Following Judah's Lion: What is Man?

Following Judah's Lion: What is Man?

Monday, October 01, 2012

What is Man?

WHAT IS MAN?

Heb.1: Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
2 For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him?
7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.

There is the entire 2^nd chapter of the inspired letter to the Hebrews. It is a gold mine of many glorious mysteries. The first chapter unmistakably provides a revelation of the deity of Jesus Christ and the mystery of His divine Sonship. Breathtaking and holy, God allows us to peek into the glory of the Godhead through the illuminating power of the third Person of that same Godhead. Mystery of mystery and glory of glory.

But there are many things contained in this second chapter that boggle the natural mind. The phrase “so great salvation” is an attempt to magnify what Christ has done for us although human words, and that is always unfinished business. Verse nine opens up a divine treasure and tells us that our Savior tasted death for every man. So much for any limited view of the glory of the atonement. But to bring it into a sharper focus, Jesus the Christ suffered and died in my place. Not just the entire human landscape, but He died for Rick Frueh. I know me and trust me when I say this, I have absolutely nothing that could remotely be considered worthy of that kind of love. Nothing, nothing at all.

But in verse six I believe the Spirit uses human words to illuminate a great and profound truth. What is man that Christ should have any consideration for us? So often we create great and swelling doctrinal words about sin. We even call it harmartiology which is the study of sin. I have read many of these studies and although they seem Biblical and doctrinally accurate, they lack the passion and grief that should accompany any authentic revelation of our sin. I mean it is one thing to study sin as a doctrine, it is quite another to embrace the grim reality that we have not only disappointed our Creator, but we have caused Him immeasurable suffering and anguish.

Think about who you love most upon this earth or someone who has passed already. A mother? A father? A brother or a sister? A child? Think upon that person right now and feel the love you have for them in your heart. That is just an inkling to how the Father God feels for His human creation. His love is everlasting and without compromise. Now think about that person, and imagine you have done something to hurt them very deeply. Think about breaking their hearts because you have shown such disregard for them.

Keep thinking about them. And now it is revealed that because of your careless actions they must be punished in your place. They are imprisoned, and then led publicly to a place where they will be made to suffer, all because of you. Go ahead, look into your mother’s face. Look at your father. Watch your child as he or she begins to writhe under the whips and lashes of punishment which they did not earn. And behold, as they suffer they look out and their eyes meet yours. How do you feel as you watch what you have done. It is most unbearable and excruciating.

But we were not friends of Jesus. We were His enemies and because of sin we had willingly enjoyed our enemy status. While we were yet sinners He died for us. Who can know such a thing? Who can show the appropriate emotion to such a truth? Here He is, the Creator and Lord of All, dying for His enemies. That deserves more than just an orthodox doctrinal treatise. That deserves a brokenness that humbles us before His glory. The eternal exquisiteness of His cross is the redemptive Rock that should crush us while simultaneously redeeming us. And the psalmist cries out as to why God would even consider us. Deserving? Us? Please, anyone who would even utter those words has never seen themselves and never rightly viewed the cross nailed Lamb.

When we gaze upon a suffering human being pierced onto two Roman planks, and when we are told He had no sin, then we must cry our “Why?” Why is He being put to death? Who could be responsible for such callous cruelty? And when we are told that He offered Himself to this repulsive fate, we must again cry out “Why?” What would cause someone who was without sin to go voluntarily to such a gruesome death? And when we are told…when we are told…when the words reach our ears that this spectacle of horror was all because of us, well, we must recoil at the thought.

You know full well who you are so do not pretend to be so holy that God should be moved by your outward overtures of piety. Please do not attempt to present yourself as something you are not. All of us have inherited the same unbecoming and ugly nature as you and we all know who we are. All of us have thought things that are against Christ, even after we have come to know Him. All of us can readily reveal in each other the hypocrite within that sometimes rears his ugly head, even though we rush to hide him lest we are found out. Oh yes, we all have sinned and fallen short of His glory before and after we have come to embrace His redemptive offer.

There, the emperor has no clothes. Even after we have been grafted into the divine family, we still stand in utter need of His grace. No one can be saved without the grace of God offered upon Golgotha. And no one who has been wonderfully changed and saved through that sacrifice can stand before God and say, “Thank you for Your grace that saved me, but now I can finish this without Your grace. I can use all my sincerity and resources to build upon the grace through my own human power.” Which ignorant sinner would suggest such a thing? All of us of woman born still must run daily to His grace regardless of what we no longer do or what we now do because of Him.

And with that revelation we must cry out with even more passion, “What is man that You should consider him??” We stand completely upon the foundation of His grace, and the Father still loves us enough to correct us with love and patience. We are so often self righteous and many times we feel so fulfilled as we judge others. And being plucked from the furnace, and being placed upon a Rock, all by grace, how often have we used the Rock of Grace to look down upon the company of sinners where we used to lay our heads and condemn them for what we ourselves once enjoyed doing?

Again, in light of our obvious hypocrisy what is man that God should consider us? Long ago ships would have a long wooden rod that was used to determine how deep was the water in which it was sailing so as not to run aground. They would take a dry wooden rod and stick it into the water until they felt the bottom. That would tell them when they were getting too close to shallow water. So now go ahead and take that measuring stick and shove it into the waters of redemption. Shove it further and further and further. What? You still do not feel that bottom yet?

Connect several rods together and feed them into the water. Still nothing? Ok, stop. You see, the waters of His redemption and love for sinners has no bottom and its depth cannot be plumbed. And these unfathomable seas are glorious. We have given Him ashes and He has given us beauty. We have brought Him sin and He has given us sonship. We were His enemies and He has called us friends. Does not that move your being with love and awe? Away with all hints of smugness. Away with any suggestion of human works. We cannot hide from it; we were enemies and He took us into His eternal family and called us friends.

Why? What is man? How can this thing be? Do not pretend any of us can completely understand this which has come to pass. All we know is this, once we were blind and now we see. There are many, many times when that is all we need to know. Thank you, Lord Jesus.