Editor's Letters

by T. Austin-Sparks

November-December 1962

God's ways are always equal. That is, they are not ill-proportioned or unbalanced. "The City lies four-square". The dimensions of the love of God are - "length and breadth and height and depth". Not one dimension is either extended at the cost of another nor diminished to serve another. This is not always so with men; indeed, it is rarely so. Man so often gives primary importance to one of the dimensions. He sometimes sacrifices everything for breadth. This is the feature of Liberalism. It is also the snare of Universalism. There is a subtle paradox here. While - in one sense - God cannot be made bigger than He is, in another sense, He can be made so. When His grace is made to set aside His righteousness and His judgment that is the effect - to make Him untruly great. Sometimes the tendency or actuality is to make height the predominant dimension. The imposing, the impressive, the exalting, the tall and high, etc. is the only interest and concern of much that is associated with the work of God. Two of the dimensions are all too frequently not given their due and essential place, with disastrous consequences. This oversight or neglect results in much loss eventually, and a tremendous amount of effort to try to repair the damage. These dimensions are, length, and depth. Length being endurance, and depth being the substantial. These two are inseparable, endurance being the result of depth.

As we come to the last issue of this little paper in this year 1962, we may, perhaps, be allowed to remark that, while never meaning or thinking to overstress this one dimension, we are particularly concerned and burdened to restore it to its equal place. Depth does matter, dear friends, for the storms and adversities will find out the roots and the foundations. The ministry of spiritual depth is the least popular, and only a comparatively few will want it, but it is the ministry of the long-term.

In the final issue the one thing that will come to light will be, how deep did you go?

It needs little pointing out that God's dealings with His people are all in the direction of saving them from superficiality and shallowness, and making them able to "stand, withstand, and having done all, to stand".

May the features of substantiality, reliability, trustworthiness, and endurance be found in us as the winds of testing blow. Perhaps 1963 will make heavy demands upon these qualities.

EDITOR. (T. Austin-Sparks)