Not in Our Heads, But at the Father's Right Hand

"6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." (Genesis 3: 6-7)

Just as Satan deceived Eve then Adam through the serpent to eat the forbidden fruit, so too today men and women believe that more knowledge of Good and Evil will make us good and not evil.

The truth is that through the law, the knowledge of good and evil, is the knowledge of sin.

The other element in this account is worth noting.

Adam and Eve started looking at themselves, and they saw that they had no clothes on.

Immediately, they felt naked, ashamed of themselves, and tried to cover their nakedness.

Then they heard the voice of the Lord:

"8And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" (Genesis 3: 8-9)

When I read this passage again, I find it surprising as well as futile that God's creation, man, tried to hide from the presence of God.

There is no way that we can escape His presence:

"

7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139: 7 -10)

 

The fact that man is trying to run away from the loving God who created them and blessed them is a matter of the conscience, the inside of  man.

 

What is inside of us, however, is sin, and the sense that not only we do no measure up, but that we must do something about it.

 

Sin is the disease of "I don't need God" or "I am on my own" in this world.

 

Men and women, from Cain to the final apostacies of our times, and convinced that they can make this world a better place if they try harder, do more, invest more, follow the rules, do what they are told.

 

Yet the fact remains that when the federal head of the human race, Adam, ate from the wrong tree, the whole human race fell with him. We are all dead, separated from God, because of sin.

 

Yet God sent His Son to redeem us from sin and make us sons before God the Father.

 

What glory and honor God gave to man, Adam forfeited, but the Son not only restored by gave us better.

 

"For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield." (Psalm 5: 12)

 

and also

"For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour." (Psalm 8: 5)

 

 Because of Adam, we are now dead, fallen:

 

"21But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; " (Romans 3: 21-23)

 

and

 

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (Romans 5: 12-14)

 

However, Jesus has restored us to His glory:

 

"4But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

 

and of course:

 

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

 

So, why are we looking at ourselves, then, why are we lost in our heads?

 

We are called to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, are we not?

 

"(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 6And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled." (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6)

 

In fact, we are supposed to remember that we are up there with Jesus, not down here in our struggling bodies and minds:

 

"1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)

 

Like many people in the Body of Christ, I have battled with my thought life, what I was thinking and feelings, as though what I was thinking and feeling defined my true being before the father.

 

We are not what we think or feel on the inside.

 

We have peace with God on the outside, and then the love of God the Father is shed abroad in our hearts through His Holy Spirit. The answer to our problems is not to look at ourselves, or our problems, but to Christ Jesus.

 

The Israelites made that terrible mistake just before entering the Promised Land:

 

"And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." (Numbers 13: 34)

 

They saw themselves as grasshoppers, and so the Israelites were.

 

We need to fix our eyes on Jesus:

 

"1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12: 1-2)

 

We are there with Jesus, and we need to see Him as our new life, for we are in Christ, no longer in ourselves.

 

Don't look at yourself, but see Him who has been from the beginning, Jesus.

 

The more that we see Him, the more that we are transformed from glory to glory like Him (2 Corinthians 3: 18), and we reign in life through Him, too!