Changed is Convinced

John 1:29 On the next day, he saw Jesus

coming to him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb

of G-d, who takes away the sin of the

world!


As carry over from yesterday, why is it
that the prophets are so acutely aware of
the problem of sin? How can they be so
convinced? One way or another, they caught
a glimpse of the Eternal and the Infinite.


All of holy scripture before Jesus, aimed
to inform the world of their sin, by
showing a glimpse of the absolute
perfection of the Creator. There was a
change in the perception of sin, not that
it was something that was invented to
control men. Since Adam, man had no first
hand view of their Creator. And it is a
view of the Infinite that brings to light
that we are in rough shape. Here's how
Isaiah got it:



Isaiah 6

1 In the year that king Uzziah died I

saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and

lifted up; and his train filled the temple.

2 Above him stood the seraphim: each

one had six wings; with two he covered his

face, and with two he covered his feet, and

with two he did fly.

3 One cried to another, and said,

Holy, holy, holy, is Yhwh of Hosts: the

whole earth is full of his glory.

4 The foundations of the thresholds

shook at the voice of him who cried, and

the house was filled with smoke.

5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am

undone; because I am a man of unclean lips,

and I dwell in the midst of a people of

unclean lips: for my eyes have seen the

King, Yhwh of Hosts.


Isaiah had a brief look into the dimension
of the Eternal One. Notice his response.
...Woe is me ...my eyes have seen the

King... He was able to experience

something that he found very convincing.
How could he not be changed? In the

presence of Divinity, he immediately sees
himself as 'unclean'. He is not left with
a sense of hopefullness, but rather a sense
of hopelessness. He instantly recognizes
that he can never, ever measure up to this
level of Perfection. Isaiah had a life
changing experience. Every believer has,
at one time or another, has a very similar
life changing experience. They get a view
of their sin.

John 1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the

Word was with G-d, and the Word was G-d.

2 The same was in the beginning with G-d.

3 All things were made through him. Without

him was not anything made that has been

made.

4 In him was life, and the life was the

light of men.

5 The light shines in the darkness, and the

darkness hasn`t overcome it.

--->

17 For the law was given through Moses.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

18 No one has seen G-d at any time. The

only conceived Son, who is in the bosom of

the Father, he has declared him.


John's gospel uses the metaphor of light
and darkness. And I'm thinking that it is
Grace and Truth that illuminate the Law.
Grace and Truth shed light on the Law,
because they point to the need for a
savior, in whom we find life. Later, of
course in chapter 3, John tells the story
of Nicodemus and the life initiated by
spiritual birth -- that point where grace
is accepted.


What else is there to say about the
doctrine of evolution? Of course, in
John's day, they were not subject to this
indoctrination. They had other issues.
I mean, Jesus was not welcome with open
arms by everyone. There was resistence to
the idea of Grace. Man is so stingy, while
G-d is so generous. You see, if we are
only the product of material causes, then
we don't need Grace...or Truth...or a
Savior, because in that scheme, there is no
sin. If they really believed that, how
would they live? I think that we get a
glimpse of that by looking at people like
Stalin and Mao -- two notorious, ruthless,
bloodthirsty atheists. That is what I see
as the rational conclusion of the doctrine
of evolution, borne out in the lives of
it's true disciples. There is quite a
contrast to the lives of the true disciples
of Jesus and the true disciples of
Materialism.


Jesus gave us a glimpse of the doctrines of
Truth and Grace and Love. As John said, He
is the light of the world. In a dark
world, there isn't much to see, and a
source of light stands out in contrast.
The resurrection was the event that changed
the world and convinced the disciples that
there is more to Jesus than meets the eye.
Change is convincing.