A Better Spring

by Rebecca Bynum (May 2015)

What from this barren being do we reap?
Our senses narrow, and our reason frail,
Life short, and truth a gem which loves the deep,
And all things weighed in Custom’s falsest scale;
Opinion an Omnipotence, — whose veil
Mantles the earth with darkness, until right
And wrong are accidents, and Men grow pale
Lest their own judgments should become too bright,
And their free thoughts be crimes, and Earth have too much light.

(…)

Yet, Freedom! yet thy banner, torn, but flying,
Streams like the thunder-storm against the wind;
Thy trumpet voice, though broken now and dying,
The loudest still the Tempest leaves behind;
Thy tree hath lost its blossoms, and the rind,
Chopped by the axe, looks rough and little worth,
But the sap lasts, — and still the seed we find
Sown deep, even in the bosom of the North;
So shall a better spring less bitter fruit bring forth.

Before the coming of Jesus, it was assumed, and, in fact, it is still largely assumed, that righteous action had to come first – that good works were the key to entering the kingdom of heaven, which would only occur after death. Jesus turned this assumption upside down. He offered us choice to enter the kingdom of heaven now, through faith alone, and then, after one is securely inside, the old habits of sin will naturally fall away and be replaced by the joy of living rightly. Living wrongly, that is, sinfully, is incompatible with a life of consecrated devotion to God.

Naturally, it is not up to man to take upon himself the divine prerogatives, such as the forgiveness of sin, or that of deciding who and who should not enter the kingdom of heaven. Aside from Jesus, no human being has ever known or can ever know the divine mind so completely. But each person can have a true relationship with Jesus’ living spirit. We can know him personally, as a friend, just as we know other persons. Within this friendship, guidance and advice may be secured for the mind of Jesus and that of the Father are one. We can always be assured that there is no conflict between the two. Jesus is a living bridge to the Father and is forever real in our experience. A priest or a pastor can help to point the way, but they can never, and should never, presume to take the place of the spirit of Jesus in the experience of any mortal. In our minds’ eyes we may ever behold his face and live always in his presence. The experience of God is person to person.

The ultimate arbiter, evidence of the reality of the gospel, is found in the spiritual experience of the believer. Those who have entered the kingdom and dwell in the Father’s house do so in this life and this reality. The Father’s children are not kept in suspense until they die, they are conscious of their status as sons and daughters of the living God in the here and now. Those who, even today, demand “proof” are no different than those who during the life of Jesus clamored for a “sign” – a material demonstration of spiritual reality. To perceive the spirit, one must be born of the spirit. As Jesus knew, material demonstrations do not produce those changes of heart needed for spiritual conversion. And for those born of the spirit, no material demonstration is necessary.

These spiritual seeds have been planted, however imperfectly, in the hearts of men. Most lie cold and dormant as the world seems to spiral out of control and we await the coming gentle warmth of a better spring.

 

_______________________

 

The Real Nature of Religion, published by New English Review Press.

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Rebecca Bynum contributes regularly to The Iconoclast, our Community Blog. Click here to see all her contributions, on which comments are welcome.