Now this is interesting.
Even Jesus has to wait for the desire of His heart to come about.
This is the person who built the universe according to the plan of God.
He is the person who faced the worst Satan could dish out and yet He still conquered temptation and death.
You’d think that Jesus had the standing to speed up the process of getting every saved soul into heaven right now.
But He recognizes that He is not the Supreme Authority.
His Abba Father is.
And so Jesus waits.
I was reminded of this fact today while reading Hebrews 10 in the One-Year Bible. The entire chapter offers a series of profound truths about the ministry of Christ and how it was the fulfillment of the Old Testament, temporary priesthood.
What most captured my attention, though, were the words of vv. 13-14:
“Since that time, he waits for His enemies to be made His footstool, because by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
The perfect Savior completed His mission, yet His ultimate rewards — the personal fellowship with the saved and the defeat of the disobedient — are awaiting the perfect timing and working of God the Father to complete His plan for the ministry of the Church.
Because of the resurrection, Jesus had absolute confidence that the victory in eternity will be real and the victorious reunion will be sweet.
Christ’s “perfection” of our souls is an immediate act that occurs at our confession of faith with words and baptism. Though this act of being made perfect occurs at the moment of obedience, the process of becoming more like Christ in attitude and lifestyle takes time.
You know this and I know this.
Yes, I know that Jesus saved my soul when I confessed Him as Lord and was immersed in June 1968.
But a saved soul is not a refined soul just as newborn is not an educated, socially equipped person ready for the work world.
Notice something very important in the grammatical construction of “being made holy.”
This phrase is in the passive voice, meaning that it is done for us rather than being something we do for ourselves.
Wow.
This tells me that no matter how hard I try, I cannot make myself holy.
I don’t know what the Holy Spirit knows.
I don’t have the patience that the Holy Spirit has.
I don’t have the force to repel the Enemy that the Holy Spirit has.
If I am to become more holy, I have to have the Holy Spirit’s help according to the plan of God for my life.
It’s that simple.
Yes, I should desire and pursue a more holy mindset, attitude and lifestyle.
But I will trip up and grow weak in short order if it’s just me against Satan.
That’s why I need to be made holy rather than trying to accomplish holiness.
I thank God that the perfection of my soul was done by the Savior who did what I couldn’t — live without sin and endure punishment that I could never have withstood.
I also thank God for the commitment of God to helping me to become more holy so that I will accomplish more for the Savior who gave His all for me.
Please, dear friend, I plead with you to thank God with all your heart for the offer of immediate perfection of your soul — via salvation — and the ongoing perfecting of your life via the work of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word.
No matter how long it is until you arrive in glory, you can wait with confident anticipation that the victorious reunion WILL be real and sweet.
As always, I love you
Martin
