Refiner’s Fire
“The one passion of Paul’s life was to proclaim the Gospel of God. He welcomed heart-breaks, disillusionments, tribulation, for one reason only, because these things kept him in unmoved devotion to the Gospel of God.” Oswald Chambers
“…that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, SO THAT the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be PERFECTED in unity, SO THAT the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” John 17:21-23
John 17 is the prayer Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples, and all believers. For He and the Father, He prays for glory, and for His disciples, He prays for sanctification, joy, and protection, and that that may be ‘one’. As seen in John 17:22, He also prays this same oneness for all believers to come. This passage is typically used as a call to unity among believers, related to Ephesians 4:3, “being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”, and other similar passages; however, there seems to be a profound individual oneness that must be realized “…even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You”, as John 17:21 says. It should be noted that a great unity of believers is witnessed in the book of Acts that follows John’s Gospel; however, it’s also interesting that the last thing Jesus said to His disciples in John 16 before this prayer in John 17 was that they would be scattered. “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is in Me. These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:32-33). This Greek word ‘scattered’ is ‘skorpizo’, meaning to scatter, dissipate, and disperse; however, its origin is likely ‘skerpo’, meaning ‘to pierce’. To scatter through piercing, or tribulation, could be the implication, and we see this fulfilled in Acts 8:1 when “a great persecution began against the church… and they were all scattered…”.
There’s an interesting connection with the oneness mentioned in John 17 and the tribulation mentioned in John 16:33: “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” In a world of tribulation, we have peace in Christ. Rather cliché sounding on the surface, but I believe there is a deep, paradoxically beautiful truth in this to be known and experienced. I believe John 16 holds the key to this oneness and all that comes with it, as we will later see, and the key is tribulation. The Greek word for tribulation is ‘thlipsis’, which means pressure of any kind, such as being anguished, burdened, persecuted, troubled, confined, hemmed in, with no way of escape, so it applies universally to any burden any individual may face. To know and experience true peace in Christ, we must be one with Christ. We must see as God sees, which will invert our paradigm of any tribulation, and experience what He has called us to, which will illumine the paradoxical beauty of trials and tribulations. “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Could it be that God’s heart for us is an individual ‘oneness’ on the deepest level, and a collective unity of believers that is truly built, and can only truly be built, upon our individual oneness? Could it also be that the greatest evangelical tool we have is to experience being ‘one’ in Christ Jesus? “…that they may be perfected in unity, SO THAT the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me” (John 17:23). In a culture full of escape hatches, it seems that Scripture is teaching that any tribulation that we desire to hastily exit is the liminal moment for us to be quickly and mindfully entering the refuge of Christ, allowing the opportunity for the glory of God to be manifest that we might experience being ‘one’ in Him, SO THAT the world might know He is the Messiah. “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”, as Jesus says in Matthew 9:37. Maybe this is not simply a call to action for all believers, but a recognition of how few are prepared to be effectively used for His kingdom purposes; not because we’re uneducated (although Biblical illiteracy is common today), but because we’re inexperienced. “Prayer for more workers is not merely a request for manpower but for God-appointed, Spirit-enabled laborers” (Topical Lexicon). Let us explore John 17:21-22 in greater depth, and particularly answer the question of what is the ‘oneness’ that seems to defy circumstances. We’ll journey through the layers of this oneness and discover supernatural peace, abundance, wholeness, and glory in a countercultural and paradoxical paradigm that applies to all people in all places and times.
We must first consider John 17:21, which states, “that they may all be one”. There is a single Greek word (pantes) which encompasses “that they may all”, and it means ‘all, any, every, the whole’. HELPS Word Studies defines it as ‘all’ in the sense of ‘each part that applies’. The emphasis of the total picture is on one piece at a time, viewing the whole in terms of the individual parts. STRONG’S word study defines it as ‘every, all, any, all manner, the whole whatsoever, and whosoever; including all the forms of declension.’ We can conclude, then, that (at least) an attribute of the ‘oneness’ that Jesus prays for is not just for believers collectively, but for each of us individually, in every circumstance.
Now, let’s go on a journey of oneness and explore the deeper peace, wholeness, abundance, and glory. The Greek word for ‘one’ is ‘heis’. Its meaning shifts with context and can denote the first in a series, singularity, abundance, and unity. It is universally understood to mean ‘in opposition to many’ and ‘in opposition to a division of parts’, and it’s in the connotation of ‘abundance’ and ‘wholeness in opposition to a division of parts’ that I’d like to explore. To be ‘one’ is to be whole, and it’s interesting how this relates to the word ‘peace’. Jesus says in John 16:33, “…in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world”. The Greek word for peace that Jesus uses is ‘eirene’, and its word origin likely means ‘to join, tie together into a whole’, and by implication, ‘prosperity’. Related meanings of the word ‘eirene’ are ‘one, quietness, and rest’. This same ‘eirene’ Jesus speaks in John 14:27 when He says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” We know throughout Scripture that tribulation awaits each of us, so Jesus certainly does not mean that our lives will be peaceful in any worldly sense because we are in Him. We also must think deeper than simply applying or manufacturing a spiritual peace upon our lives, whether it be through an emotional song with a temporary high, mere optimistic thinking, receiving the sympathy of man, doing something that makes us happy, using the flawed paradigm of comforting ourselves in thinking ‘many have it far worse’, or escapism of any kind. So, what is this otherworldly peace that Jesus offers, and how do we experience it? In Hebrew, the word commonly used for peace is ‘shalom’, which means completeness, soundness, well-being, welfare, safety, wholeness, and again, even prosperity. Consider Isaiah 26:3, “The steadfast of mind you will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You”. Here, God’s shalom (peace) is doubled; this perfect peace is ‘peace, peace’ as the original text is written. Peace is truly perfected in Christ when we ‘trust’. This Hebrew word for ‘trust’ is ‘batach’, which properly means ‘to hie, or go quickly, for refuge’. This word is like the Hebrew word ‘chasah’, which means to flee to a refuge; however, the word ‘batach’ used in this passage is not so precipitately as ‘chasah’. We are not mindlessly and recklessly trusting in Christ, as a dog might react to the crack of thunder and mindlessly run to the nearest shelter, but we are mindfully and quickly trusting in Christ, knowing that He is the true ‘refuge’, which we’ll unpack in more depth later. We are to flee to the refuge of Christ, and this is where true peace is found; any other form is counterfeit to the true peace found in Christ. Could it be that the perfect peace of God is built upon our experience, and not merely our knowledge? Do we mindfully, but quickly, run to the refuge of Christ because we’ve experienced?
Let’s now explore the attributes of abundance, completeness, wholeness, soundness, and prosperity found in the perfect peace of God. To be ‘one’ is to be whole, complete, lacking in nothing, and there are a few Hebrew and Greek words to note. The Hebrew word ‘kalil’ is often used for burnt offerings (see Lev 6:22) and means ‘whole, entire, and perfect’. Consider how this relates to Romans 12:1 in “offering our bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship”. Later, we’ll see this in relation to being refined as silver. In Greek, there are words derived from the base ‘holos’, meaning ‘whole’, which is where we derive the English word ‘holistic’. ‘Holoteleis’ means ‘complete to the end’ (ie. absolutely perfect), and ‘Holokeros’ means ‘complete in every part, perfectly sound in body and spirit, lacking nothing’, as seen in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. “Now may the God of peace (eirenes) Himself sanctify you entirely (holoteleis); and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete (holokeros), without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). May we always be pressing on to be sanctified entirely and preserved complete, without blame, if we’re willing to endure in trust. We must experience this wholeness in Christ; it is both necessary in the offering of ourselves to Him as a holy and pleasing sacrifice, and it is also a paradoxically beautiful blessing in receiving from Him His goodness and sharing in His glory. We can only find this true wholeness when we find our sole completeness in Christ, and this wholeness is found in oneness with Christ, as our sole and complete provider. To be ‘one’ as Jesus prays is to be whole, complete, abundant, sound, lacking nothing, in Him. Jesus plus nothing equals everything, as Tullian Tchividjian was quoted as saying. Jesus does not isolate us FROM tribulation so that we might have peace; rather, He invites us to isolate with Him IN tribulation, so that His power is truly perfected in weakness, as Philippians 4:13 proclaims. Consider James, who says, “the testing of your faith produces endurance, and to let endurance have its perfect result, SO THAT you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1). Consider Paul’s words of Ephesians 3, written while “the prisoner of Christ Jesus”. “THEREFORE, I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, SO THAT Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge THAT you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, ACCORDING TO the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:13-21). Now that is true abundance, and it’s found in a countercultural way. Abundance is not found in the blessings of the mountaintop; rather, blessings of abundance are found in the valley of tribulation in the refuge of Christ. Psalm 9:9 says, “The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble”. When we think of ‘refuge,’ most will envision a hiding place and a safe dwelling as the storm rages around us; however, this is incorrect. The Hebrew word for refuge is ‘sagav’, which means ‘to be high’. The true refuge of God lifts us above the storms of life. As compared to Jesus’ words in John 14:27 that “He gives peace not as the world gives”, it seems fitting that this refuge that God offers in Psalm 9:9 is not of the world in the sense of a dwelling to hunker down in and find protection from the storm that rages over and around us, as would be a typical refuge of this world, but rather a supernatural refuge of being lifted high, in a different paradigm, over the storms and seeing through eyes of faith. Consider the spiritual reality of Ephesians 2:6, which says that He “raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”. Remember Paul’s words of a “sound mind” from Roman imprisonment in 2 Timothy 1:7. Paul’s lived experience was imprisonment and imminent death, but his spiritual reality was lifted high and seated with Christ in the heavenly places. As Barnes’ commentary says, the state of the sound mind is one “being well balanced, and under right influences; in which it sees things in their just proportions and relations; in which it is not feverish and excited, but when everything is in its proper place”. To see things in their just proportions is to see with eyes of faith through the lens of Scripture that illumines the eternal over the temporal, the beauty of the burden, and the theology of the Cross applied to every lived experience. One of the most impactful testimonies I have heard was from a woman on the mission field of Iran. Her life was lived in constant danger for her life and constant need for the Lord’s provision, and she wept in awe as she considered that God counted her worthy to live with such dependence on Him. There was no proverbial box with a bow on top in her testimony. Her abundance, even overflowing, was found in oneness with God despite (and because of) the circumstances. She had nothing and everything.
Tribulation creates the longing for a refuge, and to know the refuge of God is to be in Christ, seated in the heavenly realm where nothing of this world can touch us. It is there that true intercession happens as we pray the kingdom of God down upon our lives and the lives of those around us. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The world offers a counterfeit refuge and peace through escapism in its various forms, including humanistic sympathy and moralistic therapeutic deism; however, the refuge that God offers is truly not of this world. If God calls others to respond to your need and they answer that call, what a blessing for them and for you; however, if God has kept His provision for Himself, oh, what a blessing for you for your good and His kingdom purposes if you’re willing to wait on Him to bring it to pass. Much of Scripture lays out the pattern of general worship, focused worship in tribulation, the resulting experience with God, and witnessing to others as a leader, teacher, and unifier that I believe God has called each of us to. Is this not the process of sanctification that we’re all called to? Psalm 34 speaks of this and it is in this Psalm that we have the crescendo of proclamation of “O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” (Psalm 34:8). We are called according to His purposes with eternity in our hearts, awaiting that upward call and the “well done” as we stand before Him one day in all eternity, and in the meantime, we’re invited into the supernatural blessing of sanctification and growing in the likeness of Christ. We are invited to be complete, living in fullness of joy, whole, and abundant, in any circumstance. And I believe, based on my experience, this is where true prosperity is found, as Psalm 1 says. “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted… and in whatever he does, he prospers.” As a brief side note, isn’t it just like the father of lies and the one who disguises himself as an angel of light, to use a beautiful truth of a spiritual reality of the true prosperity of His peace, the far greater spiritual reality, and twist it into the false and woefully lacking ‘prosperity’ gospel that is prevalent today? O, that we might not be so easily deceived.
Lastly, and as it relates to true prosperity of abundance, let’s consider John 17:22 and the word ‘glory’. “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one.” The Greek word is ‘doxa’, which is the same word God uses for Himself, and is compared to the Hebrew OT word ‘kabo’, which describes weightiness. HELPS word study says that ‘both terms convey God’s infinite, intrinsic worth, and are something that has inherent, intrinsic worth’. In John 17:4, Jesus says, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” Consider the work Jesus accomplished on the Cross, and consider that the Father is glorified in the work Jesus accomplished. Consider also the work we have as believers. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God gave beforehand so that we would walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). And consider also the resulting glory of God in accomplishing that work. “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). The ‘work’, we should note, is anything that reveals character and covenant loyalty. It is ‘good’, not necessarily because it’s beneficial to others (although it is) or has any favorable connotation to it (although it does), but because God gave it. The world says to love yourself first, love those who love you, surround yourself with your tribe, ‘do you’, demonize those who disagree with you and eliminate anyone from your life that does not serve you, “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, SO THAT you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? …therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:44-48). We are to accomplish the work He has ordained for us, and rebuke any messaging that leads us in identifying with our own interests at the expense of God’s interests in everything that we do and anyone that we face. Consider that one of the sharpest rebukes Jesus gave to one of His disciples came as Peter was trying to insulate Jesus from the work of the Cross He was to bear. Jesus held out the tribulation that was before Him, saying, “He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things… and be killed…”, and “Peter took Him aside to rebuke Him, saying “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You. But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interest, but man’s. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:23-24). Consider the implications. A trial was before Jesus, His disciple came alongside with a proverbial coffee and blanket, and Jesus rebuked his humanistic worldly sympathy. Are we not doing the same? Is the church today not more aligned with Peter, and not with Jesus? Maybe God is not inviting us to simply lay our burdens down and come to Him for deliverance as many preachers singularly focus on; maybe He’s first asking us to hold out our burdens in a form of worship, saying, if it be Your will, remove it, but if not, with this burden, I worship. Consider Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who sweating drops of blood in agony at the thought of the Cross to bear, “went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39) as He surveyed the weight of the cross He would bear. And know, we each also have a cross to bear. Bear it to the glory of God and trust it is for your utmost good, which is the opportunity to experience the glory found in oneness in Christ. “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You… The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one. I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity” (John 17:1, 22-23a). Consider also John 12:23-24, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” There is isolation and desolation in holding your life firmly by your worldly grasp, and there is an abundance and glory in dying to self. The truth is paradoxical and countercultural to the world we live in, but we already knew that. “For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). The world says to escape discomfort at all costs; the Gospel tells us glory awaits. The Cross is the greatest expression of the glory of God in His love, justice, and power in reconciling the world to Himself. It is also the beautiful paradox of Light in darkness, that which the world does not understand. This is the testimony of oneness with God. This is the theological paradigm in which we must see ourselves and the world around us. May we share in the glory of Christ in picking up our cross and bearing it daily.
Peeling another layer, consider the relation of this to the theology of prosperity in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:21, where we read, “Well done, good and faithful servant”. We like to think of these ‘talents’ as some pleasant worldly skill or blessing, but it should be noted that the Greek word for ‘talent’ is ‘talanton’, which refers to silver, and not a quantity of coins, but rather, a weight. The origin of the word ‘talenton’ is ‘tlao’ and its equivalent ‘phero’, which means ‘to bear’ and even ‘to carry’. So, we see in these words ‘a weight to bear’. The interesting thing, though, is that there is another Greek word, ‘phoreo,’ that has the same meaning, yet has a connotation of habitual bearing; however, the word ‘phero’, as related in this passage, has a temporary nature to it and means ‘temporarily or to a definite, prescribed conclusion’. This weight that God gives is not habitual and everlasting; rather, it’s temporary with a prescribed end. Could it be that there’s a deeper truth as it relates to silver? Consider what the Bible teaches us about its value and the process of refinement. Is God showing us that these talents are blessings of burdens to bear for our good and His glory? Consider Zechariah 13:9, Psalm 66:10, and Psalm 12:6, and the supernatural blessing and beauty resulting from refinement in the furnace of affliction found in each.
“And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon My name, and I will answer them. I WILL SAY, ‘They are my people’; AND THEY WILL SAY, ‘The LORD is my God’ (Zechariah 13:9). The refining produces a testimony of intimacy and personal relationship with God. Both God with us, and we with God. We experience a shared lovingkindness and heart.
“For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined… You made men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water, yet You brought us out into a place of abundance. I shall come into your house with burnt offerings; I shall pay You my vow. Come and hear, all who fear God, AND I WILL TELL of what He has done for my soul” (Psalm 66:10). The refinement brings about abundance. The refinement makes us into a sacrificial burnt offering pleasing to the Lord. The refinement creates in us a testimony, and makes us a leader and unifier and proclaimer of Truth.
Consider also, as it relates to the refinement Jesus endured, “The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times” (Psalm 12:6). If Jesus is “The Word” (John 1), and He is the “originator and perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God”, then the Word, Himself, has been refined perfectly complete, for our blessing and confidence. Nothing we face will scratch the surface of the furnace of affliction of the Cross, yet any burden we bear will be for our utmost good and His glory. “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5). May we live like Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, and bear this valuable weight we’ve been blessed to steward, with Truth held captive (2 Corinthians 10:5) and girding ourselves with the belt of truth (Eph 6:14). A blessing, in essence, is anything that draws us closer to God, and maybe this weight to bear is a paradoxical blessing of burden. If so, it is of the utmost importance how we steward it. We know that the weight is temporary with a prescribed, defined ending, which should give us freedom to breathe a little easier; however, maybe God is asking us to invert our paradigm of a weight to bear and see it as valuable and worthy of exultation, because it is a weight to bear for the glory of God. Not only do we breathe easier becuase it won’t last forever, but we exult in the tribulations (Romans 5:3). This parable of the talents, I believe, is also the illumination that our lives, individually, have been given to us by God as silver with weight, and we have free will in which to steward the weight He has given. Do we see this weight as a burden to be cast off, discarded, and proverbially buried in the sand, or do we see this weight as a treasure worth refining and a beautiful offering unto a holy God? Life is merely a vapor in the wind, and eternity awaits, so what is your ‘lot’ in life, and what is the weightiness of your lived experience that God has ordained for you? Whether tribulation is of no fault of your own or because of willful disobedience, everything is encompassed by the providence of almighty God, who eternally exists outside of time and space with all things before Him at once, and all is temporary as compared to eternity. We’re called to live in light of eternity as He’s set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11), and wow, the glory that is to come... “For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). With eyes of faith, we see that it is not just a vapor in the wind as compared to eternity, but light and momentary as compared to the glory that awaits. In this life of the next, we wait with eager anticipation of the revelation of His glory through our lives lived in obedience to Him, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. So, “Do not fear… Be anxious for nothing… Do not worry… In everything give thanks… Cast all your anxiety on Him… Be strong and courageous… Commit your way to the Lord… Trust in the Lord with all your heart…. Consider it all joy… I can do all things through Christ… Abide in Me… Be transformed… I will never leave you nor forsake you… I will uphold you with My righteous right hand… God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus… All things work together for good to those who love God and called according to His purpose… For God so loved the world that He gave… Yes and amen” . Consider Joseph, who saw the revelation of glory in this world as he wept and proclaimed, “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good…” (Genesis 50:20), and yet Moses, Jeremiah, and all of those listed in the hall of faith of Hebrews 11 saw it in the next. And I would posit that the illumination reserved in Heaven and the ‘well done’ is far, far better. Consider the crescendo of emotion of Hebrews 11 as the writer describes Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets, and all those endured and died without receiving “what was promised, BECAUSE God had provided something better…” (Hebrews 11:32-40). “Men of whom the world was not worthy” (Hebrews 11:38). “THEREFORE, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses…” (Hebrews 12:1-3). Therefore, press on. We are without excuse. Whatever weight God has laid on each of us is not a burden to be cast off or buried in the sand; it is a blessing of burden for His glory and our utmost good, if we’re willing. Maybe we are to take the weight God has entrusted us with, and hold it up in worship. With this weight I worship, offer the sacrifice of praise, and I am still before You, O God, standing firm, awaiting with expectation the illumination of Your glory, in this world or the next. Consider Paul, who said, “I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:8-10). Consider the Psalmist in Psalm 88, likely a gifted singer and a leper, who lived a most tragic life by all accounts, and was humbled like no other man, yet would self-identify as one who prospers in understanding and intimacy with God. And with that burden, he offered up a song and a psalm unto God. Consider that in the same way that Jesus glorified the Father by His obedience, willfully drinking the cup the Father gave, we are to willfully surrender to God’s will and our lot in life, trusting in His providence, that all be for His glory and our good. In the work of the Cross, we see that the grace of God encompasses and encapsulates the greatest tragedy the world will ever know that Jesus was about to face. The gravity of the unfairness is incomprehensible, but He was willing to bear it, if it be the will of God. The most innocent and perfect Son, dying the most torturous and tragic death, is fully wrapped in the providence of God and His goodness and grace and love and glory. “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5). And now, He is the perfect High Priest, forever. If we apply this theology to our lives, the times when God seemingly feels most distant, and adversity overwhelms us, God is actually closest, doing His greater(est) work, for our good and His glory. His ways are higher than our ways, and power is perfected in weakness; press on, especially in the valley, if the Lord wills. Live like Jesus; be willing to be refined as God wills; our tribulations are not in vain, and the glory of God awaits, and it will be for our utmost good. “And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:4). It’s in the furnace of affliction that we are refined, and it’s because of this refinement that we’re able to offer our bodies as “a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1). O that we might be willing to be sanctified entirely, as the Lord wills. For those who have what feels to be an exceedingly heavy weight, may God richly bless you “ACCORDING TO His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19) as you take your weight and hold it up in worship, saying, not my will but Thine be done. God purifies us like gold, but He refines us like silver. Pick up your cross and bear it daily, as long as it takes. Be one with God. “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). As CH Spurgeon was quoted as saying, “My dear friend, when grief presses you to the dust, worship there”. Consider Job, who in chapter one when stricken with affliction, in faith “arose, tore his clothes, and shaved his head, and fell to the ground, and worshipped, and said, ‘Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there: the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.’ In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly" (Job 1:20-22). Job first acted in simple but profound faith, simply believing God. Grief pressed him to the dust, and there he worshiped. Then, in chapter 42, having been refined in the furnace of affliction, Job’s eyes were opened, and he proclaims, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore, I have declared that which I did not understand, THINGS TOO WONDERFUL FOR ME, which I did not know. ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear; BUT NOW MY EYE SEES YOU; THEREFORE, I RETRACT, AND I REPENT IN DUST AND ASHES” (Job 42:1-6).
The book of Romans provides arguably the most comprehensive and foundational theology of the Gospel of Jesus, and it’s here that we find a beautiful summation of all we have discussed, plus a captivating thought to conclude this study and ignite a spiritual passion to press on. Consider the following verses. Capitalization is for emphasis.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and WE EXULT IN HOPE OF THE GLORY OF GOD. And not only this, but we also EXULT IN OUR TRIBULATIONS, KNOWING that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:1-8).
“For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).
“If indeed we suffer with Him SO THAT we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. FOR THE ANXIOUS LONGING OF THE CREATION WAITS EAGERLY FOR THE REVEALING OF THE SONS OF GOD” (Romans 8:19).
We exult in hope, and we exult in tribulation. We share in His glory in sharing in His suffering. The sufferings are not worthy to be compared to the glory to be revealed, and the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. Consider the duplicitous nature of anxious longing and eager waiting. “The anxious longing” is the Greek word ‘apokaradokia’, meaning an intense longing. It can be visualized as the outstretched head of a sprinter crossing the line, with eyes fixed, watchful, and active. The Greek word for “waits eagerly” is ‘apekdechomai’, which has a similar meaning of intense, active, forward-leaning eager waiting; however, it also means to wait with full expectancy. EXPECTANCY. And it’s the same word used to describe us, as believers, waiting with expectancy the revelation of the glory of God. “But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it” (Romans 8:25). “…awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (1 Corinthians 1:7). “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness” Galatians 5:5). “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:21).
There is a perfect order to creation in its original design. Creation (ktisis) is the original formation, and it represents both the act of creating and the thing created. ‘It embraces both the act of divine bringing-into-being and the entirety of what has been brought into being’. Creation apekdechomai’s the revealing of the sons of God, as the sons of God apekdechomai for the revelation, hope, and glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, in our lives and the world at large. All of creation intensely awaits, expectantly, the revealing of the sons of God. The sons of God intensely wait, expectantly, for the revealing of the glory of God. Where are the sons (children) of God? Be led by the Spirit, especially in the wilderness, and show yourself a son. We are not living for ourselves. We are not bearing for ourselves. We are not overcoming for ourselves. The creation intensely awaits your testimony. “For His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). “Things into which angels long to look” (1 Peter 1:12). “To whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:48). “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…” (Hebrews 12:1). Press on. “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few”. (Matthew 9:37).
It’s time to deepen our understanding of the unimaginable goodness of the ways of God and our purposes that He has called us to, and to be intensely eager and expectant in our pursuit, knowledge, and experience of sanctification and ‘oneness’ with God. And the woeful shame of being anything but… “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelation 3:16). May our lives be a living testimony of joy made full (John 17:13), sanctified in Truth (John 17:19), for the glory of God (John 17:22) SO THAT the world may know that ‘You sent Me’ (John 17:21). JESUS IS THE MESSIAH. Maybe the thought worth pondering is that the greatest evangelical tool we have is to be ‘one’ in Christ; full, complete, with joy, full of grace, sanctified in Truth, and refined like silver. The greatest opportunity is found in and because of the valleys, pits, prisons, weaknesses, sicknesses, tribulations, etc., and it is there that our greatest blessing is received: to know Him and proclaim His gospel. Glory to glory, grace upon grace… “O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! …Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD” (Psalm 34:8,11).
Jesus ends the prayer of John 17 in saying, “And I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, SO THAT the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26). THIS is the love of God shed abroad. This is true love; the all-encompassing agape love that is self-sacrificial, incalculable, and offered for blessings far exceeding our grasp and understanding. It is a love to receive, to love God with, and to live in the paradigm of, as we interact with ourselves and the world around us, all the days appointed to us.
“THEREFORE, I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, SO THAT Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge THAT you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, ACCORDING TO the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:13-21).
“but just as it is written: “THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND WHICH HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HUMAN HEART, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
1 Corinthians 2:9
