0021-08-20
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week I committed to discussing 1 COR 13: 12-13, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Truthfully, there are many people who think they see everything about an issue that can be known. Such is not really the case! The only One Who can claim that is God Himself. By the way, because Jesus answered Phillip’s comment, JN 14: 9, “Show us the Father, and that will be enough for us,” with “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father,” it is appropriate that Jesus revealed His true identity here. He further makes His point in (11) when He says, “I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me.” Having asserted His authenticity and authority, Jesus knows we see things as they appear in a dull, imperfect mirror. He says as much to Phillip, but I’m not convinced that Phillip really understood the full impact of Christ’s words. We can take Jesus at His word, because He has no evil in Him and never lies [1 JN 1: 5]. Can one human take another at his word?
We humans are imperfect and are born with inherited sin; over our lives we add our own sins to that. The only relief from the negative consequences of our sin is the Atonement of Jesus Christ and our genuinely professed belief in Him [JN 3: 16]. This concept is borne out in the fact that when we are engaged in the Covenant of Grace, part of our agreement with the Lord is to search out our own sin, genuinely confess it, and stop the behavior or thoughts. Real “faith, hope, and patience never fail,” we are told in 1 COR 13: 8. The very sin we have is what dulls the mirror that we see. We are only perfected by God’s will and action in glorifying us, i.e. calling us to heaven by His own decision and in His perfect time. I liken this time on earth to polishing our facets, one at a time, until His light shines through. It was sin that dulled them first, and it is the absence of sin that polishes these many surfaces.
Now, it’s necessary to look at 1 COR 13: 13 above. Faith is the genuine belief in Christ’s deity in this discussion. With the Scriptural proof (already given) of Christ’s authenticity and authority, we are now free to profess belief in Him and God’s infinite wisdom. We can find many reasons to have faith in Christ, as exemplified by COL 1: 26-28, “The word of God in its fullness, the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of the mystery, which in Christ in you. We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone perfect in Christ.” We have been given a definition for faith, in HE 11: 1. “Now, faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” It should be clear that we share in Christ’s teaching and desire to act on it. That is the most important hope we have, along with the hope of our eventual glorification and gaining of eternal life.
Now to love, already characterized by Christ’s actions during His earthly incarnation. Human imperfection in this area was shown as far back as the original sin (GN 3: 1-6) and Jacob’s favoritism toward Joseph and Benjamin over his other children. (And yes, many modern parents with more than one child make this mistake). The love of Christ’s example has brought many people to Christianity, because of the evils of this world. It is kind and gentle, wise and caring. Real love is a powerful force that can make this world a better place in which to live. Without love, our words are no more than “a noisy, clanging gong” [1 COR 13: 1]. With it, our faith can move mountains. Let me share an example from my own ancestors. A lady, Maria Altman, came from a wealthy Jewish family in Austria. Before WW II, the family asked the famous painter, Gustav Klimpt, to paint a picture of Maria’s beautiful aunt. Klimpt did it in gold, so the painting was called, “Woman in Gold.” During WW II, the Nazis invaded the Altman residence and stole that painting. Maria never forgot it, and she survived the concentration camps. She hired a cousin of mine, Randy Schoenburg, who was a lawyer, to help her find it. It was then, found to be in the hands of the Austrian government. The latter didn’t want to return it to the Altman family, so Randy began a long, hard series of trials that stretched into the 1950’s. At long last and through hard work, the Austrian government lost in the high court. The painting was then returned to Maria. It is now on display in New York City. Maria’s love for her aunt made this possible. The love the Lord taught us conquers all its opposition. This is true even if it takes a long time.
PRAYER: O Lord, it is through Your love for us that Christ endured betrayal, humiliation, lack of justice, physical pain, and physical death. His obedience to the Father is the key to His success and honor shown in enduring what was the greatest of all punishments. Having the love we learn from the Lord is what makes the seeming impossibilities possible. Dearest Lord, You have shown us that our faith tells us that having hope in the resurrection is not foolish, but is a demonstration of the love You want us to live by. The gifts of Your Spirit enhance and enrich our lives. GA 5: 22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things as these, there is no law.” We find new ways You show Your love for us every day, and we are so blessed by this. Please show us how to be loving always. We offer You our thanks, praise, honor, loyalty, and obedience for all You are and all You do. In Christ’s holy/mighty name, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: Paul’s experience is shared, as are his trials. The power of the love of Christ can be seen in next week’s message. The number of epistles Paul wrote during his imprisonment never showed malice or evil. After taking a one-year course about him and his writings, he had to endure almost as much as Christ Himself. But because of His amazing loyalty and obedience to Christ, it would be illogical to think that he isn’t being richly rewarded in heaven. His impact on the history of the church is nothing short of amazing. If Paul were alive today, I’m guessing God would have sent him to places all over Africa where Christianity is spreading like wildfire. Returned missionaries tell us wonderful stories of what is happening there. Africa is economically poor in most places, and the individual histories have been replete with violence, starvation, and injustice in the past. People like Idi Amin, unrighteous colonization, and other social unrest happened there. But things have changed in many African locations. Modern agriculture is being introduced, and country divisions are placed along cultural lines. This is the kind of society that only the love of the Lord can bring about. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2021. All Rights Reserved.
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