“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all.” Ephesians 4:4-6
There have been many monumental momentous occasions when God in His providence seemed to literally step into the history of man on this earth, to reveal the truth of Himself, His Godhead, His Son, and His Salvation. One of those moments was when Moses was called up to Mt. Sinai to receive the ten commandments. One cannot fathom, even to this day, the significance and influence upon humanity and the world, that has occurred, and will occur, because of that event. The giving forth of God’s LAW was the gift to mankind of His standard of excellence, righteousness, and holiness. This LAW was just as immutable as Himself. Though it would bring a great deal of order in the lives of many who would seek to obey it, its great purpose was to be somewhat like a plumbline, perfectly straight and perfectly positioned by God, so that when it is placed next to the so called “righteousness” of man, man would see, and become convinced of the fact that he, in an of himself, was not holy, not righteous with the perfection of God’s righteousness. The result of this discovery would be either that man would run away from God’s commandments and then seek to create his own by which to be justified before a holy God, or he would fall before the God of mercy and grace, seeking His remedy for a hopeless situation, sought by a helpless creature.
In the order in which these momentous occasions would occur, perhaps the second one would be the coming of Christ into the world, and His crucifixion on Calvary. Here again, man is shut up to an event, an accomplished work by the Son of God on the cross, which will define and determine whether a lost sinner can and will be saved from the wrath to come, and this in response to the revelation of a loving God who has done ALL in order to provide man a way to be saved. The revelation of the work of Christ on the Cross, dying for all the sins of all men, is again like that plumbline, perfect and true, and well placed beside all of the so-called “righteousness” of men. Not only is there revealed how vile and sinful man is in his nature, and attitude towards God, when the plumbline of God in Christ is held alongside the sinful unbelieving and godless nature of fallen, but it will reveal two other things among many. The first is God’s judgment on sin, how that He cannot tolerate it, and will deal completely with it. This He did in Christ when the Father “laid on Christ the iniquity of us all.” The second thing which overwhelms the lost and helpless sinner, incapable of saving himself by any means other than by the grace and mercy of God, is the revelation of the love of God that He has for the whole world.
The third great occasion in the order of time that occurred was the outpouring of the Spirit of God on the day of Pentecost after the resurrection and ascension of Christ into heaven. When the Spirit came that day, all that Jesus accomplished on the cross, His dealing with sins, and the sinner, the revelation of a perfect and eternal salvation, and the revealed power for saved man to live by faith in the faithfulness of God, was unveiled firstly in part to a small group of one hundred and twenty, gathered together, praying, and waiting for the outpouring of the Spirit. They did not realize fully what occurred that day, but later it was revealed that Christ by His Spirit had come to reside in their hearts and souls. Each believer was now called to live by the power of God, in love, for His eternal glory.
Dear Father, Fill us with faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.