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Morning Thoughts |
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Romans 8:14, "For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." This morning, some thoughts have been stirred by conversations around the office that basically boiled down to the age old question, "What defines reality?" The question discussed was, "Is man any more wicked today than he has ever been, or does he just have more avenues today to manifest wickedness than ever before?" That discussion led into the question, "When a tree falls in the forest with nobody around, does it make a noise?" When we attempt to answer these questions, we discover and disclose our mindset about a great many things in both the natural and theological realm. Man today is no more wicked (in his nature) than at previous times in history. We are still, by nature, sinners of the blackest and most heinous kind. However, the great ill today is that boundaries have been pushed to the extent that man's sinful muscles are flexed and manifested more openly that at other times in human history. It is in our fallen nature to push the boundaries as far as they will go, and without checkpoints that are enforced, they will get worse and worse in a manifest way. When trees fall in the woods, the vibrations created by the impact make the noise that we hear, and whether anyone can hear it or not, the noise is still there. In the verse above, Paul drives right to the point of the topic at hand. What makes someone a child of God? What requires that to be a reality? Is it our perception of the thing that makes it so, or does the reality supersede our own feeble perceptions of things? Paul makes it abundantly clear in this verse, as well as other places, that life precedes action and perception follows reality. When I first realized that fire was hot as a young boy, my perception of the reality of fire's heat was far later than the reality of the thing. When we come to realize that someone is acting like a child of God, it is, by requirement in this verse, following the reality of the thing. When we see someone exhibit the virtues of Christian graces such as faith, love, joy, peace, etc., we are seeing the leading of the Spirit of God. Without the Spirit, it is impossible to say that Jesus is Lord, and without the implanting of faith, it is impossible to please God. (Hebrews 11:6) Therefore, when we perceive in our own judgment that certain spiritual precepts are being exercised, that is evidence that someone is already a child or son of God. We cannot claim the reality of their spiritual state unless such is already a reality. We merely perceive a few of the effects and consequences of that change. It is painfully simple to agree that life precedes action, for a thinking mind understands that babies cry not in order to get life but because they already have life. People do not walk, talk, and do to make life a reality, but they walk, talk, and do because life is already a reality. Likewise, people do not do things to become led by the Spirit of God and make their sonship a reality, but rather they do things being led by the Spirit of God because their sonship is already a reality. How does one believe, confess, repent, and exhibit sorrow for sins coupled with a love for Christ? They do so based upon a previous work of grace and life in their heart that begins to understand and cry out, "Lord be merciful to me a sinner!" When children first come into this world, it is a joy and amazement to see their first reactions at discovering things that they previously did not understand. My son is learning and discovering new things all the time that intrigue and entertain him. Sometimes the simplest things that we take for granted will keep him engrossed for hours at the discovery of something he did not previously understand. In the spiritual realm, it is a delight to see children of God experiencing spiritual things that they have not previously discovered, and sometimes things that we take for granted are special and a delight to their experience. When these things are tasted, seen, and experienced (by faith) for the first time, they are new to us, but they are certainly not new things. Yet, our delight of these spiritual things is fresh and new to our own perception. Now, getting back to the original question that was discussed at the office, we believe that man today has the potential for the blackest of sins that he ever has, but the outlets are many and more available than ever before. The boundaries have extended beyond any reasonable limit. Therefore, the manifestation of the sins exceeds what we have seen in years past. Let us contrast righteousness, temperance, charity, and faith in the same way. While I do not seek to cast stones at poetic license or songwriters, there is a line from a hymn that states, "I know that I cannot pray just like old Daniel, I cannot preach like the great Apostle Paul." If man, by nature, is no worse now than he has ever been but manifests it more than ever, I believe that God has not regenerated anyone today any less than ever before or hampered our ability in the slightest. Rather, our manifestation of things in the spiritual realm is more lacking than perhaps in year's past. My faith that was implanted in regeneration is the same faith that has been implanted in all of God's children that receives the leading of the Spirit of God. When we follow after those spiritual desires, we show that we are already sons of God. What we have today is not a church that cannot pray like the forefathers of old or preachers that are lacking more than the forefathers in the faith, but my own exercise of that faith and manifestation of it is far more lacking in my daily course. Today, our spiritual abilities and walk of faith are like those that have gone before us. We can pray in the same Spirit through the same Mediator to the same Father that they did. We can preach in the same demonstration of the Spirit and power that they did. What is the difference? Our exercise and energy may be more lacking today than it was in years gone by. May we renew the plow of service and exercise our spiritual abilities that God has given us. May we mortify the deeds of the flesh that are more manifest today than ever before, and may our prayer be with the unction and earnest desire that the Lord we serve is as able today as He has ever been. He is as constant and unchanging today as always and forever will be. When we recognize that He changes not while we change and decay, we can then cry out in an acceptable fashion, "When change and decay and all around I see, O Thou who changest not, abide with me!" In so doing, we will not hide and say that we are more wicked and less righteous than our fathers, but we will say that we are no different than our fathers by nature and no different from our fathers by faith, but we will seek to mortify what our fathers by nature gave us and bring to light what our Heavenly Father has given us by His free grace and mercy.  In Hope, Bro Philip |