God has taken His loved ones as His children, and placed our salvation and protection in the hands of our Elder Brother, the Lord Jesus, Who died to save us, and will lead God's children into glory one day soon.
Christ observed that only the little children could enter into the kingdom of God. All the saints are God's children, coming to Christ in meekness and wonder and helplessness and without strength or self-sufficiency.
But we must not think we are, on our own, and of ourselves, such innocent children as Christ described who come to Him.
In our world, we treat children as helpless and innocent. Our mothers sometimes refer to us, in our childhood, as their "little lambies."
But soon we grow up, and become self-sufficient, and hardened, and cynical, no more like little children.
Before God, our natural appearance is not that of innocent childhood, but rather that of rebels and sinners. We are by nature untrusting, disobedient, and unlikable before God.
Paul says we were dead, full of wickedness, and by nature the children of wrath.
In another place, we are described as the ungodly enemies of God.
We must come to Jesus as little children, but how can we come to Him when that is not our natural state?
The gospel is rejected by the world, all grown up and rebellious, and not like trusting little children at all!
Indeed, it would take a miracle to make us suitable to approach the Lord Jesus as little children. That is why Jesus proclaimed that we must be converted, and become like little children, if we are ever to see the kingdom of God!
Praise God, He has raised us from the dead by the Holy Ghost and converted us just so! |