Mankind has a horrendous
problem. One does not have to look very far to recognize that something is
amiss in the world. From the catastrophe events of "natural"
disasters to the personal turmoil of the individual, it seems, at best,
people must put forth tremendous effort merely to survive. Even with the advances of modern man
survival is still the primary issue of living.
Man with seemingly great
creativity will forge ahead to catch his moment "in the sun,"
only to find the moment lacking and briefly gone. Often as man nears the
top of his quested summit, an event, a "figure out of the night"
plunges him back to the valley to begin once again his endless search for
meaning and life. Something seems to be flawed in the very fiber of the
existence of man.
A Struggling Church
Most Christians probably can understand the
plight of the world, but cannot comprehend why the Church seems to be
facing the same plight of endless struggles. Just as it appears that
victory is here, something happens that plunges the Church back into the
valley of stagnation, the quagmire of apathy, and the "hell" of
meaningless activities. The history of the Church seems to move through
the endless cycle of mountain-top victory and valley-low despair. It is as
if something is also wrong at the very core of Christianity.
However, the
Word of God boldly states that to be a Christian is to live life in the
ultimate. Jesus said, ". . . I am come that they might have life, and
that they might have it more abundantly" John 10:10). Paul's
understanding of Christianity led him to proclaim, ". . . they which
receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in
life by one, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17). Peter stated simply that the
Christian had been given by divine power ". . . all things that
pertain unto life . . . " (II Pet. 1:3). James adds that the
conquering Christian ". . . shall receive the crown of life, which
the Lord hath promised . . ." (James. 1:12).
Christianity is
"crown of life" living, receiving "all things that pertain
unto life," and "reign[ing] in life." Christians who have
this life "have it more abundantly." It is life because Jesus is
the essence of life (see I John 1:2).
Life Is in the Creator, Not In the Creation
If Christianity is abundant life, why does
it seem that so many Christians actually do not reign in life? Also, if
". . . the gates of hell shall not prevail against [the Church]"
(cf Matt. 16:18), why do so many local churches actually struggle to stay
alive. Although Christians are to be, "Strengthened with all might,
according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with
joyfulness . . ." (Col. 1:11), the characteristic of "all
patience and longsuffering with joyfulness" definitely is not evident
in the life of most believers.
Circumstances seem to dictate to most
Christians and local churches, just as they do to the heathen or secular
organizations, the quality of life they experience. The reality of these
statements is bad news! What many Christians, many local churches, and in many cases the visible
Church as a whole has done is turned the good news of life in the Creator
into the bad news of "life" in the creation.
The "Lucifer
Principle" (the faulty concept that life itself can exist in the
creation) is so subtle that a Christian, a local church, or an entire
denominational structure can be dying and not even know it. Like the
freshly cut long-stem rose that appears to be just as beautiful and alive
as the roses still on the bush, the visible church is already in the dying
process simply because it has removed itself from the essence of life.
The Awakening
The Lucifer Principle has as its foundation
the awakening of the created to "itself." Creation only has life
in its "oneness" with the Creator. Paul, through the workings of
the Holy Spirit, revealed that ". . . it pleased the Father that in
him [the Son of God] should all fullness dwell" (Col. 1:19). All that
is exists in and through the Son of God: ". . . all things were
created by him and for him: and he is before all things and by him all
things consist" (Col. 1:16,17).
The Creator is Creator and can never
become the creation; likewise, the creation is creation and can never
become the Creator. In reality, there is such a vast chasm between the
Creator and creation that man (perhaps the epitome of creation, but
nevertheless still creation) cannot comprehend even the chasm, let alone
the realm on the other side of the chasm. There is only One who can span
the chasm, the God-man Jesus Christ. He is the "Chasm-Spanner!
When the events of the Creation
materialized, creation had life because it existed in God and God in it.
This is not to say that God became creation and creation became God. The
distinctiveness of the Creator and creation must always be maintained, for
to do otherwise is idolatry (see Exod. 20:3-5). It is to say that,
although God, as distinct Creator and that which God produced as distinct
creation are two separate entities, they exist in so much
"oneness" that the life that is in the Creator becomes the life
of the creation.
The revelation of the essence of this
"oneness" is the key that unlocks the mystery of all that is.
Although the individuality of the entities remain distinct (Creator and
creation), the essence of the two are so "one" that it can be
said that the life of the one is the life of the other. This revelation of
God (for it cannot be understood by man -- for creation has no attributes
of life in itself) is the mystery of God, the mystery of the Gospel, and
the mystery of life (see Col. 2:2, 3). All life exists only in its
"oneness" with God because God is the only One that is life.
Just as the freshly cut rose appears to
have life, the reality of death is already occurring when there is a
separation from the life-source. Man, with his God-given freedom to reject
the love of God, which requires the necessity to think, to feel, and to
will, began to perceive that life was not in his "oneness" with
the Creator, but rather in himself. Somewhere along the line of his
existence, man began to perceive the experience of living as if it was in
his own life. Man began to glory in the life that was in him as if it was
his life.
He began to perceive that life was in the
creation rather than the Creator. Instead of keeping his distinctiveness
in the "oneness" with God, he awoke to the distinctiveness of
himself. The "awakening" of man to the identity of himself
separated man from the essence of life. Man's quest for life in himself
actually brought death in his life. He "lived" out the Lucifer
Principle which was the downfall of Satan himself (see Ezek. 28; Isa. 14).
The Lucifer Principle Illustrated
The reality of the Lucifer Principle is not
some vague philosophical fantasy that is used to attempt to explain the
fall of Lucifer and the fall of Adam and Eve. It is a reality that is
being manifested, howbeit unknowingly, in many Christians, in most local
churches, and many times in the visible Church. Without doubt it is the
reason why Christians keep stumbling and falling and local churches
experience stagnation.
It is illustrated and taught in the Word of
God, when Jesus gave a rather surprising answer to a statement from the
disciples. When the disciples ". . . returned . . . with joy, saying,
Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name," Jesus
responded with ". . . I beheld Satan as lightning fall from
heaven." He went on to say, "Behold, I give you power . . . over
all the power of the enemy . . . . Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not,
that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your
names are written in heaven" (cf Luke 10:17-20).
This dialogue between Jesus and the
disciples may seem to some like a "bragging-rights" contest.
Some attempt to explain the statement of Jesus with this erroneous kind of
thinking: "You rejoice over demons being cast out; I was there when
Satan himself was cast out." This kind of mind-set, however, does not
reflect the mind of Christ (see Phil. 2:5-8), or, for that matter, the
pure Gospel. Jesus would never take credit for any action He did, but
rather it was the work of the Father through the Holy Spirit: ". . .
I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the
works" (John 14:10).
Why does Jesus give this response? Could it
be that He recognized the beginning of the Lucifer Principle taking effect
in the lives of the disciples? The disciples were, to say the least,
excited over the devils being subject to them. They were experiencing the
joy of life in Jesus Christ.
Life was there in the disciples because
once again they were "one" with the essence of life, the Son of
God. Herein is the danger of the Lucifer Principle. The "life"
that is in the Creator is so powerful that it transforms that which was
nothing into experiencing life itself. The incomprehensible Life that God
is, gives life to that which has no life. Not that the creation then has
life in its "self," but rather life exists in the creation
because of its "oneness" with God.
Then creation (Lucifer, Adam, and Eve, and
many "new creations" in Christ), which was nothing but now is
something because it is existing in God's Life, begin to shift the
emphasis to the creation rather than the Creator. Consequently, a fall
occurs because of the failure to recognize that all life exists only in
the Son of God. Creation, that which God produces, containing no life in
itself, awakens to its perceived life in the "self" and death
begins. The believer's quest for life in himself actually brings death to
the life he is experiencing.
The Lucifer Principle is subtle, but it is
real. The realness of it must be understood by the Church. Jesus did say,
"Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and
over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt
you" (Luke 10:19). He also said, however, "Notwithstanding in
this [devils being subject to the believers and all that is involved in
that subjection] rejoice not [may call into question some of the pep rally
type services] . . . but rather rejoice, because your names are written in
heaven" (Luke 10:20).
Nothing can hurt the believer because he is one
with the One who has already ". . . made a show of them
[principalities and powers] openly, triumphing over them . . ." in
His death and resurrection (Col. 2:14,15). The believer should have
authority over the devils and live in that authority; however, it is not
his authority but the authority of Him that resides in the believer.
The
believer is one with Jesus. The believer lives because Jesus lives. Thank
God, the names of all believers are written in heaven, for it brings them
back into the essence of life, the Creator: "And you, that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath
he reconciled" (Col. 1:21).
Believers must live in the life that is in
the Creator and not awaken to a perceived life in the "self" for
it is the beginning of all that is death and dying. Individual Christians,
and the Church as a whole, must be careful that in their zeal to live the
victorious life over devils and demons they do not fail to perceive that
life is not in the creation but in the Creator. To do otherwise is to fall
into the certain death-trap of the Lucifer Principle. |
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