March
5
I did not receive it
from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of
Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:12 ESV).
Those of us who have
tasted of this world's springs have recognized the kinship between what is
there and what is in religion so far as that soul-nature is concerned. It is
only a matter of difference of realm, not of nature. What the music and drama
of the world produce in one way – the soul-stirring, rousing, craving: the
pathos, tears, contempt, hatred, anger, melancholy, pleasure, etc. – are all
the same, only under different auspices and in a different setting, and the
fact is that it passes and we are really no further on. A little better music,
a change of preacher, a less familiar place, a few more thrills, will perhaps
stimulate our souls, but where are we, after all? How Satan must laugh behind
his mask! Oh, for reality, the reality of the eternal! Oh, that men might see
that, while a highly cultured soul with a keen sense of the beautiful and
sublime is immeasurably preferable to a sordid one so far as this world
is concerned, it is not necessarily a criterion that such has a
personal living knowledge of God – of God as a Person – and has really been
born anew!
When we pray for
"Revival" let us be careful as to what we are after and as to what
means we use to promote it, or carry it on.... The Apostle Paul makes it very
clear that the secret of everything in his life and service was the fact that
he received his gospel "by revelation." We may even know the Bible
most perfectly as a book, and yet be spiritually dead and ineffective. When the
Scriptures say so much about the knowledge of God and of the truth as the basis
of eternal life, resulting in being set free, doing exploits, etc., they also
affirm that man cannot by searching find out God, and they make it abundantly
clear that it is knowledge in the spirit, not in the natural mind. Thus, a rich
knowledge of the Scriptures, an accurate technical grasp of Christian doctrine,
a doing of Christian work by all the resources of men's natural wisdom or
ability, a clever manipulation and interesting presentation of Bible content
and themes, may get not one whit beyond the natural life of men, and still
remain within the realm of spiritual death. Men cannot be argued, reasoned,
fascinated, interested, "emotioned," willed, enthused, impassioned,
into the kingdom of the heavens; they can only be born; and that is by
spiritual quickening.
By T. Austin-Sparks from: All Things in
Christ - Chapter 10
This photograph is by Liz Burnell.
No comments:
Post a Comment