Tuesday, July 6, 2021

Our Two Gardens

 



   Hebrews Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

And this will we do, if God permit.

The writer of Hebrews encourages those early Christians to focus on moving toward perfection as God will permit. Another old-timey word for it would be sanctification.

The model we have for this sanctification is Jesus himself in the Garden of Gethsemane in which he subordinated his will to his Father’s will.

We as Christians experience two Gardens in our walk toward Christ.

The first garden is our own figurative Garden of Eden in which, when tempted, we allow our personal will to be deceived into thinking that our will is deserving of full expression. But, like Adam and Eve, when we have broken relationship with God, all things break up around us. By breaking relationship with the One that actively maintains all good things for us, we bring upon ourselves calamities of all sorts.

The second garden we experience is our own Garden of Gethsemane. This is the garden in which we have learned to trust so thoroughly that we will faithfully, like Christ, humble ourselves to God’s call and purpose for us.

What happens in between those two gardens is called sanctification.

Let us live by the advice by which Apostle Paul encouraged the Romans…

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.