able to defeat death itself, to conquer every corner of hell, that He is not able
to save you from your evil?
If He was willing to say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they
do,” as He was being nailed to the cross – how could He not give you the power
to forgive the guy who just cut you off in traffic? When we are fighting against
evils, praying to Him for help, let’s pray specifically with a remembrance of
how He lived, so that we can walk in His footsteps – that we carry our cross
as He carried His, with the knowledge that in reality, it is He who is carrying
ours, too.
Every day, we can take up our cross again, our selfishness dying, with the
joy of knowing that the Lord will raise us up into life, because He has become
life itself. Think of His life, think of His battle, think of His victory, and worship
Him – who has taken up all power and reigned. Because of what He did for
the entire human race 2,000 years ago, He can do the same for each one of us
individually now. All of this is beautifully summarized in this passage:
By conflicts and temptations in the world the Lord glorified His Human, that
is, made it Divine; in like manner now with man individually, when he is in
temptations, the Lord fights for him, conquers the evil spirits who are infesting him,
and after temptation glorifies him, that is, renders him spiritual. After His universal
redemption the Lord reduced to order all things in heaven and in hell; with man
after temptation He does in like manner, that is, He reduces to order all the things of
heaven and the world that are in him. After redemption the Lord established a new
church; in like manner He also establishes what pertains to the church in man, and
makes him to be a church in particular. After redemption the Lord bestowed peace
upon those who believed on Him, for He said, ‘Peace I leave with you, My peace
I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.’ (John 14:27) Likewise
He gives to man after temptation a sense of peace, that is, gladness of mind and
consolation. From all this it is clear that the Lord is the Redeemer forever. (True
Christian Religion 599)
The Rev. Coleman S. Glenn is the pastor of the Dawson Creek
Church in British Columbia, and visiting pastor to Grande
Prairie, Alberta, and to Western Canada. He and his wife, Anne
Grace (Hurd), and infant son, Samuel, are moving to South
Africa, where he will help to serve the new Church Westville in
Durban, beginning July 1. He maintains a blog at www.patheos.
com/blogs/goodandtruth. Contact: [email protected].
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