THE ONLY ONE

THE ONLY ONE

                There is a man who is God… but not because a man became God…but because God became a Man.

                This one fact sets Jesus apart from all contenders. There are many who aspire to become God, or even a god. All of the pagan gods in history had been created by the God of heaven. They had fallen from their exalted place in an act of rebellion. Now they would feign to be our gods, but for the most part they do a really poor job of it. Their ungodly principles always lead mankind to ruin.

                Even God Himself cannot be a self-serving God. Our God loves and therefore He gives. Even the worship He requires of us is much like a flower that faces the sun and receives life from it. Our worship to God then is therefore not at all like the worship demanded by lesser gods. Many worship the lesser gods to appease them, to stave off their petty tirades, to stroke their egos.

                We worship our God because He is the very source of all that exists. All of creation is upheld by the word of His power. The little gods may try to intimidate people into worshipping them, but behind them and above them resides the infinite One. The little gods tremble and shake in their boots. They are on a leash. They can only do what they are allowed to do, and even that which they do is allowed only for the forming  and training of the Sons of God.

                Even as they tempt us, they may conquer the weak, but the strong they make stronger. Faith grows in adversity and strength is built by resistance. No one goes to a gym to find a machine that will lift the weights for them. What would be the point? We go to the gym because strength is built in resistance.

                How would we know light if there was no darkness? How would we know up if there was no down? How would we know righteousness if there was no evil? How would we know comfort if there was no pain?

                And so it seems to me that this earth has been set up by God to be the perfect training ground for training sons who will grow up into their Father’s image.

                In order to demonstrate His plan… in order to model His truth… in order to create a prototype of the New Man that existed in the mind of God, He had to come into the world Himself… come as one of us… live the perfect life, model the plan… and then go back to heaven to send His very Holy Spirit into our lives so that we could live by the very same Spirit by which He conquered sin and death.

                So, before God even came into the world He predestined us to become His sons. He knew us even before creation and so He set up the perfect training ground in which to become His sons and in His image.

                “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified , these He also glorified.”  Rom 8:29, 30.

                You don’t have to wonder if you have been predestined to be one of God’s sons or daughters. No one can come to the Father unless He calls them. The very fact that you have an interest in spiritual things, in God, in Christ and in His Word tells you all that you need to know. You have been called to be a member of the family of God.

                There are two distinct seed lines in the world today. There is the seed of the serpent and there is the seed of Christ. Now we can get all intimidated that the seed line of the serpent is now attempting to build a global kingdom into which we don’t fit.

                The Lord, in talking about these days said something rather interesting in Luke 21:16-19

                “But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all on account of My name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish. By your perseverance you will win your souls.”

                What does He mean here anyway? He just said that some of us will be killed, and then He promises that not a hair of our heads will perish. Then He goes on to say that by our perseverance we will win our souls. Again, what does this mean?

                IN order to understand this we have to go to the tabernacle of Moses. As triune beings we are made up of three components we are made up of body_ (outer court) soul (Holy Place) and spirit (Most Holy Place.)

                So if we are born again we know that our spirit has been quickened and made alive by the Holy Spirit who now dwells in our spirit (In The Most Holy Place.) So we are a spirit that dwells in a body, and we have a mind, or soul, that must choose daily whether to live by the desires of the flesh, or the desires of the spirit. This is why the soul is positioned between the spirit and the body. Every day we are making choices that either connects us to the body of flesh, or that connect us to the Spirit.

                If we are true Christians then our body has been crucified with Christ. We have laid our all upon the altar of sacrifice so that the body is now dead. As such our soul (mind) is being conformed to the image and mind of Christ. This attachment between our soul and our spirit, wherein the Holy Spirit dwells, is becoming stronger and stronger while our attachment with the flesh is growing weaker and weaker.

                This way, even if they kill the body, it can be said that not one hair of our head will perish. We are hid in Christ. The real us is living in a vital connection with the Holy Spirit so that we can say with Paul. “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Phil 1:21.

                Paul knew that his physical life was about to be taken. He was hard pressed from two directions. He was ready and wanted to depart and to be with Christ, but he also loved those whom he had won to the Lord. It would be better for them if he stayed.

                Our purpose on this earth as aspiring sons and daughters of God is to be conformed to the image of Christ and that means that our spirit and soul will be united and our flesh crucified.

                God became a Man so that He could bring many sons to glory. What an awesome thing this is.

                “For it was fitting for Him for whom are all things and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through suffering.  For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” Heb. 2:10, 11.

                It is this union between our spirit and our soul that is the secret place of the Most High. This is where we must dwell. If we don’t dwell there then Psalm 91 will be of no value to us. As for our spirit, it goes back to God who gave it when we die, (Eccl. 12:7) but if we want our identity to go back with it, we must save our souls and that is what Jesus is doing when He puts us through the paces so that we are always learning how to live by the Spirit and not by the flesh.

                It is the Holy Spirit that glues our spirit and soul together making us into a new creature in Christ, but we must daily choose to remain in that relationship rather than to break it and serve the desires of the flesh. This is the covenant we have with the Lord that if we daily choose Him and serve Him with all of our spirit and soul, while putting to death the deeds of the flesh, then God promises that He will save us. It is a covenant written in His own blood. “For those who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. Rom. 8:14

                So the good thing is that if we will choose the Spirit now, then He will give us new bodies in the resurrection and thus ”He will preserve us entirely, spirit soul and body without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And He goes on to leave us with this assurance saying: “Faithful is He who calls you and He also will bring it to pass.”  1 Thess. 5:23, 24.

                This is a win, win situation folks! So hang in there and not only hang in, but pursue the Lord with all of your heart and soul and mind.

                There is but one man who is God… not because man became God, but because God became a man. And yet we did this so that He could bring many sons to glory and when He returns we will be like Him. This should blow our minds.