Type and Antitype

By Verne L. Middleton

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     "The Day of Atonement for the Jews was the highest form of solemn and consolatory lessons of the priestly service of the Levites." (B. F. Westcott) Both high priest and people had a responsibility in this, the former that of carrying the sacrifice into the sanctuary to offer an atonement for the sins of the people, while the latter waited, with anticipation for his return with assurance of forgiveness and acceptance.

     Our position as Christ's people is similar with one exception. We also have a high priest and a sacrifice that has entered into the heavenly sanctuary. Ours is a spiritual antitype of the earthly type of the Day of Atonement. If earthly and spiritual are opposite to each other and if Israel is the earthly type of Christ's people, to allow the church to become an earthly organization, is to forfeit the lesson God intended. To retain a proper concept we need to remember that Christ's church as a physical body is only an earthly demonstration of a very real spiritual existence. The exception mentioned is the final return of the high priest to the eager congregation. We await the return of our high priest that we might find a release from our sins and acceptance into the heavenly realm.

     This scene presents a relationship at once similar and contrasting, maintained by a responsibility placed on both earthly Israel and spiritual Christendom by divine command. Judaism is an external organization; Christendom an internal spiritual organism. Jerusalem is a material locality; the Christian congregation is a realm of love and truth. In Judaism is transient satisfaction for the soul; in Christ everlasting satisfaction and release for the soul.

     If Israel was maintained by earthly responsibility and discipline, Christianity as its antitype must be maintained by spiritual responsibility and discipline. This is the crux of the entire analogy. If the church, externally, is only a manifestation of a spiritual congregation, the appearance it presents to the world in this physical manifestation can only be whatever its spiritual condition dictates, not vice versa. Only as a Christian has spiritual love, spiritual forbearance, spiritual anticipation, and spiritual discipline, can he, as an external member of the church, demonstrate to the world that the congregation of Christ is anything other than just another physical, earthly organization. It is this type of spiritual growth we need to maintain if we are to be a divine demonstration to the world.

     We need to recognize that to be a Christian does not mean to believe in Christ and yet be bound by, or bind others to, an earthly legalistic type of worship demanded by a narrow Judaism, or whatever other name or form it might take. Under such rule, whether self-imposed or by coercion, we lack the true sense of fellowship that should be ours by divine prescription. When we realize that love is the most powerful force on earth, worship can no longer be of sense alone, but only as our true spiritual nature manifests itself through our senses. We need to look upon our fellow-Christians as brothers and sisters in a real spiritual sense instead of using these terms as affectionate titles placed upon those we deem close to us by their assent to our prejudices. We do not automatically love everyone from different parts of the world, such as those with different colored skin, different backgrounds, or different outlooks. We learn to love them as we grow into the full manhood of Christianity so we can properly discern the true value of these differences, and thus give considerate treatment to all of God's children.

     The Lord banded his body together "that his manifold wisdom might be shown," but only as we learn to maintain a proper relationship to Him and to our fellow members in the cause, will we ever make an effective demonstration to

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the world of that reason. Any one who maintains, either inwardly or outwardly, any animosity, ill-will, or even indifference toward any of Christ's people helps to further thwart His prayer for the unity of all believers by contributing to the growing dilemma of an unbelieving world. The great division among Christ's people is not one of congregation divided against congregation, but of individual divided against individual. We will never unite Christendom by congregations, but by individual growth. This is why we need a fuller, more realistic understanding of our relationship and responsibility to Christ and to His Body of which we are members.