No Condemnation

I spend a lot of time meditating on the Word and listening to the Author. It is amazing what He will show you if you just keep your ear to His heart.

In the church there are those who seem to think that the best message is one that drills you into the ground, buries you in concrete, and fills in the hole on top of you. I have seen them ask for "a harsh word." While some in the pursuit of Christ act in rites of torturous self loathing - beating themselves with a flagellum, walking on their knees in penance until they are bloodied, or even having themselves crucified alive - to be found worthy of God's forgiveness and mercy, this is not what we see in Jesus.

Jesus dealt with people who felt they were not worthy (Matt. 8:8,) walked among a culture that operated by the power of legalistic religion (Luke 6:1-5,) and preached a message that flew in the face of the traditions that had come from the perversion of what God had really spoken (Matt. 9:10-13.) It wasn't much different than the things we deal with in our own world.

The message of hell fire and damnation is not new, but I have to ask, if the message of damnation were what it took to turn men's hearts toward God, the whole world should have been saved by now. Why didn't Jesus use this message of condemnation? Simply, it doesn't lead to repentance, nor does it lead people to walk in fellowship with God.

Let's back up to the first sinner. Adam fell and felt the full force of condemnation. When his Friend, God, came for their regular stroll in the cool of the day (Gen. 3) he hid himself, overwhelmed with condemnation over his failure. We can follow that pattern to the present day, if one falls, he usually pulls away from God, hides himself at the Father's presence where his sin leaves him wallowing in grief and pain. But God was seeking them out, trying to bring the solution for their sin, wanting to restore them to fellowship and to get them into that place where His blessing and favor could once again flow to them.

Listen to the words of Jesus,

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” (John 3:16-21)

Notice, condemnation is not part of the plan of redemption, it is part of the Fall, that is, it is what the flesh does in response to sin. Jesus gives us a shining example in John 8.

Jesus went to church to teach and is put on the spot by the leagalists when they brought the "woman caught in adultery." In the end, Jesus gives voice to the heart of God when He says to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."

The message of the Gospel is a message of hope, a message of reconciliation, a message of restoration to the original plan of God for man. May we who call ourselves Christian, Christ-like ones, take His message and ministry of hope, reconciliation, and restoration to a world lost in sin. Let the Good News ring out from our hearts, our pulpits, and over the many forms of media we use.

Original Intent - Part 3

We have looked at God's plan for man in terms of the material things and the intent of God in spiritual matters, that only leaves one area to be considered, the realm of the soul. Again, let's consider the account of Man's beginning in Genesis.

The realm of the soul is often seen as too complex for generalizations. But certain things can be seen as basic to all men, the standards by which mental health is measured. I find it interesting that mental health is measured by the absence of maladies rather than the presence of attributes, but then, we are Post-Fall.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Ge 2:7 KJV)

Man, in his original sinless state is marked by being in the image and likeness of God. His make up is clearly outlined - Spirit, soul, and body. The body, devoid of a spirit is but a handsome sculpture, lifeless and empty. But take that body, impart the essence of the real man, his spirit, and a third part is formed, the soul. While the flesh and spirit remain identifiable, they interface via the soul to make the complete man we see.

The soul has been defined and described in many ways. It is identified as the "mind, will, and emotions" of man by many, but that is not sufficient to explain it. For others, the soul is that part of man which makes each one uniquely individual. It is our character, our passions, our appetites, our dreams, and our personality all rolled into a package we call the intellect.

So what can we glean from this initial revelation of man's soul at Creation?

Rational Thought: At the point of origin, Man, the living soul, became aware of his surroundings. He knew who he was and who God was. Man was able to interact in a meaningful dialog and make rational, logical judgments. As a matter of fact, in this very same account we see Man working in cooperation with God in the set up and management of the Creation. God gives him tasks to complete, and Man is able to do what God asks to His satisfaction. We can, from this, see that rational thought is part of what God reveals as His perfect intention for Man.

Relational Interaction: We also see that Adam had emotional needs. God saw His man and declared, "It is not good for Man to be alone." Man, the living soul, needed someone just like him with whom he could interact and share his world. Good mental health involves not just being able to interact with others, but being able to walk in mutually beneficial relationships, each one adding his part and increasing the whole.

Independent Thinking: God also built into man the freedom of choice. Given a set of rules, standards by which to live, Man was left to decide whether or not he would conform or not. God wasn't looking for robots or automatons. He gave Man a free will and allowed Man to consider the consequence of his actions before choosing a path to follow. The ability to think rationally coupled with the freedom to defy logic makes Man unique in Creation. Instead of being a simple animal that follows his every appetite and desire, Man is free to choose to indulge or deny himself based on what he sees as his own best interest. Being free to choose is an element of good mental health.

A Mind At Rest: In the Garden, at the beginning, there is nothing to stress Adam. He is abundantly supplied, has a soul mate designed specifically for him, and is perfectly in tune with the God who created him. All is at peace within and without. He has no sickness and disease to worry him, no bills to pay, no limits to what he can accomplish, and nothing to fear. Life is good! Here is a man whose emotional state is marked by contentment, joy, and peace of mind.

In 2 Timothy 1:7 God paints a picture of contrast between a soul bound by fear and a "sound mind." The Sound mind is marked by strength, inner strength that carries us beyond what we think we are able to do. It is a soul enveloped in love, that is, it is completely aware of the magnitude of God's love toward Man and responds in kind with an overriding and selfless love that knows no bounds. The sound mind is under control, is able to regulate its direction, and is able to set its course into the future.

A soul operating as God intended is not without challenges, but it handles the challenges in a way that shows a perspective that is focused by the Spirit on confronting the needs and appetites of the flesh. Challenges come, but we are up to the test.

The soul we see in Adam before the fall is the soul that God wants us to have. It stands out in the life of Jesus as we see Him interacting as man on earth in the same way and with the same limitations we have. While His were self imposed, He showed us what life was supposed to be like. We can have the same thing, after all, "... we have the mind of Christ." (1 Cor. 2:16)