Thank God

Thank God for His sacrifice. Every day we reaffirm that we are weak vessels that aspire to holiness and find our flesh Ill disposed with our call. This frailty frustrates are noble piety, when it ought to  provoke gratitude in our hearts. Our flesh acts as a double agent in this life. For the sinner it leads to hades and death, for the saint it leads to remembrance of Christ’s death. Our Lord’s sacrifice has been a propitiation and atonement for all our sins for all time (1 Peter 3:18). There is nothing more than Jesus’ death on the cross and His spilt blood  that can save us and grant us holiness and eternal life. Our spirit and being within has been made clean by the blood of the Lamb and we await the day when we shall relieve our unstained bodies (2 Corinthians 5, whole chapter). Until then the weakness of this matter, the flesh and vessel, serves God. It reminds us lest we become deceived and believe we can be holy enough that we are broken pilgrims in need of God’s grace daily. Our failings give rise to faith in Christ’s all sufficient sacrifice. The flesh provoked us to understand the words of Paul, “..remember His death until He returns,” (1 Corinthians 11:26) and “I chose not to know anything but Christ and Him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2). 

I am not advocating that we begin to practice sin and behave as the Roman Church that the Apostle rebuked, “If grace abounds all the more than we can keep sinning freely to increase God’s grace, God forbid you have died to sin.!” (Romans 6:1-2). The Romans failed to understand a paradox, indulge in the flesh and practice sin and you are condemned (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 John 3:9), but strive to be the saints you are and when you fail (stumble in sin) the flesh reminds you of you’re need for Christ’s flesh and blood (John 6:56). This was the message the Romans twisted at their own peril. We are not to be practitioners of sin (practice it and condone it, we must repent when we sin), however, when we do fail the test of temptation we are reminded how precious is the Blood of Jesus and His sacrifice, and without it we would be without hope and shipwrecked beneath our shame. 

Our weakness it is said makes God strong, “in our weakness He is made strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9). I often found myself perplexed by this passage until recently. The scripture verse it telling us that when we are weak in our sin and repentant Jesus draws near to us and is strong in us (1 John 4:15). When the flesh has dealt us a blow, our faith in Christ and what He has accomplished sends a torrent of His life giving blood to our wound and fills the gapping opening with His body. This is not to compel us to sin more but should we sin there is provision (2 John 1:1-4). The flesh in a unrepentant sinner leads to folly and the flames of hell, in contrast, the flesh on a saint leads that believer away from pride in their works and to maintain faith alone in Jesus Christ and His grace. For it is written, “the Lord works all things for good for those who love Him.” (Romans 8:28). I argue as St. Paul that this is a mystery, that the flesh can work as a “thorn” [1] and agent to keep us from becoming proud in our pious feats and to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and trust in His atonement and grace alone. This is why Christ in this life does not remove the flesh totally from us lest we become conceited and believe like those false apostles that we can merit heaven and holiness of our own good works and even worse no longer need Jesus! (Galatians 5:2 and Galatians 5:4). Thank God in His wisdom that He left the flesh on us tell He returns on the clouds of heaven! The flesh remains so that we will continue to eat Jesus body and drink His blood until He comes on the clouds and He removes the flesh and replaces it with holy new bodies to compliment our already made Holy by His blood spirits and souls. On that day we won’t need the flesh to keep our pious pride on this fallen earth in check because we will be with Jesus in all perfection. 

This fallen world we live in is antichrist and wants both men and women to believe they can attain to holiness by works of the law and tradition (Galatians 5:4, Mark 7:8, man made religion). What acts as a counterbalance against this pride that would make a saint shipwrecked in pious works is the flesh; it humbles us and forces us to cry out to Jesus and say, “forgive me! I am weak, make me whole again, I need you Lord!” The irony is being a slave to the flesh and practicing it leads to eternal death, while being humbled by it when we fail leads us to eternal life by trusting in Christ our Savior and His pardon alone. Our weakness is a blessing because it keeps us from forsaking our only Savior Jesus Christ! It forces the bull headed to come to Christ and say, “I cannot be perfect, I am weak, but you are perfect and you are strong. You love me and leave this thorn so that I will look to you and your crown of thorns and never be led astray into trusting in the law or my Good works or worse be so prosperous that I forget you (Proverbs 30:9).” Amen. 

Foot Notes: 

[1] “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted (conceited, proud) above measure due to the revelations I received.. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).