Brethren Archive

Jewish Bondage and Christian Freedom; or, Jewish and Christian Worship Contrasted

by J.L. Harris




Comments:
C Gribben said ...
My copy of this book was published by Bible Truth Publishers, its title page indicating that it has been 'slightly abridged'. It has the same pagination as the Morrish edition above, but the last chapter ends with the paragraph break on p. 137.

What was it in the last 5 or 6 pages that warranted their deletion, and who did the deleting?
Sunday, Apr 27, 2025 : 22:14
Syd said ...
Yes, exactly, and why? You can buy it from BTP or download it, but you lose the last six pages.

Now it is in those last six pages that J.L. Harris expounds very capably on the hope and faith of the believer in Christ concerning His work for us in the Sanctuary where He is as our Great High Priest; and the character of our worship that He leads us into now before we are manifested in glory.
Monday, Apr 28, 2025 : 01:43
Nick Fleet said ...

I can only surmise some possible objections:

1) it is said that Christ "is preparing a place for us" (p.139)

2) "we are sons only in hope" (p.140)

If these last pages had been penned by another they might possibly have been dismissed or refused as 'Ravenism'.

Monday, Apr 28, 2025 : 16:11
Syd said ...

The Lord Jesus Christ saidIn my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2, 3).

He is preparing a place for His own.

J.L.H. writes on p. 140, probably recalling the words of the apostle John (Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” 1 Jn 3:2)—“but then Jesus is on high for us, and we only await His coming forth to be manifested in all that which we profess already to have received. Then we shall have, not only the spirit of adoption, but the adoption itself standing in our own proper place as sons, even in fully manifested heavenly glory.”

Monday, Apr 28, 2025 : 23:29
Nick Fleet said ...

I don't have any issue with what JLH has written, only surmising what others may query.

It is very often said that Christ has now prepared a place for us by going there as Man.

John has written that "now are we sons of God".

Tuesday, Apr 29, 2025 : 01:57
Mark Best said ...

Syd and Nick. 

You both seem to be quoting the KJV here which frequently confuses tekna - children - and huioi - sons. 

It has 'children' in Galatians where it should be 'sons' and here in 1 John 3 has 'sons' when it should be 'children'. In 1 John 3 verse 2 the word is 'tekna' - the phrase being 'tekna theou' - i.e.'children of God'. 

Darby has 'Beloved, now are we children of God ...' (1 Jn 3.2 JND). This should remove the confusion. 

Mark 

Tuesday, Apr 29, 2025 : 14:52
Syd said ...

Thanks Mark; thankfully, whether we regard ourselves as “sons of God” or “children of God” in the context where it’s stated, we’ll be manifested in glory and see Christ.

But for interest sake, I’ve never regarded it a simple matter of υἱός huios always being translated “son” and τέκνον teknon always “children.” I do believe that the KJV translators carefully considered this (they weren't confused), and a study of the context of every use of both words is most informative. But this is not the occasion for a study.

Tuesday, Apr 29, 2025 : 23:19
Mark Best said ...

Syd 

I did not know there was a function on this website to use the Greek alphabet. I find my skills at transliterating across to the English alphabet a chore and forgot the rough breathing for 'huios'

I think it is important to distinguish between 'teknon' and 'huios'. Mr Darby in his translation seems to keep to 'tekna' as 'children' as in John's writings and 'huioi' as 'sons' in Galatians since sonship is important there in terms of inheritance. 

But be that as it may. 

Mark

Wednesday, Apr 30, 2025 : 15:58
C Gribben said ...
And yet curiously the JND translation of Romans 8 uses the present tense for "sons" (v 14) and "children" (v. 16), and connects the inheritance to our status as "children" (v. 17), not "sons."

I ask in all innocence, not knowing very much at all about the post-late-19th century material: is it possible that brethren in the past who thought about "sons" and "children" might have been making a distinction without a difference?
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2025 : 16:10
Nick Fleet said ...
I can't answer for brethren of the past but I always remember what a brother from Switzerland, Max Billiter, said many years ago. Speaking of when he had been away somewhere ministering the word, on his return his children would clamour for his attention saying "my brother pushed me" or "what did you bring us?" etc. When they were older, however, they might ask "how was your trip?", "how is it with the brethren at XX?" etc. He said, then I knew they were my sons, not just my children. Of course, we are always both but it helped me in seeing the distinction.
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2025 : 16:38
adelphos said ...
e. g. JND on Romans 8:17:

"Our position is that of sons, our proper relationship that of children. The word son is in contrast with the position under the law, which was that of servants; it is the state of privilege in its widest extent. To say the child of such an one, implies the intimacy and the reality of the relationship. Now there are two things which the apostle lays open—the position of child and its consequences, and the condition of the creature in connection with which the child is found. This gives occasion for two operations of the Spirit—the communication of the assurance of being children with all its glorious consequences; and His work of sympathy and grace in connection with the sorrows and infirmities in which the child is found here below."

Darby, J. N. (2008). Synopsis of the books of the Bible: Acts to Philippians. (pp. 187–188). Logos Bible Software.
Wednesday, Apr 30, 2025 : 18:07
Syd said ...

In the KJV, teknon is translated as “sons,” “daughters” and “children”—etymology is one thing, but context, meaning, interpretation and instruction is another. Why it should be “daughters” and not “children” in 1 Pet 3:6 for example, is not a mystery when reading the first seven verses of the chapter—wives .... holy women....daughters!

C Gribben takes us to Rom 8; most interesting. Paul uses the phrase “sons of God” (huios) twice and “children of God” (teknon) twice, and it should be clear why. John in his epistles only uses teknon, but in the KJV we have the translation “sons of God” twice and “children of God” twice; the context demands it!

There is a lot of merit in the quote of Darby above.

Thursday, May 1, 2025 : 02:49


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