Years ago, I noticed that Jesus’ conversation with the
Samaritan woman[1]
involved a pattern. He would show the woman something about him she couldn’t
have known, and then show her something about herself she needed to face in
order to fully experience relationship with him.
By the end of that particular study, I had identified the Jesus-focused
things as “Highers”, and the people-focused things as “Deepers”.[2] I
realized that I had seen this in many parts of Scripture, where God’s
revelation of himself in more glorious ways than people knew him resulted in
them seeing their poverty of spirit more deeply than ever.
While I would not claim to present this as a doctrine of God’s
activity, it has proved helpful to me in facing those times in my life that
cannot be explained any more precisely than “yucky”. Even while facing thoughts
and feelings that fit the profile of the psalmists’ description of hopelessness,[3] I
remind myself that every Deeper I have ever faced has always been preceded and
followed by the gracious Highers of God.
The Deeper of the last few days, yucky as ever, has been the
deep, poverty-of-spirit feeling of some kind of inner detachment. We were made
for love-relationship with God and his people, life confronts us with traumatic
experiences that wound our souls to such an extent that they run for cover, and
God blesses his children by leading us to see this deeper need.
Why does God do that? Why does he bless us with such poverty
of spirit that we mourn what is inside us, and such mourning of our wounded,
sinful, messed-up condition that we meekly admit we can’t fix it, and such a
sense of resigned meekness that we find ourselves hungering and thirsting after
the very righteousness we do not have in whatever part of our inner selves that
is staring us in the face?[4]
Answer: because then he can satisfy us with the
righteousness that is by faith. In this gift, he delivers us out of the domain
of darkness, including whatever lingering effects we need help with throughout
the course of our lives, and transfers us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,[5]
including all the ways we need to continuously be “transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”[6]
This mornings “Higher” came, as usual, out of nowhere. Actually,
it came from the Holy Spirit who daily teaches us the words of the word,[7]
but, as far as my perspective, I could not see it coming. The treasure was
found in this phrase,
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to
the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many
brothers. (Romans 8)
It was the three words, “in
order that”, that grabbed my attention. My detached soul, my wounded soul,
disowned and rejected by so many people, needed to come before this glorious
message of grace.
What was the message? That God had decided things before the
beginning of time that would do everything necessary in our lives “in order that” he could bring about
this glorious and wonderful thing, that Jesus would be, “the firstborn among many brothers.”
Everything I had ever heard in arguments about God’s right
to love people beforehand, to predestine them to something he decided they
would have and experience, and sovereignly work everything in their lives
together for a particular good,[8]
had hidden this wonderful treasure from sight. The purpose of all God’s
fore-loving, and predestining, and calling, and justifying, and glorifying,[9] is
that the kingdom of his beloved Son[10]
is a place where Jesus becomes the firstborn brother among many brothers.[11]
How do I fit into this? I am a brother among brothers. There
is no distinction between me and all the other brothers. We have all “received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by
whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”[12]
God, “predestined us for adoption as sons
through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,” and his act of
predestining us to this adoption secures our place in the brotherhood of
believers over which Jesus is our firstborn brother.
Again, while the objective revelation of Scripture speaks of
these things more gloriously than anyone could miss, the ministry of these
things to my inner being is carried out through the personal activity of God by
his Holy Spirit. And what the Spirit is saying to me today is that all the work
of God is an “in order that” that
cannot fail.
Therefore, I can confidently say with older brother Paul, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a
good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”[13]
What completion? That every one of Jesus’ brothers will be fully conformed to
the image and likeness of our Savior so that he can be the firstborn over a
kingdom of priests[14]
of whom he is not ashamed to call his brothers.[15]
© 2016 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
[1]
John 4:1-42
[2]
It looked to me that the things Jesus showed about himself took the woman
higher in her thoughts than she had ever gone before, and the things he showed
her about herself were taking her deeper into herself than anyone had ever
taken her. Together, this brought her through the Beatitudinal Valley where she
wanted to know him as her Messiah.
[3]
Psalm 40:1-3, 69:20, 88:7
[4]
See the Beatitudes of Matthew 5:3-12. They show that, as we find ourselves
experiencing each of the things described, we are to consider ourselves blessed
by God for the grace that draws us into such a journey of transformation.
[5]
Colossians 1:13-14
[6]
II Corinthians 3:18
[7]
Jesus was very clear in his letters to the seven churches (the complete church
through the completion of time) that he wanted everyone to “hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 29,
3:6, 13, 22). We ought to expect our time with God in his word to lead us into
this ministry of the Spirit.
[8]
See Romans 8:28 as a necessary part of the context to understanding verse 29.
[9]
Romans 8:30 is also a necessary part of the context to understanding verse 29!
[10]
Colossians 1:13-14 again.
[11]
I am not saying I didn’t know this. I’m only glorifying God for the way he
teaches and reminds us of his truth through the daily ministry of his Holy
Spirit. Sometimes we need to learn about a familiar subject, but at a new grade
level, if you will.
[12]
Romans 8:15
[13]
Philippians 1:6
[14]
I Peter 2:9; Revelation 1:6, 5:10
[15]
Hebrews 2:11 (see context of Hebrews 2:10-13)
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