The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. (Galatians 3:25 NIV)
Sometimes revelation will bring to us the fact
that things have been but tentative, provisional.... As Paul
puts it: "a schoolmaster," to bring us to Christ, to lead us to Christ. The
test for Saul of Tarsus is as to whether he will adjust to the light of the fact
that, while he has been right, up to a point, that was only intended to lead him
to something else. The Lord, in His sovereignty, allows us to come
into something which is only tentative, but not in His final and full thought. That should lead us to a certain point, and at that given point something
else is coming in. At that point a revelation will be given us which will make
us say, "Well, that has served its purpose, but it has come to an end now, unto
the greater fullness." It depends upon whether we cling to the thing that we say
the Lord led us to and make it the final thing, when the Lord only meant that to
lead us to another thing. So often in looking back upon a thing that has
been used of God, and perhaps blessed of God, people say, "Well, if that is the
case then we should cling to that way, should stay with that, or in that." Not
necessarily. For Paul the challenge was whether now, with the fuller revelation
in the light of which he saw that this first thing while not wrong was only
provisional, he was prepared to leave that and come on into the fullness and adjust
to the fuller revelation.
In all these connections you see that it is a matter
of obedience to the heavenly vision, because this obedience to the heavenly
vision is marked by cost. There is a price attached. In every case mentioned we
see there was a cost. It meant that a price had to be paid, or, in other words,
it meant that difficulties had to be faced. There would be a great deal of
misunderstanding, a great deal of having to go on alone. Others who had not seen
would not be able to follow on. There would be loneliness, misunderstanding, and
in many other ways difficulties would arise in relation to obedience to the
heavenly vision.