He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
merlin’s Intro: I have no recollection of ever reading this Nature of Reconciliation Utmost document prior! For me today, that is really quite unsettling because just minutes ago, I got off the phone with my sister Verla, who shared a prayer request from her girl-friend, for her husband, who is a second cousin of ours, who was born 360 days prior me, possessing all the physique attributes I missed out on, as did my dad. I always admired him for his “build”, his athletic skills, etc. It seems over the weekend while visiting their son’s family in the next state, he lost his mental & cognitive “bearings,” so to speak, such that his wife decided it was just best they return home and seek help. Though slowly loosing mental acuity for the past several years, he was still driving for his local errands, but on the ride home from their son’s house, at times he didn’t even know his wife. I only mention this all now because I find it extremely difficult for me to believe for as impactful as this reconciliation reading was for me with its strategic spiritual insights Tuesday at 6:30 AM, I find it very disturbing I have zero recollection of ever reading it prior. And Loretta & I have read Utmost daily, more on than off, since 1993. Need I say more? But, do pray for Denny & Connie, and their medical team. Thank you. And maybe, for me too?
This Utmost reading must hold the record for the most quotable spiritual one liners. That is why I removed the paragraphs, otherwise the one-liner’s acuity, wit and sharpness, all get lost in the sauce!. Initially, I did not understand the second line in this reading, (that’s not at all unusual) so I just removed it in this post. It just didn’t compute with me. FYI, it was the second sentence, and it read, “The Christian faith bases everything on the extreme, self-confident nature of sin.” Do you get it? That was not explained in my euphoric 7th grade catechism when I exuded a cocky self-confidence that I know now was absolutely based on my “wrong being,” a deliberate and determined independence from God.
But do understand, my second cousin’s escapade does cause me to count my blessings. Not that any of us oldsters would ever admit such tendencies, discrepancies, losses, confusion, etc.. but such “new normals” just seem to keep showing up as another one of those ever-present dangers lurking in our carry-on baggage.
But wait a minute! Perhaps the brain fog is lifting. Perhaps Chambers is saying God already knew even before His Ground Zero Moment before time began, that mankind, including myself, would fill the role of an extremely cocky kid exuding self confidence in open rebellion, and therefore, in pursuit of all us rebels, of course, God had a plan. And today we all are the players on the stage for His Greatest Biblical Pursual Love Story ever told, and naturally, it is the basis of our faith today. Sorry Chambers, my mistake.
The Bottom Line will be first today.
BOTTOM LINE:
SIN is a fundamental relationship— it is not wrong doing, but wrong being— it is deliberate and determined independence from God.
Other religions deal with sins— the Bible alone deals with SIN.
The first thing Jesus Christ confronted in people was the HEREDITY OF SIN, and it is because we have ignored this in our presentation of the gospel that the message of the gospel has lost its sting and its explosive power. Anyone compelled to Biblically explain this so I can understand it? Thank you, I saw your hand! E-mail me.
SUPPORTING EVIDENCE:
- The revealed truth of the Bible is not that Jesus Christ took on Himself our fleshly sins, but that He took on Himself the HEREDITY OF SIN that no man can even touch.
- God made His own Son “to be sin” that He might make the sinner into a SAINT.
- It is revealed throughout the Bible that our Lord took on Himself the SIN OF THE WORLD through IDENTIFICATION WITH US, & absolutely not through SYMPATHY for us.
- He deliberately took on His own shoulders, and endured in His own body, the complete, CUMULATIVE SIN OF THE HUMAN RACE.
- “He made Him who knew no sin to be SIN FOR US…” and by so doing He placed salvation for the entire human race solely on the basis of redemption.
- I am so looking forward to Jesus Christ reconciling the human race, & restoring or putting it back to where God designed it to be.
- And now anyone can experience that reconciliation, being brought into oneness with God, on the basis of what our Lord has done on the cross.
BEWARE: Redemption’s Contract’s Small Print…
A man cannot redeem himself— redemption is the work of God, and is absolutely finished and complete.
And its application to individual people is a matter of their own individual action or response to it.
A distinction must always be made between the revealed truth of redemption and the actual conscious experience of salvation in a person’s life.
NEXT NOT UP:
As I crafted the 4 prior posts, I frequently considered just deleting the whole series; for many reasons, likely all inconsequential for you, especially after the fact. Strange how I’m given these truths to develop, and then I so struggle to present them in practical clarity of value for you readers. The next post is waiting in the delivery room. We’ll see.