the primary objective

If I were to ask you, ‘What, do you suppose, was the primary objective of Jesus Christ in setting aside his majesty to be born of a virgin, in a stable, to live 30 some years confined to a human frame, to be betrayed at the hands of his own people, mocked, beaten, and crucified on a Roman cross?’ Would your answer be the same as mine?

If you had asked me that very question, only one week ago, my answer would have been different than it is today.

A week ago, I would have said that his primary objective, his reason for coming, the purpose of his dying on the cross, was to cleanse me from my sin. To save me, to wash me, to free me. If you had asked me why he would want to do these things, I would have said, ‘because he loves me and he wants a relationship with me’. (Not ONLY me, of course, but you as well... and everyone else that has ever breathed.)

I don’t know about you, but, when I ‘mental picture’ the word relationship, I picture two separate individuals interacting with one another. One standing here, and the other standing there. Bringing that picture into the spiritual realm, I ‘picture’ God, unable to look on sin, unable to stand in the same room as me because of my sin. I picture my need of cleansing. I hear the words that Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross, purifies me from all unrighteousness, and I receive that. I picture myself clothed in the pure white robe of Christ’s righteousness, so that in the end, God in all his holiness can look at me, and talk to me, and interact with me. I picture me here, and him there. Close now, intimate even, but separate. I see Jesus’ objective met. I see relationship. I see love.

This seems right to me. I could not argue the beauty of it. But, as of Monday, it seems incomplete. There is still something more! All this has occurred, and it is good, it is, in fact, wonderful, but it is not the PRIMARY objective, the ULTIMATE goal.

The answer I would give you today is better yet! (Though I haven’t got my head wrapped around it just yet!) The PRIMARY objective is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit! THIS was the goal! This is what it’s all about. This is WHY he died! To simply say that Jesus died on the cross to forgive my sins is not the whole story! Forgiveness is not the primary objective, but rather a necessary step toward the primary objective! The filling, the baptism, the empowering, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ, is the goal!

Jesus did a lot of teaching about the Spirit. He often said, ‘when the Spirit comes, he will this...’ or ‘he will that...’ He said it was BETTER for him to go, because if he didn’t go, then God could not send the Spirit, and that, apparently, was bad.... Sending the Spirit was the goal, the plan. Did you ever think about it, that Jesus could have remained on earth forever and ever in his human body, like we so often wish for, but he seemed to think it was better for the Spirit to come and indwell us? He also said to ‘WAIT’ until God sent the Spirit, before trying to do anything. It doesn’t sound optional when he puts it that way. It sounds like it’s important. Necessary. A step not to be missed! According to Andrew Murray it is the “crown and glory of Jesus work.”

When the apostles found a group of believers that had not been ‘baptised’ in the Spirit, they never said, ‘oh well, carry on... you’re doing fine... it’s optional!’ They immediately taught them about the Spirit, and layed hands on them, and without fail, they ‘received’ the Holy Spirit. Somehow, mysteriously, just knowing and believing in Jesus was not enough. It wasn’t complete. Being forgiven was not the ultimate goal. Being a follower was not the ultimate goal. Being indwelt was. John the Baptist said that he baptised with water, but Jesus would baptise with the Holy Spirit. John knew the plan. Paul taught that this was the ultimate mystery, “Christ in us, the hope of glory!” IN us.

I don’t know why this seems so revolutionary to me. I’ve always known, since I was a little girl, that Jesus ‘lived’ inside me. (As a little girl, I never questioned how one person could live inside of another. It wasn’t until later that I learned it was the Spirit of Jesus that lived inside me, which I suppose still sounds a little strange, but, at least this doesn`t break the laws of physics! ) I’ve been encouraged for years to allow the Holy Spirit to live through me. My pastor preaches it nearly every Sunday.

I think it’s the word ‘primary’ that has caught me off guard. I have not been taught this as if it was the primary objective, as if it was of ultimate importance, as if, knowing and experiencing this was more important than knowing that Jesus was born in a manger and David killed Goliath with a sling shot.