Reading 'The Jesus I Never Knew' by Philip Yancey - especially on the chapters of Death: The week into Crucifixion and Resurrection: 6-weeks made my heart twitched and felt humbled by the recent downfall I have constantly set myself down for.
On the many days that I have ventured, I realized how much I have not allowed the reality of the death and His purpose to sink into my heart, despite the dramatic retelling that often allowed me to reduce to tears. What God really wants is not the outward proclamation of self-pity and loud weeping, but the inner articulation of the extent of God's love that no longer binds me to the devil, but the pinning of my sins to His Body as an act of sacrificial love to free us of our sins. In such realization, how could I continually live a life as though Christ's death meant nothing to me? How could I keep on sinning (fornicating thoughts, blithe lying and constantly coveting for what people have), not realizing that every act of sin puts nails on His Body, again and again?
With that in perspective, by knowing that God has died for our sins, have we forget that we are not free from the bondage of sin, and thus should continue to fix our mind towards the reality of the Resurrection, that reminds us that our pain and our agony (though remain memories like scars) are not our trophy towards redemptive purposes? The reason for the change from cowardly hiding to openly declaring by the apostles should remind us that we should no longer live in fear of our identity in Christ, but openly rejoicing, despite our past with memories of sinning, that it is no longer I but Christ who lives in me?
Perhaps such reflection will do well to remind us in our days of youth and continue on till the end of days. Perhaps this is the reason why the prodigal son is welcomed when he decides to come home for good. Perhaps.
And in Jesus' name we could all find our comfort in, knowing that it feels good coming home. Amen.
2 comments:
"they...have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt."As you say, we need to consider all that bondage to be a thing of the past. That is the only way to remember and revere His great sacrifice on our behalf. We may flounder, even fall at times, but our real identity is that of "more than conquerors through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us."
We can know those truths about the crucifixion and resurrection in our heads, and we can even feel them in our hearts, but it's a whole other thing for them to be impressed upon us by the Holy Spirit. There's a world of difference when the Spirit of God brings the truths of God to bear upon our souls in that way. Keep reading, studying, and meditating upon the Word, and ask God to begin to make the doctrines come to life for you. I Cor. 2.
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