The apostle(s) who saw/sees this matter by the informing of the spirit came to understand the great glory of Christ in relationship to all other things, most especially in the matter of the law…and even extending to all principle(s) of law.
For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For such glory to be appreciated, if it is to be seen, must first come an apprehension that God, source of life, who is Himself all of living Being is not, nor can be, subject to any law. There is not (nor can be) anything above Him to bring imposition upon Him as either constraint or even as appeal of, or toward liberty. There is no force exerted upon His being (again, nor can be) for He is not merely final authority (as though following a chain upward) but of all and complete authority. There is no “space” above Him of any occupation from which such constraint or encouragement can come. He is what is, owing nothing to explanation or any “because” for He alone is cause. Nothing supports His being by reason or reasons, or reasonings, for He is all reason. There is no “why” as to why God is who He is. He is.
And all and anything that we may see in existence or even imagine as might, or could be, is not, nor can be but in owing to God’s allowance of it to us. There is nothing that “allows” God. If this does not already blow the believer’s mind that through Christ we not only touch (if we have been touched) this life that is all life and only source of it (to us)…but more, are called to know both it (life) and Him in same likeness, then merely shortly consider it. Let these words sink in as need be “It is enough that the disciple be as His Master”.
Enough? There is nothing of God that we receive as anything but understated! And even this despite all the truth that may be found therein. For what man (believer especially) and if thinking soberly, can keep himself from all inebriation of spirit were he to consider the Christ of God is telling man it is “enough” to be as the Master? Particularly such Master as given us, Jesus the Christ who Himself is filled with all the fullness of God! Believer…is it “enough”?
Believer…what else is there…to be?
Is it enough to be sufficient to all things? Is it sufficient “enough” to know Him? And if looked at in some obverse way (perhaps) that such sufficiency…”enoughness” is purposed of God toward us…what in creation, or of the creation (all being made subject to Him) has power to frustrate or impede such purposing established by Him? Any thing? God forbid. Contrariwise to impeding, may we come to see His particular and exquisite care in arranging all in the creation to such end…even for us. All things…are ours. Re read as necessary what the apostle says as to this very matter:
For all things are yours. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.
It must be made clear from spirit to soul (where mind is faculty) that this very life of God in Jesus Christ is made ours through His faith, or that faith in Him that He has delivered to us. We are of like faith. And of like life. And each of us to some measure understands the repetition of words is easy, but the knowing of them from the depths is often something a bit more profound. But there is benefit to our (and any) repeating of them in whatever measure of faith we have…that they, like pressure on the wheel of our vessel, might turn the rudder to steer us to deeper waters.
To this end, if in seeking deeper waters, we might ask “How is the law, which the apostle confesses ‘Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.’ made ‘weak through the flesh’?” How can such a thing be? How can a thing given by God, and of God to man…be made weak…and what could the flesh “do” or “be” (so to speak) that could cause the apostle to see such making of weakness?
I am persuaded of that intention of God to high light a thing also mentioned in scripture and to which Jesus Himself testified. To this end we may come to see the strength of the law, in coupling with the weakness of man, serves God’s purpose perfectly to such end as the glorifying of His son. No doubt these two verses (no less than all scripture) can be a help to us when considered:
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
And:
And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
We might even go a bit farther in quoting and considering:
But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:
We cannot limit such considerations to these few quotes of verses for we have a multitude delivered to us. But we may see, even in these few, how the working(s) in and of the natural man, the carnal man, the mind unenlightened by that living spirit (and life giving spirit, who is Christ) is in such bondage through fear of death that all along the way of his natural life he is maneuvered by such fear. He is turned here, there, and everywhere by this deepest of fears he cannot escape as all along his way he encounters as though sign posts of mini deaths to steer him. “Mini deaths” sounds funny, doesn’t it? But perhaps less so when considered.
Consider. Poverty, shame, ignorance (and/or being ignored), contradiction, rebuke, powerlessness, pain and suffering, and consider how much has grown from such soil to avoid these. As though a man, in confrontation of these matters seeks to avoid “that” (or those) paths…even perhaps not knowing where the other might lead…but is convinced to himself “death (in form) is along that way” and must be shunned. Never knowing he is being maneuvered, and even further maneuvered along “other” paths that will lead to no less forking along their ways…till ultimately all is to end of death in fullness. Do you wonder? Do you think not? Consider the man who once sought to avoid ignominy and hoped against hope to be found acceptable in any endeavor…writer, painter, carpenter, rat catcher, conqueror, king and how all the world, even if attainable, can never suffice. The king is troubled by one small voice of dissent he senses “out there”, the conqueror driven always to exact compliance, the once ignored writer now frets whether the Pulitzer will be his, the rich man troubled over some error in accounting, the religious man troubled that one might not see his piety. How much grows and has grown! And all revealed ultimately as vanity.
The vanity that somehow death will be kept at bay by fame, or wealth, or power, some (or whatever) notion of success which, if vainly thought great enough death would “have to chew through” to get at him or to him, and thereby provide himself something greater of life as some sufficient buffer. When ultimately, and regardless…his soul is always in the offing. And really, all and always because all that is known, all that is motive, all that is struggled against and resisted is death, and fear of it. Maneuvering precisely to it.
Then, and still, we might ask “How is the law made weak, ineffective…through the flesh?” to bring about the revelation of life found only in Jesus Christ? And if one has not seen this life, the weakness made of the law must yet prevail to show only death is due the flesh. And its resistance to it, that death…its “due”…which makes the law weak yet remains perfect then to show the sin of resistance…and the overpowering power of death yet resident in that man.
One is either resistant to the law…or made over it in Christ.
And we can discuss this further.
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