"Called unto the fellowship of Christ, seems to mean, called unto a community of interest and of destiny with Christ. One Spirit is to be common to the believer and Christ; to each there is one life of humiliation, one eternity of glory; to each the hatred of the world. Christ's peace and joy are the believer's; the same love of the Father is given to each; there is to each a resurrection and ascension.
But he that is called to a part is called to the whole. If we suffer with him, we shall reign with him; not otherwise."
— George Bowen (1816–1888) · The White Sadhu of Bombay✦ Called to the Part, Called to the Whole
Fellowship is not friendship in the casual sense. It is shared interest and shared destiny. One Spirit. One humiliation. One glory. The calling is not to a piece of Christ's life — the comfortable piece, the glory piece. He that is called to a part is called to the whole. Suffering and reigning are not separate packages. They are one.
"Is it thought that God is not faithful, and that after enduring countless humiliations for the name of Christ, the reward will be withheld?
But God is not only faithful, he is faithfulness itself; he must cease to be himself before he can be unfaithful. Faithfulness in God is simply acting in accordance with his own character, simply having his own way.
But God is a rock; and a strange spectacle it would indeed be, if he should vacillate and be thrown from his native steadfastness."
— George Bowen (1816–1888)"God is not only faithful, He is faithfulness itself; He must cease to be Himself before He can be unfaithful."
— George Bowen · A rock does not choose to be steady. Steadiness is its nature."He knew our nature perfectly before he took that nature in hand to redeem it. He cannot be taken by surprise at any developments in us. It was not because he believed us somewhat corrupt, that he undertook our redemption; he knew us to be what we are only gradually discovering ourselves to be, utterly corrupt.
Heaven and earth then may pass away, but He will remain faithful to his own declared purpose, and present us to the scrutiny of the universe, holy, unblemished, unblameable."
— George Bowen (1816–1888)✦ No Surprise, No Revision
He is not discovering our weakness as we discover it. He is not recalculating as the pressure reveals what was hidden. He knew. Before He undertook the redemption, He knew exactly what He was redeeming. And He undertook it anyway. No surprise. No revision. No second thoughts. The end of the story — holy, unblemished, unblameable — was written before the furnace began.
"This morning I had a strong personal revelation of the Holy Spirit: the rain falls on the just and the unjust. God is faithful to us — so quick winning! Tired of self-pity and complaining."
"A devoted person to God can quickly think how great I am and I don't deserve to be pressured, I deserve special treatment."
✦ The Rain Falls on the Just and the Unjust
Matthew 5:45. The devoted soul's most dangerous temptation is not doubt. It is entitlement. I have suffered enough. I deserve exemption. I am special. And the Holy Spirit this morning cut clean through it: the rain falls on everyone. God's faithfulness is not a shield from the common experience. It is presence inside the common experience.
Bowen said it: He knew our nature perfectly. The self-pity is not a surprise to Him. The complaining is not a surprise. And the revelation that exposed it — quick, clean, surgical — that is Isaiah 48:17 from the first week. The surgeon, not the assassin. Cutting to heal.
The 500 denari soul does not claim special treatment. She claims special debt — and the special love that answered it. Not I am great. But I was forgiven much, and therefore I love much. The entitlement is the old nature. The gratitude is the new.
The Rock
God is not only faithful — He is faithfulness itself. A rock does not choose to be steady. It would be a strange spectacle if it should vacillate. He must cease to be Himself before He can be unfaithful.
Rain on the Just
Matthew 5:45. The rain falls on everyone. God's faithfulness is presence inside the common experience, not exemption from it. The devoted soul's temptation is entitlement. The Holy Spirit's answer is quick and clean.
No Surprise
He knew our nature before He took it in hand. He cannot be taken by surprise at any developments in us. The end was written before the furnace began: holy, unblemished, unblameable.