THE PERFECT LIFE
2 Corinthians 4:7-11
Morning Meditation 11/27/17
"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh."
God is pleased to manifest Himself. In creation God is manifesting His wisdom and almightiness in the works of His hands. Psalms 19:1 brings this out, " The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handy work."
In Jesus Christ God is manifesting His love in merciful plenitude for our salvation. In the lives of the redeemed He desires to manifest His saving and satisfying grace for a witness and encouragement to the unbelieving; 2 Corinthians 4:10-11, "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh."
The life of Jesus is the only perfect life, and the life of the Christian is to be, in measure, a spiritual reproduction. Major Ian Thomas said, "The Christian life is the life that Jesus lived on earth being lived now by Him in us." No better statement could possibly be made. Let's us consider the truth of this--
THE LIFE OF THE LORD JESUS IS A LIFE FROM GOD
He was born from above. Luke 1:35, "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
Therefore if we are to manifest this life from above, we must receive the life of God from above. Jesus said in John 3:3, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
The life of God must be in us before it can be manifest by us. Let's notice next--
HIS LIFE WAS A LIFE ENTIRELY YIELDED TO GOD
It was a life fully surrendered to the Divine will. At His baptism he gave Himself up to fulfil all righteousness of God (Matt. 3:15). John 5:19, "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."
This is a life completely yielded to God. Next we see--
A LIFE EMPOWERED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD
John 1:32, "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him."
While Jesus was God incarnate in the flesh, He did not come to earth to be God. He was already that. He came to earth to be man as God made him. This had to be a God empowered life. Adam cut loose from God in spiritual death when he ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Satan said in substance to Adam, "God knows if you eat of this tree you won't need Him any more." He ate and discovered that he was severed from God and needed God desperately. The light of life was turned out and darkness flooded his life.
God made man to be empowered by the Spirit of God. Jesus as a man stepped back on the human scene and became a man as man was created to be. God said. "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Next we see in Christ--
A LIFE OF UNWAVERING FAITH IN GOD
His face was steadfastly set to do the will of His Father at any cost. Because of this attitude and devotion to His Father, suffering was inevitable. He suffered through His faithfulness in testifying against the world's evil works (John 7:7).
Luke 17:6, "And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you." Jesus proved as a man that this was true. One might say, "Jesus never moved a mountain or uprooted a tree and cast it in the sea." That's true. But He did cleanse the lepers, open blinded eyes, healed all manner of terminal illnesses. He did feed 5,000 with two small fish and five small loaves of bread. Jesus demonstrated the kind of faith that moves mountains if a mountain needed to be moved.
I think that we interpret verses like this symbolically because we just don't want to admit that we have a very limited faith. We have saving faith. I do not question that. But mountain moving faith? I don't think so.
May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
