Know Your Place – Wallace Articles

Being a Son, Part 4

10/26/24

Oo-oo-h! What a provocative title. There was a time when one person might say this to another as a rebuke. This expression would be used when it appeared the person in question was attempting to rise to a higher position than that to which they were entitled. So, what could it mean here?

INTRO

To fully know our place as ‘sons of God’ we must come into a better understanding of ourselves and our nature; and we must come into a better understanding of God and the relationship He wants with us; then once we are fully informed of what’s at stake, we must make a conscious decision to enter into that relationship. In other words, we’re not expected to make a decision to unite with God before we fully understand what we would really be doing. Unfortunately, these things are much easier said than done. It’s widely recognized that knowing oneself can be a lifelong pursuit. Likewise, knowing God seems all but impossible.

To assist with these daunting tasks I’d like to make use of a number of analogies. These are symbols, parables, and similes which have been used by other religious writers in other places, even in the Bible. So I believe they have value to our study. We just need to know how to apply them to better understand God and what it means to be sons.

I. WHO ARE YOU?

A. Knowing Yourself

I’ve stated in previous talks that it’s important to know oneself. Unfortunately, most people’s view of themselves is slanted. We aren’t so bad; we tell ourselves. We have good reasons for being how we are and thinking how we think. Thus we must be purposeful in our attempt to view ourselves honestly.

This is crucial for a better understanding of the true nature of our relationship with God. But here is the great challenge, for rare is the man or woman who truly knows who they are. It’s a near-impossible task to see ourselves objectively. Who among us can judge our own thoughts and actions without covering them with excuses and good intentions?

Another form of self-deception is to go the opposite direction. This is to denigrate oneself in an overly-zealous attempt to be humble. Contrary to the thought that this is a good thing, in essence it’s denying the worth that God has placed on us. He set our value when He gave Jesus’ life for ours. An accurate self-evaluation takes account of God’s view of us too.

We read in the Gospel of Thomas, “When you know yourself, then you will be known, and you will realize you are the son of the Father.” In this statement, knowing yourself means to comprehend the truth of your nature. And the shocking truth of our nature is that God is in us. Yes! When He placed His Spirit in us, He placed part of himself. Thus God is in me: God is part of me: I’m a part of God!

Understanding that we have a part of God within us is an important step in understanding ourselves. But this then leads to the question of ‘Why?’ Why does He want to be in me; what’s in it for Him? Only as we find answers to these questions can we begin to understand why He wants us with Him. In other words, we must ‘know our place’ in God’s family. So, let’s examine this.

B. Loving Yourself

It is a fundamental part of our nature to love ourselves. You may term this ego, or self-preservation, or any of a number of other terms. But however you describe it, it’s a part of our personality. This is a part of us starting from earliest childhood.

Once we become an adult, we seek a spouse. But a function of the nature of marriage is that as the two people unite together in heart, mind, and body, their feelings for each other become so close that it is described as “the two become one”, (Mk 10:7-8). So in this way as one loves their spouse, it’s the same as loving one’s self.

Likewise, when a couple have a child, they each give of themselves; physically at first, then by giving their affection, their personality, and their fortune. Thus here again, loving ones child is loving oneself.

Ultimately, our relationship with God is supposed to grow to the point where our love for Him is the same as our love for ourselves. In essence, it’s the same as a spousal relationship, and the same as a parental relationship. Just as in those examples, we’re essentially loving ourselves.

Ep 5:25-33; esp 28, 30, 32. “He that loves his wife loves himself.” “We are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.” “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”

Consider, God placed a part of himself in us; and He wants to be as close to us as a spouse or parent. So once we fully understand what the relationship can be and should be; and once we’re willing to pledge ourselves in permanent commitment to it; we’ll then be united with God into oneness with Him.

II. WHO IS GOD?

I’ve also stated in previous talks that it’s important to know God better. But that most people’s understanding of God is not only incomplete, it’s unconsciously distorted to reflect a version of Him which matches what we wish Him to be. Thus our image is of someone who finds no fault in what we do, and agrees with whatever opinions we hold about how the world should be. Thus we must actively strive to move beyond our personalized image and begin to know Him as He truly is.

A. The Trinity: 3 or 1?

1. Confusing

When we set ourselves to learn about God and what He’s like, the first thing we’re told is how much He loves us. This sounds great. Who doesn’t want to be loved by God? Next we’re taught that He’s self-sacrificing on our behalf. Jesus came to Earth and lived as one of us in order to pay the penalty for our sins. Wow! That’s really generous. What’s the saying? ‘No greater love than to give your life for someone else’. We also learn that there’s a Spirit that goes around with us being caring and nurturing. Again, this is comforting.

But then, as we study deeper we find different descriptions. We learn He sent a flood during Noah’s time and killed practically everyone on the planet. We read about fire being rained on Sodom and Gomorrah because they were too sexual. We hear how He told the army of Israel to kill everyone in the surrounding countries. And most frightening of all, we read there will be a Judgement Day when good people and bad people will be separated, and all the bad ones will be burned up. Yikes! Scary!

So how can we reconcile the protective descriptions of God with the vengeful descriptions of God? To help us understand this we’re told that God is ‘three’ beings. Thus in this way we develop an image of God wherein the ‘mean’ one is God the Father; and since He’s so scary, we place Him on the farthest side of the universe. Jesus is the ‘nice’ one; since He lived like us He knows what we’re going through and understands why we sometimes do wrong things. We like to think of him as always with us. And the Holy Spirit? Well, He’s the ‘mysterious’ one. He’s just this, umm, thing; a ghostly something that’s everywhere and in everything. We’re still a bit unclear on Him.

But is this picture accurate? Only by thinking in these terms can we harmonize God’s conflicting attributes. But this then raises a different dilemma. We now have the paradox of a God who seems like ‘three’ beings, but who says of Himself that He is ‘one’ God. Hmm; now what do we do?

2. Three beings?

Throughout our Christian lives we’ve heard many sermons talking about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And as our pastors and teachers have spoken of them it has been as if they’ve been referring to three different individuals. As a result, many of us have formed mental images of them along lines like I just mentioned.

The Father is on a Great White Throne in Heaven far, far away. Jesus lived on Earth as a human for a while, but now He’s back in Heaven beside the Father. And the Holy Spirit is still with us; but He’s just an ethereal spirit which transcends everything and everywhere. If we wish, we can have a personal interaction with the Holy Spirit and He’ll live inside us. And this concept is comforting. Kinda.

But there have also been sermons which speak of God as being “One”; a single entity. And this idea is supported by verses from Scripture. In the Ten Commandments God speaks of himself in the singular, saying He’s the only God, and there are no others.

Then the book of 1Timothy says explicitly, “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” But even this is a little confusing. While it says there is only one God, it then speaks of Jesus. So what is the relationship between the two of them?

Then besides the relation between God and Jesus, how does the Holy Spirit fit into this arrangement? It seems we don’t have a clear picture of what it means to be Three in One. Are there three individuals; but that they’re so united in thought and purpose that it can be said they’re “as one”? Or is there just one being, but He’s so complex that he can be thought of in different ways; and that we’ve been told of only three of them because that’s all our minds can handle?

Ai-yi-yi! No wonder people say God is beyond human comprehension! But then why does God invite us to get to know Him? Is this even possible? Would He ask us to do something He knows we can’t do?

I’m not able to give you a definitive explanation today and formulate God’s nature so clearly that you no longer have any questions. All I can do is offer a few more analogies to go with those you’ve already heard in the past. But my purpose is to get you thinking about God, and to perhaps gain a little clearer conception of this being we want to know better.

3. Or three responsibilities?

Let us imagine a man who works as the manager of a business. In this role he has many duties, but they all relate to keeping the business running successfully.

One of his primary responsibilities is to make a profit for the business owners. Perhaps he considers raising prices so that the business makes more money. That’d be good, right? But then he realizes that would only be good for a little while. Once the customers get mad at the higher prices, they’ll take their patronage elsewhere. Then the company will begin losing money; and the owners wouldn’t like that.

So he must strike a balance between the needs of the owners for a profit and the needs of the customers for a good price. At the same time he also must consider the employees and their need for a good wage and a safe working environment. So there is a lot to consider as he runs this business.

But this man also has a family. When he isn’t at his job he’s focused on his responsibilities to his wife and kids. But this is a different set of considerations. Here he works to keep his loved ones housed, fed, and safe. He doesn’t treat his home life as a place to turn a profit. Instead he’s helping each family member grow into a fulfilling life of their own.

While at work he has to keep the budget tight so as not to waste money on unnecessary items. But at home it’s different. Sometimes his wife comes to him and says she and the kids would like to go out to eat for a change. He doesn’t say no, that they must watch their expenses; instead it makes him happy to splurge on a treat now and again. His home responsibilities are different than the ones at work.

One day this man comes home from work and checks his mail, and he finds he’s received a summons to report for jury duty. He arranges to take time off from work and goes to the courthouse to fulfill his civic obligation.

Once he’s been empaneled on a jury the judge informs them all that they are there to serve the needs of the law. They aren’t there to try to solve a defendant’s personal problems or to suggest a potential solution for a plaintiff. They are there to determine guilt or innocence in accordance with the guidelines specified by the law.

The duty given by the judge seemed clear enough when it was explained; but as the case starts to unfold and our man hears of the defendant’s unfortunate life situation, he starts to have conflicting thoughts. He realizes that the defendant only did what he did because of a lack of employment. And our man thinks, “I could help him get out of this cycle of crime by giving him a job at my company.” Our guy goes on to think, “Poor fellow, if only he’d had a better home life as a child. I can see where a lack of careful parenting has led him to this situation.”

Many other similar thoughts cross the mind of our friend. But at last he remembers the counsel of the judge – he’s not there to solve problems; his role in this duty is only to determine guilt or innocence as specified in the applicable statutes. Once he recalls this, he becomes settled in his mind. He sets himself to the needs of the task at hand and he fulfills his duty just as the court has specified.

So what can we say about our friend? We’ve seen him functioning in three different roles with three different sets of responsibility; and yet he’s one man. He serves as a manager, he serves as a father, and when called on he can serve as a juror. How has he been able to do this? Because he’s found a way to compartmentalize himself such that he can function appropriately in each of the different roles.

Is this what God does? Or is there a different explanation? Is He three beings that act as one; or one being that acts as three? I’m sorry, I can’t answer that. But however He does it, He has found how to divide Himself in such a way that He can function as three separate beings, and yet they are all still connected together sufficiently so as to be ‘one’ with each other.

4. Him in Us

Now I’ll present you with an idea that even more shocking. If He can divide himself into three beings, He can also divide off a part of himself and split it into millions of pieces. He can then place one of these small pieces of Himself into each of us! That’s right! A part of God has been placed within us. And that part of God is still connected to Him in Heaven.

Our goal, then is to find that piece: that piece of God within you, and to unite with it. Putting it this way sorta gives new meaning to that familiar expression – ‘the peace of God’; only in this context it’s not “Peace of God”, instead it’s “Piece of God”. Or, if you don’t like that phrasing, then find the ‘presence’ of God within you.

There are many texts which speak of God putting part of himself within us; a few are:

“God … breathed into him the Spirit of life …” Ge 2:7 (Amplified Bible)

“God … put His Spirit in our hearts … ” 2Cr 1:22 (NIV)

“He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’.” Jn 20:22 (NIV)

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Co 1:27 (KJV)

When you find the part of God that’s within you, and connect completely with it, then you’ll come into your full standing as a son of God. You will then be able to function as a fully empowered son; just as Jesus did when He was here.

B. An Emperor

1. King of kings

Hopefully you understand what an ‘emperor’ is. Although there aren’t any empires in the world today, you’re probably familiar with the term from history books and old movies. Just for clarity I’ll state that the definition of the term as I’m using it is, ‘multiple countries governed by a single monarch’.

This situation would typically come about through conquest. That is, the king of a powerful country with a strong army would invade a neighboring country and defeat their army. He would then force the king of that country to swear to be loyal to him, in exchange for keeping his life and his reign. The defeated king would then have to pay a high tax to the emperor every year. If the losing king didn’t agree to this or if he ever tried to get out from under the emperor’s rule, he would be killed and replaced with someone who would be loyal to the new system. The emperor would then move on to conquer other countries; each time forcing the losing country and monarch to become subject to him. Thus the emperor became ruler of several countries at once. One of the designations he might use was, “king of kings”; that is, a king who is ruler over several other kings.

As you can guess, such a ruler is very busy from day to day. Not only is he concerned with managing the affairs of his own country, but he also has to keep tabs on what’s happening in his captured countries to make sure they aren’t trying to revolt and break free. Every day is filled with meetings with politicians, generals, and envoys. No time to lessen his vigilance.

2. Chicken farmer

Now imagine that one day this emperor decides to take a tour around his country. He says he wants to make sure everything is ok, but really it’s just to get away from the affairs of state for a little while. As he passes through a small village on the farthest edge of his realm a small farm catches his eye; and as he looks he spots the farmer squatting down in his chicken pen crying. So the emperor stops his carriage, then walks over to the farmer and greets him. “Good day, farmer. How goes it?”

The farmer is dumbstruck at first. He can’t believe what’s happening. But at last he regains enough composure to answer. Bowing low he says, “Your majesty! Peace to you; may you reign forever.”

“Rise, good farmer. I noticed you seem distressed. Is something wrong with your farm?”

“Oh, sire. It’s nothing for someone of your importance to bother with.”

“Nonsense. I care about all my citizens. Tell me, what is it?”

“Well, I know it’s very small to you; but it’s everything to me. You see, someone’s stealing my eggs and my chickens. And I depend on them to live. Each morning I’m supposed to collect the eggs and sell them in town. I then use that to support my family. But lately, a gang of ruffians has made camp in the thieves’ forest just across the river there. And every night they sneak into my yard and raid the coop of all the eggs. They also swipe a chicken or two as they go. If this continues, I’ll be ruined!”

The emperor looks very concerned, then tells the farmer not to worry any longer; he’ll take care of it. The ruler then goes back to his carriage and returns to the palace. Once there he calls in one of his generals and gives him some orders.

The next morning a large company of soldiers arrives at the thieves’ forrest and clears out the criminals. After the soldiers have completed their work and are starting back for the capital, the general stops by the farmer’s house and hands him a bag of money. He says, “This is from the gang boss. He sends it with his apologies. They won’t be bothering you anymore.”

The farmer takes the money with tears streaming down his face. “Please, good sir. Please, give my deepest thanks to his majesty. I’m forever grateful!”

The general nods. Then says, “By the way, I can’t help but wonder. Why in the world is the king interested in you?”

The farmer shrugs and shakes his head, “I don’t know why. But I’m sure glad he is!”

C. Jesus: then v. now.

As we read the gospels and learn as much as we can about what Jesus was like, the thing that’s the most impressive is how much he cared about people. We try to take a lesson from Him so we may emulate him as much as we might. But we’re often at a loss to do most of the things He did.

For example, we don’t know how to multiply bread and fish to give to the poor. There wouldn’t even be any place where we could do this, even if we knew how. And as for healing people, there isn’t any place where multitudes of sick people gather where we may go, trying to heal as many as we can. Well, there is a place where lots of sick people gather, a hospital. But if we tried to walk up and down the halls attempting to heal everyone, we’d promptly get arrested. So, a lot of the things Jesus did in his time and place aren’t open for us to copy today.

We may then ask ourselves, “If Jesus were here in this place in this age, how would he minister to those in need?” This is a very profound question. And initially you may feel at a loss for an answer. But I can tell you clearly what He would do. But first let me ask you, “What ways have you found to minister to the needs you see?”

Maybe you aren’t multiplying fish; but you are sharing what you can with those you know to be struggling. Maybe you aren’t healing multitudes of lepers; but you are praying for the healing of those who are willing to let you pray with them.

And this is the answer to the question of what Jesus would do today; He’d do exactly what you’re doing. You may not be recognizing it. But the works you’re doing are Jesus’ works. His Spirit is in you. So as you feel moved to help others and do what you can, it’s Jesus doing it through you. When you pronounce a blessing on others, it’s the Spirit of Jesus within you pronouncing that blessing.

It’s important for you to understand the meaning of the expression, “to speak in Jesus’ name”. It doesn’t mean that when you say a prayer you should begin or end it with the words ‘in Jesus’ name’. What is meant is to understand that as you’re speaking, it’s the same as if Jesus was speaking.

The true significance of speaking in Jesus’ name is to be so united with Him in spirit that you know when you are speaking, it’s actually Him speaking. A new spirit has been placed in us which is a part of God; now we must unite with it so that it’s an integral part of ourselves. He is in me, and I am in Him. When He speaks, I speak; and when I speak, it’s also Him speaking. Remember the text in 1 Peter 4:11 (NIV), “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God.”

So to answer the question, what would Jesus be like today? He’d be just like you: that is, like you when you’re walking in the Spirit.

III. WHAT GOD WANTS

A. Plan for Mankind

Eons ago, when only God existed, He felt lonely and wanted companionship. Therefore, He began creating things. He made stars and planets. Then on some of these planets He made new worlds and filled them with plants and animals. Yet this wasn’t enough to satisfy His longing.

Next He created intelligent beings with whom He could converse – some of these beings were spiritual in nature, such as the various categories of angels which serve Him in Heaven. Some of these beings were physical, and were placed on the newly created worlds to populate them. These intelligent beings provided Him a little bit of enjoyment; but alas, it wasn’t enough.

The problem was that these beings could not provide full contentment because all of them were different types of beings from Him. Ultimate fulfillment could only come through a relationship with someone who was just like Himself. So He made the decision to create a new type of intelligent being; one who would be made “in His image and likeness” (Ge 1:26), and in whom He could place a part of His own Spirit (Ge 2:7), and whom He could adopt as “sons” (Jn 1:12; Ro 8:14-17).

We all know what it is to search for a life partner. First, we see someone we find attractive, and we engage in small talk to see if that initial attraction is mutual. Then we begin dating. We use this period to talk at length on a wide range of topics to get to know each other. We watch to see how the other person reacts to various life circumstances.

We can never get to know someone else perfectly; but there comes a time when we feel we know them well enough. So we decide we want this individual to be our life partner and we commit to each other.

When God made humans it was with the idea that He wanted someone with whom He could enter into a long-term relationship. Now, we don’t know what God was expecting to get from this. But to help us understand it a little, He used some similes. He compared the desired relationship to that of a bride and groom; and also to that of a father and son. Even with these analogies we don’t grasp the full nature of the intended relationship. But whatever it is, it’s meant to be close, and it’s meant to be permanent.

With this in mind, God began to convey to Adam what He was hoping for. But God didn’t want Adam to make such an important commitment without fully understanding what it would mean. So God set out to teach Adam the full meaning of a life commitment.

He began by bringing all the animals to Adam and having him give them names. This wasn’t meant to be individual ‘pet’ names; rather, it was to be the designation for each species. As God and Adam went through them, Adam noticed that almost all of the animals traveled in pairs. So Adam asked God, “Where’s my partner?” (Ge 2:18-24)

This was what God intended for Adam to recognize – an empty place within and a desire for a companion. God then made a partner for Adam and after the two of them got to know each other, they chose to make a lifelong commitment to care for each other.

God’s plan was that once Adam & Eve fully understood the concept of a permanent commitment, He would offer them the option of entering into a similar permanent relationship with Him. Unfortunately, before this process of getting to know God and choosing to unite with Him could be completed the entire plan got derailed. A jealous rival entered the picture and ‘threw a wrench into the works’.

It was upon hearing of God’s plan to make a new type of being and make them to be “sons” rather than “servants”, that Lucifer grew jealous of the new beings and thus instigated a rebellion against God and His new “family”.

B. Adam’s nature

When God created Adam, He made him “complete” in every way. Adam was both a spiritual being and a physical being at the same time. Additionally, Adam’s intellectual and emotional development was “whole”. Nevertheless, in short order Adam developed the feeling that something was “missing” and he mentioned this feeling to God.

God understood what Adam was feeling because it was similar to what God had also felt many eons prior. Adam was feeling lonely for someone like himself with whom to interact. Yes, Adam was enjoying being with God in a “face to face” relationship. But Adam sensed that despite how close they might feel to each other, an even deeper relationship was possible; he just didn’t know how to get it.

So to help Adam’s loneliness, God made him a companion. To create Eve, God didn’t take another lump of clay from the ground; even though He could have made her in the same manner. Instead, God took a part of Adam’s body and created Eve from that. By doing this Eve wasn’t just another created being whom Adam was supposed to grow to like: instead, she was a part of him; so in relating to her he’d be relating to himself. By taking a part out of Adam, then giving it back to him, God was ensuring that Adam and Eve would be perfectly compatible.

When we see a man and woman today marry together, we consider the “two become one” – spiritually and emotionally. Then when they unite to make a child, they each contribute their own DNA; thus the resulting child is a mixture of half of his genes and half of her genes.

But the original couple, Adam and Eve, had identical DNA. In modern terminology she’d be considered a clone of him. Thus, when they had children, their offspring also had identical DNA to their parents. Even though they were getting half of their genes from each parent, both parents were the same.

It is only because the nature of DNA allows subsequent generations to manifest a variety of possible features; and because it allows for mutation and modification, that eventually people began developing variations among different groups.

God’s ultimate plan for us (mankind) was to grow into becoming fully like Him. Although Adam was created perfect and complete physically and spiritually, God knew there was more to come to complete his development with divinity. Once Adam had been made aware of his own nature, had developed a mature personality, and was capable of making an informed choice, God would present him with the option of being adopted into God’s family and uniting with Him such as to take on God’s very nature. Ro 8:30, “those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.”

There is a remarkable thing about uniting with God. This “adoption” doesn’t merely make us a part of His family in name only; it also changes our nature – equivalent to changing our DNA; but much more than that. This spiritual change is so profound that we can say, just as Jesus said in Jn 14:9, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” In short, we take on ‘Divinity’.

IV. WHAT WE CHOSE

A. Two Trees

In Eden there were two trees (Ge 2:9) – the Tree of Life and the Tree of Death. This second was also known as the Tree of Knowledge of Good & Evil (Ge 2:17), and Tree of the Law (Gospel of Philip).

The Tree of Life had two functions. If one eats the fruit of this tree, one’s nature will be perpetually rejuvenated. That means there is no aging and no decay. So by staying “forever young”, one doesn’t need to worry about dying of old age.

But even young people can suffer accidents. We’re not going to be just floating around on a cloud strumming a harp; we’re going to be active, doing fun and exciting things. And while doing stuff, accidents can happen. Perhaps you’ll be rock climbing up the side of a cliff, but you slip and fall. Perhaps you’ll be racing with your friend to see who can fly to the far side of the moon the fastest, but during the race you crash into an asteroid. Or some other mishap. In that case, you’ll go to the Tree of Life and take a couple of leaves; you then use these to heal the injury. This is mentioned in Revelation 22:2 “The leaves of the Tree of Life are for the healing of the nations.”

Unfortunately, after the Fall, the Tree of Life was removed from Earth and transplanted to Heaven (Ge 3:22-24). Fortunately for us, once things are finally put right, we’ll again have access to that tree.

The Tree of Death was also known as the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It has also been known as the Tree of the Law. Let’s look at the meaning of those names.

Prior to eating the fruit of the Tree of Good & Evil, Adam and Eve didn’t know what it was to be Evil; they only knew Good. But Satan presented this “knowledge” as something to be desired. Of course that was a lie!

The Tree of the Law refers to the fact that the one rule presented to Adam & Eve was to not eat from this tree. That rule was the only law they faced. And that law was meant to be there only temporarily. Once they demonstrated their desire to be loyal to the God they loved, that tree would be removed. Just as the Tree of Life was removed.

The Tree of Death represents the consequences which eating from that tree would bring. They were warned in advance, “If you eat from it, you’ll die,” Ge 2:17.

B. 99/1 = Trees / Sheep

So “why” did Adam & Eve eat from that tree? Because it’s in our nature to want what’s forbidden. When we see something we don’t have, we want it. When we’re told we can’t have it, then we really want it. And the test of Eden was to resist that impulse and overcome it. In this way Adam & Eve would have gained mastery over all. From then on humankind would never have been slaves to temptation. But that impulse – oh my, that impulse! They succumbed to it and see now the result.

It was such an easy test! God gave them 99 fruit trees they could eat from, and forbade only a single tree. Now, I concede that the Bible doesn’t say specifically there were 99 trees. It only mentions a large garden full of trees. But we see the principle of 99 versus 1 mentioned in other Bible verses.

There’s the parable of the Lost Sheep (Mt 18:12-14): Wherein a shepherd with 100 sheep sees that one has wandered away, so he leaves the 99 to go search for the 1. Some of you may also be familiar with religious writings which mention that God created other worlds with intelligent beings, perhaps 99 of them besides us, and that we’re the only one to fall and need rescuing. (Early Writings, E. G. White) I can’t speak to the accuracy of that concept; I merely mention that the idea is out there.

C. Not God’s Ideal

Regarding the concept of leaving 99 to search for 1, I must confess that I don’t find this to be a very logical choice. Yes, I acknowledge that if you’re the one, then you’re very happy to see someone come to your rescue. But if you’re among the 99, it seems there might be a feeling of resentment; or at least questioning. “Why is he leaving all of us exposed to danger while he goes after that one? Especially since that one is always getting into some problem or other.” To do this seems to devalue the 99.

However, while God does this, nowhere does He say this represents His ideal situation. He merely shows that He’s willing to deal with a situation which resulted from our choice. His ideal was for us to have resisted the Fall. But now, having fallen, He does what it takes to bring us back to safety.

SUMMARY

I. Who Are You?

Long ago God created spiritual beings; afterwards He created physical beings. At last He decided to create beings designed to be a combination of spiritual and physical elements, and formed to look like Him. Into these new beings He then placed a part of Himself so that He could interact with them and love them as fully as one loves a spouse or a child; in other words, as fully as one loves oneself.

And just as humans want their spouses and children to fully understand them and want to be like them in every way, so too God wishes for us to grow to be just like Him.

II. Who is God?

Despite there being many difficult aspects of God, the one we find impossible to understand is his Triune nature. It is said that He is three beings and yet one at the same time.

Likewise, just as He can be three beings and yet remain One, so too can He place a piece of Himself into each of us! Our task is to find that piece of God which He’s placed within us; that piece “which passes understanding” (Ph 4:7); and thereby become “one with him” (Jn 1:27). You united with God and God united with you.

III. What God Wants

God’s desire is to enter a close, long-term relationship with people. But for this to be most meaningful, we must understand who we are, and who God is.

The first step for Adam – getting to know himself – involved recognizing that he wanted a relationship with someone like himself; and so Eve was created. The next step – choosing to unite with God – would come after Adam and Eve fully understood what that would mean; thus their uniting with each other would help them appreciate the concept of uniting with God.

Unfortunately, sin entered the picture before their spiritual development was complete. As a result, Adam and Eve did not complete that process once and for all; for the entire human race. Thus each of us today must do this individually and choose for ourselves whether or not we want to grow spiritually enough to “unite with God”. Jn 17:21, “May they be one with us, as we are one with each other.”

IV. What We Chose

God’s ideal was for us to overcome all feelings of temptation; and thereby gain mastery over them. He didn’t want us to always feel overwhelmed by physical and emotional impulses. His plan was for us to conquer temptation and master our feelings. If we had done that, then forever afterwards temptation would never hold any sway over us.

The test with the Tree was not only to demonstrate choosing loyalty to God and His expressed desire for us; it was also a means for us to develop our self-control, and thus grow to master ourselves. Authority to command other things and other beings begins with gaining authority over ourselves.

At the beginning of this talk I said we must ‘know our place’; so what is our place? Where do we belong? We belong on God’s throne in Heaven, seated right beside Him. Just as it’s said Jesus is seated on the throne beside His father (Lk 22:69), so too our place is to be seated on the throne beside Jesus (Ep 2:6; Rv 3:21). Once we fully know who we are, we become ‘one with God’ and He becomes ‘one with us’. Therefore we, as a part of God, belong where He is.

= = = = =