The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that "God has made Jesus to be sin for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him".
One of the first important things that we need to pin down in the matter of the trasnfer of sin from individual human natures to Jesus Christ, is that it is literal and not figurative. If it is only symbolical, then it is not real...then it never occured...it never really happened within us at all.
As hard as it is for us to aceept, or even begin to understand why Jesus would do this for us...if it were just symbolic...or merely figurative...of if it were simply a legality in God's mind - that is - somewhat like a dismissal of charges against us while we are still guilty; or, if it were only a "covering" of an entity or propensity that was still existent, it would have no actual effect on us. If this transfer of sins from us to Jesus Christ did not truly and effectively deal with sin, and destroy it within our sinful natures, then we have nothing real. This is precisely what the sacrificual offerings of bulls and goats accomplished:
nothing permanent and effective!
The truth is that something actually happens to the sin within our natures when we appeal to the sacrifice of Jesus' shed blood. It has to be more than mere symbolism or it is meaningless. Sin within us
is AFFECTED, and my judgment is that the degree of effect is comparable to the depth of Jesus suffering and death on the cross for human sin. The death of God's Son on Calvary was real and not merely symbolic, and so is the effect within human nature real when we are forgiven.
John writes (SEE 1 John3:8) that: "The person who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose (sin's destruction) the Son of God was revealed to the world, that He might destroy the works of the devil".
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Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
"Servants all... Jesus and His Followers"
These three verses in Mark 10:43-45 are among my most favorite in God's Word:
"...whosoever will be great among you (My disciples) shall be your minister (servant).
"And whosoever among you will be the chiefest , shall be servant of all.
"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give...".
If and when we discover hearts and minds like the Lord Jesus, they will be serving and ministering ones. The closer we get to God; the more we know about Him, the more we find developing within ourselves a graciousness of spirit that places the happiness and wellbeing and enjoyment of others over that of ourselves. We will be more interested in how others look and appear than how we look. This is the way God is. God is a giver. God is gracious. God is selfless. God is humble. God does not strut. Only beings tainted by sin strut. The more we dig into the nature and character of God, the more we discover how important intrinsic humility is in Him...and in us.
A holy heart is always a serving one. It is always a giving one. Serving is demeaning and uncomfortable and embarrassing if it is only a discipline, or an effort, or an ideal. If serving others is not in our hearts, and functions all the time, in every situation, and to anybody and everybody...whoever they are...it will not work. A servant's heart must come from heavenly, cleansing fire that takes the desire for recognition out.
When we get a servant's heart, and a gracious heart, from the One Who came to earth as a servant, we will see ourselves as a servant. To serve others - in and out of the body of Christ - will not seem to us demeaning if we see that as our call from God...as God's purpose for us. It will end any desire for recognition and position and what other Christians think about us and our service for Christ and His church!
Having a servant's heart...seeing this as God's plan - seeing our purpose in Christ's body as a servant IS A FREEING THING! It frees the mind of comparisons and expectations and, worst of all, competitions.
When God began teaching me this truth many years ago, my mind was instantly impressed with the privilege I had to serve my Christian brothers and sisters in Christ! After all, they are heaven's coming royalty! Heaven's heirarchy! They will rule and reign with Jesus throughout eternity! Why wouldn't I want to serve them, and bless them, and assist them, and help them all I can through this old world of testing and trials?
"...whosoever will be great among you (My disciples) shall be your minister (servant).
"And whosoever among you will be the chiefest , shall be servant of all.
"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give...".
If and when we discover hearts and minds like the Lord Jesus, they will be serving and ministering ones. The closer we get to God; the more we know about Him, the more we find developing within ourselves a graciousness of spirit that places the happiness and wellbeing and enjoyment of others over that of ourselves. We will be more interested in how others look and appear than how we look. This is the way God is. God is a giver. God is gracious. God is selfless. God is humble. God does not strut. Only beings tainted by sin strut. The more we dig into the nature and character of God, the more we discover how important intrinsic humility is in Him...and in us.
A holy heart is always a serving one. It is always a giving one. Serving is demeaning and uncomfortable and embarrassing if it is only a discipline, or an effort, or an ideal. If serving others is not in our hearts, and functions all the time, in every situation, and to anybody and everybody...whoever they are...it will not work. A servant's heart must come from heavenly, cleansing fire that takes the desire for recognition out.
When we get a servant's heart, and a gracious heart, from the One Who came to earth as a servant, we will see ourselves as a servant. To serve others - in and out of the body of Christ - will not seem to us demeaning if we see that as our call from God...as God's purpose for us. It will end any desire for recognition and position and what other Christians think about us and our service for Christ and His church!
Having a servant's heart...seeing this as God's plan - seeing our purpose in Christ's body as a servant IS A FREEING THING! It frees the mind of comparisons and expectations and, worst of all, competitions.
When God began teaching me this truth many years ago, my mind was instantly impressed with the privilege I had to serve my Christian brothers and sisters in Christ! After all, they are heaven's coming royalty! Heaven's heirarchy! They will rule and reign with Jesus throughout eternity! Why wouldn't I want to serve them, and bless them, and assist them, and help them all I can through this old world of testing and trials?
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