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THE ONGOING WORK OF RESTORATION
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
Suppose you found a painting in your attic covered with dust and grime, but as you gently wiped it off, you begin to see a beautiful picture much obscured by the dirt and filth that has accumulated with the passing of time. But sensing that this is something which might be worth a great deal, you take it to an art dealer and ask for his help. In a few days, you receive a phone call from the art dealer. He's almost breathless with excitement as he informs you that what you found in your old attic is an old masterpiece, and should be hanging in one of the great art galleries of the world, not buried in your attic.
I will never forget my first visit to the Sistine Chapel to view the great work of Michelangelo. Yes, the paintings were profound but they were dark and dingy. The grime of several centuries covered their beautiful tones. Then came the restoration done by the world's leading experts. On my next visit, the paintings had come alive. Yes, they were the same ones painted by the great artist, but the restoration and cleansing made the difference.
Restoration, of course, is not without a price to pay. It is much easier to just leave something alone than to go to the work of restoring it, applying cleansers in just the right amounts, with just the right pressure which will not permanently destroy the original.
In a real sense, spiritual restoration was the great work of Jesus Christ, a work so important that God sent His Son to accomplish the cleansing and healing of the masterpiece which God made at creation.
Jesus' character showed us what God intended us to be, and His ministry, which cut to the core of human nature, began stripping off the veneer of hypocrisy and the superficiality of religion which had built up over the centuries. What man had corrupted, Jesus restored.
Yes, it was painful. Men much preferred that He not disturb the status quo, that He not lay bare the corrupted hearts of humankind, that He not condemn the religious establishment which had made a pretense of worship and holiness.
Jesus' most scathing words of condemnation were directed not to the homeless, or the woman taken in the act of adultery, nor the blind beggars who sat by the side of the road asking for a morsel of bread, but to the religious establishment, to those whose lives should have been given to bringing men back to the path that leads to God instead of making them twice the sons of hell.
Jesus also showed us what God is like: a loving God who wills restoration for all of his creatures. Frankly, the work of restoration which God sent His Son to begin continues. It's the great work of the Church, touching the lives of people wherever they are, as God's Holy Spirit cleanses the grime and the filth and brings restoration and healing.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,” says Paul, “he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). That's restoration.
A closing thought. No person is ever beyond the point of restoration and reconciliation with a loving God. No, regardless of what your conscience tells you, or what others may tell you, God still considers you to be a person worth saving. There's hope, friend. In reality, your feelings of worthlessness and your fears are your own worst enemies.
May I suggest that you read John 3 from the New Testament and there see yourself included in the "Whoever” of John 3:16? Remember those familiar words, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Ah, yes, that is what restoration is all about.
Resource reading : John 3:1-17
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