Weekly Devotional 9-28-10 Who Then is God ?
The serpent said to Eve, “You will not surely die. 5For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). The account adds that Eve listened to the serpent, took of the fruit, and she with her husband Adam ate of it (verses 6&7). In so doing, they became gods unto themselves. That is, they became self-determinate no longer listening to or taking direction from their creator. What a tragedy. Worse, it did not end with them, but theirs is the spiritual nature of all mankind. Who can deny that before God works, the work of spiritual regeneration in a person he (or she) is self determined? Each of us, before regeneration, denies the authority of God in our lives as we listen to the inner voice of our fallen natures. Sin, the offspring of our fallen nature, elevates self above God; in essence a person is his or her own god, superior in all thought and deed. Such persons (as we all are before spiritual regeneration) are not really as self-determinate as one might think, but are subject to (ruled by) the desires of the flesh, intimidations of the world or the suggestions of Satan. The question then must be asked, who then is truly God? It is certainly not oneself.
True freedom can only be realized when one realizes that God is God and surrenders to His authority. We who have been restored to fellowship with Him have come to understand that surrendering to Him was the prerequisite to our real freedom and peace. No longer are we a god unto ourselves, but He is the God (the authority) of our lives. Self desire and gratification of the old fallen nature no longer rules. Striving is over, peace is realized. We are no longer at enmity (war) with God. We have entered into His rest. Praise God.
It is not so for those who still make themselves a god. Consider what the writer of Hebrews said about those who were still in such a struggle, “7Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: Today, if you will hear His voice,8Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, In the day of trial in the wilderness,9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, And saw My works forty years.10 Therefore I was angry with that generation, And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, And they have not known My ways.’ 11 So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest.’” 12Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15while it is said: Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”16For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief”(Hebrews 3:7-19).
Some hold that the writer was addressing Christian Jews who had not yet completely surrendered their wills to Jesus Christ. Others hold that the writer was addressing those Jews who had approached the throne of grace and then backed away. Whichever is the correct interpretation peace was not attainable by any person as long as true God was not esteemed as being authoritative in his life. One must learn to let go and trust in God. The non-Christian of course must first come to terms with his sin as did Saul the oppressor and persecutor of the church. Saul, on the road to Damascus, when confronted with his sin by the Lord Jesus Christ surrendered to Him (Acts 9). Saul became Paul and was greatly used of God for the rest of his life. We who are Christians must also surrender our self-determination. We need to let God be God. As long as we are on the throne of our lives He cannot rule as He would. Paul came to understand this truth and wrote,
“5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12There-fore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. 14Do all things without complaining and disputing, 15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Philippians 2:5-15).
Thank you Lord for moving in our hearts (we who are Christians) making it possible for us to surrender our self-determination and esteem you as true God.