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BEWILDERMENT, BEDAZZLEMENT, BEDEVILMENT
OR THE BEAUTY OF
CHRIST'S HOLINESS
CHAPTER 5
HULLO TO HYPOSTASIS
Instruction through Imagery
so that Confusion, Twin of Bewilderment, can Go Home!
I awakened. What did I find ? as what was I living ?
Was it as a programmatic pseudo-personality, immersed in codes and contrivances, conditions and formulations, fashionings and constraints ? or were these things but a construction, a house, a tent, a facility at my disposal ?
Assuredly not entirely at my disposal, as any ache attests; but still for all that, what I DO about an ache is at my disposal.
But is it some psychological constraint which makes me so dispose of it ?
Assuredly not, for I am quite well able to consider WHICH psychic constraint, rule, principle, attainment, aspiration or mode to deploy!
But am I free to institute this deployment, or is my person constrained to such deployment ?
Not at all, for I am able logically to estimate, evaluate, consider, pigeon-hole, stash, correlate, discriminate, by prejudice if weak, by reason and verification if honest, and as I love honesty, yes I am able.
But what is the basis of my choice of principles and estimation procedures ?
It is this: are they the best way to achieve truth ?
But how may I know the truth in order to devise methods to secure it ?
I find it by following reason and evidence in a delightful pairing, and reviewing logical principles to prune out errors and collisions, and testing all, find where I get. I get to the Bible. It gets me to God, and God is the truth.
But how do I find this truth from God ?
I find it by receiving what He has to say.
But where do I find what He has to say ?
I find it where I was forced by logical constraints, such that to deny them is to deny all validity in discourse and to follow them is to find out their validity.
But to what I am so forced ?
To the Bible.
And how does this enable me not to be so prejudiced that I fall in the very effort to find what it has ?
I can read.
But what if my prejudices force me to misconstrue what it says ?
God knows how to handle what He wishes to do, and where the human race is the thing, He knows it. Besides, when I read a simple statement, I can follow it, without any possibility of error.
What simple statement ?
This, to repent of
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a) failure to keep the clear commands of the Bible, |
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b) failure to have found God as they prescribe, though Jesus Christ, |
and so to follow them to find God Himself.
But what is the command to follow which leads me to the level place where I can descry the face of God ?
In the first instance, it is not the face but the grace of God which is necessary to find, and this is as given
But where is it given ?
It is given in the command to seek the Lord with all the heart.
But how do I know if I am seeking with ALL of it, and what if a tiny bit is missing ?
Your problem is this, that you are trying to imagine that you are in control, an autonomous midget, a mouse seeking a cat. The Bible clearly intimates that He is seeking you.
Where ?
In Ezekiel 33:11, Isaiah 55, John 3:16-19, Colossians 1:;19ff..
So how do I KNOW I have found Him, so that I have truth, and so can prescribe for myself canons for finding it, right ones ?
You find out, as with turning on a switch, when the power, the light illuminates, as distinct from darkness. In this case, you find out when, trusting God, you repent and receive by faith the pardon of God.
But where does He promise this ?
In Romans 3:23ff., Micah 7:19ff.: He actually states that He delights in mercy, He loves pardoning, but insisting on purity so that repentance and faith being real, so is the change which goes with pardon, called regeneration.
But how do I know if I am regenerated ?
You find out by believing in Him who offers, in the offer THEREFORE which He makes, and in trusting Him to do what He says, adopting you as you believe (Ephesians 1:4-11).
But what if I am not sure whether I believe!
Then you can be quite sure that you will get nothing from the Lord.
How then CAN I believe ?
If you cannot, there you have it. You ARE then a programmatic, or psychically constrained residue of what could have been a free man. Too bad. It is as John 3:19 declares, this which then would condemn you, that light has come and you prefer darkness. A doctor does not help the one who despises his prescriptions.
But I do not despise His prescriptions.
Which one is so exempted ? the requirement to believe for example ? IF you believe, then you know because it is the case.
I do believe of course, for I would be mad not to, it is so free, the logic to the Bible is so sure, but it is just myself. I do not trust myself.
Excellent: if you did, it would be hopeless.
You mean, I have to trust Him, when I repenting receive Him as Lord and Saviour, to deal with all questions, so that the intention is the fact ?
No, not quite. It is not the intention which is the fact, though God knows the intention in its reality or pretence. It is the act which is the fact.
Which act, mine or His ?
It is His act which is the fact, His who grants to you repentance!
But what about the faith ?
You either trust Him or you don't. Leave to Him how you get there.
Of course, I trust Him, or I would not be discussing it.
Why did you not say so ?
I AM saying so.
Better late than never.
You mean that this MEANS I am saved from the sovereignty, guilt and guile of sin ?
In principle, yes.
What do you mean, 'in principle' ?
It means that you are not thus made perfect, but made one of His.
That is good enough for me, for then I can consult with Him at any time and get answers to my questions.
True, provided you RECALL that it is the BIBLE which is the site where you were forced by reason to come, and that this was merely one step, the next being to follow its prescriptions and so find Him (John 5:39-40); but then you need to recall, that this BEING His word, on which you have acted, REMAINS HIS WORD.
You mean it is to be done.
What else ? Do you have a successful operation for cancer and then ignore the post-operative instructions.
That would be lunatic! If I trust the doctor for the life-endangering operation, how much more for the simple post-operative procedures.
That is honest.
So I have to obey the words of Christ ?
Is He to be Saviour and not Lord ? (Luke 6:46). Are you to join those who USE Him and then lose His words, as if a lawyer got you acquitted, and then you post the documents to the rubbish tip!
How COULD you do that ?
Just send it to the Tip Office.
How WOULD I do that ?
By ignoring the fact that the One who saves is the ONE who orders.
You mean simply this, that I cannot in all conscience, reasonableness and truth call it sincere and right to come to Him to do one thing, and then ignore the very authority of the word by which I found Him!
Precisely.
But what if I just happen to misfire some time, and programmed by sin, once more, just say on one single occasion, yield to its constraints ?
Then you SEE what you are doing, YIELD against what you know, and with this perspective, shoot down the enemy drone of sin from your sin-smudged skies, and continue to obey Him.
But what if He does not feel like pardoning my slip ?
You return to His word, as in I John 1:7-2:2 and knowing you have a barrister, an advocate, whose fee He paid Himself, call on Him and telling Him you are not perfect, yet mourn for the failure and seek to be cleansed from all unrighteousness, according to His word.
Believe IT, the word of His mouth, ASK it according to His word, and believe I have it since it is on offer ?
Of course.
But what if I get carried away and begin to trust in my own righteousness ?
Repent. What else ? Trust in His as David shows in Psalm 71.
But what if I get the idea in my nut that it was because I was spiritually superior in the first place that I decided to come to Christ ?
You repent. What else! If God had not opened your eyes, they would be still shut (John 6:44, 1:12).
What if I feel that maybe He opened my eyes because I had in His opinion more susceptibility to such things ?
Then you read Isaiah 64:6, Romans 7:18.
The why DID He open my eyes ?
He loves opening eyes, and would like to open all (Colossians 1:19ff., Luke 19:42ff.), but insists on such purity in His love that there is no sense of manipulation, as if 'love' could get what it wanted without truth, but by mere 'sovereignty'.
But God IS sovereign.
True, but it is He, not desire, who is sovereign. When God IS love, there is not even relevance in mere power. You NEED it all, to do it; but this is a means, not the purpose or program.
What do you mean by that ?
God SAYS, in the Bible you see, that He would like all, does not take all, assigns the differentiation to the will of man (John 3:19), but states that our sin blinds our eyes. HENCE when He opens, it is stil,l by His omniscience, our wills which are the differential, but HE is not limited by their sick state to their operational sufficiency, but knowing His own, takes the ones who are His.
By what then are they His ? Is it because they are better ?
What has nothing to offer cannot be better.
Then is it this, that He loves all, hates what is finally sin-integrated in HIS all-knowing sight, effective even before time began, in His foreknowledge, and free from the impediments of spiritual pathology in the ones He seeks, takes where His love is received.
You could certainly put it like that. It is only sin which gets in the way, and He who sees beyond it, stating that sin prevents US from seeing, does NOT state that it prevents HIM from doing it in accord with truth.
You mean it is all of grace, since if HE did not act, I would be finished; and that EVEN in acting, He bypasses the programmatic rejection of my sin, and looking beyond, sees where His own reside, and taking them, no more violates than does love when it finds it own, and no more forces any, or subverts than does love in any other situation or climate. LOVE has its source and recourse in Him, and without Him, it is befouled.
I do.
Surely there is something wrong ?
Why ?
People always get tangled here.
It is hard to avoid burs when walking in an infested region, but that is no necessity. They may still be avoided.
But HOW can you do it when it is yourself, the very one thinking, which is the criterion.
You could not.
Then how do you ?
By faith, you receive the One in whom you believe and trust Him.
You mean, you trust Him beyond yourself to do what He states He wants to do, in integrity, power, banishing bewilderment and constraining confusion to take a permanent holiday ?
Yes, except those things have no holiday premises to go to: you dismiss them like snakes with a stick.
What stick ?
The power of God in whom you trust, and to whom you make certain application to this effect (I John 4:4).
It is all of His grace, love, strength, and the minute we make an addition, we have caught a spiritual cold ?
Yes, except in cases where truth and His word are not the criterion, and the person is thus a fraud, it can be spiritual pneumonia.
What has that to do with it ?
Nothing if you have in fact believed in Him, since HE is the One on whom it all depends, not you; and incidentally that ensures what is called Christian assurance; for since it does NOT depend on you, but on Him, and faithful is He who calls you, then the job is done.
I can relax and sin much more.
Are you serious ?
No, just jabbingly playful.
Then no, you can fear the One who saved you, and be realistic about the sin which bid fair to damn you, and be as disobedient as your love suggests.
My love could not suggest that.
No but your flesh could.
I am not listening.
Good, keep it that way, for the flesh loves to intervene (Galatians 5:17).
So do robbers on the paths at night ?
Doubtless they have something valuable in mind.
But I know how to protect my valuables.
Fine. But while you may fail, God does not. He never fails (Zephaniah 3:5,Romans 8:30, 8:38ff.,5:1-11, Ephesians 1:11).
But I might.
Then do not fail to ask for pardon and seek the power to overcome, by faith (I John 5:4, Romans 8:1-10).
But what if ...
What if you mean business and not just talk, squawk or use a mesmerism of words as a substitute for reality in sincerity ?
Then I would continue talking to you as an alternative to believing, and then feeling religious, do whatever I please, saying it was all very interesting.
It is certainly a point.
Well I am not going to do that since it is dishonest, and because I want truth, and freedom from programmatic restraints and constraints, where I could and should have liberty to love and be what I was created to be, not a sin-robot.
What are you going to do then ?
I am going to be different, highly unusual, as far as I can see, and actually receive, believe, follow His word, seek in all sincerity with all radicality to follow Him in all things, and use the post-operative procedures provided to keep free.
God be praised.
Well, I am glad that I called.
Glad to be of help.
Actually this is just a musing and it was fun.
Fun!
Well, I am a hypostasis ?
Have a good flight home.
I shall.
NOTE
The background to this
conversation re reason, giving a reason for the faith may be found
in many ways on this site, but some are these:
1) SMR in Ch. 1
2) TMR in Chs. 1-7
3)
AND THE MESSAGE OF REMEDY esp. Ch. 11
4)
LIGHT DWELLS WITH THE LORD'S CHRIST
5)