Tangible intangibles
What does it mean to “come to Christ”? What does it mean to be “in Him”? This is not as esoteric as it sounds, but it is spiritual. And it is not so incomprehensible. Humans were created in God’s image, and thus they all have a measure of His spirituality. That is, the desire to love and be loved; the need to trust and be trusted.
The need for love and trust are pervasive in the human race. The most talented, the smartest, the agnostic and the atheist ranking in responsible positions, even to the hedonist and devil-possessed, from the most powerful to the poorest. To love and trust is inescapable. In every human heart exists the want of perfect surrender, perfect peace of mind which comes from trust and love.
This came to the Egyptian captain of Pharaoh’s body guard contingent, Potiphar by name. He happened to need a slave and Joseph was on the selling block. Potiphar found that he could trust Joseph perfectly, as Joseph had proven himself trustworthy in every task of Potiphar.
“Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat.” (Gen. 39:4-6).
In Joseph, Potiphar had a perfect, worry-free life, perfect surrender, perfect peace, perfect joy.
To be “in Christ” is to go to what He left behind─His memoir in the hearts of His friends and subjects; it is to give others the vital lessons He gave which helped them so much through to the end of their life. It is to come to the Bible and there to seek that surrender that brings the peace that surpasses all earthly peace.
To come to Christ is to allow the written words of the Bible to draw us in it is to relive the stories which are historical and true, to be a bystander or, even better, the actual person being addressed in the holy Writ. The true force of the word of God comes to the soul only under this condition: when you, the reader, is the one being reproved, gently entreated, instructed, etc.
I once read the testimony of an atheist turned Christian. This atheist got mad at Christianity and studied Evolution to help blot the name of Christ from his thoughts. But Evolution had too many unanswered questions and problems. So the person dove into a degree on biology, and in the end he saw people simply as walking bags of amino acids and molecules. This did not satisfy, so the atheist studied psychology and found humans to be just synapse responses to chemicals in the brain. This also did not satisfy. In the end this person took the Bible to personally prove it fallacious and ridiculous. But as the person read it, it started to read him. Finally, he got to the gospel of Matthew chapter 16 where Jesus was asking His disciples who people thought He was. He then pointed the question directly at them, “But whom say ye that I am?” (vs. 15).
Suddenly, as the atheist read these words he heard himself being addressed in his thoughts! Christ was speaking to him! He was shocked and converted on the spot. After all he had tried to do to discredit God and not being able to, now God was asking him if he was ready to fold and bow before the mountain of evidence in God’s favor. “Now that you have pursued every avenue to disprove Me, who do you say I am?” And the man instantly bowed his intellect and proud self. He met God at his burning bush and could do nothing else but surrender his intellectual guns and ammo.
“Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.
I am a stranger in the earth: hide not Thy commandments from me.
My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto Thy judgments at all times.
Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from Thy commandments.
Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept Thy testimonies.
Princes also did sit and speak against me: but Thy servant did meditate in Thy statutes.” (Ps. 119:18-23).
When we come to the Bible under conviction, we meet with its Author, the Person behind its construction and words. His spirit of truth that convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come works non-stop to give us the frame of mind to be open to faith in Him. We are drawn in or we push our way in to see Christ to know whether or not He is who He claims to be, the perfect friend, “the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16). We must know this. The Spirit of God has given us the craving to know. This atheist came to Christ in His written works. The Spirit of God brought the man into the Book, then into Christ, and finally, through Him into the bosom of God.
Every son and daughter of Adam has a God-sized hole in their heart that they have tried to use this world to fill. Supplying that emptiness is like trying to fill the Grand Canyon with water from a garden hose. Even giant buckets dumped from helicopters wouldn’t fill it. But only the Creator can supply our crater. He alone can make the hole grow smaller and smaller, as we learn of Him more and more.
Only Christ, who came in our form, one like us, can we identify with and know that He identifies with us. The Son is sufficient to fill our God-sized hole. As He said, “There is none good but one, that is, God.” (Matt. 19:17). He is our Creator, one with the Father. “His glory cover[s] the heavens, and the earth [is] full of His praise.” (Hab. 3:3).
The need for love and trust are pervasive in the human race. The most talented, the smartest, the agnostic and the atheist ranking in responsible positions, even to the hedonist and devil-possessed, from the most powerful to the poorest. To love and trust is inescapable. In every human heart exists the want of perfect surrender, perfect peace of mind which comes from trust and love.
This came to the Egyptian captain of Pharaoh’s body guard contingent, Potiphar by name. He happened to need a slave and Joseph was on the selling block. Potiphar found that he could trust Joseph perfectly, as Joseph had proven himself trustworthy in every task of Potiphar.
“Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
And he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat.” (Gen. 39:4-6).
In Joseph, Potiphar had a perfect, worry-free life, perfect surrender, perfect peace, perfect joy.
To be “in Christ” is to go to what He left behind─His memoir in the hearts of His friends and subjects; it is to give others the vital lessons He gave which helped them so much through to the end of their life. It is to come to the Bible and there to seek that surrender that brings the peace that surpasses all earthly peace.
To come to Christ is to allow the written words of the Bible to draw us in it is to relive the stories which are historical and true, to be a bystander or, even better, the actual person being addressed in the holy Writ. The true force of the word of God comes to the soul only under this condition: when you, the reader, is the one being reproved, gently entreated, instructed, etc.
I once read the testimony of an atheist turned Christian. This atheist got mad at Christianity and studied Evolution to help blot the name of Christ from his thoughts. But Evolution had too many unanswered questions and problems. So the person dove into a degree on biology, and in the end he saw people simply as walking bags of amino acids and molecules. This did not satisfy, so the atheist studied psychology and found humans to be just synapse responses to chemicals in the brain. This also did not satisfy. In the end this person took the Bible to personally prove it fallacious and ridiculous. But as the person read it, it started to read him. Finally, he got to the gospel of Matthew chapter 16 where Jesus was asking His disciples who people thought He was. He then pointed the question directly at them, “But whom say ye that I am?” (vs. 15).
Suddenly, as the atheist read these words he heard himself being addressed in his thoughts! Christ was speaking to him! He was shocked and converted on the spot. After all he had tried to do to discredit God and not being able to, now God was asking him if he was ready to fold and bow before the mountain of evidence in God’s favor. “Now that you have pursued every avenue to disprove Me, who do you say I am?” And the man instantly bowed his intellect and proud self. He met God at his burning bush and could do nothing else but surrender his intellectual guns and ammo.
“Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law.
I am a stranger in the earth: hide not Thy commandments from me.
My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto Thy judgments at all times.
Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from Thy commandments.
Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept Thy testimonies.
Princes also did sit and speak against me: but Thy servant did meditate in Thy statutes.” (Ps. 119:18-23).
When we come to the Bible under conviction, we meet with its Author, the Person behind its construction and words. His spirit of truth that convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment to come works non-stop to give us the frame of mind to be open to faith in Him. We are drawn in or we push our way in to see Christ to know whether or not He is who He claims to be, the perfect friend, “the Son of the living God.” (Matt. 16:16). We must know this. The Spirit of God has given us the craving to know. This atheist came to Christ in His written works. The Spirit of God brought the man into the Book, then into Christ, and finally, through Him into the bosom of God.
Every son and daughter of Adam has a God-sized hole in their heart that they have tried to use this world to fill. Supplying that emptiness is like trying to fill the Grand Canyon with water from a garden hose. Even giant buckets dumped from helicopters wouldn’t fill it. But only the Creator can supply our crater. He alone can make the hole grow smaller and smaller, as we learn of Him more and more.
Only Christ, who came in our form, one like us, can we identify with and know that He identifies with us. The Son is sufficient to fill our God-sized hole. As He said, “There is none good but one, that is, God.” (Matt. 19:17). He is our Creator, one with the Father. “His glory cover[s] the heavens, and the earth [is] full of His praise.” (Hab. 3:3).
posted by David | 11:58 AM
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