If we find ourselves, or rather, when we find ourselves in this life of wonder which is ours in Christ; we eventually come to that place of having far more questions than ready answers. This surely seems most counterintuitive, for it is more easily assumed that the greater of seeming progress in a thing this would not be so. But it is precisely there that things oft repeated or casually known begin to shine of our Lord’s words. Particularly “ask, seek, knock”, delivered as instruction, but not without inherent promise made.
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Our desire to be knowers is never thwarted, but always in Christ rightly directed. Where once the knowing of “things” quite sufficed, and was fit for our parading (which we might admit we did so love) the coming to know a person (what is the call?) is far different. There are marks of love(rs) that distinguish from the merely curious gatherer of information. And, as being treasured of lovers, they are often not easily seen. But they will be there.
And our Lord has already been marked, for us. The how and to what depth such marking are in that One who bore His soul to death in obedience and for our sakes, are at once compelling (for any called to see), yet also speak of an unplumbable depth. And this compelling is never without the greatest of eternal benefit to the one exercised by it. For the depths of those marks are the measure of His love. And no one who ever undertakes, is compelled, is even forced to see or explore the depths of that matter, is ever disappointed. No wonder…our wonder grows…and does not diminish as natural intuition might dictate. And, as we mark the marks, we ourselves are marked. He alone is not penurious in the sharing of His deepest trove of treasure that quite naturally all others would hoard to themselves, as only for themselves.
We may lick our own wounds with a self love in a hidden place; He bares to, and shares with, His…to those He loves. Even in the uncovering of all we would naturally esteem weakness.
And a change occurs.
For Christ Himself accounts as few who find, that indeed do find. Continuing in His word is not a hard thing, it is an all of an impossible thing to the man of meat (carnal) alone. And even so, what is of that carnal (meat) mind must either be changed (renewed/re-newed) or in all frustration, stopped in its tracks.
For as many as there may be, and God knows precisely how many there are, who may blithely repeat a thing as though knowing is demonstrated by some rote repetition; and by such repetition seek only to imply (or impress) to others he possesses that understanding; he has not yet considered.
Most particularly, perhaps even exquisitely in all exclusivity (to the meat mind) of how “that a thing that is not only ‘all of one thing’, but is the very substance in all expression of that thing, is made to be (not merely opposed to, but) all of that also full substance of a thing that it is not.”
For in the natural we work by differentiation, and definitions, even oppositions, so that such and such a thing is this, and such and such a thing is that…each having to abide by the assigning of what they are, no matter how many of similarities other they may share.
A rock is never a peach. The peach may be round, the rock may be round. The peach may be smooth, the rock may be smooth. They might each weigh 1/2 pound. And in some instances may even share something of coloring. Nevertheless, the rock is never peach, nor peach, rock.
Yet we say this, (following) as though with repeating we imply understanding of a “transaction” with (perhaps) little consideration of the magnitude of the thing we are saying (God help us!)
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
The all that is of the very substance of all righteousness was made to be in very all, that all that is unrighteousness.
It is far more, how exceedingly more, than turning peach to stone or vice versa. In any consideration, reduced to whatever level one cares to; even peach and stone share excessively common characteristics, of nature and composition.
But if, in speaking of Christ’s case such can never be found of any approximation of sin and righteousness; for each are in truth, not merely opposed, but by very nature the all that the other is not. The peach and stone (even if could be turned) would share so many similarities incontrovertible, that on most fundamental level they would already be described and defined as close, having mass, made up of atoms…etc. Nevertheless, we all know teeth might well be broken in mistake upon that reliance.
How much more then is, and must be broken, even will be broken when we consider the eating of that truth…
He who knew no sin was made to be (not ‘like’ sin, not even a sinner, not “close” to sin, but) sin…(itself)…for us…
This is what is called a hard stop to all that is appointed (and by God’s assigned necessity alone) to all of hard stop. An apostle understood this hard stop in concluding:
for the love of the Christ doth constrain us, having judged thus: that if one for all died, then the whole died, 2 Cor 5:14 (Young’s Literal for clarity)
Death is that hard stop. Nothing only of meat enters here, and everything of mind of meat is not only prohibited, but quite summarily and fully, excluded. Even to its own necessary frustration…to death. And so it is only the man of spirit (or spiritual man) who is able to believe, see, accept…that he is a dead man, made alive. If this is let slip without intervention or interruption, the whole is in cascade to the abyss.
Now therefore, having a Lord who “ever lives to make intercession for us” (for His own) cannot ever be casually understood as by His own as less than salvation. The man thinking he preserves himself, must and will, take his place as absent from that assembly casting their crowns at His feet. Or such as of that mind will find that hard stop.
Yes, the Lord is sitting in all peace and fully established assurance insurmountable, and no less, working. And to put a fine point to it, there are minds dying to be renewed (accounted as already dead in truth), and there are marks upon them, and fragrance to them.
The truth scourges them to a life too marvelous to apprehend in former mind, while re-newed mind assures them of the power in Christ’s resurrection. Being in all contradiction inexplicable, yet even in experience of being both dead and alive. The natural mind alone never knows nor can, it is dead, nor can see life. The man of spirit is able to both behold the dead, and know the alive. And it is because of such life as in Christ, that with Christ is said “I was dead and am now alive”
Or, as this apostle wrote
I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me…
And learning of that “I” that is “yet not I” is the only way assigned man to know life.
And only by life can a man even know what man is, or even whom he himself is.
If any can receive it, or even begin to appreciate the implications of the above matters mentioned; how that God in, by, and through Christ exercised a power of undoing, even some reversal (for want of a better word) over all most fundamental of matters, and that being the righteousness of Christ and the unrighteousness of sin, and that for us; then how little must be in revelation of all things being made new. Even to the very fullest extent of what to us was, is not now what is. And what is, begs exploration and discovery, always and continually, with all necessity of abandoning of that once was.
It must be added here how weak a word reversal is, for sin did not become righteousness, God forbid! Any inferring of that would be amiss, and if could be laid to my weakness with words would be my necessity to bear such…that is, my being far amiss. But the point must not be lost that Jesus Christ, all of life, light, and righteousness was made sin for us.
And the believer will find, must find, is appointed to find not only the benefit of this, but its very necessity. For despite any and all confessions made in ignorance or of naivete, he will learn he has never understood, nor at all, (despite protestations) what sin is. All of his judgments upon good and evil, righteousness and unrighteousness (of which he once loved to make) have been skewed irreparably except such work of God in Christ be revealed to him.
To this the writer of Hebrews testifies that strong meat is reserved to those of full age, who by exercise of use have learned to discern…good and evil.
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
It is only the man of the spirit that, through many trials and experiences learns how convenient it is to man (particularly the religious) to always see sin as a thing he may or may not do; most often as a thing out there, while knowing nothing of the man of sin. And he has also learned the convenience of much self excusing, even his own love of it; rather than behold what appears naked and draped bloody from a tree under all scorn of man not knowing. And to understand himself rightfully (O! too rightly!) placed there. Resistance in, and to that acknowledgement, is resistance in all.
Paul, the once meticulously schooled religious persecutor known as Saul of Tarsus, came to see the wisdom of God’s work in Christ done in, by, and through the cross. That particular place no man could opt to, where to himself he is displayed as not merely ineffectual, but made devoid of all knowing of anything but death’s total immanence, and his own extreme of dependence. And not only so, but that all motions of the natural man, done in agonizing effort to preserve an agonizing soul, serve only to prolong such agony.
Oh, a man may find himself there, no doubt. Jesus surely was not the only man to have ever suffered crucifixion. Thieves and rebels found themselves there, the seditious, traitors, and insurrectionists against Roman rule and power could find themselves there. But this was only as consequence in foiling of some other intended outcome (as being a “successful thief”) and never the thing aimed at. But in Christ, as he (Paul) came to see, was all of impetus toward it, even made plain to us, and confirmed by such word as “but it is for this very hour I have come”.
The power of Jesus was not lost upon Saul cum Paul after the Damascus road. He knew who and what he had met there, later to understand an appointer had appointed him from before birth to this meeting. And so now was left to him, even as it is to any disciple to consider the how, what, and why of things. What was unbearable to have once considered, even outside the realm of consideration by the religious, he was now, not merely invited to understand, but pressed to it.
Messiah (the Christ of God) crucified? Not merely incidentally but in and of all intent, particularly? When such power is made plain of Him that resistance was not only His to exercise, but all exercised in intent to it? How could this be? What could such accomplish? Why, of all ways to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for whom nothing is impossible, would this be not only the way…but the only way? What…happened?
Admittedly, no man is under any obligation to accept any premise that Paul’s extensive propounding upon such matters had come in response to any questions posited above. His deep explanations and illuminations are not circumscribed by any of how I might imagine such were phrased, thought, or answered.
But if we find his declarations inspired of truth, his findings and broadcasts reliable, we might be foolish to think he is/was the only man to not find any worthy instruction in “ask, seek, knock”. As though in some sense all was handed him on a platter. (Even though in the ultimate truth of it, it was)
Perhaps some answer lay in this question we could even ask of ourselves or one another “Are we convinced that man, Paul, sought the Lord?”
Are we?
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