Friday, December 19, 2008

A God-injected Life!

The following metaphor (regarding a Doctor, a Nurse, a Consent Form, and an Injection) helps me to understand how the Trinity (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) have worked together to transform my sinful nature by way of a God-injected life. I agree with C.S. Lewis, who states that no metaphor is perfect. It will always breakdown on certain points. If it doesn't help, just throw it aside.

1) The Doctor - I imagine God-the-Father as the "Great Physician". He made us. He knows what we are about. He knows what is good for us. He understands our problem. We have a terminal sin-infection with symptoms of rebellion and ego-centric behavoir. We have a built-in tendency toward rejection of his diagnosis and his prescription for the cure.

2) The Nurse - Jesus is similar to a nurse who faithfully follows the Doctor's instructions by administering the prescription for the cure. Because the Nurse loves the sin-infected patients, just as much as the Doctor does, he willingly exposes himself to the disease. He pays a huge personal price by experiencing the full force of the disease but does not succumb to it. After a time he regains full health. The Nurse is now immune to the disease and his blood can be used as a vaccine.

3) The Consent Form - The Doctor and the Nurse totally respect the patients free-will in this matter. They will not proceed with the injection until a consent form is signed. Through this consent for treatment the patients are: (a) acknowledging that they have the disease, and (b) confirming their trust and belief in the medical team's ability to provide the cure. It puts the patient's life into their hands.

3) The Injection - The Holy Spirit is the vaccine (the Nurse's blood) that is injected into the patient to cure the sin-infection. The non-medical terms for this injection are "Forgiveness" and "Love"

The Doctor and Nurse will not turn away anyone who wants to be made well even if they don't have a health plan. Their is no prerequisite, no effort or payment required from the patients to receive the cure. A signed consent form is the only requirement. It is the love and knowledge of the Doctor, the obedience and sacrifice of the Nurse, and the healing nature of the Nurse's blood (inside there bodies) that provides the cure. The patients contribute only their trust and consent.

We cannot earn this cure. Being good or doing good things is not a prerequisite for receiving the cure. It is a loving unconditional gift that is offered to all people, even the Bin Ladens, Hitlers or Stalins of this world. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians (Chapter 2, Verses 8 & 9) it says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. In Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5, Paul writes, "He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

The impact of a God-injected life can be seen throughout the Bible. For example:

1) 2 Chronicles, Chapters 13 to 15 - King Asa of Judah tears down all the things related to worship of false gods and puts his trust in God. As a result he prevails in a battle against the Ethiopians who outnumbered his forces three to one. Asa's God-injected life attracts great numbers of people who came over to him from the northern kingdom (Israel) because they saw that God was with him.

2) Revelation, Chapter 4 - The twenty-four elders cast down their crowns in humble worship before God. They acknowledge that all they are and have is due to the Lord. There is no pride, no self-centeredness, no rebellion to be found in them. They have God-injected hearts. God is fully resident in the hearts of His followers through the seven-fold fullness of His Spirit.

3) Haggai, Chapter 2 - God says to Zerubbabel and the people of Judah, "My Spirit remains among you; do not fear." He also says that Zerubbabel will be like a signet ring - he will continue the royal line of King David from which the Messiah (Jesus) will come.

4) John, Chapter 3 - Jesus explains to Nicodemus that the Holy Spirit is like the wind. No one can see it, control it, or fully understand it but the proof of the Spirit's work is apparent. The evidence of a God-injected life can be readily seen by others.