There is no independent, self-operating self in the universe, except the One who calls Himself the I AM {Exodus 3:14} and says, "I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me" {Isaiah 45:5}
No Independent Self by Norman Grubb
Growing up in the church, I was fed the idea that our original sin consisted of Adam and Eve disobeying the command of the Lord and taking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This has become known among Christian circles as "The fall." That moment when man resisted the instructions of the Lord and veered off onto his own path. Therefore, sin has been constituted as turning from God. Not only that, but we're constantly remined that we are all guilty of it as a result of the actions of Adam and Eve {Paul to the Romans 3:23}. But, is this an accurate definition of sin, or is there something more at play here? Because the church will continue to bang that drum that sin remains a large part of our lives. Not only that, but that our sin has separated us from the Father. So, was it the really the bite of the apple which led to the downfall of mankind? I would say that it wasn't so much the actions of Adam and Eve which led to their sin, but their intent. See, Eve has been deceived by the lie spoken by Satan in the garden. A lie so appealing, that she was ultimately convinced that she could, be like God. Believing in the lie of the deceiver, she then took of the fruit and offered it to Adam as well. The rest, as they say, is history. But what was the intent of Eve as she took of that forbidden fruit? What was the lie which was so convincing that it would lead her to disobey God? Well, it was the same lie which Satan himself had used to deceive himself into believing that he would be greater that God {Isaiah 14:14}. That he would make himself like the most high. It was this belief which eventually found him cast out from the Lords presence {Ezekiel 28:17}. It is this lie which Satan then uses against the Lords creation that we would disobey God. That by taking of the forbidden fruit, Satan convinced Eve that "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5 NKJV}. Eve had been convinced that she could indeed "Be like God." Therefore, the false belief in the independent self was conceived within us. A belief which persists to this day.
Walk into any respectable church and you will surely never hear of the truth of our original sin. The truth that speaks to our independent nature apart from the Father. Indeed, most sermons we will hear speak to our "Coming near" to God. But, because of our sin, we can never actually realize the truth of the love of the Lord. The truth which speaks to the fact that our lives are now lived IN Him {Johns Account 14:20}. For it is through Christ Jesus that we have been declared innocent of our sin of believing in the lie of the deceiver {Paul to the Ephesians 1:7}. The truth we will not hear from the pulpits of the mainstream church is that we have never been separated from God. How is it that we can be separated from He who created us in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}? Can we ever be separated from our connection to our earthly family? No! We might do everything we can to distance ourselves from them, but we are forever linked with them through heredity. They are eternally a part of who we are. The same can be said of the truth of our life within the Father. He not only created us, but has always been a part of who we are in Him. At its base, this makes the lie spoken by the deceiver just that, a lie not to be believed. For our sin is no longer before us. Our sin has been put to death by the work of Christ Jesus. The lie of the deceiver has been exposed for what it is.
For I shall be propitious to their injustices, And of their sins and their lawlessnesses should I under no circumstances still be reminded
To The Hebrews 8: 12, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
No comments:
Post a Comment