“For the prophecy came not in old times by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved upon by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21
When we take the written, inspired pages of Scripture, and read them, do we truly understand their importance, and the means by which God communicates to our hearts and minds, our souls, that very Life by the Spirit, that Life of Christ? Peter tells us in his second epistle that God was at the beginning of this matter, and is its conclusion. From the creation of time, and the forming of Adam as a living soul, God has always been, and will be, the great initiator, and giver of all that is good, and holy. Man has been created to be a receiver. He has nothing but that he receives it. He is a discoverer, certainly not a “Creator.” However, concerning the things of God, even though he may seek, he cannot find that which pertains to the holy God, unless it is revealed to him by the Spirit. So, God, every day, every hour and minute of the day, is seeking to constantly give that which is of Himself to man, that man should be holy even as He is holy.
Before the fall of man, there was unrestricted revelation of the glory of God to the soul of man, i.e. there was no hindrance or resistance in the heart of man to all that God would desire to reveal to him. Only the measure in God’s wisdom as to how much man should receive was the determining factor. When the fall came, and sin entered into the heart and soul of man, darkness replaced the unrestricted wonder and brillance of the wondrous glory of God. Sin became a “place” where God could not go, or become part of, for by nature He was, and is, holy. However, though He could not sin in identifying Himself with men in order to commune with them, He did DEAL with sin, by becoming the sacrificial Lamb of God. He would become the sole means by which sin would be deal with in a holy manner, complete, and perfect manner. Only by Christ’s shed blood on Calvary, would unholy man then know cleansing from sin, and become holy in the sight of God. It would be by this perfect and satisfying work to the Father, that the Son would make a holy way for all men to be saved, and to come to a knowledge of God. From that point, for man to live, he would need the experential knowledge of the truth of God, and learn to live a life by the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of God. He would need to not only learn that he was a receiver, but also, that by being a receiver, God could give him abundance, or fulness of Life, the measure of which would exceed what he could ask or think. So then, when the writers of Scripture provide us with the written words of God, how is God working, not only to save men from their enemies of sin, self, Satan, and the world, but to thrust man forward believing, receiving, living by the very faith of Christ?
Peter tells us in his first epistle that, for man to receive the revelation of God to his heart, to have communion with him, it must be on the basis of Christ’s holiness, a holiness that is imparted to the believer. Paul, in his writings calls every believer a “saint.” This is one who has been set apart by God, having been forgiven and cleansed from all sin, to BE Christ’s. Secondly, he is to live a life of faith, that sole means by which he can RECEIVE God’s life and blessing. On one hand, he is to have clean hands and a pure heart. On the other, he is to look unto Jesus, receiving all from Him by that inward attitude of faith. Faith is the key to receiving with assurance.
Dear Father, Enable us to abide. In Jesus’ name, Amen.