Semper Reformanda

And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. Micah 5:4-5 (KJV)

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It will be great if there were no hunger or poverty in the world. It will be great if there were no wars or hatred among people. And perhaps, by the end of humanity Christ will restore such peace on earth. But for now, there is a peace that he is busy restoring; that is a peace between us and YHWH. Yes! There is great evil in this world; greedy capitalists, politicians, terrorists, et cetera. But there is a greater evil, there is sin and punishment. It manifests in our relentless unbelief; we may know God intellectually but may feel far from him in our inner most selves. Christ came to restore this peace, between sin and the Holy wrath of God. Peace on earth will be established after there is peace between us and God. The advent is a wonderful reminder that the Son of God came to establish an everlasting peace, tied to Him, and through Him, in an eternal bond. 

I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people. Hebrews 8:4-10 (KJV)

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Old Testament worship pointed towards the heaven. The rituals referred to higher realities. With Christ, there is a fulfilment of the OT that transcends impersonal transactions through the Law. He fixes our desires. Israel repeated fail the old covenant because it is not in our natural desires to worship God. The new covenant is personal. It is initiated with an internal transformation. Worship is not performative. It becomes the character of a new identity. The advent is a wonderful reminder of this blessed state, this affordance to actual desire God and godliness in our lives.

He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 16:15-17 (KJV)

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Personal confessions are a proper response to the recognition of Christ’s identity. And it cannot be achieved through any other means, but only through the indispensable work of God. It reflects not just hearing or reading about Christ, but the actual ability to perceive Christ in His complete glory. The perception transcends intellectual ascend. It is not just about knowing facts about Christ but about experiencing the absolute transformation of the self. Personal confessions testify the transformative power of knowing Christ. The advent is a humble reminder of this divine access we are blessed with: to know Christ, personally, in all His glory.