Searching for grace

So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:21

It is clear from the account of Genesis that when God creates something, he creates it according to its kind. In the scripture above God is talking about every living and moving thing in the water, all of whom were created by God according to their kind. Likewise, every winged bird was created according to its kind.

It’s amazing that everything in creation has a pattern that it was made in accordance to. It seems God wanted to make it blatantly clear that everything that lives and moves has a source by which it was created. God Himself testifies that He finds this to be a good thing.

It’s no coincidence that we have been made like Jesus, not just made in His likeness, actually made in Him, we were made a new creation by His very own blood and through His very own body!

God has always known that the only way for mankind to truly live in freedom with God, and experience the life of God within them, was for them actually be made according to the life of God Himself, who is Jesus.

Through Jesus all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. John 1:3

Even when God originally made man in His image, as he did with Adam, it was not enough for man to truly be free and live in perfect union with God. Adam was made in the image of God, but he was still made from the dust of the earth; this is why God said about Adam:

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Genesis 3:9

Adam was made from the dust, and so according to his kind, to the dust he was to return. We however, as the Church, have not been made by the dust, but by the very person of Jesus Himself, and that is why we will return to Him and live with Him forever!

We were like Adam, but praise God that we are no longer like him; we can rejoice that we were not made a new creation with dust, but rather with the precious blood of Jesus!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

We have been made according to Jesus, and that is why we partake in His life and can live in accordance with who He is! God has created everything with a pattern that would ultimately reveal this wonderful gospel truth to His church even in the opening chapter of Genesis. He did this so that we may take confidence that we were made according to the person of Jesus, and so we are pleasing to our Father and can live in perfect union with Him.

We can now live without fear and walk confidently, knowing that any good work good has prepared for us to do will be done in accordance with the grace of God he has placed in us.  Praise God that we were created in Christ!

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” Genesis 1:20

We read in Genesis 1:20 how God began to make living creatures, and He created two different kinds of creatures. One kind was created to be confined within the limitations of the ocean, and the other kind was created with the freedom to fly. The birds were made a different kind of creation than those created for the water; this meant that the birds didn’t have the restrictions that the creatures in the water had. The birds, it seems, were made to be a picture of freedom. They were made different on purpose. They were given the privilege to live above the earth. They were able to soar across the expanse of the sky.

With this in mind, it’s no coincidence that Jesus told us to look to the birds of the air as an example of faith.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26

According to Jesus, the birds were to be seen as a sign of a great heavenly reality. The birds thought differently than the people who were listening to Jesus. The people who listened to Jesus all believed they had to accomplish their ‘good works’ in order for God to provide for them. They also lived with a ‘if I don’t sow, I won’t reap’ mentality. Jesus used the birds as an example to reveal that both of these mindsets were not in line with the true reality of God.

Jesus seemed to be explaining how the birds understood that God would provide for them, not because they earned it or deserved it, but rather simply because that is the very nature of God; He is a provider, and they rested in that truth.

When we read the genesis account, we see God making it clear that the birds were made different. They were created more blessed than the other living creatures. They were created free. They were created with the ability to live from above. They were created with a heavenly perspective on things! The birds were made different.

The birds were ultimately made to be a picture of the church. We, as born-again believers in Christ, were all made new creations. When we were made ‘new’, we were made different than the rest of mankind and that is what allows us to see God from his true perspective. We don’t see a God who demands we earn his blessing, but rather a God who delights in pouring out His grace!

We were created free: It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

We were created with the ability to live from above: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:6

We were created with a heavenly perspective on things: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3

As the church, when we live in the freedom of who we truly are, we then also understand the same amazing truth that the birds who Jesus talked about did. We understand that it is neither by our ‘good works’ nor any ‘sowing and reaping principle’ that causes God to provide for us. We understand that it is simply because the nature of God is to be gracious towards us!

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

The birds were created to fly; they were created to be free. The birds however, were only the example; they were a picture for us to see in order that we might be reminded on the greater reality; just as Jesus said: Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26

The reality is that we, as the church, are truly free. We are not confined in a ‘works’ mentality that the rest of religious mankind is confined to. Our reality is one of freedom; praise God we are free! We understand God’s grace, His very nature, and we freely live out our relationship with God based on this glorious reality!

He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. Genesis 1:16-19

When God placed the stars in the sky, He placed them there with a divine purpose; that purpose was to give light on the earth. The stars original purpose, according to Genesis, was to be the light of the world. Now we can be sure that the stars were never intended to be the full reality of the light of the world, but rather were made to be an example of the true light of the world, Jesus Christ!

The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. John 1:9

So we know that Jesus is the true light of the world, but we also see God creating the stars in the sky as an example of  Jesus, the true light of the world. This is significant, especially when we read the Apostle Paul letter to the Galatians, where he explains that God had in fact announced the gospel in advance to Abraham.

The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” Galatians 3:8

Have you ever wondered how God did that? How did God preach the gospel in advance to Abraham? Well, when we read the account of Abraham, we find God asking him to do something very simple; yet incredibly profound.

God took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:5-6

What we see happening between God and Abraham in this moment was God announcing the gospel of grace! Think about it, what did God ask Abraham to do? He asked him to look to the stars, the light of the world, and believe!

God’s plan has always been for mankind to receive the promise of salvation through looking His Son Jesus Christ, the true light of the world, and believing! Here we see God announcing that very same gospel in advance to Abraham!

Just like Abraham, we too look to the light of the world and believe, and we too receive a righteousness that comes by faith! When Abraham looked up to the light of the world, in that moment God spoke about the fulfilment of His promise to Abraham. This is an incredible picture of the good news of God!

It is when we looks to Jesus, the true light of the world, and put our faith in Him, that God makes His promise to us. The good news from God is that His promise of a new covenant of grace and a righteousness that comes by faith is available today to all who look to Jesus, the light of the world, and believe!

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years,  and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. Genesis 1:14-16

When God created the world, He placed two lights, the moon and the sun, within its atmosphere and both gave light to the world. The moon however, was just a dim shadowy light, the sun on the other hand, was a much larger, more powerful and intense light.

Now remember that ‘the day’ represents Jesus, and ‘the night’ represents everything that is not Jesus. So we could figuratively say that the light of the sun (that is the Spirit) governs those who are in Christ, and the light of the moon (that is the Law) governs those who are not yet in Christ. Both groups are being led by a light; it’s just that the light of the sun is far brighter and more glorious than the dim shadowy light of the moon.

The Law, in its correct understanding, is like the moon. It does give light, but not enough to allow you to work, live and act freely. It’s just enough light to allow you to see the path in front of you. The Apostle Paul explains in Romans that the law was a given to mankind to lead us all to Christ. Once we have been led to Christ, we could then leave the Law behind and walk solely in the light of Christ. So although it was a ministry of condemnation, the Law still served its highest purpose by giving just enough light to lead us to Jesus.

John the Baptist had a similar ministry to that of the Law. He was not the light, but came to testify about the true light. His job was to point people to Jesus that they may join Jesus and receive His light. Yet even Jesus explained the life of John in terms of giving some temporary light:

John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light. John 5:35

The Apostle Paul was more passionate than anyone to proclaim freedom from the Law. He spent his life declaring that Christ is the end of the Law, and he was severely persecuted for having the boldness to proclaim such a powerful truth. However, Paul never thought the Law was evil or bad, he simply understood its true purpose. He understood that we are not under the Law nor obligated to the Law, because Jesus has brought it to an end by fulfilling it on our behalf, so we could now live according to the Spirit and not by the written code. Paul even talks of the Law as being glorious in it’s time, for it did give us light (just enough to lead us to Christ that is, it never gave us any light of power to make us righteous) but he continues to declare how much more glorious is the light of God’s grace! For the light that came from the Law was only temporary, but the light that comes from Christ, and the gift of His grace, is eternal!

If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts! 2 Corinthians 3:9-11

We are now in Christ, we are children of the day! We do not belong to the Law, for we have been led to Jesus and have accepted him, and so the purpose of the law has been fulfilled in our lives. We have stepped over from death to life, from being led by the Law to being led by the Spirit; and glory to God, we now live in His light, and it is glorious!

You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:5

So what has become of the law now that we have received Christ? What purpose does it now have in our lives when we read it? It is now transformed for us from a ministry of “do’s and don’t” to a testimony of the life of Christ! Its role as ‘the ministry of condemnation’ has ended, and now when we read through the Old Testament, the Spirit reveals the story of Jesus to us!

If the Old Testament of the Law and the Prophets was the moon, and the New Testament the sun, then the prophesy of Isaiah has truly come to pass for us all!

The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days, when the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds he inflicted. Isaiah 30:26

As I have been showing you throughout my blog entries, the story of Jesus is in every verse of the Old Testament! Being able to see Jesus in the Law and the Prophets transforms the Old Testament from a dim shadowy light into a glorious light, for we see the light of Christ, the power of His life and the story of His finished work in everything we read! There is no condemnation for us in the Old Testament, but only the joy of reading the tesimony of Jesus over and over again!

But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. Romans 3:21

The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. Genesis 1:12-13

Right from opening remarks of Genesis, we see God declaring the reality of His Son. Jesus is revealed as ‘the beginning’, ‘the light’, ‘the day’ and ‘the seed’.

I think it’s significant that God introduced Jesus as ‘the seed’ on the third day, don’t you? It’s quite incredible, when we read the opening verses of Genesis, to see that it was only after the events that took place on the third day, through the introduction of ‘the seed’, that life began to take place on earth! Once again, we can see God preaching the good news of His Son right from the beginning of Genesis!

Jesus truly is ‘the seed’ that brings life to all mankind, and yet it was not enough for Jesus simply to come to earth, He had to die at the hands of mankind in order that we could also partake in His very life.

Jesus is the author of life! He was with God in glory before time began, and He has always known that He would enter into the world, to die for us all, so that we could all live through Him. Jesus was aware of this reality when He inspired the writing of Genesis, just as much as He was when He walked the earth!

Jesus replied, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:23-24

Jesus knew that He was ‘the seed of God’. He understood that He was the only Son of God, and yet in order for many to become sons and daughters, He would have to lay down His life in death, so many could partake in it when God raised Him to life again.

God has always known the power and the importance of the third day, so much so that he introduces the understanding of ‘the seed’ on the third day in the Genesis account. We read in the Genesis account how after the third day, life could begin to flourish on earth. This is an amazing shadow of the much more glorious reality. The glorious reality is that the third day after Jesus died for all of us, like a seed that had fallen to the ground; He was raised to life, and from that time on we could partake in His divine life and also truly begin to flourish!

We have now entered into the life of Christ! We actually live in Him. We find our purpose, our hope and our rest in Him. We rejoice that it was through His sacrifice that we now receive our salvation. Jesus was the only seed of God, and He laid down His life for us, so that we could join him as children of God!

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

The events that took place on the third day were so powerful and so glorious that it set into motion the introduction of true life for all mankind! Praise God; we have received the promise of life!

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:11-12

When God started to create living things on the earth, He started with seed-bearing plants, and also trees that would bear fruit with seed in it. God seems to go out of His way to make a point about the ‘seed’ within the plants and fruit. God also explains how the seed would go on to produce whatever its kind was.

For example, an orange seed will grow to produce an orange; likewise an apple seed will grow to produce an apple. An apple would not become an apple all by itself; rather it was the seed within it that would make an apple come into being. So right from the beginning, we witness God revealing an eternal truth to all mankind:

In order to produce the right kind of fruit, you need to start by having the right kind of seed!

One of the amazing realities we have entered into, through accepting the gospel of God’s grace, is that we have now been equipped to bear fruit to God, not by our own zeal, passion or persistence; but rather because the seed of righteousness, that is Christ, has been placed in us!

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. Galatians 3:16

God was already talking about the power and importance of ‘the seed’ right from the beginning of Genesis, because He has always known that His Son would become the seed that would empower all mankind to bear fruit to God!

So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. Romans 7:4

The good news is that we accepted all that Christ did on our behalf upon the cross, we died with Christ, and in that death the seed of Adam died within us also. Just as we died and were buried with Christ, by the power of God we were also resurrected with Him and made a completely new creation! This new creation was made with the seed of Christ! It is this very same seed within us now that now produces it’s kind of fruit!

The reason we now bear the fruit of the Spirit, is because we have the seed of the Spirit within us! We have been made new through the body of Christ, and just as an apple seeds will certainly produce apples, we can rest with confidence and assurance that the seed of Christ within us will certainly produce the fruit of Christ in our lives!

We don’t need to live our lives in a panic that we are failing God by not producing the fruit he desires, because we live with a revelation that it is not by our own zeal, discipline or persistence that we produce the kind of fruit He desires. It is because the seed of Christ is in us; and that seed, by the grace of God, will grow; because God is the one who makes all the good fruit in our life grow!

I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

God wants us to rest in the reality of our new covenant with Him. When we simply allow the New Covenant of God’s grace to be the reality we live by, it allows us to walk effortlessly in the way the Spirit desires. How glorious it is that we understand it’s not our self-effort that produces heaven’s fruit, but rather it is Christ in us; He is heaven’s seed, and our hope of glory!