The Secret of Agency

Ezra 9:24-30. Ezra wisely deposited different parts of the temple treasure into the hands of a dozen priests.  Rather than loading a wagon and using twelve mules to pull the load, he trusted others to help him.  As agents, appointed to complete the adornment of the temple, these twelve men relieved Ezra of direct (and constant) responsibility for the treasure.  

God works through agency.

Abraham = agent of fatherhood

Moses = agent of legal administration

Jesus = agent of salvation

There are times when God is both owner and agent.  There are some things that cannot be accomplished through agents within the created order. Obviously, God must create without help from creation.  He uses His own raw material to work out the specifics-the stuff of creation.

The calvinian perspective is that God has no agents.  They believe that He has plenty of play actors (Greek word = hypocrite) who pretend to do things that are effective for God.  However, their ideas point to the notion that God does everything - absolutely everything - and nothing happens that He doesn’t do directly. (Unfortunately, this philosophy is precisely the same as evolutionary doctrine.)

If the calvinians are correct, God has made other human beings that appear to be just like them into worthless trash that could never be good in any way.  It doesn’t take much common sense to understand that what they really believe is that they are special and anyone that disagrees with them or doesn’t conform to them is worthless trash.  Since they have made themselves special they believe that God will rubber stamp their perspective.

God works through agency.

New creation cannot be accomplished from within the created order.  New creation was not accomplished at the time of old creation (or before).  In other words, no one was preselected to receive new creation (new means NEW- stop lying to yourself with restoration theology!) before the old creation was accomplished.  Sin, a key component of new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21), was not available until it happened in the garden.

Jesus Christ - agent of salvation - is God and man; creator and participant in the created order.  He, as firstborn from among the dead, provides the glorious treasure that is intrinsic to His entire being for all  mankind.  It is available to any clay pot on earth (2 Corinthians 4:6-7).  His only begotten and firstborn status can be poured like oil into clay pots - all they need to do is ask for it and accept it.  Jesus took the time to make himself available as agent of salvation at the cross. 

Come to the cross.