by RobertCummins | Jun 21, 2016 | 25. Naked
Though our passage picks up with Eve’s disobedience, let’s back up and observe the temptation that preceded it. Here we find the Serpent laying the groundwork for his attack. It’s simple. He starts by raising a question about the integrity of God’s words: “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?” Eve walks right into the trap. In a conversation that should never have taken place, she responds:
From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’
God draws us through his Spirit. The Serpent draws Eve by way of her un-fallen, God-given senses. (How often does sin begin as the anticipation of some gland’s gratification?) As Eve’s unprofitable dialogue continues, her anticipation is aroused. While she has already imagined and begun to anticipate the sweet juices on her tongue, the Serpent adds:
‘You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it (the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil) your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’
It is interesting how vulnerable Eve is even before the Fall. The Serpent systematically invites her to remove all barriers between her and gratification. He challenges the authority of God’s word and positions Eve to hear a blatant lie, which she is now prepared to accept to obtain what she’s come to want. The lie is twofold: first, that disobedience will cost nothing, and second, that God has been shortchanging her. Does this exchange sound at all familiar?
When the “wow” saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. (Note: “Wow” is what I propose Adam would have named Eve, had he been given naming rights.)
Adam, knowing (more acutely now) that it is most assuredly not as good for man to be alone, is also drawn into the treason. (Adam had appetites as well.) Drilling deeper into what happened next will open our eyes to the dynamics of temptation.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
While the fruit initially had a sweet taste, it soon turned bitter, poisoning the well within the earth’s two first rulers. The consequence was a self-awareness God had not intended. The pure light that was in them was replaced by a strange light, which cast shadows on their notions of God and themselves. And radiating dimly in this new light was a fresh consideration: right and wrong. So, from the shadow lands of their fallen hearts, they began to navigate outward from Eden. They were now wrestling with the earth and with their Creator by the dim light of their own wits (which illustrates the etymology of the word dimwit. I’m sorry.) Actually this train wreck is called the mind of the flesh and it is by nature spiritually barren. Paul tells us that the mind set on the flesh is death. Our story, in Adam, continues:
They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
Men, hiding themselves from each other and their Creator. Is this not the story of the human race? What is there to hide that was not in us originally? I believe it is shame. Shame flooded into man’s soul, extinguishing his light just as God told him it would. While it is natural to the flesh to lust for things and power, it is also in its fallen make-up to compensate for its shame. This hiding leads man into myriad forms of slavery, especially religion. Religion is the classic means of coping with God by our own wits. This is why the spirit of rejection (along with pride) is common in religious persons.
We know the next scene by heart. The man tries shifting the responsibility for his sin to Eve. (FYI: This never works with God.) Adam cannot bear the burden of shame, trying to lay it off on his mate. It’s never our fault, is it? I was recently impressed with the candor of a friend. His email address came right out and said it all: itsyourfault@whatever.com.
When things in us are awry at the level of our identities, the serpent’s job of deception is pretty simple. When we think of ourselves as stepchildren whom God tolerates through Jesus, it is quite simple for the Serpent to recommend a course of prescriptive ideas to fix ourselves up and get right with God. This would be the equivalent of us sewing our own fig leaves. Regardless of how good a résumé of moral thoughts and deeds we might string together, it will not affect our standing with God one whit. On the contrary, it will deepen religion’s deception. God must provide the remedy:
The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
God has provided Jesus to us as our sole remedy. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Religion, as we speak of it, is an inadequate (and even deadly) covering. We must be clothed in Christ alone. He is the only garment God has provided us.
As they grow accustomed to its fit, the wearers always testify that they no longer feel like tolerated step children. Far from it! Rather, in Christ, they come to see their identities as cherished sons and daughters who are welcome in God’s presence, permanently free from shame and condemnation. They are able to declare in unity: He keeps me from stumbling, and makes me to stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy. In the sacred place of their innermost being, they continue: Now to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24)
Father, help us to recognize and honor the authority of your word. Help us to recognize the enemy’s intrusions upon our thoughts with innocent sounding questions designed to undermine what you have said, tempting us into sin. Teach us to focus on Jesus and not on our shadowy notions of right and wrong. May our hearts acutely grasp the cost of our sin and may we repent of the notion that we have been shorted in any way. May we live with an exclusive dependency on Christ and out of the fullness of his life within us. You are our sole remedy and you are in every way sufficient. Truly Lord, our cups are running over. In your strength, may we complete our mission to subdue and rule over your earth. Thank you, thank you.
by RobertCummins | Jun 20, 2016 | 24. Holiness
Behold, a throne was standing in heaven and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance (from Revelation 4:2-3)
John’s Revelation is constructed of mere words. Just how close can human language get in representing the transcendent glory of God’s holiness? I believe John’s words are precisely what he was shown but that does not directly equate to reality. I believe what John saw was light years beyond human comprehension or description. In this assault on John’s human consciousness there was nothing remotely familiar to him. God had to strengthen him supernaturally in the Spirit to even survive this encounter. When John was returned from the Spirit, I believe he must have been frustrated, “How can I accurately tell this story?” The best descriptors available to him were this earth’s most precious stones and its most severe weather. Yet God allowed John to see so that he could report, and his report is invaluable.
The linchpin of evangelical Christianity is our personal relationship with God yet as I read John’s revelation I respond, “Oh Lord, this is not the primary vision I have of You. How are John’s words intended to effect my relationship with You?”
You and I do not have the same revelation that John did but that does not mean we are without revelation. I am most grateful to the writer of Hebrews.
And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. (Hebrews 1:3)
Again human language obstructs, but from that place, light years beyond light years away, the Son of Man came and gave us the revelation intended for us – Jesus of Nazareth. However alien and terrifying the God of Revelation may be, He chose to come to us as a Shepherd – the safest of all people to jittery sheep. God chose to span the dimensions and the millenniums as a Shepherd to rescue you and I.
We began our week by asking just what holiness was. As the week has come to a close, I am satisfied we are looking directly at holiness when we see Jesus. John’s revelation only serves to amplify the glory of Jesus. While John makes God’s otherness stunningly clear, I am simultaneously stunned that the radiance of His glory knew splinters and had dirt under His fingernails. I am awe struck that the exact representation of His holy nature touched whores and lepers and then sat down at the right hand of His Majesty on high. I am grateful that it is Jesus’ gritty hands that now hold all things together.
I believe in Jesus we not only have a door standing open in heaven, I believe we have a bridge Who spans the impossible chasm sin has created between man and God. And, if you have ears to hear, Christ is prepared to even become your life. If you are questioning, deep in your heart, which side of this chasm you are standing, receive Christ and become a child of God. Repent of whatever illusions have held you captive. Accept the Shepherd’s hand outstretched and be transported from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of your Father. So be it.
by RobertCummins | Jun 20, 2016 | 25. Naked
Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. (Genesis 2:19)
Had Adam been given the naming rights of the creature that was fashioned from his rib, I suspect she might have ended up as “Wow.” He might have added, “There is no way that thing was made from dirt! Come, let us be alone no longer.” Would we ever get used to hearing pastors say, “And who gives this wow to be married to this man?”
But that’s not how it happened. Instead:
The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
And what Adam really said was:
This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
This is why:
A man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
There are so many directions one could go on a keyboard given our gender-challenged world where these fundamental truths have been discarded. In this hour of history we see that human courts have taken it upon themselves to become God’s judge in such matters. If there were any room for fear in the working out of our salvation, this circumstance would provide a reasonable basis for it. If ever there has been a living illustration of folly, it must be western culture. Listen to the Spirit in two passages warning us to not do what we have done and continue to do:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption. (Galatians 6:7-8)
God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. (Romans 1:24-27)
Back to Eden. Why was it that the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed? A comment by Paul regarding human nature in general may help to answer:
When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. (II Corinthians 10:12)
Adam and Eve did not have the disadvantage of having a multitude of prisoners of modern culture with whom to compare themselves. We moderns have literally millions of images stored away in our minds for the sake of fruitless comparison. Most were intentionally planted there by Madison Avenue. How deep is the madness of a culture that permits advertisers to fuel a perpetual discontentedness with who we are and what we have? As the restless pawns (and the essential fuel of our economy), just how deeply are we entangled in this world?
Arlo Guthrie asks, “Hello, America, how are ya?” What should our response be to our conflict? The Spirit tells us:
For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25)
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Mankind will not likely return to this place of innocence, at least as it pertains to apparel. However, knowing transparency and innocence (shall we call it freedom?) is surely fundamental to the life Jesus intended for us. Our hurdle, shame, is as unnatural as same sex union, yet it’s systemic to our culture. Shame in how we see ourselves drives not only fashion and finance; it drives relationship to God as well. I believe we reason in error, thinking, we must escape our shameful being if we are to ever know God. Dallas Willard rightly says that we live in a shame-based culture. (For a profound and thorough discourse on our hearts, by all means read his book, Renovation of the Heart.)
Religion is what we clothe our hearts with in order to cover our shame and enable us (we vainly imagine) to approach God. In our vain imaginations we believe we must first think particular things and do particular things to win God’s acceptance. However, when thought of in this way, church attendance, baptism, giving, and service all become filthy rags in God’s appraisal. There are simply no human thoughts or actions that can qualify us before God. They are worthless. They will even be damning if we die thinking we are adequately clothed with them.
Christianity (which began simply by Christ living in and through man) has evolved into a religion. Did Jesus really die to establish a religion? Religion is simply any system of thought or practice whereby the doing of it causes us to think that we have gained the favor of God. If life truly begins there (in the heart) as Proverbs 4:23 tells us, we must allow the Spirit to examine our hearts as to the why’s behind our thoughts and deeds. We should complete this sentence; “I am accepted by God’s because: fill in the blank. (I pray no extra space was required there.)
If we think we are in right standing with God and that we are assured heaven because of something we just placed in the blank space, we must rethink our position in comparison to God’s words. If we think we have performed in some way, or that our personal righteousness is as good as another’s (there’s that comparison thing again), we are standing on shifting sand. When the winds and storms come (especially the last one), we will have no foundation and it will indeed be finished. People often ask, “Why trials? Why suffering?” We must give thanks if God has sent storms in advance to expose the false work of our existing spiritual house. He is working in us and wanting us to reinvest our faith in Him alone, the only firm foundation for life.
When we stand before him we must be clothed in Christ alone. Even a peep about our righteousness on that occasion would be the ultimate absurdity in light of the glowing perfection of God’s holiness, which is the only and continual reference point we must have.
Be holy therefore as I am holy.
This can be achieved only by clothing ourselves in Christ, by being a vessel that he has come to inhabit in His Spirit. Today (as always) is the day of salvation. If we are laboring under the delusion that some particular something about us is inherently good, that our life, in itself, is sufficient, that our faithfulness to this or that has won God’s approval, then we must repent and put our trust in Christ alone and be saved. Being clothed in this sense is not only how God saves our souls, but it is also how God restores to us the shame-free and guilt-free hearts he intended for us.
Father, in your kindness, disrupt us in every way we trust in ourselves for our salvation or renovation. Let our restlessness evolve into longings which equip us to taste and to see, at ever deepening levels, Your beauty and Your glory. We invite you as Lord to challenge and overthrow any religious idea that may have lodged in our thinking, undermining the simplicity and the surety that is You alone. Blessed be Your name. Amen.
by RobertCummins | Jun 20, 2016 | 24. Holiness
The Law was only a shadow of the good things to come. It could never, by the same sacrifices, perfect a worshipper’s conscience. If it had, its continuation would have been unnecessary. Animal blood won’t remove sins, it can only serve as a reminder of them. (a paraphrase of Hebrews 10:1-3)
The Law hinted at good things to come but it was kept, at least in part, to avoid a consequence. Parents aspire that their children eventually do the right things because they are right, not because the will suffer if they don’t. Parent’s don’t want their children living out of fear, but until they are mature, disobedience and punishment are essential. When my grandchildren disobey (or are considering it) they are warned, “If you disobey, you will receive a consequence.”
Earthly parents are trying to raise their kids so that they can one day integrate into society as healthy, independent and responsible people. Spiritual parents are trying to integrate those around them into the kingdom of God as healthy, God-dependent and God-gifted people.
God’s objectives are higher than ours though; He initially gave his children the Law to help them live in harmony with Him, each other and His creation and as a tutor, who was pointing them toward Jesus – the Lamb of God. The tutor’s primary message was this: All those millions of gallons of animal blood never cleansed a single conscience. The Law was designed to reinforce their need and point them to their coming Remedy.
He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (from Hebrews 10:9-10)
Father took away the the Law (which was pointing to Life) in order to establish Jesus (Who is the Life). He took away what had first been chiseled in stone in order to plant the Second in our hearts. In Christ, we have been sanctified, once and for all!
Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:11-14)
We have been made into a holy people, standing continually as priests – stewards of the Life of God within us. Our sacrifice is our acknowledgement of the finished nature of our salvation and sanctification. We have been made holy! Our enemy makes inroads when we think of sanctification as those continuous offerings we must perform as mere sinners saved by grace. In this mode, we take on a false holiness that lives in continual remembrance of its sin. This is sold at some outlets as discipleship but it is not. This busy religious life leaves God’s children in a place of adolescence and impotency. The practical outworking of our salvation (aka sanctification) is completely dependent on our dependency on Christ. He (who dwells in us) is the hope of glory.
I concur with Jesus; “It is finished!” Everything required for our salvation and our sanctification is complete, in Christ. Yet, we do not live in sinless perfection because of our flesh. Even as new creations we are left to work out this salvation that is in us. I have no fear or trembling of God’s intentions toward me or of final outcomes. God is good and there are very good things to come. However, I am not above a little fear and trembling when it comes to the process aspect of sanctification which involves consequences.
We are not orphans nor are we illegitimate. God is our Father and He is actively transforming us into the image of his Son. Christ is in us. For His holiness to find its way to the surface while the flesh is protesting, at the very least, will provoke (if not fear and trembling) a little awe and wonder. I am right there with my grandkids. I am progressively learning obedience and consequently, I am (more often) doing the right things for the right reasons. These right things are not burdensome because they are coming from the new rightness in my heart.
Father, bring many sons and daughters into maturity for your name’s sake. We look forward to the day when the world sees you as our perfect Parent.
by RobertCummins | Jun 17, 2016 | 24. Holiness
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:13-16)
Peter believed the end of all things was at hand so he is withholding nothing. His words are like the father who is calling out to his child on their last lap of the big race. He is pulling no punches in regard to what he understands about being holy. I’m going to relay some of the things this great spiritual father is calling out to us as we run.
God himself signed us up for this race when he caused us to be born again. He did this so we would gain what awaits us at the finish line – an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for us. He is saying he knows many of the previous laps were grueling but that by enduring those laps, we qualify ourselves for praise, glory and honor. Ultimately Peter tells us we will meet Him who signed us up and strengthened us in our running and as a little bonus… we obtain the salvation of our souls.
“Focus children!” The father yells out to us, “Stay focused! You can do this because I did it. My sweat and my blood equip you to run. You watched me do this. Just follow my example. You are born of my Seed which is imperishable. My Life – My Word – Jesus, is the living and enduring word of God within you! You and He will endure to the finish line, and far beyond.”
When I was 15 I thought I was a pretty good broad jumper and I thought I was pretty fast, that is until the track meet. I recall jumping against Renaldo Martino, a boy my age from another junior high school. It was as though he was a frog and I was a flea. He was also at the starting line of the 220 yard dash. After the gun went off, we were neck and neck, for about 5 feet. The frog had turned into a rabbit and I, apparently, a tortoise. When we rounded the curve, Renaldo and the pack left me behind. Something in me just died. Mid race, I knew I was an inferior athlete. I just walked off the track, leaving it to the beings it was designed for.
Quitting was a mistake, one I regret. There were some people watching who were not just interested in the power in my legs. Those who mattered were prepared to applaud what was in that boy’s heart. Had that boy just finished the race, he would have made a few fans very happy. Quitting is a terrible thing to do to yourself and to those who love you.
Don’t we feel a bit like giving up though when we, the fallen offspring of Adam, are commanded to be holy as God is holy? Isn’t that like setting the high jump bar at 20 feet? When I feel the gravity of my flesh, I am tempted to think the bar has been set unfairly – for a different breed of athlete than I. But I haven’t quit. In my discouragement I have probably slowed down to a walk a few times, but I am still on the track. And, I hear a crowd of voices cheering me on, One in particular, who has heard my cry. He is saying,
You are going to cross the finish line Rob! You are going to cross it in your stride! Don’t compare yourselves to others. Run your race. You can be holy because I am holy. Holiness is not achieved through abstinence or prohibitions. Holiness is My life and I gave it to you freely! Live and run, out of My Life in you. I’m with you now and I’ll certainly be there at the finish line.
I have found something to be true about human beings. We are typically capable of much more than we think we are capable of. In Christ, our inner reserves of strength are far more than we know. When the tests or the trials come, we must not look at others and compare. We must simply say, “Thank You Lord, for this lap. Do not let me run it without understanding Your heart.” With this attitude we waste none of our training, and we come to know the Coach.
Read 1 Peter. The apostle truly believes everyone’s race is about to end. He is admonishing them, “Brace yourself. You are going to suffer. But you will not be disappointed!” Listen to Hebrews 1:1-3. Different coach, same exhortation;
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Father, teach us to run our race out of Your life in us. Help us to maintain our stride, in Christ. Train us to keep our eyes on You, our Life, our example and our finish line. Let this be so.
