Adam and Eve were godly; they were godlike. Therefore, every week, when the Son of God entered the Garden of Eden and visited with his favorite couple, he looked in their eyes and encouraged them with words like:
“You are made in my image. You are like me. You are good – very good! Yes, you are my beloved sons and daughters, and in you I am well pleased. I have done good work. You are doing good work. You are so holy and beautiful. Well done, my good and faithful servants! Let’s rest and holiday together.”
However, in the course of time, Adam and Eve disbelieved God, believed the devil, followed his leadership, loved themselves supremely, and intentionally disobeyed their Lover. Immediately, they became defaced image-bearers cursed in soul, emotion, body, family, neighborhood, vocation, planet, and eternal state. And it was all downhill from there. Daily, they progressed in depravity and grew to look more and more like their abusive stepfather – the devil.
God noticed their perverted affections and actions, and he was angry with them every day. (Psalm 7:11) Throughout the scriptures, he described his depraved image-bearers as corpses, vipers, white-washed tombs, menstrual rags, unfaithful whores, water that makes him spew, crap-pots filled with dung, and maggots. Men and women were odious to him. They grieved him to his heart, and he considered blotting them out. (Genesis 6:7) He declared he would clean house and exterminate the maggots that troubled him so.
Therefore, Bildad was theologically correct when he proclaimed:
How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? Behold, even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure in his eyes; how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm! (Job 25:4-6)
However, that’s not the end of the story. Consider the following verse – with some non-inspired alterations. Consider the Good News:
For God so loved the maggot, that he gave his only Son, that whoever might believe him, should not be exterminated, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit looked upon the infested planet and determined to rescue and glorify certain maggots. However, to make this happen, the unthinkable would need to take place. The Son would need to set aside his divine privileges and be treated like an undesirable maggot. This happened! Jesus humbled himself, lived a godly life, earned paradise, and heard words of affirmation from his Father. Then he was despised and rejected. He was publicly pinned to a tree and exterminated like a maggot. His corpse was then buried in the earth. This he did so that certain maggots might escape the hell where worms and maggots die not. This he did so that certain maggots – anyone who believes – might be forever treated as holy sons and daughters of God.
Therefore friends, let us believe in our natural, maggot-like condition. It really is that bad.
And let us believe in our Savior’s substitutionary maggot-like extermination. It really is that bad.
And let us believe in our Savior’s substitutionary obedience. He really was that good.
Then, let us live like we believe what we say we believe. Let us today boast in the unfathomable selection of the Father, the unfathomable humiliation of the Son, and the unfathomable transformation of the Spirit.
Then, let us boast about what God continues to do in us and through us.
As we are out and about, let’s boast loudly to our family, friends, and neighbors about what Jesus can do to them.
Let’s also boast about what God is preparing for us in paradise.
But whatever we do, let’s boast only about Jesus and never boast about our character, record, and works. We know from whence we come. We know our history. We know the truth. Let’s be humble while we boast.
Unfathomable Grace 