MICHAELMAS 2005
From the editor…
The Glorious
Confidence of the Children of God
One day Satan was having a garage sale. There were many flashy
wares and the demons
were out in force shopping away at the various display tables. One
particularly
observant demon, however, noticed another table with only one item for
purchase
— it was far away from the others. The
item for sale there, unlike all the rest, had no sign erect, but when
he got
close enough to see it, he found there a marker that said “not for
sale.”
When he inquired of Satan about it, the chief tempter just
laughed and said, “Well, that's because I use it so much. If it
was not so plain looking, people might
see it is for what it is.” Satan pointed
to the tool and then said, “You see, this tool is Discouragement — it
is the
one tool which will work when nothing else will.”
This story reminds us of the vital truth Paul is seeking to
impress upon his readers in Romans 8.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus.” All that is necessary to be done for our life and our salvation
— which
the law cannot provide — has been accomplished by Christ through the
Spirit in
response to the Father. We need simply
to receive that loving and glorious gift.
To trust Christ is to be adopted by grace into the family of
God. No conditions, no quid pro quo, no
catches, no extra codicils in the small print. “For you did not
receive the spirit of slavery
to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of
sonship. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is the Spirit
himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God”
(Romans 8:15, 16).
Notice what Paul says: there is NOW no condemnation for
those in Christ Jesus, we ARE children of God.
Yet the tool of discouragement seeks to trap us into
believing we are still guilty, still condemned, still un-loved, still
needing
to meet some condition to make things with God right. Are there
not few things more tragic in this
life than a Christian who lacks confidence and feels
condemned? If we feel discouraged, no matter what our
gifts, no matter what our personality, we will shrink back.
No wonder Luther ended his daily devotions by imagining his
sins placing Jesus on the cross and then he would turn himself around
and say
“Get thee behind me Satan, today is resurrection day!”
“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be
called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1). Let us move
forward in that glorious
confidence in the beginning of the 21st century.
The Rev. Canon Dr. Kendall S. Harmon
Contact Dr Harmon by e-mail at ksharmon@mindspring.com
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