Morgan Books

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Computer

 

By Amos Morgan

 

 

The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Computer
Copyright © 2015 By Amos Morgan
Do not duplicate without permission


The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Computer

In Jesus day computers were not in use so his parables did not relate to them. He said "the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant man;" "the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net cast into the sea;" "the Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hid in a field." And since there is little similarity between a merchant man, a net, and a treasure we must conclude that he meant some aspects of a merchant man, a net and a treasure are similar to some aspects of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Many in our urban population today may relate to computers more readily than to a merchant man, a net or a treasure, so let's see if we can make that transition.

When we buy a new computer it is fast and the hard drive (HD) is clean, but if we do not take adequate precaution it is soon filled with corrupted files and infected with virus. Being new does not of itself provide trouble free operation for very long. Being tempted by generous offers and advertisements we may soon find that we have accepted corrupted files, viruses and are running out of HD space and that the computer has very much slowed down. It is no longer new nor does it perform as well as we had hoped.

What to do? Take it to the expert! Let him tell you what it needs rather than you telling him what to do and how to do it just because you may feel you know more about the problem than he.

The expert has a program that will delete the corrupted files and clean out all the virus. Now your computer is like new. But making it like new is only a starting point; it was new when you bought it, so something more is needed. The expert will recommend programs that will protect your files from being corrupted and will shut out any virus attempting to infect your computer.

But before we get too far along this line let's see how the Kingdom of Heaven fits in. Our personal lives may in many ways be influenced in a similar manner as our (once) new computer. Let's consider this for a moment.

When we are born we have not sinned, but we are susceptible to evil influences that corrupt and defile our lives just as a new computer is not in itself corrupt or infected but it is susceptible. But here is an important difference; a computer is not inclined to corruption and infestation whereas we are born with an earthly nature. This nature is normal to all mankind; it is natural. Biblically speaking it is called 'carnal', meaning it is earthly, fleshly, temporal and it places oneself ahead of others and is subject to temptation and peer pressure. And although we may try to train it otherwise, it is an enemy of God. At best we train it to be more loving, more forgiving, more considerate of others, to say "thank you" and to say "please". At worst it is what fills out prisons and our emergency rooms and hospitals.

That expensive computer program that cleans up our Hard Drive is spiritually called the Blood of Jesus in bible terms. Its cost was paid on Calvary's cross. Cleaning out the corrupt files and virus restores a 'like new' condition. This renewal is known by various names; being born again; being saved; or being justified by faith are some of those names.

But as mentioned earlier, starting all over new is only a partial solution.The expert recommends a new program to replace the original operating system. In biblical terms the new nature is spiritual rather than the old carnal one and it's a free download!

If you are familiar with download programs, even the free ones, you will be asked to click to start the download. That click starts the process, but it does not start the download itself. It starts a system check and for HD space. If everything is OK at that point it stops and asks if you have read and agree to the terms and conditions. If you fail to click 'yes' to the terms and conditions, the download terminates. Don't let the 'what ifs' deter you and abort the download. A little extra faith is required to just trust the expert but there is a great reward in doing so.

The new spiritual download program is sometimes called sanctification. Here the problem is that we do not have enough words to adequately describe sanctification and the different related meanings. Many different meanings are all lumped together and called sanctification. That is not unusual in our language – we just do not have enough words to go around. My desk reference dictionary has six different meanings for the word 'thick'; there just aren't enough words to go around!

Jesus said, "the temple sanctifies the gold (of the temple)." Mt. 23:17. God told Moses he could not go into the Promised Land because he did not sanctify Him at the waters of Mariah. We are told in 1 Cor. 7:14 that the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, … . In John 17:17 Jesus prays that the Father will sanctify through the truth those who have believed on him. The point of all this is that sanctification must be understood in the context in which it is used. There are those who say that in the Greek, sanctification just means set apart. Well, maybe. How many of us are fluent enough in Greek to debate the issue, but one thing is very clear, in the scriptures and in the English language, sanctification does not only mean set apart. So why would someone try to confuse us by saying that? There might be a great benefit in distancing yourself from such a one. When we were sinners the Holy Spirit convicted us of our sins. If we yielded and repented we were saved and we were sanctified by the presence of the Holy Spirit. But that sanctification is transient. When the carnal nature is replaced by the spiritual nature, there is an abiding sanctification. We commonly call having our carnal nature replaced by a spiritual nature 'entire sanctification' because it results in an abiding sanctification.

Can sanctification be set aside for our convenience? Can we lay it down and then go back later and pick it up again? A lady was being agitated by the neighbor kids so she threatened to do just that; lay down her sanctification long enough to take care of them and then go back and pick it up again. Can salvation be set aside long enough for us to indulge in sin and then go back and pick it up?

If you are buying a house on contract and if you fail to pay as agreed in the contract, you lose the house and all that you have already paid on it. That is the law; no one expects otherwise. When God makes a covenant with his people and they do not keep his law as agreed upon, God is no longer obligated to keep his promises made in the agreement. The people who left Egypt for the Promised Land never got out of the wilderness, but died there! There are those who say we can break our covenant with God, but God is still bound by his promises. Read the words of Jesus in the New Testament, Mat. 18:23-35.

Business contracts are no longer in effect if either party defaults.It is similarly true with salvation and sanctification. If we do not keep that to which we agreed in prayer, we lose the salvation and sanctification given us by God's promise. Can a contract be reinstated? Yes, if both parties agree, otherwise the answer is no. We may have heard that God will not take us back if we stumble and fall. The only correct answer here is 'don't try to second guess God' – go back to him and ask. God seems predisposed to give it another try but that depends upon the circumstances. By all means go to him and see what he has to say to you.

God is three persons, but one God. This is spiritually speaking, and God has special regard for the number three. This was displayed in the pattern for the tabernacle which he gave to Moses in the wilderness. The tabernacle had three compartments and blood was offered in each of the three. In our human relations God makes a husband and a wife 'one'. We should not find this confusing as some do who say that God is not really three, but is one person who acts in three different capacities. Don't tell me that; God made my wife and me one but I did not act out being her nor did she act out being me. So God is three persons who are supreme and who act in unity just as my wife and I acted in unity in the purchase of our home and in many other aspects of married life. So back to 'God in three persons' and the tabernacle with three compartments; God has ordained that we build our spiritual house in three steps.

  1. Salvation is comparable to deleting the corrupt files and cleaning out the virus in our computer. This step is an absolute requirement before we are eligible to ask for sanctification.
  2. Sanctification through the truth is comparable to downloading a new program that makes us spiritual instead of carnal.
  3. The baptism of the Holy Ghost (not mentioned heretofore) is like downloading a power program that enables us to do many things which we could not otherwise do.

Our emphasis here is primarily on sanctification because of the confusion that exists because of those who would like to limit our understanding by saying that sanctification just means 'set apart'. Sanctification through the truth makes us one with others who are also sanctified and it makes us one with God. In computer terms we are networked with God and other sanctified persons. The carnal mind cannot understand the things of God, but if we are networked (made one with God) then we can open those spiritual files.

One of the necessary steps we must take to retain our sanctification, our spiritual nature, is to sanctify ourselves. How? By choosing to refrain from the things of the world; things that may be legal, but which offend those whose faith is week; by avoiding people who would drag us down by a frivolous character which considers nothing as being sacred; by avoiding (as much as possible) those whose language is profane and obscene; by keeping ourselves morally pure. We certainly encounter those things in life, but we should never become companions or choose our friends from among such. Perhaps the best meaning we can get from being set apart is to set ourselves apart from things of the world and set apart a time for daily reading the Bible and spending time in prayer.

God leads those who are willing to follow his leadings.

 

 


Contact us at AzusaBooks@gmail.com
This site designed by Metro Design copyright © 2007 — 2018     All rights reserved