…”and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3 NKJV)
“Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” (Luke 18:17 NKJV)
“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ‘let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’ And he took them, laying hands on them.” (Mark 10:13-16 ESV)
Pure as the driven snow.
I live in Michigan, which would make you think that I am a fan of snow. Actually, the opposite is true. It would not break my heart if weather patterns were to shift and place the majority of our snow somewhere else. However, there are two times in which I do love snow (even more if each occasion only lasts a day or two).
I love the first heavy snow of the season. That first blanket of fresh white fluff covering all of the dirt and decay of the end of fall. Everything takes on the crisp, clean look and smell of purity.
I also love a white Christmas. It symbolizes the innocence, simplicity, and purity of childhood. Based on my life experience, snow at Christmas is just the natural order of things. Without it, Christmas has been polluted.
Theologically, I was born in a sinful state due to the representative actions of Adam. I was in Adam when he rejected God and bowed his knee to Satan. Hence, I was born a sinner separated from my Father in the darkness of my mind. However, even in this condition, I was still created in the image and likeness of my Creator. While I may have been born separated from my Heavenly Father in my darkened mind, I was also reconciled to the Father by the complete atonement found in Jesus Christ. Jesus, the “Last Adam,” reconciled the world (that includes me) to the Father through his sinless life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. According to the Apostle Paul, I was in Christ through all of that. I died, was buried, rose again, and am now (in my spirit) seated with Christ at the right hand of the Father in the heavenlies.
Putting all of this together, my current understanding is that while I was born in sin, I was also born in a pardoned state in which my sin is covered until such time as I comprehend my actions (This is why David stated that he would see his son who died again one day. Either David expected to go to hell, or he knew his baby son went to heaven. I choose heaven.) Like Adam, when I reject the revelation of the Father through my willful choice of rebellion, I am held accountable for my actions. Today, it all comes down to what I do with Jesus. My future state depends on whether or not I reject Jesus (his work of redemption and reconciliation). So why did I take the time to share this theological dissertation?
One of the key elements of childlikeness is purity. Regardless of a person’s “theology” there is an obvious purity in infants and young children. It goes hand in hand with their innocence and simplicity. They have not yet been contaminated by the filth of the world. Baby’s are selfish little sinners. However, they are also as pure as the driven snow. When I held my babies in my arms everything tainted by the sin of this world faded for a brief moment in time. For a split second all of the filth of the “fall” was blanketed in the purity of this child. As I capture that moment, I get a glimpse of what it takes to fully experience the Kingdom of Heaven here and now. Purity opens my heart and mind to the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven here and now.
Praise God that in my relationship with Jesus Christ I have been justified. I have been made new and pure as if I had never sinned. I have been reborn in the purity of a newborn baby with no corruption from the outside world. I am a brand new creation – a species of being that never before existed. I am one with Christ. I am one with my Father. I am filled with the Holy Spirit. I have been made pure, untarnished, unstained, unpolluted, fresh, and fragrant. Wow! I have been freely given the characteristic described in…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 309: The Faith of a Child: What’s it Look Like? – Part 5 – It’s “Pure”