Looking At Eternal Things

Therefore we do not lose heart.

Even though our outward man is perishing,

yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment,

he is working for us a far more exceeding

and eternal weight of glory.  While we do not look

at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.

For the things which are seen are temporary,

but the things which are not seen our eternal.

2 Corinthians 4: 16 -- 18

Therefore, for this word speaks of what was said previously, that which is antecedent to what it is about to be said, and that is that even though trials and persecution come we live by faith.  If you are losing heart due to your circumstances that it is questionable that you have absolute faith in God and you have more faith in what you can or cannot do about your circumstances.  Once again, all of humanity is going to die: it is not whether or not: it is when and how.  The outward man is perishing.  This is a fact!  For an Authentic Christian your inward man renewed day by day.  How then is it that our inward man be renewed day by day?  We answer is so simple but so often avoided, and that is by our faith that has its foundation in our prayer life and in our study of God’s Word.  Then we are to put into our daily activities of practice of what we learn in God's Word.  We began a good work that God has called us to perform and even then we find that there is more work that must be done and that we are to carry it forward.  The sinful man, the wicked man, find a end their lives things grow worse every day.  In this life we come to believe that the afflictions that come against us are not light, and yet by faith we can see that they are lying for we compare those afflictions with what God has told us and that is that our internal and eternal life is with Him: "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna (the translators often use the word hell here, but that is not the Greek word Hades, it is the Greek word Gehenna)" (Matthew 10: 28).  Take a moment here for some understanding because we often use the word hell in place of the actual Greek word Gehenna, so we look at Scripture to give us understanding: "Then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.  And anyone not found in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20: 14 -- 15).  All the afflictions, trials, and persecutions, that at times seen heavy and long, grieve us and are tedious, by faith they are to be perceived as light in short, only for a moment.  And this is true for this life is only but a moment and eternity.  This moment will pass but eternity is eternal, no end!  It is eternal for the sinner, and it is eternal for God's children.  If you are one of God's children and living the authentic Christian life we do not look at the things which are seen, those things that are in our world, our culture.  These things that you see now are going to pass away!  These things are temporal!  Our faith, and by our faith we understand that we have a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.  In this Scripture with his Greek word that we translate as "weight" is being used metaphorically and describes the future state of believers as an eternal weight of glory.  What God has given to His children is beyond the ability for any human language to describe.  We are insufficient to fully understand all that our God has given us and is sustaining us by His power and glory.  In the light of our trifling afflictions and difficulties, we can grow in our faith and in the grace of God.

            Jesus gave us some very important theological words: "Then Jesus said to them, ‘A little while longer the light is with you.  Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walk in darkness does not know where he is going.  While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.’ These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them" (John 12:35 -- 36).  Christians have been given the light of Jesus by means of his inspired word.  We are to walk in that light and if we do not how great is the darkness that we may even consider to be light would in all actuality it is a walking in darkness for the light that you think you have is not the light of Jesus.  There is a need to continually to bring the truth out into actuality; to work it out in every domain, and if you do not do very like to have me come to be for you a curse.  How often do we fall back upon our past experiences and then we sort of have a smug satisfaction; but, are you working that out in your practical life?  If you say that you were sanctified: show in your life!  Beware of any belief that makes you self-indulgent; it came from the pit, no matter how beautiful it may sound.  What do we fall back upon some sort of theological doctrine which in many cases is not wrong, rather it is a matter of indifference, but our theology, that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ must work itself out in the most practical relationships.  She just told us that our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees.  It is not that Scribes and Pharisees were not righteous; what Jesus is telling us is that our righteousness must exceed their righteousness.  Why?  Because they added so much to what they consider to make a person righteous wind of the fact it was only matters of indifference, and not doctrinally sound according to what God has taught them in the Old Testament.  Here is a fact: you must be more moral than the most moral person you know.  He made all about the doctrine of sanctification, but is it actually working out in the practical issues of your life?  Every bit of your life, physical, moral and spiritual, is to be judged by the standard of the atonement.  Yes, this will take courage, but we do not look at the things seen, we look at that which is unseen.  We keep our eyes on that which is eternal.

I have heard of You by the

            hearing of the ear,

got now my eyes sees You.

            Therefore I up for myself,

and repent in dust and ashes.

                        Job 42:5 -- 6

Jesus has restored you: praise God!

Richard L. Crumb