God knows what power and work it takes for a man to see, and to some extreme, himself. O! but this is no small matter and cannot escape wonder. Yet it is of great necessity it be accomplished on our behalf, for without firm establishment of identity and identities how can there be relating or relationship? A self in relation (or relationship) to another cannot escape the necessity of this knowing…for lest it be made clear all presumption cannot but ensue. Do we see that?
The examples that may be given make it all the more plain so that I am confident none of us are unaware. And again, without apology for entrance into what only appears paradoxical, we venture.
As close as both a man and woman may become even in bond of marriage, or even using friends as example, we know lines can be crossed. (Do we?) Those places or circumstance where one oversteps and inserts themselves and even exerts themselves into matters an “other”, or the other sense an unlawful incursion. Oh yes, I can speak “for my wife” in many things, and she for me no less, but there are, and have been times where I must be reminded, as forcefully as needed, “You are not me!”. No matter how close we may get or be (and with friends, no less) once we allow a blurring to cloud our sight to such extent of presumption there must be a reestablishment of identity(s). Yes, we can get very close in a marriage, very close in a friendship so that even to an observer we appear as one, and we may even make such proclamation “we are one in marriage”…but in that relationship where others, even observers “are not” we cannot escape the necessity of knowing identity.
This is where paradox only seems and is assigned its place to being only of appearance. The paradox is only washed away in reality. And by the reality that is Christ.
It’s almost too simple as to not need any elucidating. Nevertheless I enjoy my liberty as I hope you, no less, enjoy yours. Simply…no matter how close, no matter how deep, no matter to what extent we proclaim our joining in and to the Lord, embrace our joining in the Lord, yes, even gloriously rejoice in our joining in the Lord, none of us is that very Lord, Jesus the Christ of God. He remains who He is, His identity secure…and even by Him and His work alone, is it that we (no matter how strongly we be knit together) not only find ours, but are given to maintain ours! O! but this seems even more paradoxical! Is this writer saying “A man doesn’t even know himself or his own identity till he be joined to Christ by Christ, and in Christ?”
Yes.
Nor does he know his brother(s). Or any, for that matter. Nor can he keep an identity, apart from this work.
If we consider what we have been given of Christ, and by Christ as our life, and our instructions for healthy pursuit (and handling, if you will) we may consider such as this in that light:
And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?
But as to identity, as to the “who’s who” in our relationships, we submit God has never had this matter as issue. He surely knows Himself fully, who and what He is, and even all things of creation, surely including anything of us. It is we who need light, not God. God who is all that light. Is it too far a stretch, or in sounding too condemnatory to say once we assumed our very selves to be…that god? We walked in our own light. Yes, to ourselves we once were. It took (and always takes) the work of God to establish to us…who we are, and who He is. We are creature and created thing, He is not. He is first in all and always, we are not (unless by some folly we still hold some persuasion we are responsible for Him and not He as responsible for all.)
But here is another thing we enter as we do in this establishment…we are granted to appreciate “other”. Oh yes, we can enjoy (and do) the many things and matters of which the arm of His salvation has secured (liberty being one)…but again, no matter how deeply this may extend to us, even in such sharing of, and by Him toward us…it is almost laughable to ask… no it is quite laughable, does that make any of us…God? Lord?
O! but you say, how ridiculous! Yes, indeed. But I will also assume (or is it presumption?) you are not unfamiliar with some who have gone about proclaiming (often ending under a psychiatrist’s care in some institution) “I am Jesus Christ!”
O! What we have entered! What we are called to! To even know God…as God…is no matter for slighting! Yes, we can recite and cite the scriptures as need be “Sanctify the Lord in your hearts”…”let” Him be continually set apart to all special place of preeminence. Reserve to Him (as even granted us by Him in such power toward us as gift to do so) such place of all exaltation, for truly it is this that keeps us from the insanity (and is therefore come to be seen more as gift) than a stridency of law uttered to us. Knowing Him, is what keeps us from the crazy. Despite how and to the world they would define it as.
This is what keeps us…from return descent into that abyss of crazy land. God gives us gift of preservation and prevention of such once confusion…and the truth of the matter is…the more He reveals of Himself…the very much more we know (even as we draw closer) “I am not…Him”.
It does seem almost paradox, no? Wouldn’t the lines have to get blurred? Wouldn’t being so strongly “in another” make confusion impossible to resist and be overcome by? But thankfully, gratefully, truthfully, “it” is all and only (our being in Him) what plainly shows and even delivers us from, the very confusion of our once estate to even hold such (now) obvious absurdity. No matter what authority, placement, knowing of being in Him we may see, enjoy, or be granted in Him, and by Him, none is ever less than for this working in us (O! you are God and I am not!) and sharing commonly with and to one another.
We “get to” love! We are granted such grace, such allowance to both know and enter into what we thought we all knew…till we met Him! And began our discipleship under His tutelage. We are student, He is Master. We are loved (and even know of it) only because He first loved us. He is the all in all, and we are blessed to know Him as that.
No one “around the throne” is either sorry about the activity of casting their crowns, nor confused as to Whom such is rightly cast. Without this, do we see, or better, with this (do we see) we are given such a great gift to worship, to adore, to, yes…reverence and appreciate a One beheld?
Do we need fresh eyes? Have you ever needed “fresh eyes” to see your wife…as she truly is, and not as she may have become to you “Oh, it’s just her…again” through the wearing thin of time’s constant beat toward familiarity? Yet…suddenly…we may find ourselves as men “taken out of time”…men delivered from all that is prone to “take for granted” a whole of creation that is perfectly formed…and not only so, but also being perfectly upheld to a precise end.
As surely as this works in us for and to God for our joy, so it does, and is, and must work in us toward one another…and absolutely no less! How humdrum and boring and monotonous with the dread rhythms of hell must all otherwise become!
And is!
In Christ each member is an unsearchable well of gift(ing). And how each is received and “handled” speaks both of what we have received…and what we may yet be in need of.
O! but does that sound too “high and mighty” of a man to say?
But I didn’t. A new man did, Even the new man, did.
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
O! yes, when we see that man so prone to taking things for granted, for assuming to a presuming, for going along thinking in anything less than, or according to anything other than the reality of the newness of life…we meet him. Thanks be to God for the One who delivers us from his clutches! The only one who can deliver from such dire darkness and (of) presuming!
O! this salvation! O! this work of God in Christ to us, and for us!
Do we need fresh eyes…for God? For a wife? For a friend? For all and everything? Even…enemies as we may think them to be? God help us!
Do I pain you with too frank disclosure? Does it hurt a bit? It does, doesn’t it? But so you do not think there’s a wounding of unnecessary infliction to bring a man down a notch or two so he won’t be so hurtful, will you believe?
Will you believe a man who has seen his wife…as enemy? Is that not enough? Then God also and no less? His Christ, too? Seen Him as enemy…of some fault. (Never confuse responsibility for fault, lest you be found frankly demanding all responsibility be placed upon you…a responsibility one cannot bear to the showing of all faults of which one is unaware.)
Paul had it settled to him. There is no fault in Christ, and He is well able to take all responsibility for us.
We are weak. He is both faultless and responsible.
Too much?
Then be a help and knock a man down a notch or two. By lifting up another Man.
After all, it is no less than your calling in Him to do so. To be a help so.
Do you…can you, will you…love me?
Whatsoever you do as unto the least…
This is what a true friend has told me:
These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes.
Yes, it is enough a man, even any man, have one true friend who has such power as to cause one to live through this.
One friend is necessary. More friends are not unnecessary.
There are eyes before which I, and no man, can lie. He has His as He is who He is.
And His eyes are as a burning fire.
And I am what I am.
And you are what you are.
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