Restoration – Part 1 John 3:3 (NKJ) – Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see them kingdom of God.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT) – And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more. Proverbs 11:1 (KJV) – A false balance is abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight. Restoration, from the Biblical perspective we shall consider it, refers to the act of bringing mankind back into right standing or right relationship with God. And, having brought mankind back into right relationship with God via what we Christians refer to as being saved or born again or converted (John 3:3), restoration continues. It continues as the believer grows in grace, as he or she matures, as he or she becomes more and more like Christ in his or her words and actions (2 Cor. 3:18). Thinking about it as presented, restoration might seem quite simple, but such is not the case. The simplicity of the process of restoration is often thwarted by numerous factors. Many of those factors are related to those who seek to assist in the restoration process. Sometimes it is based on the fact that the knowledge required in providing effective assistance is lacking. Sometimes it is related to those assisting in the process doing so from a condescending, belittling, or demeaning attitude rather than that of love. Sometimes it is based on the fact that those assisting, rather than seeking to accurately present Biblical platforms from a well-balanced breadth, instead present them from a skewed perspective. The skewed perspectives vary as well. Sometimes it has to do with the fact that the messages presented focus solely on the issue of sin, while not adequately considering grace, forgiveness, mercy, God’s love for us or any number of the myriad of other Biblical topics related to successful restoration. On the other hand, at other times it is more about avoiding the topic of sin, for any number of reasons, emphasizing only God’s mercy, forgiveness, love or other more pleasantly viewed topics. Surely, we do not want to forget the fact that the Holy Spirit will lead us in unique ways as we serve in the arena of restoration. Yet, neither do we want to make a skewed perspective our foundational platform (Prov. 11:1).
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 16:27:50 +0000
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