Hallelujah!

Beautiful day.

The Lord is so good. And, today...given to love and to humble, grateful remembrance of His willing condescension into humanity. So many messages lately have either been concentric about that point or have touched very significantly upon the idea of God becoming incarnate. Love incarnate. Wisdom incarnate. So many things. All God, wholly man.

Considering even the idea of how He did that is beyond comprehension. It doesn't make any sort of natural sense, to think how God...infinity, omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence...became also fully man. Without losing any of Himself, nor compromising any of Himself, yet while be subject to all the things which are inherent of being human. Subject to physical limitation, and yet a limitless being. Subject to circumstantial emotion, and yet sovereign of all. Subject to the limitations of human expression, and yet omniscient. Subject to natural, human processes of maturing and chronological progression, and yet extratemporal.

His humility is astonishing, beyond comprehension. Utterly to be sought for personal expression, so to be.

The God of the Universe, and yet he thought it nothing to be sought, nothing to brag, nothing to flaunt nor to even be asserted. He humbled Himself in all ways, then, in all things, even as to remain utterly subject to God the Father, wholly and continually at all times. Subject always to God the Father. He sought not His own purposes, ever, but always the will of the Father. Being God incarnate, and yet subject to the force of the will of God, never to the will of the flesh. Never, ever to the will of the flesh.

He was the only who ever has, the only who ever will.

The only begotten son.

He fulfilled the law, in its entirety. He erred in no way, remaining always subject to God the Father. Subject, always, to the ways of God, to the will of God, to the highest order of holiness.

And, by course of that all, by course of being who He was, who He is, and who the Father has restored Him as to be...yet, ever having been, and ever being...

...by course of who He is, and all He did, in coming here. In maintaining a wholehearted, persistent, unfaltering adherence to God the Father's highest will...always, in all things...being tempted, even as we are, and yet never sinning... ...even unto death, fulfilling the will of the Father, who then was satisfied to crush Him in His wrath, as a propitiation...a lawful, substitutionary atonement...an acceptable sacrifice which was the first ever to be satisfactory for not only covering, but also wiping clean from sin...

...by course of His perfect walk, even as God incarnate wholly humbled, without self-seeking--subject always to the external force of God the Father's love and will, always seeking the good of others above His own... Jesus Christ was the only one who could stand in as a willing sacrifice for all of us who haven't fulfilled the whole of the law.

We deserve God's wrath, is the crux of the matter. God's wrath is justifiable--always warranted by humans, and thus it simply must be meted out unto satisfaction.

And it's about so much more than just the idea of a set of "laws." The thing is, at this point in time, when we think of laws, there are generally only a few sorts of conceptions by which they're considered. And all those sort have a sense of the arbitrary to them, even as those concepts often acknowledge that there's a sense of good (if oft short-sighted) intent inherent of legislature. Yet, in an age where litigation has become a course of arbitrary restrictions which purport largely to legitimize socially-agreed personal preferences, without reference beyond societal norms as a means of justification...? ...the very idea of law has become rather tedious, because of the superficiality of much of the course. So, the idea of God having "laws" seems, on the surface, potentially similar in arbitrariness. ...especially given that our main point of reference as to what purpose law serves is one which points to law as being seemingly arbitrary, as per the course of our humanist, pluralistic, normative (yet purportedly empirical) mentality.

The thing is...we want it both ways. We want law to serve us and to make sense. We want law to protect us and to keep our interests safe. But, yet, we don't want to whatsoever be restricted from indulging any random imperative which seems justifiable along (self-defined and self-referential) "rational" lines. Along that line there comes a serious problem, is all.

Without a point of reference which is both fixed and wholly good, any such pursuit of lawfulness will inevitably decline into a state of declension unto varied, increasing degrees of depravity.

It's simply the way of our order that we go to all extremes, even if seemingly gradually, just by a process of continual rationalization which yields unto increasing levels of desensitization.

Which is wherein there's great good in God having outlined, through Moses, an order of law. Not that conscience didn't already serve to point out that certain things were "wrong," but there was apparently every bit as much (if not more) a tendency toward wantonness and utter depravity, regardless.

The thing is...God IS good. Writing a few days ago about how good He is...that when He glorifies Himself in anyone's life, it's ALWAYS to their direct benefit... ...just, think... ...not a half-done, partially-fulfilling benefit, but one which exceeds all expectations. Like with the fellow J.D. from church, a month and some ago--God glorified Himself in J.D.'s life. And what that ended up being, in a moment's time, to J.D...is that he was completely healed of brain cancer.

Just...that's how good God is--when He seeks His own glory (and rightly so), it benefits His creation. When He glorifies Himself in my life, even, it's to the tune of having shown such mercy and grace as to have allowed me not only to live but to be whole despite a 25 foot fall onto concrete, head-first, backwards. Yeah, it broke my neck. Yeah, it damaged pretty much all of my brain--to such an extent the attending neurosurgeon wasn't able to reconcile himself to any explanation by which I could possibly still be breathing, let alone conscious...and, beyond even being conscious, also able to move and reason, and speak, and see. He had absolutely no means of understanding it, because there's not a rational, scientific explanation for it. Period.

Same as with J.D.'s brain cancer just disappearing. And with a pastor's wife having ovarian cancer disappear. And with that same pastor having a pulmonary embolism AND lung cancer all disappear (he was on blood thinners for the clotting, but no treatment for the cancer). And all those, without any treatment for the cancer, aside of praise and prayer and testimony.

Just...when God glorifies Himself, those are the sort of things which happen--the miraculous, without explanation, scientifically impossible, and always to the good of those so blessed as to receive.

All of that, only to establish that with as good as God is, He is not arbitrary in having outlined a course of written laws. Certain things were shadows, typification, of things to come--prophetic ordinances, meant to establish a course of pursuit and indicate a course of fulfillment. Much was a means of keeping people set apart to Himself--the only course of fulfillment, for humanity.

Bottom line, we don't presently really have a point of reference, societally, for comprehending the inherent goodness of God's law. Ultimately, really, there even really rests the whole upon the Ten Commandments. Even though, as Jesus said, the points which are of utmost priority are, foremost, to love God, and secondarily, to love others above self. ...how much of all the rest of what's in Leviticus and Deuteronomy which is given portionately as a course of Moses' interpretation of societal needs, as typification of future events, and even as representation which was to keep reverence of God foremost in the minds and hearts of people...? ...no present idea, so not relevant.

Just...to keep the whole of the law, though.

Because the law of the Commandments really serves us all as much as they are due service to God, when you think about it, and yet we couldn't even manage to keep them. Just... Serve God always, above all? Have no idols, never take His name in vain, and keep His sabbath? Honor parents? No murder, no adultery? No stealing, no lying? No coveting?

Those are the basic ones, and yet...who hasn't coveted something? Who hasn't looked at something and let a little bit of lust for it creep in--whether a car, or a new outfit, or a particular meal when you're really hungry, or even a glass of water on a sweltering summer afternoon? Who hasn't experienced a moment of envy, at some point, looking at someone and just for a second "wishing" whatever it is they have were yours?

Perhaps there are those who haven't given in to those things. Who have never even had a moment of back-talking parents, or of acting out against God's authority in some capacity...

Perhaps there are those.

But to simultaneously, always, keep all of them? In regard to the Sabbath, and to the due reverence to God, even--to always love God, wholeheartedly and with all one's being...?

To do so ends up bringing a person into subjection to the goodwill of all, really. A little at a time, even as it also fulfills all a heart's desires. Complete satisfaction.

And, even as such a love for God wholly satisfies a person's heart and desires, keeping them in a state of peace and joy...to maintain that state, always? ...in the face of constant distraction and attempted anxiety? ...in the face of being tempted to pride, which equates to a self-reverence, idolizing self-worth (thus is in err of the Commandments), through moments of "self-reliance" which forsake proper acknowledgment of God?

The moments in which we err are so many, so, so many. And...if it weren't for that God is so absolutely, magnificently, wholly, gloriously holy and good and faithful and just...then, perhaps it wouldn't be the absolute travesty and utter abomination which it is, just to take one's eyes off of the goodness of God for just a moment, even, as to reference self.

But He is. He is glorious above all, to the extent that it can incapacitate a person wholly to be stricken with His presence to even minor degrees (wasn't it Daniel who was basically bedridden for three-days, utterly physically overwhelmed by the presence of the Lord?...or was it Ezekiel?...or both?)...
...to even witness, first-hand, His glory would completely destroy us, except that He would make it so that we could survive the experience.

He created the universe. So, really--if you think of it from that point, alone... ...a God, Creator of the Universe--the stars, the planets, the Earth and all upon her...moved to whatever point He decreed, unquestioningly and without remark. The sea and the land, all subject without remark, to His decrees. And, each and every one--all the heavens proclaiming His glory. Every tree, every blade of grass, every bird, every wild creature...living as a testament to His majesty, without either sideways glance as to question their being or their Creator--glorifying Him through the sheer force of their unbending adherence unto the order along which they were created...apple trees yielding fruit without question, always in due season...the tide turning according to the times, subject always to the order which it was ever created... ...all things glorifying Him in their adherence to His given order, testifying to His might and majesty as a matter of course of their unerring adherence, within the realm of their given schema.

And, then...humans.

Created according to His likeness. And yet self-seeking.

A Creator which was so benevolent as to give us life, and yet from almost the first...we yielded to temptation to seek our own benefit, rather than the benefit which He always gives. He gives to such greater degrees than we could ever conceive of--be it of wisdom, understanding, knowledge, provision, fulfillment, or whatsoever is desired that is truly to our good...

...He always gives to our good, to a greater degree than we could ever conceive off, when we worship Him and glorify Him for who He is.

Just think of what glorious surroundings were given Adam and Eve! A garden of such beauty, freedom of such terrain and provision for every need...an environment and atmosphere or such perfection...and companionship not only between themselves but directly with the Creator, God Himself! And, yet still...they sought for themselves, apart from God.

How heart-rending would that be? I can't even imagine. To so love as to provide for every conceivable need...and then to receive the equivalent of a slap in the face, for your goodness and love? And even then, He didn't destroy them. He could have wiped the slate clean. He could have just put it all to the side.

But He's not like us. He's faithful.

Just...from that first moment of turning away from God, seeking self-fulfillment through some other means...humanity was changed. To turn away from God in any capacity yields to a darkness of heart and of mind.

He IS the Light. So to turn away, is to yield to a darkness.

And what sits in darkness hardens, even unto desiccation. Until there's nothing left but a shriveled mass which once knew what it was to love and love the light of truthfulness.

Without maintaining that necessary, external reference point, which is God and God's decree for us...we become self-seeking and begin to objectify everything to the point where nothing truly fulfills. "Contentment" becomes the norm, and quasi-derivatives of what would purport to be happiness...the course of pursuit to "fulfillment of self."

There is none, apart from God, though.

And there can be none in God, either, except that we reconcile our hearts to Him. Once they've been tainted by darkness, though, we're turned against Him. And that's what it is, to be in this world--an exposure to darkness which taints us all, to varying degrees. But, to any degree, we're at odds with God. He has NO darkness in Him, and cannot abide it. That darkness which infested our species, at that first self-indulgence...was an irreconcilable deviation from God's nature in us. We retained "reason," we retained "authority" of a sort, but we were then set apart from Him, by that darkness in our heart. He just...cannot embrace it.

A lot of folks don't care for the duplicity which exists between the status of God, and the status of man, as an example of the results from such deviation which was wrought as to ultimately mean we are as a species now opposed to God. People resent the idea that God has the final say. They resent the idea that God pronounces judgment without their ability to defend themselves, even as they simultaneously are asserting per such an idea that they have a justifiable stance in being in anything opposed to His decrees. Just the idea of conforming to the will of God or face damnation utterly riles a lot of folks, they're so opposed to God.

But His laws are good. His will is good. Our lack of comprehension of the whole schematic doesn't justify us in picking out bits and pieces of circumstance as an attempt to justify our stance against Him. I hear, periodically, people going on about people eating their babies, and about entire nations of people being slaughtered according to the will of God. Yeah, and? Nowadays, there's mass murder being perpetrated, according to the design of human convenience, internationally considered justifiable--just as a matter of personal convenience, generally...and it's considered commonplace and without flaw, according to political, "scientific," "philosophical," "psychological" standards for what's good and right for "women's rights." Not that there's any comparison there, no. Just that one murder doesn't equate to another, and if it's God's will that someone die, then that's that. I wouldn't want to be the one holding the sword, necessarily, but if it were His decree--so be it.

Even as...it's just that people don't want to be accountable. False accountability abounds. To bosses. To the government. To peers. To self, ultimately, but not even there--it's all internally derived and justified, so wherein is the accountability? If we're only accountable to self, there IS not accountability. There's only self-justification, rationalization, and self-persecution or redirection. But not accountability. If the only incentive is internally derived, there's no incentive.

I lived that lie far too long, having experienced something now far surpassing, to allow it credence. Just...we are in a pit, as a society. We dig it deeper, by the day. And, I don't know about you all...but in case you've never had experience being trapped in a hole--just as a hint: continuing to dig won't get you out. Which is why even the idea of apologetics is rather glumly and reluctantly considered, whenever it is.

You can't dig yourself out of a hole by continuing to dig it deeper.

We stand, as a species, diametrically opposed to God. We do the equivalent of spitting in His face, really, merely by existing without giving due reverence to Him, given the grace shown per fact we're alive. We are opposed to Him, so there must be a judgment. Created eternal, and standing spiritually opposed to Him...we condemn ourselves by remaining opposed. You can't be both. You can't love God and exist in any sort of opposition to Him. You can't love Him and yet not know who He is. Loving Him means desiring to know Him, and requiring Him in all things, for having realized how wonderful He is.

But, we've put ourselves in the position of being opposed to Him, by acting against Him. And, having acted against Him...for the longest time, a series of sacrifices were given, as to make "atonement" for "sin"...for "iniquity"...for lawlessness...for defiance....for rebellion, basically. And those sacrifices served as acts of willful obedience which made it possible to approach God, in ways, even without ever really changing the heart. Covering the lawlessness, but not changing it.

We have just...we exist in such opposition to Him, as natural creatures born into a world where we're absorbed wholly in self, from nearly the point of birth. Jesus is the only one who was ever able to walk in compliance, unfalteringly, to God's law...God in the flesh, even as subjected to all the same temptations as we are. He stayed in such total subjection to God the Father, though, such total humility. Complete humility.

...only someone who inerrantly, unceasingly fulfilled absolutely every requirement of the law of God could have been in the position to even be able to stand in for the rest of us, offering Himself a satisfactory sacrifice unto God's wrath, so that the entirety of humanity who would come to Him afterwards could then be delivered from the bondage of their lawlessness.

So as to be reconciled to God, by being spiritually recreated, transformed into a creature of Light.

...from the inside, out.

Jesus was the only, first off...to remain so completely, incessantly humble as to always, always, always be in complete subjection to God the Father...the way of lawfulness.

Just...He humbled Himself, even as to become human. And, even as it's a struggle to lay self aside, for us...yet He did so, to such an extent in taking on the flesh...it's incomprehensible. Infinite, and yet within the womb of a virgin.

He was humble, even while remaining steadfast in His adherence to the Father's will, even as that pursuit put Him in places and circumstances which yielded to a directed manifestation of the power of God. Yet, humility, always. Unapologetically obedient, in all ways, to God...no matter what the cost, nor what the requirement. He did, said, and went in whatever ways He was given by the Father. That, and ONLY that. So He said.

So, it's always strange to hear folks (like one pastor, today) argue against that sort of obedience to the Lord. If we are to be transformed into Christ's image, which is truly one of the works which the Holy Spirit is performing in those who are His...then, it only follows that those who are being transformed will strive to that end, as to be directed unto obedience in ALL things.

 Period.

Just...that's a battle, in itself. As all things are, really, even as they ultimately are wholly brought into subjection to Christ. There are a veritable endless myriad of voices which seek to direct a person, these days--internally and externally, as discernable by those more attuned to the Lord's voice, who may so attest. So, there must be constant discernment. Constant, unending. Even as that's impossible.

Which...really, means it's a good thing that all things are possible for God.

The entirety hinges upon that. From first to last, and it's by the grace of God, through faith.

Seriously.

Just to think of Him, who He was...who He was, in spirit and in truth, and yet even after 40 days of fasting...even then, He refused to seek for Himself but chose rather to remain wholly obedient and reverent to the Father. Regardless of His hunger, still it was preferable to Him that He remain wholly subject to whatsoever was the Father's will for Him--trusting explicitly in whatsoever the Father willed, trusting Him always for the highest good, no matter circumstances. Even unto His crucifixion.

And yet, consider Him with Mary and Martha, going to resurrect Lazarus. He knew that Lazarus was to be resurrected. He knew that Lazarus would arise. He trusted the Father utterly and completely, that He would fulfill His request. And yet, He felt their grief so keenly, saw it so keenly...that He wept with them. He loved them so. He loves us so.

Even then, facing the crucifixion. And I can't imagine how it must have utterly shattered His heart, to sit and sup with Judas, knowing his betrayal and yet knowing it necessary. Knowing Judas was condemning himself by rebelling to the utmost against God, as even literally giving Satan place. I can't imagine the grief.

Yet it was part of the course by which things needed to progress, given that state of matters we'd gotten ourselves into as group...such lawlessness as we're in, such opposition to God, and the only way to reconcile us as to save us from the condemnation we've ever chosen...

...was to sacrifice Himself, blameless yet accepting our punishment. Someone recently spoke about that, in terms of the judgment for rebellion against God requiring, perforce, eternal retribution...as that it was only Christ who could have taken it, in ever a finite amount of time--an infinite punishment meted upon an infinite being incarnate, even temporally. He was able to sustain the infinite force of God's wrath, the warranted restitution for our rebellion, in a finite amount of time merely because He is infinite. But just to imagine what that suffering was...

...stricken, in all ways. The inseparable, infinite, yet self-opposed and wounded unto death for our sake. Never prior alone, and yet stricken solitary under wrath. He became a curse, that ours would be broken.

He drank our wrath. He went into our death. And He remained there for three days, entombed in death. But death couldn't hold Him. Captivity was taken captive by Him. And He was glorified by the Father, to His rightful place of ascension--reigning at His right hand, in heaven. Evermore, as forever.

He is everything. Created all things. All things which are..consist in Him.
And He humbled Himself as to become a babe in a manger. No room in the inn.

Just...it's so difficult to try to explain why it's such an absolutely, completely terrible thing to sin. Just...the idea of sin--it's lawlessness...it's rebellion...it's acting against God. He has given us so many good things, and wants good for us in all things. So, when we do things which abuse or overindulge or pervert the inherent goodness of what He's given us...?

Without having a clear idea of quite how wonderful He is, how absolutely awesome, how just...completely, wholly good and glorious and powerful and all-knowing, above and beyond all things and loving beyond all things...sovereign, majestic, all-wise, all-powerful, all-knowing...

...it's really not possible to see how absolutely and utterly terrible acting against or even outside of God's will really is.

Just that thing which I keep reading, about how all of creation moves to His Word, obeying immediately and completely subject to Him...and then, man would say "No." That kind of, in a small way, puts a slight bit of perspective on how terrible it is.

But...without understanding how terrible sin is, it's difficult to see how astonishing and humbling is the sacrifice Christ made, and how absolutely wonderful it is to be able to be reconciled to the Father through Him.

Relying entirely on Christ, though.

Entirely.

He is everything.
...in so many ways.