What is wrong with everyone? Why can’t we all just get along with each other? Why do people argue with others? Why are there wars? Well, the Bible says it’s all to do with enmity. My dictionary says enmity is deep-seated unfriendliness, hostility.
“Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war among your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.” James 4:1&2. Thus enmity comes from deep within, and it has to do with coveting.
To covet is to break the 10th Commandment. That Commandment slew the Christ-hating and Christian-hating Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:1; Rom. 7:7-11) who, by God’s grace alone, became Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ. The Pharisees kept up an outward appearance of keeping the 10 Commandments. But how does one keep “You shall not covet…” outwardly? God’s Moral Law is spiritual. Therefore it goes straight to the heart and shows you that you are a sinner! The covetous lusts deep within us prove that we are not content with our lot. Wars are the extension of our inner wars.
The war began with the rebellion in a garden some six thousand years ago. It was then that mankind sided with Satan against God the Creator. Satan used a serpent to deceive Eve into eating the fruit God had forbidden her and her husband Adam. Listening to the befriending Devil, Eve began to covet that fruit. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” Genesis 3:6.
Enter the LORD God into His garden to deal with the rebellion. In the course of His address to Adam, Eve, and the serpent, He made a wonderful promise. Speaking directly to the serpent He said: “…And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
Man brought enmity into God’s creation by listening to the Devil and thereby declaring war on God. But God, by His gracious promise, as it were, beat Adam’s pruning hook into a spear to be used against that serpent, the Devil. There was to be enmity between those who love God and His Moral Law, and those who don’t.
The summary of God’s Moral Law is the Ten Commandments. These are summed up again in the words, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and your neighbour as yourself.” Mark 12:30&31. The Son of God, Jesus Christ was nailed to a tree on account of His perfect love for God and His neighbour. It turns out that He is the promised ‘Seed of the woman’ (Gal. 3:16). His cross was a mortal blow to Satan’s head.
It is through His life, death, resurrection and ascension into Heaven that all wars begin to cease. He is the Prince of Peace. “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end…” Isaiah 9:7a. And “He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Isaiah 2:4.
He reconciles to God all who trust in Him alone for salvation. In Him we have peace with God – the peace that transcends all understanding (Phil. 1:7).
No comments:
Post a Comment