God’s Solution
But this is what caused God to act and to act so forcefully and finally – to send this emissary to earth – nothing less than The Love of God, the desire to have mercy on His people, to extend “lovingkindness” to all who call upon the Name of the Lord, so that the terrible sentence could be averted and the Curse annulled.
How could God be both just and merciful to the mutineers at the same time? That was the dilemma.
But God knew this – since the nature of every man was corrupted by one man, Adam, to whom all were joined through physical birth, He could design a plan whereby the nature of every man could be purified by one man, to whom all who repented of the rebellion could be joined by spiritual birth.
He accomplished this truly magnificent feat through the emissary He sent on Christmas Day over 2000 years ago – in effect, He sent another Adam, a much better one.
He sent from Heaven His best – He sent His only Son. And this initiative by God to resolve the estrangement by incarnating His Son renders utterly superfluous every effort of man to resolve it himself through his own performance.
Again, just think about that – the pressure is off, in spades. We no longer need to perform for God. He has performed for us to heal the breach we caused with our rebellion. Our acceptability to Him is assured – by what He has done, not what we feel we must do.
And here is where it is so critical to understand that Jesus was the Sent One from God. He is God’s answer to the cry of His people; only in Him is there salvation; only through Him is God’s solution provided.
But why wasn’t this second Adam corrupted also and born a rebel? Because the corruption is passed through the seed of the man. This Adam was born of a virgin. When faced with temptation He did not rebel, He did not commit treason.
He was the embodiment of Grace and Truth.
God then reconciled justice and mercy in this second Adam. He visited his justice, all His holy wrath due mankind for every act of rebellion, upon this second Adam, upon Jesus, on a wooden crucifix slammed into the sand on a hillside near Jerusalem 33 years after the first Christmas.
Now, God’s holy wrath against the mutiny, and His justice, were wholly satisfied, so that God could then be free to extend mercy, favor, and blessing once again to the race of Adam, to “whosoever asked” in the Name of His Son, regardless of a person’s résumé, or his lack of one.
This great mercy was extended through Jesus’ offer to us to repent, to lay down our arms, to confess the evil of our rebellion, and to believe on Him as the Lamb of God, the Sacrifice, who takes away the sins of the world.
God would then marvelously do the rest, outside our conscious understanding, outside of space and time, by justly cancelling the punishment due us as already having been satisfied in Christ, the representative of the race of Adam and all its sin and rebellion, and by forever severing our connection to Adam, and creating a new connection to Jesus, for in Him was Life, eternal Life.
Therefore, for all who are willing to accept the offer of amnesty, as their nature is changed by being joined to Christ’s nature, their destiny is likewise changed instantly – from condemnation and punishment back to eternal favor and blessing!
Now, clearly, that is Good News, a Gospel, a Christmas story that we should celebrate!
But what about the Curse in this life and the supernatural Pharaoh who torments us as his underlings in bondage? Here is where God did another amazing thing through Jesus – the emissary sent from Heaven.
Since “whosoever asks” is now spiritually joined “as one spirit” to Jesus, who was resurrected and exalted to the right hand of God, these same individuals are now exalted with Jesus, and are now seated in the supernatural realms with Jesus, far above every other authority in the Universe, including the Chief Mutineer – Satan.
What does this mean? The Wicked Witch of the West has had her broom taken away – the White Witch of Narnia has no more power over us! The mighty brass gates of the Kingdom of Darkness have been thrust open!
Because of this spiritual rebirth, because of where we are now seated with Jesus, instead of being constituted rebels and sinners, we have been newly constituted as Princes and Princesses in the Kingdom of God, with all the authority, responsibility, honor, and blessing that this entails.
Do you see now that reality is much better understood as a fairy tale than a science book? It is as if we, as frogs, were all kissed by the Princess, and we have been instantly transformed into Princes!
Now the tables are turned. Our former oppressor is now our underling, and we need no longer stand for the suffering and oppression he still seeks to inflict upon us. We can fight back and resist, for it is promised that when we do, he shall flee.
We should well understand that in a Universe as this that is based on authority, this radical transformation of the celestial hierarchy, where the oppressed and the oppressor have traded places, is a very big deal. (It is foreshadowed in all the Old Testament stories of Israel’s oppression, their cry to God, and his repeatedly raising up of a rescuer who saved the nation from destruction.)
All the denizens of the supernatural world know what Jesus has effected for us, that we now have the upper hand, and the Scriptures say they “tremble” at the thought.
But do we know it and live it? Or are we hamstrung by the supernatural spell cast by the still functioning Evil Prince, the veil of deception that still hangs over us, the ignorance of who we really now are once joined to Jesus?
This is the picture the Gospel story paints for us. Dare we believe it? – really believe it such that we act upon it and live out the Truth of it in our daily lives?
Now, instead of being “lost in space”, not knowing who we are what we are to do and where we are going, we know exactly who we are (supernatural royalty!) and where we are going (to a Kingdom which we are to inherit!).
But do we now know what we are to do – what our purpose on this planet is until the final unveiling?
Here is where the emissary gives us a most fantastic commission – as it’s the same one given Him!
We are now the Sent Ones of God, we are now to proclaim the Kingdom of God on this earth and displace the Kingdom of Darkness, we are now the ones authorized and emboldened to “destroy the works of the Devil”, to free those still held captive by the Evil Prince, and to extol the excellencies of the Most High God in the hearing of “every creature under Heaven!”
This fairy tale is rapidly drawing to a close, and our path is clearly set before us!
Decision Time
You have heard “the Good News” of the first Christmas.
What now? What will you do with what you now know and see? The choice is plain:
Continue on your way as if the first Christmas was not what it represents itself to be, as if nothing was changed by God’s sending His emissary, His Son,
OR
do you now see that, yes, everything has been changed by the arrival of the Sent One from God, and you are to go forth boldly confessing and proclaiming that Truth, and resolve that you will never look back but only forward to the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phl. 3:14)
That is the choice we each must make, and that choice, the Scripture says, is to be made now – “NOW is the day of salvation, NOW is the appointed time.” (2 Cr. 6:2)
May I suggest to you that as you contemplate the above, and your appreciation of this Christmas Day, that you consider, as we are all admonished, really believing “on Him whom God has sent?” If so, henceforth, as a Prince or Princess of the Living God yourself, you are now to enjoy all the promises of blessing and responsibilities attendant to that office.
In light of that very Good News, Best Wishes for a wonderful celebration, then, of the birth of “the One who was sent from God”…
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