense. But we are not justified by that action. Nothing of ourselves can justify us for our justification is not of works. “It is God that justifies.” And there is only one way, namely, that way through HIM who is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. He must be our Advocate. When we present ourselves at the Door of the Tabernacle, and say: “Here, Lord, I give myself,” then is the time for God to put into operation the gracious arrangement He has made previously, and there and then the High Priest becomes our Advocate. When He applies His Merit, the sacrifice is accepted. That moment we are justified, and then, as a consequence, the Heavenly Father receives us through the Holy Spirit and we are begotten of that Holy Spirit as New Creatures.” (Q310)

“We are now acceptable to the Father and this was represented as accomplished when the High Priest comes out of the Tabernacle and lays His hand upon the goat and kills the goat. By laying His hand upon the goat He signifies that He has accepted it as a sacrifice, as a part of His sacrifice. That means He has imputed to us His merit, for He would not begin to offer except by imputing the merit. The laying of His hand would represent the imputing of His merit and the killing the acceptance of our consecration.

All this is before we enter in at all and before we receive the new nature, but the moment He does that He receives us as members of His body that we may be counted in with Him and pass with Him into the first place, the Holy, and there, the Apostle says, we sit together with Christ in the Heavenlies. We have already entered into the Holy, and there privileged to enjoy the light of the golden candlestick, the privileges of prayer, as represented by the golden altar, and spiritual feasting, as represented by the tables of shew-bread. After we have done all our part in coming to the Lord, accepting the sacrifice at the altar and coming to the laver and doing what we could to wash away the filth of the flesh and purifying ourselves, then we have come here up to the door and tied ourselves here and made a consecration, presented ourselves, as the Apostle says, “Present your bodies a living sacrifice,” but we do not do our own killing; we do not do the sacrificing ourselves; He does the sacrificing. It is not everybody who offers sacrifices and we were not priests; we were merely represented by the goat; the goat could not sacrifice itself; it is the High Priest who sacrificed the goat, and so we are accepted of the Father in the beloved for He is the Father’s agent in all dealings with the Church.” (Q408)

Note: You did not become a priest apart from the Lord, nor were you a priest when you presented yourself as a sacrifice at the door of the tabernacle, it was only after you were accepted in the beloved, joined to Christ that you passed “with him” or better yet “in him” as a priest into the holy.

“When we have escaped the condemnation which rests upon the world typified by our entering the courtyard through faith in Christ and are now seeking to do God’s will, we find in His Holy Word that we have obtained our reprieve from this condemnation for a special purpose, and if we do not use it for this purpose we will have received this special grace of God (tentative justification) in vain.

What is this special purpose for which we receive the grace of justification?

Let us see in the 9th Chapter of Luke what Jesus says with regard to it. In the 22nd verse He explains to His disciples that He is about to suffer: “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” And then in the next two verses He adds: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me; for whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for my sake the same shall save it.”

In other words, we are justified, that is, we are reprieved from the sentence of condemnation, which still rests upon the world and are passed from death unto life, only for the special purpose of doing what Jesus did, laying down our lives as He did.

That is what the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:1: “I beseech you therefore, brethren”–you who are of the household of faith (the tentatively justified)–“by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Could that have been said to the world?

No, for one who has not been justified, and is not therefore at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ cannot present his body a living sacrifice, for the simple reason that he has no life of his own to give; it has been forfeited at the hands of justice. He is dead in Adam.

When we follow Christ’s example, we are reckoned in as members of His body. Remember how Paul presents the matter in the 12th Chapter of First Corinthians: Jesus is the “head,” and we, the Church, the followers of Christ, are His “body” and members in particular. All who are members of Christ’s body are also sharers of the sufferings and death of Christ. In Chapter 6 of Romans, the 3rd verse, Paul says: “Know you not, that so many of (the household of faith, the tentatively justified) as were baptized (immersed) into Jesus Christ (becoming members of his body), where baptized (immersed) into his death?” (Faith’s Foundations, Page 132)

The When

“We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God (tentative justification) in vain.

For He says:

“In an acceptable time I have heard you (heard your heart’s desire to draw close to me), and in (a) day of salvation (the day of the Church’s salvation, the special salvation, the “high calling in Christ Jesus” Phil 3:14) I have helped you (by providing you with a special covering if you would avail yourself of it, a “robe of righteousness”).”

Behold, now (during the Gospel Age) is (a) accepted (or receivable) time (the antitypical atonement day, the time to present one’s self in sacrifice, Rom 12:1; 1 Pet 2:5); behold, now is (a) day of salvation.” (2 Cor 6:1, 2)

For those familiar with “The Two Salvations” the distinction here being made should be abundantly clear.

So then in answer to our questions,

Where does actual justification take place?

At the door of the Tabernacle, following a full surrender and consecration of one’s self.

Why does it matter?

Because to fully justify anyone before they had reached this point, having gone through the various steps of tentative justification, having fully counted the cost would serve no purpose, they would only be justified “made right” as human beings, and this for but a brief moment of time only to lose this justification through sin shortly thereafter and thus be eternally lost having used up their one and only opportunity of salvation. For such it would be better to wait until the Mediatorial reign where assistance will be given in overcoming sin and the individual will not have to stand before God until the end of the thousand years.

Who and who is not permitted to enter the Tabernacle?

Only the Priests those who have entered into covenant relationship with the Father through sacrifice (Psa 50:5) are permitted entry, the Levites typifying those believers who have yet to fully consecrate themselves are still human, and thus are not permitted entry into the heavenly or spiritual realms typified by the “Holy” and “Most Holy” only accessible to the spirit begotten.

What are the requirements for becoming a priest?

A full consecration and the sacrifice of all human life rights now and forever.

How is all this accomplished?

As stated the individual ties himself to the door of the Tabernacle in a full surrender and consecration to the Lord. At this point the individual has done all that he can do now it’s up to the Lord to step in and to impute his righteousness upon the individual and become his Advocate before the Father.

When should this take place, when is the acceptable time?

Now is the acceptable time, now during the Gospel age is the only time in which joint sacrificing with our Lord will be acceptable, now is the only time that will ever be given to any to experience a change of one nature to another, from the human to the spirit.

In our next post we will take a look at the tabernacle itself and see how all this is typified in its construction and layout.