Week 50—Saturday Romans 11:34-36
Romans 11:34-36
RELIANCE ON CHARACTER
AND AUTHORITY FROM WITHIN
We come to the next fundamental tendency of the universe. Seventh: The tendency to make character the basis of leadership and survival. Among the lower forms of life, the secret of leadership and survival is strength of physical character, among the higher forms mental and moral character. In Jesus this comes to its highest form in moral and spiritual character. Here we see the highest moral and spiritual character ever seen upon our planet. You can transfer every moral and spiritual characteristic of Jesus to God without lowering your estimate of God. Lowering? You heighten your estimate of God when you think of God in terms of Jesus Christ. You simply know nothing higher to say about God or people than to say, “Like Jesus Christ.” Jesus is a character ultimate.
The last fundamental tendency of the universe is the Eighth: The tendency to transfer the basis of authority from the without to the within—from compulsion to impulsion. That tendency comes to its full fruition in Jesus when he said, “It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him unto you. . . . When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:7, 13). Their guidance would now be from within. The basis of authority would be within them. “Can you not judge for yourselves what is . . . right?” (Luke 12:57, NEB). He was creating not puppets but persons, not persons who cringe before the Creator but who create with the Creator. This is the end of creation. To create children, made in God’s image, free as God is free, so that they too can create along with God and share God’s ruling authority because it is a gift of grace and because it is won from within. What a Redeemer and what a Redemption! Worthy of God!
O God, our Father, when we think of it all it leaves us speechless and breathless, but thankful to our depths. May our lives be one continuous manifestation of our thankfulness. We can never repay you, but we can relay to others. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: “O the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” And, oh, the wonder of God’s redemption!