34. Think of the honor and the glory Christ's righteousness brings
even to our bodies! How can this poor, sinful, miserable, filthy,
polluted body become like unto that of the Son of God, the Lord of
Glory? What are you--your powers and abilities, or those of all men,
to effect this glorious thing? But Paul says human righteousness,
merit, glory and power have nothing to do with it. They are mere
filth and pollution, and condemned as well. Another force intervenes,
the power of Christ the Lord, who is able to bring all things into
subjection to himself. Now, if he has power to subject all things
unto himself at will, he is also able to glorify the pollution and
filth of this wretched body, even when it has become worms and dust.
In his hands it is as clay in the hands of the potter, and from the
polluted lump of clay he can make a vessel that shall be a beautiful,
new, pure, glorious body, surpassing the sun in its brilliance and
beauty.
35. Through baptism Christ has taken us into his hands, actually that
he may exchange our sinful, condemned, perishable, physical lives for
the new, imperishable righteousness and life he prepares for body and
soul. Such is the power and the agency exalting us to marvelous
glory--something no earthly righteousness of the Law could
accomplish. The righteousness of the Law leaves our bodies to shame
and destruction; it reaches not beyond physical existence. But the
righteousness of Christ inspires with power, making evident that we
worship not the body but the true and living God, who does not leave
us to shame and destruction, but delivers from sin, death and
condemnation, and exalts this perishable body to eternal honor and
glory.
_Twenty Fourth Sunday After Trinity_
Text: Colossians 1, 3-14.
3 We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying
always for you, 4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of
the love which ye have toward all the saints, 5 because of the hope
which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in
the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which is come unto you; even
as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as it
doth in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in
truth; 7 even as ye learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant,
who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 who also
declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to
pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the
knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10
to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in
every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11
strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory,
unto all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks unto
the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of
the saints in light; 13 who delivered us out of the power of
darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love;
14 in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.