HARMONY

                                                                        Harmony

God, Father and Son and Holy Spirit, is the Trinity in eternal harmony. As earthlings, we would expect to discover as it were the fingerprints and footprints of the Creator all over His creation, including ourselves. Harmony, because it reflects God, is one flash of revelation of the Maker of the heavens and the earth in creation.

Perhaps when we think of harmony, we have music in mind. Choirs doing their thing, various musicians playing pleasing notes together. Harmony! When someone or something is out of tune it creates disharmony, like when I strike a chord on my guitar after my little grandkids have visited! When we study God’s creation, we see harmony and disharmony. If God created it all and declared it ‘very good’ (Gen. 1:31), then whence come the bum notes in the world? Well, the first off-note in the universe was played by Adam. Now, technically this is incorrect. Satan seduced Eve and got Adam to strike the first note of ‘dischord.’ It was then that the triadic music chord became out of whack. God, neighbour, and self were out of tune.

Adam blamed God and his nearest neighbour, (his wife), for the present disharmony. ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate’ (Gen. 3:12b). This answer was in response to the LORD God asking him, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?’ (Gen. 3:11b). Adam is now aware that he stands naked before God, hence the fig leaves and his cover-up excuses, which is to say that his conscience has kicked in and is now accusing him (Rom. 2:15). God, neighbour and self in disharmony. God can either destroy or retune His creation. Thus, the gospel.

The gospel brings harmony between God, neighbour, and self. Those converted by the Spirit working with the Word in their hearts are now able to love God and their neighbour as themselves, i.e., to keep God’s law from a proper heart motive (Matt. 22:37-40). What’s the proper heart motive? ‘Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God’ (1 Cor. 10:31).

One of the statements of faith that brings all Christians harmoniously together is the Apostles’ Creed. It begins, ‘I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord … I believe in the Holy Ghost … the Resurrection of the body, and the Life everlasting.’ In harmony with Scripture, we see that the Creed is Trinitarian. And it speaks of God, creation, and us. To be resurrected is to be raised bodily from the dead, just as Jesus was. The resurrected believer will then experience perfect harmony with God, with neighbour, and with self. For the moment we catch only glimpses of that perfection, like when that perfect chord is struck or that attention-grabbing note is sung, yes, flashes.

It was firstly because Adam was out of sorts with himself that he blamed God and his neighbour for his demise. The cause was sin. Yes, original sin originated with Adam, but original sin means we have inherited Adam’s sinful nature. God sets apart and cleanses believers (i.e., sanctifies them) by giving them a new nature (2 Cor. 5:17), enabling them to love God and neighbour as themselves because their spirit and soul and body can now work in harmony. ‘Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Thess. 5:23).