Christ’s Nearness Applied

D. Scott Meadows

4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. 5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand (Phil 4.4-5).

The bulk of the Bible teaches us two things: what to believe and what to do, how to think and how to live, our faith and our practice, our credenda and our agenda, doctrines to be defended and duties to be done. This is well stated in the Baptist Catechism of 1693:

Q. 6. What things are chiefly contained in the Holy Scripture? A. The Holy Scriptures chiefly contain what man ought to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man. ..

Further, righteous virtues grow from revealed verities. As Puritan William Ames famously taught, “Theology is living unto God.” We need orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Righteousness without knowing God is impossible. Right belief without godliness is fatally incomplete. This relationship of doctrine and practice pervades the whole Bible.

Our devotional text today illustrates it beautifully. Paul exhorts believers in two specifics and reminds us of a related truth about Jesus Christ. Let us consider the doctrinal declaration first, and then the two practical exhortations.

Because Christ is near, rejoice always and treat others gently.

DECLARATION: HE IS NEAR

“The Lord is at hand.” “The Lord,” in this context, as typical in the New Testament, refers particularly to our Lord Jesus Christ. As our Savior and Lord, He is to be the center of all our thinking and living. He has reconciled us and made us alive to God. He has also provided the great example and calls us to walk in His steps. We live in Him and aim to please Him. No Christianity without Christ!

“At hand” is an English idiom meaning “within reach, near, approaching” (Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary). The Greek term used here could also be translated, “near.” Christ is near, Paul reminds us, most likely alluding to the nearness of His return from heaven one day. William Hendricksen takes it this way and explains that if Christ returns before I die, this will be near indeed. But even if His coming is delayed for centuries, I will shortly go to be with Him. Everyone in heaven is “geared to a different kind of time scale,” for Christ says to the martyrs that the rest of this age is but “a little season” (Rev 6.11; NTC).

How helpful it would be for us to recall every waking hour that Christ is near and we shall shortly be with Him in His glory! His true nearness to us has many wholesome implications for us. Paul cites two.

EXHORTATION 1: BE GLAD CONSTANTLY

“Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” To rejoice means to be glad. It is given in a form that connotes either a command or a plea. It is describing a righteous way to feel, properly-ordered emotions upon the basis of objective spiritual truth. The repetition is emphatic, stressing its importance. “Alway” means at all times. The Christian really should be glad constantly.

But how can we be glad constantly when there are so many reasons and occasions for grief? The evil world persecuting the church, our putrid remaining sin, the devil maliciously prowling for human souls, crimes, wars, corruption, sickness, suffering, and death—all these pervade our experiences. We cannot rejoice in these miserable things for their own sake, nor should we. Nevertheless, we can still rejoice “in the Lord.” The Christ who is near Himself is our joy and the fount of it in our hearts. Terminally ill, Henry Lyte wrote the hymn, “Abide with Me,” and said,

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness
Where is death’s sting?
Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

EXHORTATION 2: BE GENTLE CONSPICUOUSLY

The second practical exhortation Paul links to the nearness of Christ concerns our disposition in dealing with others. “Let your moderation be known unto all men.” The old sense of moderation in view here is likely what we might call forbearance. A noted Anglican preacher of 300 years ago said, “A zeal in things pertaining to God, according to knowledge, and yet duly tempered with candor and prudence, is the true notion of that much talked of, much misunderstood virtue, moderation” (Francis Atterbury, 1662-1732). The original Greek word is described, “pertaining to being gracious and forbearing [or] gentle” (LN 88.63). In Scripture it is contrasted with speaking evil of people and being quarrelsome, and related to showing meekness toward everyone (Titus 3.2). This virtue should be so habitual and conspicuous with us that everyone who knows us notices it about us.

Again, such principled gentleness is required and inspired by the nearness of Christ. The Jesus we adore is “meek and lowly in heart” (Matt 11.29). A contentious, cantankerous, easily annoyed person is not imitating Christ or ready for His return. As Christ occupies our thoughts and stirs our affections, His spirit will sweeten our interactions with others.

These joyful feelings and loving dealings are the fruits of Christ’s nearness applied in real life. God help us apply His nearness to us for the sake of His glory, our growth, and others’ good. Ω