an excursus: the wonder of acceptance

The passage I quoted yesterday from Ezekiel is a very moving one. It describes 'Jerusalem' as a foundling, the unwanted child that is discarded and left to die. 'Jerusalem' here is both the city and a means of speaking of the nation in the way that we might say 'relations between Washington and London have become strained'. In such a statement we are really regarding the 'capital' city as representing the whole nation.

The point is this child had nothing 'going for it', nothing to attract anyone to it, no virtue, no merit. This is always the basis of God's dealing with men and women. He does not 'chose' us on the basis of any merit or virtue, there is none. As we come to him by faith in Christ he declares us 'right with him' or as the theologians call it 'justifies us by faith'. 'God, him say me OK' is the Pigeon English explanation for such a wonder. God takes us as he finds us and any attempt as self-improvement only delays the process.

This is the truth of Ezekiel's foundling. This was how God found his people and he did not demand their improvement before he took them as his people. He did insist on their choice to commit themselves to his plans for their life. He did insist that when they had become his people the pattern of their lives would change, but change was not a condition of their acceptance.

Among those who love the truth of holiness there is a perpetual danger, the danger of preaching justification by sanctification. By that I mean the temptation to believe that although we come to God on the basis of sheer unmerited grace our continued acceptance is on the basis of our good behaviour. As Paul might have put it, having been accepted by grace are you now made perfect by your own achievements?

Let's return to Ezekiel's world. This is what God found; As for your nativity, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut, nor were you washed in water to cleanse you; you were not rubbed with salt nor wrapped in swaddling cloths. None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee [when thou wast] in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee [when thou wast] in thy blood, Live. Ezek 16:16:4-6

This is how God 'felt'. "When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine," says the Lord GOD. Ezek 16:8.

and this is what God did first... "When I passed by you again and looked upon you, indeed your time was the time of love; so I spread My wing over you and covered your nakedness. Yes, I swore an oath to you and entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine," says the Lord GOD. Ezek 16:8.

and this is what he did second... "Then I washed you in water; yes, I thoroughly washed off your blood, and I anointed you with oil. Ezek 16:9

Did you notice that he loved and embraced this human piece of flotsam and swore an oath and entered into a covenant BEFORE he cleansed it? Be sure to understand the order here; first justification, second sanctification.