Theo-logical versus Teleo-logical
The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
Psalm 118 v 15
We rejoice because we are saved by the Lord. We have not won victory in life on account of our own mortal strength or craft. We have won the victory over sin and death, curses and afflictions, adversaries and the enemy of our soul by the mighty right hand of the Lord that is always outstretched over us, ready to defend and ready to strike. He causes us to rejoice in the safety of our homes or our tabernacles. He is tabernacled with us and in us. He sets in motion a spring of joy in us that will never dry up. From that root of salvation, He causes righteousness and rivers of life-giving water to flow from our hearts. The joy of the Lord becomes our strength, our source of hope and sustenance in any and every situation.
He has turned our mourning into dancing. He has girded or surrounded us with gladness. As the Lord dwells in us after our repentance and our confession, we are declared righteous by grace. He now expects us to at least try to be righteous or upright in thoughts, words and deeds so that grace is not taken for granted or is not in vain. We must develop an attitude of zero tolerance for unrighteousness or wickedness that was so natural to us before we believed and received Christ as Saviour and King of our hearts.
Only our hearts and our voices are involved as there is no reference to our hands and limbs. There is an alignment of our beliefs and the confessions of our mouth. We need to declare with our mouths our faith and only then does it get validated in the eyes of God. We no longer believe what our eyes see or our ears hear or what any of our other tangible senses tell us. We believe the words of the Word of God, the word of Jesus, the word of the Spirit. We deny what our flesh and blood affirms to us. We confess the words of faith. When we do so, the right hand of the Lord will establish the truth of His Word. The reach of our own hands are limited but nothing limits the hands of the Lord. Our affirmation and confession of faith in the Lord gives Him permission to act in our lives. Our eyes and not just ours but the world’s , our ears and not just ours will now hear the voice of triumph, the voice of rejoicing. The spiritual will become tangible and real while our real threats, fears and afflictions will melt away. Grace and peace will outwork great wonders and marvels in our lives. As the Psalmist writes, “ the testimonies of the Lord are the rejoicing of my heart.” He says again, “ the statutes of the Lord are the songs of joy in the house of my pilgrimage.” We recognize that our lives are a journey that is in preparation for another journey to the everlasting land and joy. Affirmation of faith first happens and then the action in real time happens according to the Word. This is what I call Theo-logical or the logic of God and not teleo-logical – the logic of man and this world.
Prateep V Philip
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