The man and the woman, the transgression and the curse(s). And the irreparable, but for God, change there. And “but for God” is every saint’s most exceedingly delightful but.
But, we will not know this apart from our own passing through that garden, that place of experience where it becomes plain to us we are and were, as much “of them” (man) without contradiction nor gainsaying as to estate. Our attitude and disposition to being man must change and does only in Christ, but the reality that that is all and only what we are; without shame, yet without self gratitude, without grasping at, without bristling that we are not God nor vainly seek do for ourselves a thing forbidden, precisely because Christ alone has already accomplished all that ever need be accomplished.
We prove treacherous to Him, and traitors to the faith when we presume something remains of ourselves to be done for ourselves. As Jesus has told us:
It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
Is it enough? Is it enough for you to be called a devil in Christ’s identity? Will you try to justify yourself in the sight of the religious (as Jesus did not) and also understand that only from the religious can come, even must come, that very appellation? For it was neither Rome nor the Romans, nor the avowed atheist that does so; (for the use of devils to their mind is quaint and superstitious) but can only come from those with some claim of holding enlightenment as to spiritual matters. Crazy or hopeless rebel may come from others…but devil…no.
How plain then Adam makes himself, even must make himself, in his estate of knowing and information. Not unlike Adam, who, though knowing good and evil both exist, cannot distinguish among them. Blind, dead, dark…even in all his “knowing” of information. No less the religious, knowing God and devil are…but in all without any ability to know one from other. No wonder then the Lord severely admonishes:
But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
And here is not an unworthy consideration. The devil hates being identified as what he is and for what he is, but the saint cares not at all, or will come to not caring…whether he be called a devil. Heretic. Lost soul. Actually how he is received and identified among men must come to mean less than nothing to him. Lest he be found untrue to the One who has called him. For delightfully, that is their only delightful care; for he has been persuaded:
And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
Now plainly that is going to sting a bit amongst some, and may God be even pleased it leave a mark. Any or all who may yet seek to be seen as a something amongst God’s people (and who of must not deal with this?) or worse, to the world……well…it is enough to know that true God is neither blind nor stupid. And God knows well our affections even before we do for titles, acceptance, some eminence, some setting apart as “special” and this day warns…that such, if left unattended will result in the reward of seeking for himself to be set apart…for he will taste what it means to set himself apart from the Christ of God. And the merest taste is sufficient to sober the saint.
Simply, if Christ has not yet made you “special enough” to your knowing in His singling out of you from the world, the Father will answer accordingly to such as such is deserving in despising the Lord’s work. The son of His love. If one cannot be made content to be less than the least, one is not, or not yet the Lord’s for discipling. And there is a secret to be learned in being content. For one would be better to never preach nor teach according to any wisdom he believes he has gained of Paul’s enlightenment(s) than to lie about his person…in seeking to elevate their own. And of course, this as much and more pertains to all and anything of Jesus the Christ. Who:
made Himself of no reputation.
And God will, in and through Christ, provide abundant opportunity by His power made available, for any believing man to take the lower seat. For He sees who chose it first…and when no other man could, nor would. Do we?
And what yet remains of our affections for appearing as a something before men, by titles, accolades, praises…even this very day, each will be given opportunity to despise. For our perfidious soul delights in these things of recognition and accord of better status. But we are given to see a man who
bared his soul unto death
and all and every implication of that that has both begun and will complete His good work of salvation in us. That we may know, not merely have that information that God alone is good, even He which good is, and He alone accomplishes it. The making known of His goodness, and mercy.
We dare not lie about Him.
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