Even angels long to look into these things.
In yesterday’s post, I started by saying, “Peter is telling us about salvation. Broadly speaking ‘salvation’ in this case refers to several things.” And then I went on to tell you about only one thing. Today I would like to follow up on that thought with another thing related to salvation.
As we discussed yesterday, the first thing salvation refers to is the restoration of our relationship with God. The second “thing” is that the restoration of this relationship is complicated. Human nature was irreversibly altered by the sin of Adam and Eve. In Genesis 3: 5 the serpent says,
“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Having eaten the forbidden fruit, this is exactly what happened. They saw things that they had never noticed before. The first thing they noticed was that they were naked, and they felt the need to cover themselves. Why? What changed? It wasn’t the fact that they were naked. They had been naked since being created. What changed was that they were suddenly apart from God.
Apart from God, the human mind is capable of imagining an infinite array of ungodly acts. Apart from God, the natural hunger of the soul to be connected to God looks for substitutes. The passions and needs of the body become our guideposts instead of being simply a byproduct of a relationship with God.
The sensation of being separated from God must have been disorienting to Adam and Eve. The hunger to be reunited with God felt confusing. The broken wiring of the human soul now sent mixed signals.
When Jesus redeemed us he made it possible for us to be “born again.” (John 3: 5-6) “Spirit,” he teaches, “gives birth to spirit.” In Jesus, we go from being spiritually dead (separated from God) to spiritually alive (one with God). But, there is a caveat. Spiritual rebirth does not reverse the curse of eyes that know good and evil.
As amazing as Christ’s work on the cross is, it must be at least equally amazing that He can bind us to Himself, even while we are still drawn to evil.
Application: Let us keep our eyes on Jesus all day every day.
Food for Thought: How can I do a better job of keeping my eyes on Jesus and closed to evil?
How can I do a better job of keeping my eyes on Jesus and closed to evil?
When we call on Jesus He will cleanse us of (leprosy) sin, heals our spiritual blindness, restore our hearing and removes all obstacles preventing our ability to obey His command to walk with God (SIN NO MORE).
Then He gives us another Helper. Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor Counselor, Strengthener, John 14:16 Forever, John 14:26, To teach and remember God’s will for our lives, John 15:26, To bear witness about Jesus in our lives so we pass from believing to knowing.
What happens to a person that carries their books to school each day, sits in class, listens to the teacher, goes home and sets their books aside and does whatever they choose? Or a christian that carries their bible to church every Sunday, listens to the pastor, then goes home, puts their bible away and does whatever they want the rest of the week.
We need to become believers like Mary, sister of Martha who sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His every word. Study our bibles, listen to the teaching of the Holy Spirit as we read, practice obedience to God. Focus on all the DO’S God has for us and we have no time for the DON’T’S.
Die to self-interest and grow in Christ who will transform us into the calm in the midst of chaos, the one people turn too and ask, “why are you different?” And we can tell them why!!!
Ron,
Thank you! Focusing on the “DO’s” is GREAT advice!! 🙂
Thank you Ron. I love your answer! And the picture of Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus is very pertinent to this discussion. If we sit at His feet (metaphorically speaking), then we will be enraptured by his love, mercy, grace, presence, majesty and power. There will be no reason to look elsewhere. We will also be better equipped to fight off the temptations and distractions of the enemy.
Jesus also used God’s word to fight off the enemies attacks (Matthew 4: 1 – 11). The Lord has given us spiritual armor (Ephesians 6: 10 – 17), and we are told to pray to not be led into temptation, but to be delivered from our enemy. Prayer is the power that unleashes the Shepherd of our hearts (Matthew 6: 13; Psalm 23; Ephesians 6: 18 – 20)
Jeff, Rich,
Appreciate positive feedback. Yes, God’s word is our offensive weapon in this war.
👍🏻