An Enemy Within

I think that I have explained the title of this blog before. I think that the first two posts told about the meaning of the Greek word "helos." The word simply means "nail" for those of you who have not read those posts. I am revisiting this topic because of an addition that has been made over the past few months, that is the phrase "changed daily" which is seen within the blades of grass at the top of this page.

In considering these two things together I was also contemplating what it was that held the perfect Sacrifice on the cross. It is said that it was not the nails but rather His willingness, His love and mercy that did so. I understand that to be the case, knowing that apart from His will to participate in the perfect plan of redemption laid forth before the foundation of the world, the Son of God could not be crucified. That is why the Lamb of God is now seated on the throne. He deserves it first for who He is and because of who He is, He has done that which only God/Man could do, give His life as a ransom for many.

The reason that I named this blog "helos" is so that I would not forget who Jesus is and His work on my behalf. The site is http://www.whenisurvey.blogspot.com/ to remind me that all is to be considered in light of God's grace and mercy shown to me upon the cross. Apart from Him life and all that it intails is vainity and should I try to keep this thing going apart from Him it will be that as well. I sometimes post "mindless raging rants" and just stuff that is going on. I pray that even these would not be done in vain but to show that I am still human and am living in the world, seeking to not be of the world.

I don't think that I can express just what God has done for me, what He has relieved me from in taking the shame and punishment for my sin. Partly because I don't have the words to express it and even more so because I don't fully understand just what has been done. I have been given a gift of eternal life in communion with God. Although I know and have experianced many benefits of this gift there is so much more that I have been promised and am sure of because I know that God is faithful to keep His promises.

I also have difficulty in knowing just what I have been saved from. I know what it is to recieve earthly consequinces for sin and I know what it is to wrestle with temptation from the outside and from within however I cannot empathize with complete divorce from God, His general grace and provision which I have always had as a creation of His. I cannot imagine the depths of Hell.

Salvation seems such a simple word but its complexities I know I will not understand upon earth. This truth, however does not excuse me from the study and meditation of His great and awesome work on behalf of those who would call out for the blood of Christ to wash away their sin and bring them into fellowship with God.

I was recently challenged by the Spirit to share something from my past with a dear friend. We were in the midst of a rather intense discussion concerning sins that were brought to mind during a sermon we had sat under that morning when a particular sin was made the forefront of our conversation. I stated that it was indeed sin and sighted scriptures which show it to be such. There was then a great pause in the conversed and contraversial topic as we watched the kids play in the hall of science we were visiting that afternoon. There wasn't much said between us for the next half hour as we made our way through the building and into an outside display which overlooked the bay. As we observed the scene and the children made their way back to the hands on learning of the displays the need to share my heart was too much and I told a secret that still remains such today.

I wanted my friend to know, as I pray all will, that I'm not a sin-o-phobic Bible thumper who blindly makes statements concerning the eternal effects of sin. I expressed to her that this sin we were previously speaking of was indeed a sin that I have wrestled with. God alone has victory over it in my case, this I know because when I am weak in my fellowship with Him it's ugly head resurfaces to show that it is not my efforts which keep it at bay but His own. After the kids were put to bed and sudoku was in progress I was asked to share more about my salvation from the effects of this sin in which I was blessed to say that the depression and internal anguish that it brought has been washed away. The grace of God cannot be measured just as God Himself cannot be measured.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9) "He gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for Himself a people for His own posession, zealous for good deeds." (Titus 2:11)

We try to place degrees on individual sins so that we can say "It was just a little lie." or "I only did it once." We want to rationalize with human standards so that we don't have to face the reality of how much God hates sin but it doesn't line up with Scripture. Our measures and standards are just that "ours" and we cannot expect God, whose "ways are not our ways," to follow our rule.

I'm not sure what all of this is to say except that God is more than we can imagine in every part. He is more just, more gracious. He is more loving, more wrathful. He is more faithful, more forgiving than any one you've ever met because He is God. God is more by definition. He is perfect by definition. He is the Rule and the Ruler.