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"Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame."
- 1 Corinthians 15:34
Because you and I were born into a world already shrouded with darkness, it is almost inconceivable to know what Adam lost in the fall. We have grown up in a world that in its best moments is still a far cry below from what God actually intended for mankind. The human spirit (without the life of God) is destitute - incapable of producing after the image of him who created him. That is why Jesus Christ had to come into this world. The nature of man was hopelessly and helplessly afflicted with obscurity. There was no way out. He was bound to live without knowing his eternal purpose.
Thank God for this time of year when we are once again reminded that HOPE came into this world!
And not only hope, but a genuine salvation that gives us light to enlighten our darkness. Paul wrote to the church of Corinth and said, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. 4:6).
Literally, this means that the new birth is a genesis for mankind. Just as it was in the beginning, when God first spoke and said, "Let there be light," (Gen. 1:3), the same thing occurred the moment we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. Our darkened heart became illumined with the light of heaven. Those of us who have truly been born again know deep down on the inside that there is a light we hold within our hearts. Our eyes have been opened and we have been set free from the prison house of darkness.
But unfortunately, many of God's people are still living far below their privileges in Christ. So many still think of eternal life as a life we will receive when we get to heaven.
Even many who have accepted the fact that we possess the life of God now, most of them have yet to grasp its significance. They have this clouded perception that eternal life is like having a ticket to heaven.
As long as they are faithful to God and hold on to their ticket, then they will pass through the pearly gates and live with God forever in the sweet by and by. If that is all this life is, then we are only forgiven sinners.Because if we have to wait to get to heaven to experience this life, then all we really possess is a promissory note, and not a genuine rebirth!And that is why the church still struggles being ineffectual.They have not fully comprehended the purpose of redemption.Where else do you think the statement,"we are all sinners saved by grace" came from? It came from the idea that we are still in our sins, but through the grace of God we are forgiven. And how can we possibly reach our potential in Christ with that kind of mentality? We can't.We have to be awakened to righteousness and realize that we are not just forgiven sinners, but rather redeemed saints!
Now that we are in Christ (and no longer in Adam), we have to put off the old man in all of his weakness and ineffectiveness and turn our attention to the vast storehouse of possibilities we have in the Lord. Christ has returned us to a life of significance. Our potential in him is incalculable. It's really off the charts! But in order to grasp the fullness of what we possess we have to know we are born for destiny. A destiny that means we can live the life of God now in this life and carry out the work that Christ began. This is really the great commission. We co-operate the mission by letting God's glory manifest in us and through us. This is the real story behind Christmas!
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