American Christians easily confuse physical power with spiritual power. They presume that since we are able to maintain a space station in orbit above the earth that that implies that we have great power in our spiritual lives. Since we have cracked the atom, we ought to be able to crack the spiritual code that gets us into heaven. No secret of the universe will ever remain unknown to our restless intelligence, so why shouldn't we think that with just the right effort no spiritual depth will ever be locked to us. Of course, this is evidence of our human pride. For there is much that is still unknown to us and will remain so. Beyond that, however, we must confess that the Bible pronounces us to be spiritual illiterates and ignoramuses. As hard as that is on our bloated egos, we must confess that apart from the intervention of the Holy Spirit we are not only ignorant of the things of God, but blind, dead, and even enemies of God.

 

We humans would not be aware of the depth of our sinful weakness had God's Word not revealed it to us. We would easily have blundered along in our depravity presuming that we are stars on God's team, when, in fact, we aren't even sure where the team bench is. We are like the mountain climber who is so lost, he does not even know how lost he is. Walking in circles he returns to the same place, and presumes that he can find his way from there, his spiritual progress every time an empty thing, a joke and mockery of God's Word. What's left then? Shall we despair? Shall we lie down and die like a dog in a ditch?

 

Yes and no. Yes, we should despair of ourselves. Yes, we should lie down and die. The Word of God must come and deprive us of our spiritual pride that refuses to submit to the law of God. The Word of God must put us to death. We must be drowned in baptism and die. But in that dying there is life. Only in that despair is there faith and confidence in God. We must trust the God who is gracious in Christ. We are cast only on the power of God to save. And isn't that what He promises to do? He is a saving God. Our own spiritual weakness is the mirror image to God's passionate work to save sinners like us. This is why Christology tells us about spiritual anthropology. What I mean is this: when we see how much Christ does for our salvation in Him, we begin to see how little we have done for it. In fact, we have done nothing at all. He has done everything. God's own Son was offered up for us sinners, that we might be the redeemed of God, purchased by the most precious price. All the spiritual labor has been done by God's own Son. What's left then for us to accomplish? Nothing. If we make the claim that we have done anything, it will be to steal from the hands of God's own Son the power to save and to save completely. What contribution could possibly be needed by the eternal Son, so that he would be helped to save us?

 

Perhaps you remember when Ingrid Betancourt was rescued from a lengthy captivity among communist guerrillas in Colombia. When her rescuers arrived with a helicopter to save her, all they had to do was to tell her of the rescue and its nearness. That invitation empowered her to arise and climb onto the source of her rescue. So it is for the people whom God calls with His Word to the salvation prepared for them. The very speech of God accomplishes what God says in that Word. He takes us from being dead to being alive in Christ. He takes us from being an enemy to being an intimate friend of God. He takes us from being blind in our spiritual sight to seeing the light in Christ. Although Ms. Betancourt showed signs of despairing in her six-year captivity, now she lives in peace and joy, even authoring a critically acclaimed book about her period of captivity. No, we needn't despair or die, but believe and live.