Dear…
‘For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive…’
1 Corinthians 15:22
With irrationality or rather delusion being the main drivers of our world today, our good Lord brought me back to one of my favorite television series of my youth, “The Addams Family.”
This was one half hourly episode that I rarely miss, especially during the exam period, for it was fun and a great way to wind down.
And some might remember the catchy jingle of the theme song,
“They’re creepy and they’re kooky.
Mysterious and spooky,
They’re all together ooky,
The Addams Family.”
Why the Addams family? God is prescient, and in my present Bible study course “The School of the Shepherd( http://schooloftheshepherds.com/),” which focuses on preparing shepherds for the present great harvest that is now, the topic I am reading is on the first man Adam.
‘And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul, the last Adam was made a quickening spirit…..The first man is of the earth, earthly: the second man is the Lord from heaven.’
1 Corinthians 15:45-47
Adam the first man by his disobedience, smeared the rest of humanity with sin and its price, death. Christ the last Adam nailed all our sins on the cross and by His resurrection, broke the grip of death upon humanity.
‘The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.’
1 Corinthians 15:26
This victory of the Risen Christ is not new to Christians. Yet, very few of us take time to reflect on its significance, and clearly by the way we live, we do not give much credence to the living truth of what Christ has done for humanity.
Most of us would look upon the characters in the Addams Family as rather weird, though lovable. But reality is, in our continued pursuit of the life that the sinful Adam chose, in eating from the Tree of Knowledge, are we not outwardly normal, but inwardly taking on the odd looks of these same characters?
God made man to be in His likeness. Adam brought great grief to himself and his seeds by choosing to be different his way. The saving grace of Christ has now allowed us to start from a clean slate and be transformed into the likeness of the risen Christ.
We cannot work for our salvation. It has already been given freely to all who believe and repent. But we must work on our salvation, which required a determined response on our part to look to God always.
The Lord brought me to 1 Corinthians 15 twice over in a manner that I know is only possible because He leads.
'And unto Adam He said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shall thou eat of it all the days of thy life.'
Genesis 3:17
This is a simple sharing. Quite short not because I am running off to Shanghai tomorrow, but rather, the message is simple, “Do you realize that you need no longer be living a burdensome life like the fallen Adam and all his carnality. But rather, God has freed you up to live an edified life like Christ, as the spirit man, led by the Holy Spirit?’
In plain speak, much as we still live in a fallen world, God knows and has provided for our needs. It does not mean we take life easy tomorrow and be a wastrel waiting for manna. Work hard we must but for the Lord, and not like the past, to toil in vain for the delusions of the devil. The curse of Genesis 3:17 is lifted, and we need not carry the dead body of our guilt upon us, like the days of old when murderers are chained to the dead bodies of their victims. We now work for the Lord, living life as His Spirit leads us, knowing that He has and will provide and His grace is suffice for the day, much as the day is evil. It means we no longer need to worry about conclusions, about is there enough for tomorrow, which is what grips the mind of many as they struggle to create perceived certainty in their life. Instead, we need only focus on obedience as His Spirit leads and on our response, the Spirit of God will carry us forth, if we are willing.
Is this rational or is a great delusion? Is it not of greater folly that man choose to believe in their ability to predict and control destiny when we do not even have control over our next breath. Is is not equally foolish to believe that the governments of the world today will print us out of our troubles? It is good to start the day with the Lord, then with concerns of the world. It is imperative to look to the Lord in all situations rather than to our finite understanding, for the enabling grace of God will carry us through till He brings us home.
'Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord'
Romans 7:25
Our faith transcends our own understanding and strength. Not many will fully comprehend nor accept what I have just shared. But clarity comes from the Lord, and His enabling grace and the transformation of our mind can only come if we are willing to draw near to God and stay unto His presence.
What is holding us back is our unwillingness to let go of the understanding that Adam gained in that one bite of the forbidden fruit and take that step of faith unto the presence of God.
A small but significant step would be to will ourselves to take time with God first thing in our waking moment, in prayer, in His words and in praise. And be truly amazed by the Divine presence of the Lord in your life. And as I close this, as I just added on the verse Romans 7:25, our good Lord again affirms for right this moment, I just realized that both Romans 7:25 and 1 Corinthians 15:57 happen to point us to the way out of Satan's delusion and into our rightful birthright - our Lord Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.
‘But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.’
1 Corinthians 15:57
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(26th July 2011)
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