Cont'd from part 1
Look at the pictures of Jesus we were shown when we were little, a very handsome tall man with blue eyes and blond hair, that is just fine tuning of his looks to make him suitable for us to follow, we always want to follow the one that seems and looks right but when Jesus came we almost did not recognize him, instead we rejected him and crucified him. When people shout "God is good"' how do they define good? Is it by the standards of this world or by the standards of the word?? If we limit the Character of God's goodness to the standards and assessment of the world then we miss the point!
Again the bible says *WITHOUT FAITH we CAN NOT PLEASE GOD*. From this profound statement, we can conclude that as Christians it is only what God is pleased with that is good, and since without faith we cannot please God, then we must work by faith to achieve good!
Again, Our goodness should not be determined by what man says is good but by what pleases God.
Q. What does God call good?
A. Works done by faith only.
Q. How can we work by faith?
A. Letting Christ be your strength. (not a cliche, literally). Man is too weak to obey God, only Christ has done it, and he has done it on our behalf. So we allow what he has done to be fulfilled through us!
Q. How then can we attain righteousness?
A. We can't, it is Jesus within us who is good and "it is him who works to do and to will of his own good pleasure in and through us". This is why we will be commended, for letting Jesus work from within us.
Q. So knowing this, where is boasting?
A. Since it is Christ that now works, boasting is in Christs ability to complete what God has willed for us who are saved.
If we live and boast according only to Christs ability within us then we walk by faith.
Knowning that we can not boast in any of our futile abilities, who are we to question God or what he chooses to do with HIS world & his will?
Our definition of what is good becomes totally outlived when we come to Christ and we start to understand that we had no part in the creation, he did it all alone, and all by himself. The law was made for man, so that man could look to God for help in order to be called righteous by him!! We, at no point can expect God to be limited in anything he does because he is God eternal, awesome and mighty, unstoppable, unmovable, unshakable, unfathomable, God, Son of God, Holy Spirit, jealous God, extremely destructive, perfect creator, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal provider, permanent fixer, life giver, life taker, creator of good and evil, burner of the wicked in the lake of fire (he might even be the flames, who knows!) Lion, lamb, door, tree of life and tree of knowledge of good and evil, the beginning and the end, alpha and omega, first and the last, expresses Christ (in his mercy), King of AIÓNIOS (pronounced AIÓN) and author of Cronos(AIÓNIOS and cronos are Greek words for "time" both world and eternal.), who can stop him when he moves to save or destroy or judge his actions, who can create commandments for him and tell him what to do, when and how to do it?? He can be anything, anyone, he can do and will do anything he wills or wishes to do, why? He is not “bound” by sin as we are and and out of him proceeds righteousness!!!
It is not possible for God not to be able to do nothing, anything or something, he cannot be limited at any point and that is why we call him an eternal God, he is God unlimited!! So think about it, if this great God wrote the script of eternity, then what can he not do?, what are his limitations?
God will surely bring all of his word to pass. In the case of the Sodom and Gomorra, the Israelites in the wilderness and even the world today God has always kept a remnant and put a mediator in place so as not to bring the totality of his will to pass “yet” because it was not yet time. He allowed Abraham to mediate for Sodom and Gomorrah but none was found upright in the land and they were consumed by God’s wrath, save Lot and his two daughters- the remnant. Moses was a mediator between God and the people so his wrath would not come down on them but they were found wanted and were destroyed and even the temporary measures of atonement could not stop the consuming fire of God’s wrath from consuming those that did not believe, and even Moses fell short of faith and God gave him his "reward", but it was short of the promise land.
All these events where a “type”, of what God was planning to do through Christ Jesus for us. He was telling us the story of his word who is exalted above his name and was to be killed as a once and for all atonement for the sins the world. If you look at the world today,observing the invention and spread of iniquity, one may think that God has relaxed or that he is no more the same God of the Old Testament.
I say let us be careful not to miss our steps and fall into the wrong hands.
But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises- Hebrews 8:5-7.
Christ Jesus is the only standard by which God holds himself back; only when he sees our advocate does he restrict his wrath, for God is a consuming fire. Jesus is now our mediator and though God has not changed, the world continues in its iniquity and he does not react because like I said, Christ is mediating (providence of grace). If you will remember, God commanded Moses to put the blood of a “lamb” over the door post of the houses of the children of Israel at the time of their captivity in Egypt;
When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.- Exodus 12:22-24
God knows that he himself is his only limitation, and the Lord always has to do something in order for mans sins not to overtake and destroy him, he has to act in order that his wrath does not overtake him because of mans iniquity. This is why Christ had to shed his blood for mans sins, when the Lord our God sees the mark of the blood on us he remembers Christ death on the cross. This limitation is indeed a great extreme! He stepped down from his throne, and offered his only son..... as a ransom in my place!
When God looks at the world he sees the work of Jesus on the cross. Note that this activity cannot be wasted, and the word of God must be fulfilled concerning the whole creation, Christ is advocating for us right now as we speak in fact a second ago he even mention our names. It is because his blood speaks on our behalf constantly that we can say the word "grace", if it were not so, there would be no breath to mention, like the hundreds of thousands of Israelites in the wilderness, they that did not make it to the promise land because of their unbelief and wickedness. Only 2 made it with women and children.
Thank God for his wisdom, Thank God he sent Jesus to die for us so we do not have to be consumed by his wrath. Though the eye of God cannot behold iniquity his grace that comes through Christ is sufficient to keep us from falling!
This is one of a billion (I said billion because my mind is too small to contain, but we have the mind of Christ which is eternal) dynamics of understanding God's Character.
Be blesssed.
K.i-Th