A Struggle During Rome’s Revival - First Principal Presupposition

Presupposition One:

The first holds to a belief that on this side of eternity, all life is antithetical in both a literal and figurative sense in terms of spectrum and priorities.

By antithetical, we mean that there is a statement that can be put forward as a premise, and there will always be a counterpart that is in some way mutually incompatible with the premise. At the outset, one must ask whether they agree or disagree that all things, in some form or fashion, are binary.

Of course, this declaration stands contrary to the relativistic, continuum thinking of the post-modern era, but nonetheless, distinct differences between people, places, things, and ideas are objectively observable to the naked eye or at least the mind’s eye. How do we reconcile the shades of grey mentality in the age of relativity against clearly black and white demarcations in an apparently antithetical reality?

The answer begins with Him, and when we begin to know Him, we find that His determination to distinguish between things is of great importance.

How does He distinguish between things?

Scripture proposes the existence of a fault line with all persons standing on one of two sides. On one side is a creature with a life lived for Him physically and spiritually (i.e., living as designed with an animus for His glory), and on the other side stands one with a life lived against Him physically and spiritually (i.e., not living as designed, but quite literally dead or incapable of possessing an animus for His glory).

Saint Paul fleshes out this antithetical proposal in his letter to the Church of Rome through a bifurcation of all mankind describing each as being either a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness – that one will either be ruled by a particular kind of death or raised into a higher calling of life. It is generally explained in this epistle filled with soteriological doctrine that while all are in some way the recipient of a common grace from God, not all are recipients of His covenant of grace. This means that before time immemorial, a book of life was drafted by the triune Divinity with sole prerogative to declare denizens of a future kingdom (i.e., the elect), and it has implications for all of those left out of the book (i.e., the unelect). The proclamation of King David rests upon solid standing when he declares, "the [dividing] lines have fallen to some in pleasant places." In this regard, the apostle Paul explains that all are a vessel of mercy or a vessel of wrath - a vessel of honor or of dishonor.

In this light, there are a plethora of antithetical possibilities. Either one will be a citizen of war or that of peace reminding us that there are two kinds of cities, a Sodom and Gomorrah as well as a Jerusalem (i.e., the literal "City of Peace"). In other words, you will either worship the holy true triune God, or you must continue to worship the unholy false god. Only one is truly triune being three persons in one consisting of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, while the other merely poses as divinity, an unholy trinity under the names dragon, beast, and prophet.

Slowly, this antithetical narrative begins to paint a picture as the good and bad news starts to unravel. While there is a visible material perspective to life, there is an unseen spiritual perspective that cannot be ignored. To hold strictly to a secular system means neglecting the sacred story of a Savior. In this regard, most in the post-modern era still acknowledge the existence of a head potentate, yet a good number still reject the necessity of a High Priest. And while acceptance of the Word means adoption as a child of God, rejection is a definite destruction destined for the children of Satan. Thus, there are the saved that put on display a belief in the Passover lamb's blood and receive the blessings of Israel and the unsaved, who have fallen under the curses of Egypt.

All of this alludes to a temporal and eternal spectrum within the antithetical. In the temporal sense, all experience a first birth and death, but in the eternal sense, one is either a child of the second birth (i.e., the recipient of regeneration and progressive glorification) or the second death (i.e., penalized with endless damnation). In the second birth, one is grafted by grace into His loving family, and in the second death, one is cast away by wrath into His lake of fire.

Therefore, the one who believes this lives in conformity with God’s desires, but the unbeliever lives in conformity with Satan and the world’s desire. While the grace of His preserving perseverance is the key to eternal life, it is a shipwrecked faith that leads to death. This means that wild olives who have been gifted with obedience to His will are grafted in, the disobedient dead branches are cutoff and cast out. Yet, to genuinely accept this truth requires being engaged in selfless humility, and denial is always prevalent amongst those saturated with selfish pride. Such a state of mind belongs to the servant imputed with His righteousness and subject to God, but it is the evil heart that desires to be subject to no one other than self.

So, understand that only when we grow to love His law, will we begin to gripe less over a lack of autonomy. And we are always last to love Him, because He loved us first. This is why He is the true King, and all others are a false king. In His first coming, He arrived as the suffering servant enduring humiliation for the forgiveness of our sins, but in the second coming He will be acknowledged in inauguration as the sovereign Savior in exaltation above all and supreme judge of those not His. Born to humble station as the sacrificial lamb, His glory was veiled, but in His assignment as sovereign Lord, all His majesty will be revealed. And the divinely planned coronation will begin with the devil's dethronement and capture. Knowing this future fate of fallen Lucifer should cause us to proclaim His preeminence in the present. But also, the true benevolent King ought to move us to unity and to generously give in love as He showed us. His model is in direct opposition to the false malevolent king who incites division and greedily takes in hatred. His citizens say, "I have nothing" and give all that they have, but the serpent’s followers say, “look what I have!” and take more than they need. They are the stingily harsh which cause severe stumbling, but His are the gently charitable giving in ways that cause sufficient relief for His glory. Thus, the friends of Christ are motivated to praise the glory of His grace, but His enemies pursue personal praise for the glory of their goodness.

Why are you still reading?

Ultimately, we appreciate juxtaposition because life is antithetical. We like those that constructively instruct and encourage, but are opposed to those that destructively dictate and cause one to lose hope. It is His children that are more genuinely altruistic with increased time for righteousness, but the children of Satan love themselves and idleness dedicating their time to unrighteousness. Simply put, there are some that only love themself and there are those that love others. And like their Father, they will run to greet, but Satan’s are quick to cast out. And yet, all of this is a grace, for there are those who wait upon the Lord and then there are those who wait upon their own strength.

The ends of possessing true strength begins with proclaiming sincere weakness. For strength is not derived from outward appearance or inward resolve, but it is about the state of one's heart. For there is that which is publicly seen, but there is also that which is privately hidden. One may appear pious, and yet what is on the inside is anything but piety. Genuine godliness is the true worship of Him with all of your soul, mind, and strength, while ungodliness is the worship of anything else. Righteousness is loving our neighbors as ourselves while unrighteousness is putting ourselves before others. If we’re truly worshipping and desiring Him above all else, than we will be unable to covet those things belonging to our neighbor, and the greedy desires of our heart will turn into gratitude over His desires and who He is. Thus, if our heart attitude with Him is right, than we will not have a heart attitude with others that is wrong. Are not all of the blessings of Israel based on priority? For when we seek Him first everything else good for us will be added after.

What else can we antithetically say about Him?

He views the realms in terms of heavenly and earthly things; there is that which is material and that which is spiritual. He sees a difference between light and darkness. He distinguishes between that which is old and that which is new. He is truth and despises lies. He also likes order and reforms disorder. We know that He is the author of life, and all that stand against Him are dead.

His attention to detail is immense, and given His all-knowing nature, nothing is missed. Thus, He separates things out to distinguish it from other things. He reveals His authorship with clarity in such a way that His signature on all existing things cannot be denied. There is much that is simplistic about God, and there is much that is not. He is perfect Deity with infinite knowledge and wisdom, and yet He possesses immutable attributes none of which ever conflict. For all these reasons, what He has to say must be listened to for the Word of His power is everything for those who believe as well as for those who do not.

Takeaways?

If there is anything to be learned, thus far, it is that there is a side to choose. In other words, because life is antithetical, it naturally follows that there must be sides to choose. Some of those choices have temporal consequence while others have eternal implications. All of those who came before us, and others that will come after each need to make a choice before the Alpha and Omega, and there is no other like Him, for He is the first and the last of His kind.

If you have some time, try to identify and list how many antithetical realities were described in this writing (e.g., friends and enemies, light and darkness, humility and pride, etc.).