This week I gathered with a group of 3 other guys that I
went to camp with prior to coming to Texas A&M. We have been meeting weekly
and going through the book Manhood
Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole by Eric Mason.
First off, if any of you guys out there are looking for a
good book to read or introduce into your small group, this is the one.
In the third chapter, “The restorer of manhood”(page45),
Mason says
“All of us men are only as manly as it
relates to the standard set by Jesus”
Ok, read that again.
I busted out my highlighter and went to town on that
sentence right then and there.
I’m not about to blow your mind and back it up with a ton of
cherry-picked verses but I just want to encourage the guys out there:
Jesus was the ultimate man; the standard of what manhood
should be.
Jesus was a loving and caring man who never sinned, he
cried, he made a huge decision in the Gethsemane before his murder, he was
around women and never lusted, he was around money but never coveted, he set the
perfect standard for everything we could never do.
Then he died for us because of that very reason.
Jesus wasn’t some ripped, log-chopping, steroid-infused,
lumberjack/Hollister model with a sick hairstyle and tons of money to throw at all
the women that came his way while shredding on his electric guitar.**
**I am not even sure the scenario described above would
actually be cool…
He came.
He lived.
He did it perfectly.
You may be thinking, “Sweet, as a Christian, I am supposed
to be like a man than I can never fully be like? That’s a little depressing.”
The answer is “Yes, you’re already there, but you’re not
even close but you will be. How? Oh, you can’t do anything about that really, so
just wait.”
What…
The whole idea revolves around a phrase that Mason brings up
(also the name of a very good album by Mars Hill’s band Citizens)
“Already, but not yet”
Now you may not be a big paradox person and it’s ok, because
neither am I.
Let me try my best to
explain this to you:
Jesus died for our sins. Therefore we have been justified.
(Ephesians 2:4-6)
But clearly, we still sin. (Romans 7:19)
BUT Jesus is coming back to make all things new (Revelation
21:5)
So this leaves us in the middle ground.
With the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and promise
of him coming back to restore creation and make all things new, we are without
condemnation (Romans 8:1) our souls should cry out:
“We rejoice in the hope of the
glory of God!”
-Romans 5:2
(Check out “Made Alive” by Citizens)
We already made holy by Christ’s death, and the Holy Spirit
is making us more holy until Jesus comes to finish what he started.
“Already, but not yet”
How awesome that day will be!
“All of us men are only as manly as it relates to the
standard set by Jesus”
You can either take this two ways.
1)
“Well I am never going to be perfect so life
sucks and I will never be good enough. I am tired of trying to be perfect for
Jesus so I can be a Christian”
or
2)
“Thank you, Jesus, for being a perfect man and
for dying for me because I am not and will never be. Thank you for the cross.
Thank you for grace. Thank you for who you are and for the beautiful plan of
redemption you have created and will carry out.”
Which one do you find yourself thinking or even saying out
loud?
Our hearts should be screaming the 2nd one.
No comments:
Post a Comment