In all your conflicts, it never failed you. In all your injuries, it preserved your life even when your body failed because the kind of life it protects is similar to the battle in which it is engaged. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, and this armor never promised to keep your flesh and blood from failing. Instead, it guards your spiritual life, and that life is eternal. 

There is blood on your armor. It is bent, marred, and scarred with years of service, and your body is worn, tired, and giving way. Not too long ago, your armor was shiny and new. Still wet from the baptismal, you looked down the long and narrow path ahead of you, took your sword into your hand, and set out in service of your King. The vitality of youth and the excitement of future conquests drove you forward, but it did not take long to realize it was not exactly as you thought it would be, and your motivations faltered.
The strength of your youth began to fade long ago, and the battles did not go as planned. Often, you flinched as you failed to trust the armor when the fiery arrows flew toward you. The enemies you faced did not simply back down at your appearance. On the contrary, your peculiarity provoked them. Too often, you dropped your sword to blend in and avoid the battle. Other times you attempted to use weapons not sanctioned by your King. This misuse only exposed you further. Despite these failures, you felt your belt cinch up to secure your armor, and your sword always found its way back into your hand. You pressed on.
The external enemies were terrible enough, but what you did not expect were the internal ones, of which there were two types. Many attacks you faced did not come from without but from those appearing to wear similar armor as yours. These surprise attacks caught you off guard more than once, and the injuries were significant. It took time for the bones and bruises to mend. It even reopened some older wounds and knocked you off balance as you lost your footing. Your feet seemed unable to move forward, but suddenly they were equipped and prepared for the work, and you put one foot in front of the other.
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Written by Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley |
Friday, September 13, 2024
One of the most beautiful ways in which God’s Word describes the church is through vivid metaphors that illuminate the identity and corporate life of the church in union with Christ. Some of these metaphors, such as Christ’s bride and body, are so familiar to Christians that we often fail to think about the amazing implications that such images have for the church. Other metaphors are less well known but also are worthy of our attention and meditation.

There is a richness to the church that defies human comprehension. God draws from a treasury of terms to describe his magnum opus, including words related to the family (seed, sons, and brethren), the gathering of worshipers (assembly, congregation, and church), the identity of a distinct group (people and nation), the holiness of his people (saints and priests), the divine cause of their existence (the elect, called, and faithful), their submissive allegiance to Christ (disciples), and God’s great love for them (special treasure and inheritance).
One of the most beautiful ways in which God’s Word describes the church is through vivid metaphors that illuminate the identity and corporate life of the church in union with Christ. Some of these metaphors, such as Christ’s bride and body, are so familiar to Christians that we often fail to think about the amazing implications that such images have for the church. Other metaphors are less well known but also are worthy of our attention and meditation.
1. A Flock
One of the oldest metaphors for the church is the flock of God. A flock of sheep depends on a shepherd for guidance, provision, and protection. Jacob blessed Joseph in the name of “the God who has been my shepherd [ra‘ah] all my life long” (Gen. 48:15 ESV; cf. 49:24). The Lord is the “Shepherd of Israel,” who leads his people “like a flock.”1 Hence, David says, “The Lord is my shepherd” (Ps. 23:1). Israel also had human “shepherds,” sometimes translated as “pastors,” especially the kings from the house of David.2 When God’s people lack a qualified leader, they are “sheep” without a “shepherd.”3 The Lord brought David from tending his father’s sheep to “feed” (ra‘ah) or “shepherd” the people of God (Ps. 78:70–72). Hence, we see that the shepherd-flock metaphor is deeply rooted in God’s covenantal promises to the patriarchs, the nation of Israel, and David. This was another way of saying that he would be their God and they would be his people through his appointed king.
With the incarnation of the Lord, the flock of God becomes centered on Christ and defined by its dependence on him. Christ is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11–15). He is also “the door of the sheep,” through which they find salvation and life (John 10:1–10). Christ says he came for the “lost sheep” of Israel (Matt. 10:6; 15:24; cf. Jer. 50:6). His disciples are his “little flock,” to whom the Father gives the kingdom (Luke 12:32). His love for sinners is like that of a shepherd seeking lost sheep (Luke 15:4–7), and the church should seek people who go astray (Matt. 18:12–13). His death is not the end; he takes up his life again and calls his sheep from inside and outside Israel to make one flock (John 18:16–18).
2. A Garden, Vineyard, or Field
Agricultural metaphors, such as garden, vineyard, and field, communicate that the church flourishes by God’s blessing and must bear good fruit. Isaiah told a parable in which “the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,” and though God gave his vineyard every advantage, it produced oppression instead of the fruit of justice (Isa. 5:1–7).4 Christ tells his own parable of the vineyard, in which the tenants mistreat the owner’s servants and kill his son rather than render up the fruit they owe him (Matt. 21:33–41). Christ’s application is sobering: “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof” (Matt. 21:43). The identity of this fruitful “nation” is revealed in Christ’s parable of “the true vine,” in which he says, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:1, 5). Christ claims to embody the true Israel, in which no one can participate except by union and communion with him.5
The image of God’s people as a living, botanical organism shows us the unity of the church through the ages. The prophets spoke of Israel as an “olive tree” (Jer. 11:16; Hos. 14:6). Paul compares God’s people to an olive tree in which both “root” and “branches” are “holy” to God (Rom. 11:16). When some of Abraham’s physical offspring rejected Christ in unbelief, these “branches” were “broken off” by God, but he grafted new branches, Gentiles, into the same tree, warning them, too, that they would remain only by faith (Rom. 11:17–24). Though many Jews presently do not believe in Christ, God is able to graft them into the tree when they turn to the Lord in faith (Rom. 11:23). There is one tree, one people of God, rooted in the patriarchs and including all who believe in Christ alone for salvation.
Paul describes the church as a field cultivated by the ministry of the Word: “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase” (1 Cor. 3:6–7). Paul explains, “You are God’s field” (1 Cor. 3:9 ESV).6 The lesson is that preachers, like servants hired by a farmer, are responsible to work faithfully but only God can cause the church to grow by his grace.
3. A City, Jerusalem, or Zion
From the beginning of David’s monarchy, Jerusalem, also called the city of David or “Zion,”7 had a central place in God’s plan.8 Solomon built God’s house there according to the Lord’s covenant with David (2 Sam. 7:4–17), which itself was a partial fulfillment of God’s covenant with Israel (2 Sam. 7:23–27). In Scripture, the city can represent the whole people of God.9 For the prophets, Zion became the focal point of Israel’s hope, symbolizing the redeemed and faithful people of God who enjoy his presence and serve his purpose to influence the world.10
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Rev. Morrison was elected moderator of the Old School General Assembly during its meeting in Peoria, Illinois. He was a member of the Presbytery of Lodiana, one of three presbyteries of the Synod of Northern India. He encouraged the General Assembly to remember their mission work in India. It is often difficult for missionaries to be so far from home, family, and familiar culture, and the difficulty becomes deeply distressing if they feel forgotten.

John Hunter was born June 29, 1806 to James and Eleanor (Thompson) Morrison in Wallkill Township, New York. James’s grandfather Morrison had emigrated from Scotland. John’s early studies were accomplished in Bloomfield Academy, New Jersey. At twenty-two years of age he professed faith in Christ in the Presbyterian Church on Cedar Street in New York (currently, Fifth Avenue) during the ministry of Cyrus Mason. It was two more years before he attended the College of New Jersey (Princeton) graduating with the class of 1834. Called to the ministry, his theological studies were completed in Princeton at the seminary which granted his certificate of studies in 1837. The Presbytery of New York, Old School, licensed Morrison September 12, 1837, then the next day he married the daughter of E. D. Ward, Anna Maria, who was eight years younger.  Just a few weeks after licensure he was ordained on the first day of October. Events proceeded rapidly for the Morrisons because they were leaving for the foreign mission field in India, but first they joined other new missionaries for a public commissioning service in Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia. Dr. William W. Phillips of First Church, New York, and Dr. Henry R. Wilson spoke to the appointees encouraging them as they prepared for voyages to distant lands.
On October 14, the Morrisons left Philadelphia on a steamboat to Newcastle, Delaware, to set sail for India once the stormy weather cleared. They were on board the Edward which was under the command of Capt. J. H. Cheyney. It was the Sabbath so Rev. Morrison held a service on the deck with passengers and crew in attendance as he preached from Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.” Anna Maria described their accommodations on the Edward.
The stateroom admits one chair, and a small table, which answers the purpose also of a wash-stand, having a bowl fastened to it. Our berths are large, and by far more comfortable than I supposed they would be. And if we could have a little more air, we should sleep charmingly.
When the ship sailed for India October 16, the anticipated charming trip ended up a horrendous journey for Anna Maria. The one-hundred-seventy-day voyage to Calcutta was a nightmare of reoccurring bouts with sea sickness—one of which lasted two weeks. She also suffered a mysterious malady with symptoms that included a splitting headache and convulsions. The unidentified disease was diagnosed by one passenger claiming to have some medical knowledge as “congestion of the liver.” Late in the voyage, Anna Maria developed stomach pain to add to her discomfort. When the Edward arrived in Calcutta April 6, 1838, things were looking better because the Morrisons were in the country where they would serve the Lord, but despite the relative calm of port, Anna Maria’s headaches continued to be troublesome. A physician treated her by putting leaches and ice on her head. Added to the Morrisons’ difficulties was the news that cholera was raging in Calcutta. The sequence of events is not clear at this point, but it appears the Morrisons remained on the Edward in the bay waiting for transport to Allahabad, which is nearly 500 miles northwest of Calcutta. Anna Maria developed symptoms indicative of cholera then died April 27. So, John and Anna Maria had been married about seven months, on the move the whole time, and they did not reach their field of ministry in Allahabad together. To say the least, this is a sad story but not an uncommon one for western missionaries working in Asian climates.
John continued his journey to his field of ministry and worked faithfully throughout the years. He came to be known among the missionaries as “The Lion of the Punjab,” because of his tenacity and faithful preaching of the Bible. Though tough, he was also congenial, well loved, and greatly respected by the people of India as well as his colleagues. It did not take Morrison long to remarry because less than a year after Anna Maria’s death on February 20, 1839 he married at Allahabad Isabella Hay of Perthshire, Scotland. They had likely met in the missionary community. But after only four years Isabella died at Calcutta February 14, 1843. Then during a visit to the United States he married on June 1, 1846 a woman from England named Anna Williams.
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