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The Scriptures use much metaphorical creation language when describing those in Christ and the Christian life, images indicative of Eden such as sheep, fields, birds, paths, flowers, soil, trees, living water. And another one I was thinking about this morning: a seed. An acorn in particular. It seems no matter where the animals and I venture on this farm there seems to always be acorns underfoot, paw, and hoof.
When I visit with my grandchildren at their home, they have this sweet activity of gathering acorns from around the tall oaks in their yard and then stuffing them inside of the small holes at the base of the trunks so the squirrels won't go hungry. Even babies seem to understand the creation mandate.
It is amazing that inside of a tiny acorn is everything it needs to become a strong, mature oak tree. How can this be? How can this kind of abundant life be compressed into such a little space?
This is what happens to us at conversion. The Holy Spirit has regenerated our hearts and imputed to us Christ's righteousness and everything that pertains to life and godliness. ( Titus 3:4-10, 1 Peter 1:3 ) You may not feel too godly somedays, me either, but our feelings don't make the promises any less true. It's all compacted in there - our justification, our sanctification, our adoption, and our glorification.
And after we come to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit gets to work drawing it all out of us in our progressive, on going, sanctification process. The good work he began in us he will bring it to completion. ( Philippians 1:6 ) "He" is the key word there. He will do it! The Holy Spirit helps us become what we are.
Isn't that beautiful? He pops open the little acorn cap, so to speak, and begins to grow the tender oak through the thunderstorms and the sunshine and the mineral-rich soil. Some of it is painful work at times, but needed, growth is like that as this cultivation process produces a deep root system and strong branches.
I had a glorious thought last week that another promise contained in this amazing seed pod is my resurrection from the dead. In God's covenant promises, I'm as good as resurrected. Somehow, someway that promise is already done and inside of me.
Jesus promises FOUR times in John 6 that he will raise up all that the Father gives him. "No one comes to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day." ( 6:39, 40, 44, 54 )
So even though Paul tells us in Romans 8 that not only does all of creation groan to be redeemed, but we the creatures who have the first fruits of the Spirit groan too as we "wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved." ( 8:23-24 )
Creation along with our flesh and blood bodies are not redeemed in this life - but they are in the next! We don't hope for what we already have - "Now hope that is seen is not hope."( 8:24 ) I don't have a perfectly healthy, glorified body right now, but I will in the next life! Our spirits will be with the Lord when we die ( 2 Corinthians 5:8 ), but when Jesus returns, he will resurrect our bodies! He made this truth abundantly clear! God created these bodies, and they are important to him. The Holy Spirit himself is the guarantee deposited into us along with our little acorns to make good on not only our resurrection, but on all the promises!
"In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory." ( Ephesians 1:13-14 ) You can't lose it.
In other words, the only way the promises packed into our salvation won't come true is if God stops being God. And that ain't gonna happen, my Friends.
I think that's a wonderful thought to ponder this Monday.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day 🍀
"that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified." ( Isaiah 61:3 )
