“The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved” (vs1-2).
The Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God reigns absolutely and unstoppably over all things. He is the King, Creator, and Sustainer of this world, doing as He pleases continually.
He ruled before He came here, being God from everlasting, the purpose for which everything was made. We read, “for by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him” (Col 1:16). He ruled when He walked sinless, ruling over the devil by obeying God, submitting Himself to holiness. He rules exalted, resurrected, and enthroned by the Father, given all power to save as He sees fit. He said, “as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him” (John 17:2). He rules your flesh and mine, having POWER to make us obedient. He doesn't rule in theory, while we do wickedly, but in the life of the believers, He reigns over our lusts producing holiness, as promised (Ps 93:5).
This reign of grace is no hardship for the sons of God, for we see the King saving us with His power. He is on our side. We agree, “Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting” (vs2). We are not enemies but reconciled by His blood, and the throne is His RIGHTFUL due for saving us, so we agree with God, bowing to the Lordship of Christ, confessing Him to be risen.
We are not like the ungodly, who protest His throne, as if they can move Him out of dominion by foolish arguments and schemes. We read, “The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea” (vs3-4). He is UNTOUCHED by the hateful rebellion of men, using sin and sinners according to His purpose, before sending sinners into hell, just like Satan. The devil is no rival god; he is an instrument in the Lord's hand, as He RULES in the midst of His foes (Ps 110:1-2).
How you respond to Christ depends on what you think of Him. If He is exalted from the dead for saving God's elect, then you bow to Him as a matter of fact, and in bowing, you know that you have everlasting life by FAITH alone. This makes you love His rule. The devils know He reigns and tremble, but they hate Him. You know His rule is your salvation, trust His power is loving you, and you see His reign as sweet and rightful. We say, “Your testimonies are very sure; holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, forever” (vs5). You've seen the glory of God – Almighty in power – stooping to save your wretched soul, paying for your sins, and patiently bearing with you the whole way, day after day forgiving you and giving you grace to obey.
You see the reign of Christ if you're holy, for holiness adorns His people, “in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Eph 2:21-22). Everyone God saves He transforms, having power to make us holy, so that a holy God puts His mark on sinners in gospel transformation, making us pure in the image of Christ. He makes us LOVE each other by the exaltation of Christ, whereby no one else gets glory, and we're THANKFUL, rather than proud for what we have.
No comments:
Post a Comment