"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels (jars of clay), that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.”
This is Paul's unique way of telling us that Christ, through the Holy Spirit, lives within us - within our bodies. It is interesting that our bodies are referred to as earthen vessels, or jars of clay, since God created us from the "dust of the ground." It is also interesting that these jars of clay were fragile, some more fragile than others. The God of the universe has taken abode through His Spirit in our earthen, fragile bodies. That, my friends, is love, grace and mercy. The very Son of God is our treasure. The treasure lives within us. Paul stated it another way in Colossians 1:25-27: "I have become it’s (the church) servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness. 26. The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (NIV) But He is not just dwelling in us. He is at work in us. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul writes that we are are saved by grace through faith, and that is not the result of our works, but the result of the mercy and grace of God. But "works" is not a dirty word, because he follows it up with verse 10: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Jesus enters our lives and begins a work in us that leads us to do the works that we have been destined to do since we were born, (At least that's how I interpret it.) We cannot take credit for the good results of the work that we do, for Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 4:7: "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." (NIV) In all reality, Jesus enters our lives that we might show the power of God at work. That is a grand reason to be alive and walking around on planet earth. We are "earthen vessels" and Jesus is the "treasure." Believers, let's rejoice in that reality, and pray that God's purpose will be realized in our lives. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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