God in a Box

Jesus even in His youth was out of step with His family’s expectations. After the Feast of the Passover in Luke 2:41-52, He stayed back in Jerusalem and was found 3 days later in the temple courts because they didn’t know that He had to be in His Father’s House. They were naïve to His true identity and His ultimate destiny for after the crucifixion Mary Magdalene didn’t even recognise her risen Lord Jesus at first but mistook Him for the gardener and then tried to hold onto Him not realising that she was out of tune with His next move (John 20:10-18), His ascension back to His Father.

In the Old Testament Joshua presumed that God was on his side when going into battle against the Canaanite city of Jericho but was taken aback when confronted by the Commander of the Lord’s Army who denied being on either side but rather Joshua was to fight God’s battle God’s way (Joshua 5&6). His ways supersede our expectations of Him concerning how He will act and when. Isaiah 55:8&9 confirms this, ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Our imaginings are far too deflated. We forget that we are damaged goods. And even when we become Christians our thinking is confined and restricted. We fail to grasp the enormity of God’s love and goodness. We try to fit Him into our own meagre parameters but He will not stay under wraps. 

This dilemma came to my attention as the political world becomes increasingly divided. The battle between the Right and the Left sides of politics is intensifying, infiltrating the harmony of family life just as Jesus had said, ‘From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three’ (Luke 12:52). Broken humanity takes its stance as the battleline becomes more and more defined. Superficially outlined, the Left are disgruntled at the state of civilization; climate change, racism, sexism and many other isms… They vent their hostility toward the Right, the stalwarts of the Christian Faith to the extent of being angry with God hoping to cancel Him if that were possible. Viewing God as the ultimate patriarch and from His hierarchy heralded the barbaric colonial invasion, the resulting disparity of wealth, the pillage of resources, the climatic imbalance and the disempowerment of females and minority groups. If only God were a matriarch all would be well as satirically epitomised in the Barbie movie (2023). The Right hide behind their Patriarch reacting as toxically as the venom spewed towards them. Surely the Right means that you are on the right side of the equation… claiming we have God in our camp! But just as Joshua thought God was fighting for him, he was rudely awoken.

Fancy the Commander of the LORD being on the LORD’S side not God’s chosen people as such. That just goes to show how egocentric we are. Concerning the Right and the Left, both are right to a degree and both are wrong. If either side reciprocates in a hostile, dishonouring way fuelled by doubt, fear and pride only evil prospers. If our skirmishes are left unchecked we will consume each other. In a song written in the 80’s by Joe Jackson titled ‘Real Men’ clearly pinpoints the issue at hand, ‘if there’s war between the sexes then there’ll be no people left’. How prophetic are these lyrics? Forty years later this is where the battleline lies.

It all started back in the Garden of Eden when the evil one cast aspersions on God’s goodness giving birth to sin’s trilogy of doubt, fear and pride enticing Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden ‘Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil’ resulting in a breakdown of the whole Creation, in particular the relationship between the first man and woman (Genesis 3). When they ate of that tree their eyes were opened and they became blind. They would now determine what was good or bad and became god in their own eyes. How ironic that the current Leftist agenda is called ‘Woke’ when all of Fallen Humanity have their ‘eyes wide shut’ (movie title 1990). Only God can open our spiritual eyes by us feeding on Him, the forgotten ‘Tree of Life’.

Spiritually we are ‘dead in our transgressions and sins… as we follow the ways of the world and the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient’ (Ephesians 2:1&2). However, the way of the LORD is The Way of Life (John 14:6). God is renowned for ‘making a way in the desert’ (Isaiah 43:19b) and sent John the Baptist to ‘prepare the way for the LORD’ (Isaiah 40:3). ‘So John came, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins’ (Mark 1:4). His baptism was preparatory for Jesus who proclaimed, ‘The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news’ (v.15). John said Jesus was more powerful than him and that, ‘He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with Fire’ (Matthew 3:11b). So praise the LORD that through faith in Jesus the Holy Spirit has re-birthed our previously dead spirits and has baptised us into the Body of Christ, we now have forgiveness of our sins and eternal life upon death. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise; a deposit guaranteeing our future inheritance (Ephesians 1:13&14).

So now with our spiritual eyes wide open, how is it that theologically there are still so many discrepancies of thought among believers? There are almost as many denominations as there are individuals. The main division within Protestant Christianity divides Arminianism and Calvinism but a more heated debate concerns the role of women in the church which in turn will reflect how women function in a world where God has supremacy. I first warmed to the premise of Complementarianism, where women are created to compliment the opposite gender having different roles and functions until certain areas of service were forbidden which felt wrong to be emasculated. So I looked at Egalitarianism, which sounded better until it didn’t, as it seemed to discard women’s unique attributes.  However, my actual experience as a Christian woman in the Church differs from both of these stifling designations.

I have found that the LORD honours me and promotes me into areas of service that I couldn’t even dream of. He is the biggest campaigner for the emancipation of women and at the same time protects and glories in her distinct beauty. Just ask Mary of Bethany, who waltzed across the cultural divide and sat among the men at Jesus’ feet learning Him while her sister insisted that she join her in the kitchen (Luke 10:38-42).  Jesus will surpass our expectations. We have so diminished God’s purposes for humanity. It’s not either or, but both and more! Our divisiveness reveals our brokenness. It is evident that we need ‘the mind of Christ’ (I Corinthians 2:16b). Paul says we already have it, but there seems to be a disconnect to me.

The way in which Christ lives in us is also a matter of dispute, not a matter between the sexes but a matter within the Body of Christ - His Church. There is always a glaring difference between our ‘positional’ stature and our experimental or ‘actual’ one. Most church-goers seem to be content with embracing their position in-Christ and think that actualization doesn’t happen this side of heaven.  Having been raised in a traditional denomination and later attending more contemporary gatherings I’ve observed that Religion or Relationship have become the defining terminology which highlights the way a particular congregation assimilates the workings of the Holy Spirit. And just as the Right and Left sides of politics have their limitations so does this division.

The Catholic Religion and the Anglican Denomination hold fast to their established Sacraments in particular; Infant Baptism, Confirmation and Communion. While Jesus did command us to be baptised and to partake in the Lord’s Supper until He returns, the practices themselves are purely symbolic of a spiritual condition which may already be taking place within the one engaged in the activity. The symbols in themselves don’t hold any magical properties but are an act of obedience and a remembrance. You cannot conjure up the operation of the Holy Spirit by reciting incantations week after week. They hold no power within themselves and to think otherwise is delusional. Also those who partake are not automatically transferred into Christ or into communion with Him and the one administering the symbols most probably has no inherent power either. Any transformative capacity is through the power of the Holy Spirit. A Relational position is therefore preferable if there is an actual relationship. But if we are only called into being ‘like’ Christ and to ‘imitate’ Him we soon find that we have no capacity within ourselves to attain likeness. You cannot ‘fake it until you make it’. This position is one of denial. It doesn’t matter how much you practice, you will never be like Christ! Surely there must be a third way to have the Spirit of Jesus living within us? And there is! However it’s not through imitation or incantation but ‘incarnation’.

The saying is true, ‘Life finds a way’ (Jurassic Park 1993). To illustrate the spiritual phenomena proposed the propagation of the Macadamia nut is pondered. The challenge to have a bumper crop of nuts to eat is reflected in their price. They are literally the toughest nut to crack on the planet. They prefer favourable conditions, requiring well drained soil and a warm climate. To get to the actual nut there is a fibrous outermost husk to overcome and then a hammer is needed to shatter the hard outer shell before munching on the kernel within.

If you were to grow your own tree the nut in its shell is the seed the plant uses to reproduce in nature. To initiate the process, soak the nuts overnight and plant them with the ‘Micropyle’ facing sideways. The micropyle is a small white dot on the outer shell. The life from the kernel within will break through after the softening of this vulnerable point of exit.

All Christians have the Spirit Life within them. But we have encased that Life deep within our tough outer shell, our very own ‘soul’. We have essentially put ‘God in a box’. For Jesus to emerge the process cannot be hurried, however it can be delayed. Our hearts are hard. For us to crack something has to give. Timing is everything. We wait for Him patiently and expectantly. We can prepare ourselves to receive by ensuring the soil of our heart is softened and compliant through obedience and humility. He will come into your perceptions. He will break through into your thinking and feeling and doing. You will know because He said, ‘I will manifest myself to you’ (John 14:21) and ‘because I live you also will live’ (v.19). ‘We will come to you and make our home with you’ (v.23). ‘And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us’ (1 John 3:24). Once He has finally arrived on the scene the journey of Sanctification can start. Before you only had a taste of Him but now He now takes you into the ‘banquet hall’ (Song of Songs 2:4). It is His prerogative to determine when and how He will make His move regardless of our arrogance, ignorance or impatience.

Simon the Sorcerer wickedly thought he could purchase the impartation of the Holy Spirit when he observed the Disciples laying hands on the Samaritan believers (Acts 8:9-25). The Song of Songs (SS) contains a dire warning that gets repeated, ‘Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires’ (SS 2:7 & 8:4). You cannot artificially stimulate this calibre of love although many have attempted to do so at their own peril. The Laying on of Hands needs to be performed by the ‘Righteous’ (James 5:16, cf. Romans 3:10) otherwise you can’t be certain which ‘spirit’ is being imparted. As the evil one ‘masquerades as an angel of light’ (2 Corinthians 11:14) and can manifest in ways that appear authentic but are deceitful and depraved.

Just as children are naïve we too cannot remedy our problem of spiritual deficiency if our understanding remains veiled. The hindrances of Religious ‘satisfaction’ or Relational ‘sufficiency’ or even the flagrant pre-empting by the foolhardy all lead us astray leaving us circling around the wrong tree ad nauseam rather than feeding on Jesus - the Tree of Life!!!