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The Origin of Humanness
Part Four
Humanity's Commission
By John Gavazzoni
| Origin Of Humanness Series | ||
| Part 1 Adamic Development |
Part 2 A Living Soul: Its Problematic Dimension |
Part 3 First The Natural Than The Spiritual |
| Part 4 Humanity's Commission |
Part 5 Deficiently Glory-Bound |
Part 6 Searching the Depths of God |
Man has a commission from God. It is, as stated in its first, condensed form, "Be fruitful, multiply, replenish (or fill) the earth, and subdue (or conquer) it." It seems clear that man's responsibility to "dress (or cultivate) and keep (or guard)" the garden, from a base of residential placement, was intrinsic to the fulfillment of his/their commission.
An interesting mix is presented in the inspired account, a mix confronting any of its serious students with an undeniable, though for some mentalities disturbing, twofold complementary imperative, an imperative consisting of called-for attentiveness to, first, the most elemental factor, being the growth of life, but also, with that, to the necessity for what can only be described as an intrusive militancy.
Growth would lead to an invasion, which in turn would call for more growth, in a cycle of life overcoming death, as is more explicitly explained in several New Testament epistles. As is true of all biblical principles, this one, by God's design, has had to face the penultimate destiny of suffering from such distorted perceptions, as those that have, for instance representatively evolved under the heading of "spiritual warfare."
If we will carefully contemplate even just our personal spiritual progress, we will see that any spiritual growth in the grace of God, leading to a greater experience of life more abundant, has involved a penetration into, deliverance of, and transformation of territory formerly held by a rebellious spirit. Please note "rebellious." Such a spirit is not native to our humanness, but given a place in the administration of God for the furtherance of His final and grand purpose for humanity.
Before the reader leaps to conclusions as to where I'm coming from, and leading to, and what conclusions I am inferring from those undeniable, but admittedly mysterious elements of the garden of Eden account as described above, let me hasten to insert that my ultimate point of reference for the victory that man's commission calls for, is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Please keep in mind, at all times in our study, that Jesus refused to accept a militant support by legions of heavenly agents, to crush the rebellion against His Lordship that would lead to His death on the cross, so that it was BY Him, descending into the depths of Hades, that unseen realm which is the abode of death, that He destroyed him who had the power of death.
That truth must always inform us fundamentally as to the nature of the undeniable intrusive, subduing, conquering elements in the administration of God as introduced in the very opening of its biblical account. By His death, Jesus penetrated into, He invaded the realm of death, and defeated it by the spiritual dynamic of militant yieldedness.
Now, we need to back up a bit. When God gave man his/their commission, He was addressing not only a sin-death condition that He foresaw ahead, but also a condition already existent before sin entered the world through man's disobedience. Though, it is true that "by one man's disobedience, sin entered the WORLD . . . ", it was FROM within EARTH, including quite fundamentally from within man's earthenness itself, that sin came.
God was addressing something already in existence that man would unavoidably encounter, a "fight," as it were, that he would not be able to THINK or TALK himself out of. No degree of consciousness-raising will alter that, to which God Himself has subjected man.
God put sin into earthenness, for the purpose of calling forth out of His beloved Humanness, the full radiance of its/His glory. He placed it there in its prevenient seed-form. It was present in us in Adam, as deprivation. Simply stated, God had not yet released that measure of His grace that could have withstood the subtle deception of the serpent.
When God releases grace for a man to overcome, the man overcomes. He doesn't release a mere potential. He releases POWER, power against which all the forces of Hades stand in impotence. God hasn't said, "Here's plenty of grace for you for all situations. All you have to do is listen to enough faith-building tapes, and read enough consciousness-raising messages, to make it work for you."
The idea that sufficiency of grace is always available for us, for our taking, for every confrontation with the spirit of rebellion intimated at in this early biblical account of the nature of humanness, and its inherent commission, is simply not true. We have sufficiency of grace, WHEN God chooses to release it to us. We have sufficiency of grace WHEN He appears. Until then, the spirit of rebellion within our earthenness, drives us to honest humility.
In no way am I implying that we have not yet been made to sit in heavenly places, even above all the heavens in Jesus Christ. That is our truth, our reality, and there we are full and complete by the very fulness of grace's glory, but in the eonian out-working of that heavenly reality, God makes sure that we face our existential impotence, in preparation for a grace- provision of which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor hath entered into the heart of man.
| Origin Of Humanness Series | ||
| Part 1 Adamic Development |
Part 2 A Living Soul: Its Problematic Dimension |
Part 3 First The Natural Than The Spiritual |
| Part 4 Humanity's Commission |
Part 5 Deficiently Glory-Bound |
Part 6 Searching the Depths of God |
| John's Index | Greater Emmanuel | Email John |
