I love reading mystery stories. In many of them, the
solution comes to me long before the author reveals it, yet the stories I love
the most are those that end in a surprise because the plot completely baffled
me. I love a good mystery!
God saves us by grace, yet tells us to turn to Him. God
grants repentance, yet tells us to turn from our sin. God calls us by name, yet
tells us to call upon Him. God gives faith as a gift, yet He tells us to
believe in Him. The Bible says that no one seeks Him, yet God tells us to seek
Him with all our heart. God is the author of salvation, yet we are told to save
ourselves. God chooses His own, yet tells us to choose who we will serve. These
are mysteries.
One of the greatest is He says His saving work does not
dependent on what I do, yet God makes clear that what I do is vital — and that
He will judge me accordingly:
“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.” (1 Peter 1:17–21)
Some try to explain this by saying God gives us all the
power and our lives fully depend on Him. Others say God gives the ability and it
is up to us to follow through. Still others say our choices make the
difference. Yet with all the ‘proofs’ offered for each opinion, ‘all those
proofs’ exist. This makes a cut and dried answer impossible and the working of
God remains mysterious. How does what God does and what I do join so that my
choices depend on Him but are also judged as if they are mine? I have no idea —
except to say that when God speaks, reveals, makes Himself known, I’m to
respond to whatever He has made known to me.
While this blending of His will and my choices remains a
mystery, the best understanding comes through taking a good look at Jesus
Christ. He is fully God and fully man. How does that work?
Some say things like, “He could only do what He did
because He is God.” Others say His manhood and deity were in balance while He
was here on earth. Still others say that He laid aside His divine nature and
lived here as a human being who relied on God just as we are to rely on God.
While all three perspectives could be points of contention, the Bible indicates
that all three are correct. How does that work?
I’ve no idea, except to say that regardless of how this can
be, I am charged by God to trust Him and obey what He says, realizing that the
ways of God are higher than my ways.
^^^^^^^
Jesus, not understanding You or how salvation works does
not mean I’m to walk about in a fog, nor does it mean that I’m to ‘pick a view’
and argue or insist about it. What this lack of complete knowledge means is
that I am to be in awe of You, fully aware that You are God and I am not — and my
‘ignorance’ should never stop me from totally trusting You. You will give me
whatever I need for each moment of life so that I can be and do whatever You
have ordained for me. Until You choose to reveal them, it does not matter that
these mysteries remain unsolved.
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