Many Christians seem to think that if we are spiritual, we won’t have any earthly concerns; that is why many who have sought the Lord over the centuries have become monks and nuns. To live in the normal human realm, they feel, would distract them from their spiritual pursuits and so hinder their spiritual growth.

This, however, is a profoundly mistaken concept, for to a large extent, genuine spirituality comes by bringing our very human concerns to the Lord and allowing Him to deal with us and who we are through our human situations. Through such experiences God imparts Himself and His divine nature into our human nature. (See “An Uplifted Soul” • 1)

Consider again the picture of tabernacle. The ark and the boards within it were made of wood overlaid with gold; the gold, which is so solid, unchangeable, weighty, and precious, signifies God’s divine nature, while the wood, an organic material that grows up out of the earth, signifies our human nature.

Suppose, however, that God had instead told Moses to make everything in the tabernacle of solid gold; the whole thing would have been so heavy you would never be able to move it!

In the same way, if today we are overly “spiritual,” without any human element, it is very difficult for people to approach us; we are, so to speak, too “heavy” for them to contact.

Jesus was not like that. All through the gospels we see that while He was fully divine, He was also fully, wonderfully human; thus He could say,

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
— Matthew 11:28-30

Indeed, it is because He is so human, and has passed through the same experiences we go through, that He is able to help us as He does:

For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but who in all points was tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
— Hebrews 4:15-16

Do we have this kind of humanity? Even though, unlike Jesus, we do have the sin nature, to help others spiritually we need to be those who are on the one hand so human, but who on the other have something God within them, because we have come to the Lord and allowed Him to deal with us and impart Himself into us. Then others will be able to come to us because we are so human, but when they do, they will touch something of Christ living within us.

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— 30 September 2023 —