2016-02-12
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week I began writing about how external laws are made internal. You’ll remember that we reviewed the basics of justification, sanctification, and glorification. These principles are the ones that God uses to “transform us by the renewal of our mind” [RO 12: 2]. Clearly seeing the great advantages we have over people who only subscribe to the Covenant of the Law is a large part of these changes. As you already know, the law lets us know what pleases God and what doesn’t, but it falls short of granting justification, salvation, and eternal forgiveness. These are things only Christ, the Mediator of the Covenant of Grace, could do for us by sacrificing His life on the cross. He paid the ransom to buy us out of the marketplace of slavery to sin with His blood shed for us [HE 9: 15]. Please recall the promises that God made in EZK 36: 26-27, the ones about how He will exchange our hearts of stone for fleshly hearts, ones that are moved to receive the Holy Spirit and remember to obey God’s teaching (decrees). By looking at both OT and NT citations, we can see that this part of God’s plan has been in place all along. By reviewing history, we can see in it God’s efforts to civilize mankind to the point where His teaching is not lost on them. It can also allow us to perceive the keen disappointment God must feel at our propensity for repeating our mistakes.
God wants nothing more than for us to stop this vicious cycle of disobedience and stupidity, so that His oft-repeated wish will come true. “They will be My people, and I will be their God. I will put My laws on their hearts and write them on their minds.” [JER 31: 33-34; HE 10: 16]. This is what is meant by taking something external and making it internal. Amazingly, there is more to this that is a great blessing. It is that God has said He will not only forgive our sins, but He will forget them, as well [HE 8: 12; HE 10: 17; JER 31: 34]. Ancient Jews and today’s Orthodox and Chasidic ones visit the mikveh (ritual bath) to purify themselves before attending temple. The Jewish priests washed in the laver at the ancient temple for this same reason. What is written on the heart of a true believer in Christ is seen, while the subject of 2 COR 3: 3, also recalls what is promised in EZK 36: 26-27. “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written now with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
Sin is defined as separation from God. But, there is more to this than that. I remember thinking how odd it was when I first read the story of Moses descending from Mt. Sinai with his face showing a glow that only gradually disappeared. It even frightened some of the people at first. But that glow was the reflection of God’s amazing, dazzling (Shekineh) glory [EX 34: 29-35]. From thence on, Moses wore a veil over his face when speaking with the people and took it off in the presence of God. Sin disfigures a person, just as it separates him from God. The greater the sin, the greater the disfigurement and separation. When Paul wrote about love, in 1 COR 13: 11-12, he helped us better understand with these words, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then (when in heaven after the Lord returns) we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (as a Christian by the Lord). When Moses asked to see the Lord’s face, in EX 33:18-23, God told him that no one could see His face and live. However, the Father put Moses in the cleft of a Rock, protecting him as He passed by. God wasn’t ready yet for Moses to experience His full glory. But we know that God wouldn’t restrict us forever. PS 17: 15, “And when I awake in heaven, I will be fully satisfied, for I will see You face to face.”
Can you see the orderliness of God’s system here? He is in charge, is always righteous, and He has one’s best interests in mind at all times. It is His timing, His way. When we cooperate with Him, we will gain eternal life and share in the glory of our Lord Jesus [COL 3: 3-4]. So, sanctification is a very personalized process in which we reveal, genuinely confess, and work to expunge our sins. God’s great promises will be fulfilled on His time clock, in His perfect ways. It is He Who gave us the Holy Spirit to dwell within our souls and to teach us God’s ways, correcting us when needed. 2 COR 3: 18, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord Who is the Spirit.” God keeps the promise not to abandon those who love Him; not a single true covenant partner will be left behind. Each of us must examine his own life and see if he is really cooperating with God in sanctification. We can rest assured that God is doing His part to bring our spiritual maturity forward.
PRAYER: O Lord, You are the Light of our lives! We stand before You with heads bowed in reverence and with awe for Your goodness and generosity, Your unselfish courage in sacrificing Your Son on the cross for us [JN 3: 16]. Can there ever be a question that You deserve our respect, praise, and thanks? Never! We want to turn from our selfish and evil ways, the ways the adversary brought into our lives and made natural. It is our understanding that we can’t do this task without You [MT 5: 3]. When Moses asked to know You and continue to find favor with You, You replied, in EX 33: 14, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” You knew that Moses and all humans would need Your intervention, direction, and encouragement to gradually expunge sins from their lives. You taught us, in DT 8: 3b, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” We stand in awe of all the teaching you’ve given us over the years about righteousness. And yet, we understand that it must be our own individual and congregational decision to follow Your teaching, taking a road not popular with many and not easy. It takes many of us time to recognize that whatever You direct us to think or do is in our best eternal interests. It has taken us time to realize that human-crafted fads, materialism, greed, idolatry, and other evils You detest separate us from You. We ask You to give us the self-discipline to know Your will through study of Your word and prayer, to humble ourselves before You and accept Your teachings. Let us not waste on drop of the blood Christ shed for us. We offer You praise and thanks for all You are and all You do, in Christ’s holy/mighty name. Amen
NEXT WEEK: We are inching our way toward a part of this “Our Covenant” series of messages that means so much to me and all of us. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We continue this “Light Pierces Darkness” segment with that precious subject next week. I know that from researching and writing this series, God is working on us to reveal the enormous work that He is doing with each person willing to study, pray, and listen to His teaching. His great power to transform lives is being seen in the Bible citations the Holy Spirit has been giving me to share with you. You may wonder why the indwelling of the Holy Spirit means so much to me personally. I was raised in a dysfunctional, traditionally conservative Jewish family. I had the idea that all families were perfect, and mine was the only one messed up (as the only little girl and the youngest of four children). Not so, as I gradually saw in getting older. All families have at least some drama, although not all have as much as ours did. Surprise! Some even have more! Selfishness, spiritual emptiness, and increasing gnawing anger were my bugaboos. God was at the heart of ritual behavior, in which I had no interest. This particularly became true when I was forced to attend temple classes by my parents. (I met this with considerable rebellion of which I’m now not proud). It wasn’t until I was done with these classes as an older teenager that I realized I needed to do something about my empty spiritual life-empty because my rebellion had emptied it. Meanwhile, throughout this period of my life, I had no idea there was a real God, and He has always had me in His sight. He took me through a series of experiences that led me to realize not only His existence, but His love. While I needed to honor my Jewish traditions, I also needed to learn God’s will for my life and His teaching. I needed to discover the power of prayer. I was the one wanting, not God! He had the heart of love for me enough to bring me to faith in Jesus Christ and lead me to recognize the sins for which I need to repent. Then the Holy Spirit dwelt in me, taking me to the place in my life where God called me to His service. The extraordinary truth is that each of us is called to obey faithfully God’s will, not just me. And each of us is just as important to God as the others. This is how God’s family has been put together. And frankly, we can never praise, glorify, honor, and thank our God enough. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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