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"A true and safe leader is likely to be
one who has no desire to lead, but is forced into
a position by the inward pressure of the Holy
Spirit and the press of circumstances.... The man
who is ambitious to lead is disqualified as a
leader. The true leader will have no desire to
lord it over God's heritage, but will be humble,
gentle, self-sacrificing, and altogether ready to
follow when the Spirit chooses another to
lead."
(J. Oswald Sanders, Spiritual
Leadership )
At-one-ment
Theories
of the atonement have intrigued theologians
throughout the ages. How did the Cross create
a bridge between us and God? Is the Ransom Theory,
the Satisfaction Theory, or the Substitutionary
Atonement Theory more
accurate?
Yet,
in the process of defining a doctrine have we
inadvertently minimized a glorious
truth?
Atonement
is not an ancient event or a dusty doctrine of the
Church. Nor is it a single moment in our own
personal history. Atonement is a fresh, daily
state - the powerful, transforming experience
of, literally, at-one-ment with
God.
Theology
sometimes fails the test of relevance and
currency. We figure out what God did, but
have little sense of what He is
doing. We live with reasonable
hindsight but limited now-sight. We celebrate that
we have been reconciled to God but remain
largely oblivious to the glorious opportunity and
invitation to be one with Him in the
present
moment.
The
Kingdom of God does not belong to yesterday. Nor
does it mark time till tomorrow. The Kingdom
of God is now. "Today is the day of salvation." (2
Cor 6.2) The exhortation of Jesus to "abide in me"
(Jn 15.4) suggested a moment-by-moment
experience. The Kingdom of God has come.
It exists now. And being "at one" with the
Father is not a theological curiousity but an
energizing spiritual reality.
At-one-ment
describes our current state - the remarkable,
personal, and intimate walk available to
us.
The
death of Christ secured our eternal destiny. But,
more importantly, it facilitates a present
relationship with the Father - a relationship in
which He speaks, guides, transforms, comforts, and
confronts. "At one" with the Father is not an
abstract theory but a life-giving
condition.
The
real issue is not how at-one-ment was
made possible, but whether or not we actually live
in union with the Father now . Christ has
opened the door and cleared the
way.
As
we retrieve atonement from
theological abstraction and embrace it as the
most profound description of the Christian
experience, we'll discover new depths of faith and
life - beginning
today.
In
HOPE
-
David | 
