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Name: Philip
Country: United States
State: Virginia
Interests: "The works of the LORD [are] great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." (Psalms 111:2)
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Member Since:
11/8/2005
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| This blog is moving to blogger, and being joined by a more politically-oriented blog. I'll be leaving this one up for a while (for archival purposes, at least).
"Better [is] the end of a thing than the beginning thereof..." (Ecclesiastes 7:8a) By the way, in looking up that scripture, I also found this one- which is worth thinking about in conjunction with it: "Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase." (Job 8:7)
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| Is questioning God evil? In the first chapter of Luke, we are
given the accounts of two people who questioned God, and what came of it for each of them.
The first is that of Zacharias, the priest: "But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is
heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt
call his name John.....And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the
presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these
glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day
that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my
words, which shall be fulfilled in their season." (Luke 1:13,18-20)
The second is that of Mary, the young virgin:
"And the angel said unto her, Fear
not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt
conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the
Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he
shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there
shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee:
therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be
called the Son of God." (Luke 1:30-35)
In both accounts the angel Gabriel was sent to inform someone of the birth
of a child under circumstances that would seem to be impossible.
Both people questioned God regarding the circumstances. But one was
disciplined; and the other was answered- indeed praised, as further scriptures in Luke 1 declare. What was the difference?
"And it came to pass, that, when
Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary,
the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy
Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art]
thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb. And whence
[is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo,
as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe
leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord." (Luke 1:41-45)
The difference was that Mary believed God; but Zacharias did not. "And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day
that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my
words, which shall be fulfilled in their season." (Luke 1:20)
Zacharias was questioning whether or not
what was told would happen: "Whereby shall I know this?", he
said. But Mary believed what was told her would happen; she was
simply questioning the angel as to how
it would happen: "How shall this be?", she said.
There is an
infinite difference between the two responses, even though on the
surface it may appear to only be a difference of semantics. But
God bore abundant witness of the difference between their hearts in His
eyes. Mary had accepted God's gift of faith that comes with His word, but Zacharias
had not. "But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that
cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of
them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)
God
was well-pleased with Mary, because she had believed. But Zacharias did
not accept God's word; it seemed too hard a thing. It seemed to
contradict reality! But did Mary blindly accept what Gabriel told
her? Was that what God expected of Zacharias? No- the concept of
blind faith is false. Faith is not blind; rather, it truly
sees. What, then, of the following famous verse? "(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)" (II Corinthians 5:7)
Consider the following passages: "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of
God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do
appear." (Hebrews 11:3) "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which
are not seen: for the things which are seen [are] temporal; but the
things which are not seen [are] eternal." (II Corinthians 4:18)
Faith is not blind; rather, faith looks at the things which are not seen,
and counts them greater than the things which are seen. Faith is
not
blind trust in God; rather, faith involves the admission that
though we are continually bombarded with information from the realm of
that which is seen, we in truth are
blind. Our own powers of reasoning are nothing; and God is reason enough for us to reckon what He says as true. All our own thoughts, all our own feelings, all our own education, all our own powers of observation, analysis, and deduction are nothing next to God. None of them can offer a reason to contradict the word of God! "Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong [reasons], saith the King of Jacob. Let them bring [them] forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them
shew the former things, what they [be], that we may consider them, and
know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye
[are] gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and
behold [it] together. Behold, ye [are] of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination [is he that] chooseth you." (Isaiah 41:21-24) "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered." (Proverbs 28:26)
Faith
therefore involves the confession
that we cannot judge anything after the seeing of our eyes or the
hearing of our ears. Faith says that we cannot judge the good or
evil in
anything ourselves, that we have no power to go out or come in, and that we are
completely incapable of standing on our own. How many of us will
admit so much, when it indeed seems blatantly false? Yet
Solomon, the most exalted earthly king of Israel- and indeed of all
time- began his reign with
just such a confession of powerlessness: "And now, O
LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of
David my father: and I [am but] a little child: I know not [how] to go
out or come in. And thy servant [is] in the midst of thy people which
thou hast chosen,
a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give
therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people,
that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this
thy so great a people?" (I Kings 3:7-9)
Solomon humbled himself as a little child in the eyes of God, and asked God for wisdom- and that pleased the LORD: "And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing." (I Kings 3:10)
Without faith it is impossible to please God; and Solomon pleased God with His request. Thus Solomon asked
in
faith. What was it that he actually did in faith,
though? He confessed his own powerlessness to judge
anything- to see anything on his own; and he sought God for the
remedy. God was pleased; and He gave Solomon a wise and understanding heart, to discern between good and evil. Solomon willingly died to his own mind and heart for the sake of God, and God gave Solomon of His mind and heart. For faith is not the death of reason; it is rather the only way to true reason, which is God's mind fulfilled within us. When we die to our own mind for the sake of Jesus, God gives us His mind- the mind of Christ- the unsearchable mind that fashioned the universe and all that is therein. "But we have the mind of Christ." (I Corinthians 2:16b)
Unlike Solomon, Zacharias thought he could see on his own; Zacharias
wanted to submit God's word to his own analysis to see if it could
stand up under his criteria. But the scriptures rebuke that error: "And
my speech and my preaching [was] not with enticing words of man's
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your
faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God." (I Corinthians 2:4-5)
It is clear that Faith involves the recognition and confession that we cannot see on our own, that only
God can see. True reason is in God's mind, and not in our own mind. It is not unreasonable to believe God, Who created and knows all things; rather, it is unreasonable to reject Him. Where were we when He created the earth, and stretched out the heavens? Only God has the authority and power to declare
what is true, and what is not true; that which we see in our own power is deceiving. As it is written, "For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou
mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou
art judged." (Romans 3:3-4)
Faith recognizes our own powerlessness to truly see or do anything; but does that powerlessness mean God can do nothing with
us? Like Solomon, Jeremiah also called himself a child to God; but unlike the case of Solomon, God contradicted Jeremiah: "Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest
forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a
prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I [am] a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I [am] a child: for thou shalt go
to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt
speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I [am] with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 1:4-8)
In fear Jeremiah considered himself incapable of doing something
God had ordained him to do; and God gently corrected him, showing Jeremiah that He was with him.
For recognizing that we are nothing outside God does not mean we
are to exalt our weaknesses as something God cannot solve; they do not
mean we are worthless, and can do nothing. Universal mediocrity
is no defense for rejecting faith! For
though without Jesus we can do nothing, through Him we can do all
things; that is God's word. Thus Paul rejoiced in
his weaknesses- not because he was reveling in mediocrity, but
because through his weaknesses God made him strong. "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when
I am weak, then am I strong." (II Corinthians 12:10)
Magnifying our weaknesses
against God's word is therefore just as
much a mistake as exalting our strengths against Him. For the point of
recognizing we are nothing outside God is to recognize God as the
authority on everything; and He says that through Him we can do
all
things, and that He has given us Himself. Perhaps it is hardest to believe God when He tells us what we are in His sight!
Moses, though he walked in faith, also made the mistake of exalting
his weaknesses against God's word- over a similar issue as did
Jeremiah: "And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I [am] not eloquent, neither
heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I [am]
slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth?
or who maketh
the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what
thou shalt say. And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand
[of him whom] thou wilt send. And the anger of the LORD was kindled
against Moses," (Exodus 4:10-14a)
Moses did not believe God on that matter. Though he was the
meekest man
on the face of the earth, he yet had enough pride to say his slow
tongue was greater than God's power. And he asked God to solve
the difficulty through some other method than the way that God had
already promised!
That questioning of God's
power did not please God; but God in His longsuffering did answer
the request of
Moses through Aaron, who could indeed speak well naturally.
That
account of Moses is both a warning and an encouragement. We are never
too
old in the LORD to be past questioning God's power, but conversely
making that mistake
does not mean we are failures. Look at the mighty deeds that God worked through Moses! For recognizing our mistakes is not
a call to continue to exalt our faults over God, through tearing ourselves down. Rather, in such times we should
remember to count Him as greater than our faults, to count what He says we are in His eyes as true. Though he questioned God's power, Zacharias was forgiven; and indeed, through him was given a beautiful prophecy of the Messiah.
While Zacharias had not believed initially, Mary from the first had magnified the LORD in her heart;
she was strong in faith, giving glory to God. "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." (Luke 1:46-47)
Nevertheless, Mary still asked how such a miracle as the virgin birth
would happen; and therein is seen the good kind of question for God- the kind that
little children frequently ask of their parents! (Why is the
grass green, Daddy? Why? :o)
God loves to answer such questions from His
children- not the kind
that question His power or the rightness of His works, but the kind
that reckon what He says as true, and look ever deeper to question how things
work and why. For those questions come from a desire to see
and understand still more of the deep things of God, and they come from a heart that has magnified the LORD above itself. Living faith involves asking God many such questions,
as a
little child; and God welcomes them! For when we ask and receive in faith, we will find that God is giving us Himself.
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jeremiah 33:3) "Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God." (Deuteronomy 32:3) "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:24)
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| Not long ago Dad and I attended two organ recitals, both of which were instructive for various reasons. In the first, we found front-row seats where I was able to get an excellent view of the organist's feet and hands- which was quite spectacular! He played one of my favorite scores (and played it well!)- Bach's Fantasia and Fugue in C-Minor; and he spent some time describing various things about the piece (and Bach's music in general)- including how Bach liked to hide things representing the cross and the Trinity in his music. The organist also contrasted the heavy minor overtones of the entire piece with the intricate and triumphantly-upward chromatic passage in the fugue; and a word he used to describe that passage was resurrection- which seemed quite appropriate!
He also played a fugue I had never heard, by Joseph Jongen. It was the composer's final piece- his last work before his death; and the organist marveled at the jubilant nature of the piece- for it was a jig. According to the organist, Jongen struggled with depression throughout his life, and felt as if he never received the recognition he deserved- though people he had worked with became quite famous. Thus a jubilant fugue in jig-time would seem especially unusual as a final work by such a composer before his death!
It was a very good piece- and a conviction grew in me as I listened. Though Jongen had for much of his life looked for fulfillment in the wrong places- in fame at the very least- it seemed that his final work told the story of God finding him at last, after seeking him all his life. And so that would be why Jongen's final song was full of joy. It is interesting that Jongen never published the piece; it was discovered after his death. Perhaps, finally seeing that his pursuit of recognition had been vain, the unpublished piece was a final offering by Jongen to God- a little something to celebrate for just them both. And perhaps I'm reading too much into it- but I get the distinct impression there is a story like that there; and God knows. :o)
The second recital was by an organist who is evidently very well-known. He was extremely impressive technically- he was as lightning on the keys and pedals. The first organist was good, but not perfect; and he used sheet music. The second was well-nigh perfect technically, and he had memorized every selection he played. Yet, in the end, I much preferred the first. For the second organist, while he was extraordinarily masterful, clearly thought of Bach as nothing more than a technical challenge- to be played as quickly as possible. The great and intricate order of Bach's works, designed to glorify God, meant nothing more to him. He simply played them, and spoke nothing about them. Yet he exuberantly praised another composer's work, and clearly enjoyed playing it; but the piece was sheer nothingness at heart. It was a cacophony of disorder, an expression of vanity, a declaration of human nature.
To play the organ, that organist had great power; but to declare the glory of God, he had no power. And as the king said, "Then I saw, [and] considered [it] well: I looked upon [it, and] received instruction." (Proverbs 24:32)
In considering these things, it was plain that in learning the secrets of music, learning to declare God's glory is everything. I could become a perfect organist technically, and yet have nothing. "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [her cunning]." (Psalm 135:7)
Thus has been made evident to me the principle that remembering God while I play is what matters- not whether or not I know or remember how to play. God can handle that; for as it is written, "But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Luke 12:31)
In the midst of these things and the thoughts concerning them God gave me something else- a dream, in which I was playing the organ. The song was one of my favorite Bach pieces (the Great Fantasia in G-Minor); and in my dream I played the entire piece, with God's glory and power filling the music. He was there with me as I was playing, and that was incredibly wonderful!
The dream was an instruction to seek God's everlasting glory, and not my own vain human glory; for He has given me a gift unspeakable- He has given me His glory to declare, as Jesus desired: "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:" (John 17:22)
Thus I ought to seek His glory in music, and not technical mastery; for God will give us everything we need to declare the highness and power and mystery of His glory- the glory He has given us! Thus in truth the dream was also a promise; for in due season, I will declare His glory so- and I know that I will do so for ever.
"Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever." (Psalms 30:11-12)
| | |
| (Part I - Introduction)
"Moreover he said, I [am] the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was
afraid to look upon God." (Exodus 3:6)
Though God beseeches us to look upon His face- as a gentle Father to
His children- the natural response is to be afraid to look upon God, as Moses was.
Indeed, the first specific mention of the face- the presence, the paniym- of God is in regards to hiding from it: "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence
of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden." (Genesis 3:8)
Adam and Eve hid from the presence of God because of the shame of
their sin. The fear of looking upon God- of seeking His presence-
comes through the shame of our sin nature, from fear of what
we will find in His face- displeasure, disfavour, disapproval, or worse. "And the LORD God called unto Adam,
and said unto him, Where [art] thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in
the garden, and I was afraid, because I [was] naked; and I hid myself." (Genesis 3:9-10) "And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee,
my God: for our iniquities are increased over [our] head, and our
trespass is grown up unto the heavens." (Ezra 9:6)
Instead of seeking God's presence when we hear the voice of the
LORD God calling, the natural response is to remember our sin, and hide
ourselves from the presence of God- as did Adam and Eve. But if we do look
in our
hearts unto the face of God-
as Ezra did despite the shame he felt- we will find what Jacob
describes here, speaking to his brother Esau: "And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy
sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen
thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased
with me." (Genesis 33:10)
God, of a truth, sees Christians as righteous through the righteousness imputed unto us by
Jesus. If we look unto His face, we need not fear what we will find there; for we are without fault before the throne of God.
That foundational principle of grace is revealed in the testimony of Noah:
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. These [are] the
generations of Noah: Noah was a just man [and] perfect in his
generations, [and] Noah walked with God." (Genesis 6:8-9) "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark;
for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation." (Genesis 7:1) "By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved
with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he
condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by
faith." (Hebrews 11:7)
Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD;
Noah found grace in the face- in the presence- of God. Indeed, the Hebrew
word translated before in verse 7:1 is the same word translated as face and presence- paniym.
God saw Noah as righteous before Him- righteous in His presence.
Thus through the workings of faith and grace, God had given Noah the
right
to always be in His presence; and Noah walked therein.
Grace is our birthright as a new creature in Christ; and God is our inheritance. For God has given Himself to us through Jesus; and through that gift unspeakable, we have been made new creatures. We have been made partakers of the Divine nature, the nature of God; and thus we belong in His presence. Old things are passed away, and all things are become new (II Corinthians 5:17). Therefore if the new is the Divine nature, we are no longer partakers of human nature! We are not human any more- that is the old nature, which has passed away in the eyes of God.
That may sound quite unusual, yet it is a crucial principle. For unless we believe we are partakers of the Divine nature- and thus no longer partakers of our old human nature- we will judge ourselves unworthy of the presence of God. Peter reveals that succinctly here: "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that
[pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that
hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that
by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make [you that ye
shall] neither [be] barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." (II Peter 1:2-9)
There is much more than this in that passage- yet here is a summation. Through grace, God has given us the promise of His nature- through which, if we believe the promise that we now are partakers of the Divine nature, we will grow and abound. But if we forget that we are now our new Divine nature and thus no longer a partaker of our old human nature, we will find our life a barren one in the knowledge of Jesus; we will not be walking in His presence.
Thus that principle is extremely crucial! It is the foundation on which all else is built; for as can be seen in that passage from Peter, all other things pertaining to godliness are added to faith in the promise of being a new creature through Jesus.
Yet one might say, "Hey! I'm a Christian- and I still sin. But that's all right- nobody's perfect; we're only human after all. You can't expect us to be perfect!"
Yes, we still sin. But while we may do it, it is not what we are. Saying "we're all human, nobody's perfect" is an excuse for walking in the old human nature; for neither statement is true. We are now partakers of the Divine nature, and thus we are perfect in the eyes of God. What? We cannot live up to perfection in our human nature- to be sure!
Yet the perfection of the Divine nature is not an expectation foisted upon our human nature. Rather, it is a promise; and the only way to escape sin is through believing we are already perfect in the eyes of God. Perfection is not something we have to live up to on our own; rather, we are called to believe it is what we already are through Jesus. As it is written in a famous passage concerning faith, "before him whom he believed, [even] God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were." (Romans 4:17)
God calls those things which do not seem to be so as if they were already done; and God calls us righteous and perfect, though it does not seem to be so. As it is written, "He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness
in Israel: the LORD his God [is] with him, and the shout of a king [is]
among them." (Numbers 23:21)
Though we may sin, we as Christians are not sinners; though we make mistakes, we are still righteous in the eyes of God. We will never be sinners again. Sinning is called "opposing ourselves" in scripture; sin is thus the act of not being what we truly are. Our old human nature is a mask covering our new Divine nature; sin itself is a veil over our faces.
God's Love does not accept our sin nature as what we are, it destroys and replaces it. His Love does not see us as sinners, it sees us as His forgiveness has made us- without fault before His throne. Love never accepts sins as what we are; it covers them through the gift of God. It never accepts human nature as good enough for us; it gives us the gift of God- the gift of the Divine nature- in the place of human nature, and thus swallows up death in victory. The nature of agape Love is to give all of itself to others, and that is what God has done with us. He has given us all of Himself- and that is what we truly are through grace. As Paul said, "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which [was
bestowed] upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than
they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (I Corinthians 15:10)
Paul says, "yet not I". Do we lose ourselves through losing our human nature? Yes and no! "He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 10:39)
Herein lies a mystery. The Greek word translated life in the above passage is psuche- which is more commonly translated as soul in the New Testament; and psuche is more commonly known to us as psyche.
The principle of losing ourselves therefore involves everything within our souls, not simply our physical lives. We are called to
give up what will seem the very fabric of our personality; we are called to lose
our psyche for the sake of Jesus, day by day. Naturally we are afraid to die- to lose ourselves, to lose our identity! It feels as if we lose things we want and desire- even good things, fun things, good times. But looking unto the face of God requires that we die, as it is written: "And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live." (Exodus 33:20)
Looking unto the face of God is something human nature cannot do- it must die. And yet God beseeches us to do so- for human nature is emptiness; there is nothing in it. It is a great lie- it was never us in the first place; it is us negated. It appears to be a great deal on the surface- it puffs itself up, it looks big. It fashions great things, it builds great cities, and says in its heart like Babylon, "I am, and there is none else beside me". (Isaiah 47:8) Many study human nature- innumerable books have been written about it; but there is nothing there- it is vanity, and confusion. "All nations before him [are] as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity." (Isaiah 40:17) "The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they [are] vanity." (Psalm 94:11)
In God's presence, in God's sight, human nature appears as it truly is- dead, without form and void, a stone of emptiness. But in our own sight, our old human sin nature appears very much alive and substantial; and it indeed still appears to be what we truly are! Thus it is only through faith that we can say our old nature is dead, and that we are dead to it. For just as God calls those things which be not as though they were, so also we are called to reckon God's word regarding what we are in Him as greater than our own sight. '"Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death
hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin
once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:8-11)
Faith says that our old nature is dead, and that our new nature is what we are- even though that looks backwards in our own sight. Yet if we die daily- denying our old human nature's claim on us, and believing that we are partakers of the Divine nature- we will find the abundant Life; we will find ourselves more and more transformed into the glorious image of Christ, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. But if we never deny our old psyche and die, our walk day by day will ultimately be barren and unfruitful.
Thus Satan has filled the world with things designed to convince all people that they are partakers of human nature- whether they be things such as guilt, or pop culture, or psychology, or personality tests, or depression, or the latest book on "love" and "grace" that subtly attempts to convince Christians that they are sinners (and sinners that they are Christians) by talking at great length about how God accepts and loves human nature- which is a lie.
All those things (and others) the enemy uses to try to drive wedges between people and God. For believing that we are partakers of human nature, and not God's nature (for we cannot be both at once), is judging ourselves unworthy of God's presence and the abundant life to be found there. Only our Divine nature can walk in the fulness of strength and joy found in God's presence; human nature cannot know it.
Ultimately, whatsoever is not of faith is sin; and thus walking in sin, simply defined, is the state of not walking with the presence of God. Is that condemning? Not at all! For it necessarily means that the solution to all sin is found in the presence of God. If sin is the act of not walking with God, then being in His presence must be the right and proper place for us- sin cannot be a good reason to hide our faces from Him.
Thus sin ultimately is the very act of hiding our face from Him. But because we have been made worthy through Jesus to be in His presence, turning our face to Him is simple; and the yoke is easy. We must believe what He says we are, and remember it continually! That also is the work of thanksgiving; for in looking unto Him and giving Him thanks for His gift to us of Himself, we will remember what we are in Him- and in that hope of salvation we will find fulness of joy in the presence of God. That work is summed up here: "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Therefore that is the work we must do, every day of our lives. We must die and deny that we are our old human nature- believing that we are now partakers of the Divine nature, and that there is nothing- no feeling or sin or shame- that can make us unworthy
to enter into the presence of God. We must count the testimony of God regarding what we are in Him as greater than all that we can see.
For though in our own sight we will find ourselves sinners, in God's sight we are holy
and
righteous and perfect, without blemish; and we will find that if
we boldly come before Him- despite whatever shame from the old nature we may feel- He will be pleased with us. There is never a reason for us to be afraid to come before Him; His presence is
our Home- we belong there, we are always
welcome there. That is where our walk with God must begin- for finding the presence of God does not mean
that we have
arrived, only that we have just begun.
"Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (II Corinthians 5:17)
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| "But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth." (Genesis 35:8)
Something struck me about that passage after reading it last time. Deborah was Rebekah's nurse, but she was with Jacob and his family when she died. Jacob was alone when he journeyed into Padan-aram, so when did Deborah join his family? Was she with Laban already? Or did Rebekah perhaps send Deborah to Jacob and his family, to minister unto them in her stead?
Deborah's life must be quite a story, especially considering the meaning of the name of the oak under which Deborah was buried- Allonbachuth, "oak of weeping". If we can gather anything from that name, it is that Deborah meant a great deal to Jacob and his family! Was she present for the birth of Reuben? Did Jacob's children grow up with her as part of the family? Was she a grandmother to them in Rebekah's stead?
This much is evident- the death of Deborah was an event counted worthy by God of inclusion in the scriptures. And I get the impression that God gave her that memorial for good- as He did with Martha's sister Mary, of whom Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the
whole world, [there] shall also this, that this woman hath done, be
told for a memorial of her..." (Matthew 26:13). That is quite a memorial; and I believe God had something like that in mind for Deborah, Rebekah's nurse.
"Remember me, O my God, for good." (Nehemiah 13:31b)
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