"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, and losing one of them, is not leaving the ninety-nine in the wilderness and is going after the lost one, till he may be finding it? And finding it, he is placing it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Lukes Account 15: 4-5, Concordant New Testament
I heard a local radio pastor pose an interesting question this week. His question involved our own seeking to know Christ Jesus. Are we seeking Jesus, or is Jesus seeking us? My first thought, based on years of church theology, was that we were the ones looking for Jesus. We were the ones seeking the promise of His salvation. While this all sounds good, there is also scripture which professes that Jesus is actively seeking the Lords children as well. Jesus has proclaimed that He has come to call sinners to repentance {Lukes Account 5:32}. Jesus also speaks the parable of the shepherd seeking the lost lamb {Lukes Account 15:4-5}. Can we really credit ourselves with seeking and finding Christ? The popular Christian teaching tells us that we are the ones who seek Him {Matthews Account 7:7-8}. We're told to ask, seek and knock. Growing up, I remember thinking of Jesus on the other side of that door as I stood outside and knocked. The choice was mine alone. Seeking Jesus was something we were tasked to do as believers. While I understand that we ultimately make the decision to follow Christ, I believe that there is more to that decision than meets the eye. Jesus proclaims that His sheep know His voice and follow Him {Johns Account 10:27}. Yet, the common Christian understanding of our relationship with Jesus is based on the idea of separation from God. We are separated from God, therefore we need to seek out Jesus. But is this a true representation of our life in Christ? The apostle Paul would disagree. For Paul speaks to us of the indwelling spirit of Christ Jesus within us {Paul to the Galatians 2:20}. Not only that, but it is Jesus who proclaims that we are in union with He and the Father {Johns Account 14:20}. So, how is it that we are actively seeking He who we are already a part of? Like I said, this is the common belief of the separation between man and God. This was the lie spoken by Satan the deceiver unto Adam and Eve in the garden, that they would "Be like God, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:4-5}.
In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
Johns Account 14: 20, Concordant New Testament
You could say that I have done a one eighty in the past few years as my understanding of the truth of the Lord Jesus has increased. When I hear of someone proclaiming to be "Seeking Jesus," I wonder to myself if they even know that it is Christ who dwells in them. After all, who looks for something they already have? Yet this is also the way I used to see my own relationship with Christ. This is also why I had difficulty understanding the truth of Christ in me. So, in answer to the pastors question, I believe that it is God who continually seeks to be known by His children. It is Christ who actively seeks those who are lost. Who are the lost? It is my belief that these are those of the Lords children who do not know Him. Therefore, I see Jesus as seeking the Fathers lost sheep. Many in Christianity bristle at the idea of universal salvation, that God would save all of His children. But the scriptural evidence of this is unmistakable. Paul speaks to salvation for all men {Paul to the Romans 5:18}. John also speaks to the truth of all being saved through Jesus {Johns Account 3:16-17}. The physician Luke speaks to all seeing the salvation of the Lord {Lukes Account 3:6}. The discontent with the idea that all will be saved comes from our perception that there must be consequences for those lost to sin. That sinners be cast into hell. Yet few people realize that it is Christ Jesus who has done away with sin in our lives at the cross. That Jesus became a sin offering for our sakes {Paul to the Corinthians (2) 5:21}. That Jesus died to sin once for all time {Paul to the Romans 6:10}. The idea that there must be consequences for sin is not wrong by any means. It is Christ who has given Himself for us. The debt has been paid.
~Scott~
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