Monday Meditation
June 03, 2013
From the desk of Dr. A.J. Higgins
If I Had Not Come
“If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin;
but now they have no cloak for their sin.”
John 15:22
Think of those words: “If I had not come.” Think of what they mean and the potential horror they introduce. Imagine if He had not come! What would your life be like? What would your eternity be like?
If He had not come, we would still have been responsible for the light of creation (Romans 1:19, 20) and our response to it, but there would have been no revelation of the Father’s heart. There would have been no provision for sin or salvation. None of us would have sought after God (Romans 3:11). There would have been no ground swell of public opinion in favor of beseeching God for a Savior. There would have been no grass roots effort to persuade heaven to have mercy and provide a redeemer. We would have lived and died in darkness, had He not come.
Had He not come, we would have never known the depth of our sin and rebellion against God. Had He not come, we would have never known the depths of divine love. Had he not come we would never have known the thrill of grace or the wonder of a free and frank forgiveness.
The very thought of His not coming should bow our hearts in worship that He did come. He came into the world to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15); He came to manifest His Father’s name (John 17:6). He came that we might have life (John 3:17) and that we might have ‘abundant life’ (John 10:10). He came down to give His life for the life of the world (John 6), to do His Father’s will, and to be a light in the world that we might not live in darkness (John 12:46).
“If I had not come …” Thank God He came! The results of His coming cannot be fully tabulated. The fruits of His coming extend beyond the numberless multitude who will people heaven; it embraces the Father’s glory and honor, the redemption of creation, and the basis for eternal bliss for every family in heaven and earth. He came! And eternity will resound and echo with praise for all He accomplished.
Consider:
1. Tabulate more verses and the reasons given and the results seen, for why ‘He came.’
2. In the context of John 15:22, what was the response of men to His coming?
3. “They hated Me without a cause.” There was no justified reason for hating Christ. But what were some of the reasons given for why men did hate Him and reject Him? Was any other result possible when absolute holiness confronted depraved humanity?
_________________________________________________________