“You know not what manner of spirit you are of. for the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” Luke 9:55,56
Dear Ones:
There is nothing more starkly different, and at opposite ends of the spectrum, than the holy nature of God and the sinful nature of man. Even the most well-mannered, and well-meaning man, who is good and righteous in the sight of men, is as a stalk of flax brought too near an intensely burning flame. We begin to see how different God, in His holiness, is from man when we look into the book of Genesis, in the beginning. For a time the beauty of God and the wholesomeness of man were congruent. The beauty of God was visible in man, and upon him. But when sin came into the world, all changed. Adam and Eve truly fell from that beauty of holiness, into sin’s darkness and effects. Where once the glory of God filled the man and the woman, being in perfect harmony and unison with the Divine in life, love, and power, now they became the slaves of themselves. The effects of sin would drive them to hide from the beauty of holiness, fearful of the difference which now separated them from God. Shame, sorrow, separation, and suffering would now be theirs as they would be put out of that place prepared for them. Indeed, not only was paradise lost, but the beauty of that paradise in the Person of Jesus Christ, was lost. And so it would remain were it not for the grace and mercy of God.
We know the story of Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus, and how the Lord Jesus revealed Himself to him. So great and powerful was the revelation, that Saul would be transformed, and become a new man in Christ. His name would be changed to Paul. Years later God would bring Paul face to face with the reality of who God was in His beauty, and what men are in our sinful natures: “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24) This assessment brings us again to the truth that unless God takes the initiative, WHO shall deliver us from what we are naturally, as sinners?
James and John were very “good” men, disciples of Christ, who were in His inner circle. Surely, they should have been held in great esteem, as they were very honorable men. However, there came a day, and a circumstance, when they were sent into a village in Samaria, to prepare for Jesus’ stay there. The village did not want to receive Him. The reaction of John and James, expressed to Jesus, was this: “Lord, wilt Thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did?” (Lk. 9:54) It was then that the Lord turned and rebuked them, declaring to them that they did not realize how opposite they were in their nature to that of God. James and John wanted to destroy the people. Jesus would say, “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” (v.56) Herein is the difference between God and fallen man, even the best man. One wants to destroy, and the other wants and wills to give LIFE.
Dear Father, give us grace to see as You see, and in understanding our utter depravity without Thee, to trust Thee and Thee alone to cleanse us, fill us with Thy Spirit, and lead us in the service, and salvation, of others. Save us from ourselves, that You may save others through us for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad