Late one night I was going through a collection of stuff that needed to be sorted into discard and keep piles. I came across a box filled with old keys. There was no way to know to what locks they belonged, if indeed the locks still existed. Despite that obvious fact, there was a remarkable relunctance to dispose of this odd assortment of passports to who knows where. Maybe just maybe one of them might be the key, the key I would desparately need. It wasn’t long until, especially considering the late hour, I was off on a rabbit hunt down the trail of keys, in search of the key. Here is what I ended up with, which after reading you may suggest I consider going to bed earlier in the future…
No single situation producing insight contains any fundamental or basic advantage over any other. Eternity is connected to them all and its germ lies within them all. Like fractal geometry were the smallest entity contains the image of the larger of which it is part, everything is linked and resonates with the music of the whole sphere of existence. As a result, self discovery can come in any situation or experience where we allow ourselves to be open to God’s probing presence.
There are no Gnostic moments, no required special knowledge. Each and every moment, or any point of knowledge, all hold the same key into the eternal totality. God exists outside linearity, yet it is through Christ and his sacrifice we find the thread through which entrance is gained into the infinite. However, despite an event that occured at a single point in time, Jesus can be reached from anywhere or from anytime. And, it is through his Son that God meets all persons exactly where they are, wherever or whenever that might be. These infinite possible meetings are all threaded through the same door. As a result, there is only one fundamental answer to begin answering all questions.
That answer is found through that singular portal, the door of Christ’s sacrifice, through which the whole of the universe opens up to the exploration of the redeemed soul. While that door can be reached from any place, any time, or any circumstance, it has only one key. The door cannot be stormed through – Satan tried it unsuccessfully. No power in all of creation can force its way across the threshold. Only one singular key may be used. It cannot be fashioned from knowledge, or power, or any exercise of the will. It cannot be acquired by gifts or offerings and it cannot be bought, bargained for, stolen, or gained by any means under heaven except one.
The key has many faces but only one name. It appears uniquely to each person, in the guise of many possibilities, but it asks for only one thing. Something so fundamental that the very being of our striving humanity cries out against it. Even when it seems within our very grasp we often step back, withholding the finality required. We hedge our bets as if there has to be some another option, a yet undiscovered possibility, hidden from our view. We hear whispered in our ear that surely this is not the only course.
But we are wrong. The key is woven of the web of our predicament, from the stuff of our intrinsic rebellion. It is unique to each of us, but yet the same for us all.
- For Cain, it was to offer a lamb in sacrifice.
- For Onan, it was to fulfill his familial duty.
- For Pharoah, it was to free God’s chosen people to worship him.
- For the spies sent into Canah, it was to trust God to deal with all the possible enemies and adversities.
- For Jonah, it was to go to Nineveh and preach repentence to allay the coming wrath.
- For the Pharisees, it was the abandonment of religious pride and become humble before the people and Jesus Christ.
- For Pilate, it was justice over political expediency.
- For Simon Magnus, it was giving up the seducing power of the occult.
In a word, it is surrender, but not just any surrender. It is our total capitulation to God. For us today, that means accepting the sacrifice of Christ as the sole atonement for our sins, allowing him to be the sole and complete Lord of our lives.
I once had a friend who was afraid of Christianity because she didn’t want to loose all her friends. For me the issue was who was going to be in control of my life. For you it might be something different, something unique to you, but it will be something, something requiring surrender.
In the end, however, all the faces of all the issues resolve themselves into that singular key of surrender to God. You can enter into his presence in no other way. That surrender finds its ultimate reality in the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross. It is the place, where Paul says in his letter to the Philippians, that Jesus himself surrendered to the will of the Father, submitting completely, laying aside his Godly prerogatives. One singular sacrifice, one unique yielding becomes the pattern, the prototypical key for us all, our means to gain entry into eternity, into the kingdom of God.
It was once said that all roads led to Rome. Eternally speaking, it can be said that all roads lead to the cross of Jesus Christ. There is only one way, one truth about that way, and only one life that has the power to give life. There is only one key to it all. It is yours for the asking, yours for the taking. What are you waiting for?
Jimmy, I am not sure what you mean. Two versions? Lower Case?
Nice writing, the people(masses) are a bit less educated than what I just read. Can you offer two versions without identifyng
the lower case so people who want to understand will not feel subjegated to your literary dream.
This is a very confronting message. We’re all offered a key, but how, if, and to what degree we’re taking it can bring us a huge veriety of results. We can all live like a king in heaven, or end up in hell, all depends on our perspective and how much we believe to the treature that’s behind the key, and how we’re gonna respond to the key.
It’ll be utterly foolish to be given a key totally free to the eternal treature and then throw it away.
If I was given a key (not just lend it to me, but give to me to possess) to a brand new car, I promise you I won’t throw that key away. It’s interesting(and sad) why people are given a key totally free to treasures that have mansions, gold streets,etc and still remain indifferent.
It’s a great post, thank you for sharing it!
I had some misgivings about this post. I thought it might be a little too “stream of consciousness” in its approach, since the original writing poured out onto the screen in one big gush. I later edited it to improve the readability, but it still possesses that “off the top of my head feel”. I finally decided that it will speak to whom it will speak to and that was enough…
William, Good post. I can’t help but hope some people who do not yet believe will read it, because I think it will help them understand what following Jesus is really about. Thanks.