The Impossible

The Impossible

The children of the Spirit, the children of wisdom, the children of the free woman, the church, the body of Christ, His bride who does not live for herself, who is one with the Son and the Father are called and chosen for something that is impossible for man.

Their entire calling and election, their entire life and interest is concerned with the impossible.

Therefore it is also impossible for others to understand them. Their life is hidden with Christ in God. People barely understand the things that are revealed; how much less do they understand the things that are hidden.

Their treasures are hidden, therefore no one can tell their worth. Their stewardship is concerned with mysteries; in other words, with something that is unknown.

Jesus said that with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible, and for those who believe.

They are therefore a people of faith—those who are enabled to understand the hidden things and to accomplish the impossible.

Since Abraham is called the father of all those who believe, and since he is their example, we should rightly be able to expect something like that in this life that is in agreement with that statement!

He looked at the deadness of Sarah’s womb. Nevertheless, God had said that she would give birth to a son. That was impossible. Did Abraham believe in spite of it? Yes, he did!

However, above all that was impossible, it was impossible for anyone born of a woman to keep God’s commandments, just as it was impossible for the Law (even though it was given by God) to bring it about that people could live according to it.

God did precisely the very thing that was so impossible—by sending His Son and letting Him be born into mankind, condemning sin in the flesh.

He did not attack sinful acts like the Law did; His sword was directed at the very tree that bore these fruits—against its roots. When the root has been destroyed, these sour fruits must necessarily cease.

This impossible work transpired in the Son of Man, as Jesus preferred to call Himself.

Yet the greatest thing of all is that this took place in Him as our forerunner so that it could also take place in us as those who run after Him; then we could be called His brothers in truth, which is what we now are by faith in the impossible.

Now the members can and must go the way the Head went.

The impossibilities that first took place in the first-born among many brethren now takes place in these many brethren, for both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are one. Heb. 2:11. What incredible goodness and marvelous wisdom!

What was impossible for man was possible for God, and it is now possible for each one who believes it.

It is very blessed to overcome what you know to be sin; but to condemn what you have never known to be sin is far greater and even more impossible for man.

In the deepest sense of the word, the edification of the entire church (the body of Christ) consists of sin being condemned in the flesh. This is not a matter or a question besides many others; on the contrary, it is the essence of the matter for whose sake everything else has to yield. Everything else is intended to serve this end.

Difficulties, misunderstandings, puzzles, burdens, blame, praise, song, laughter, consolation, receiving gifts, giving, being robbed, loneliness, crowds, dry times, revivals, falls, deaths, apostasy, fire, purification, water, blood, consuming, judgment, condemnation, all kinds of entanglements, lack of power, emptiness, fullness of power, all kinds of darkness, all kinds of impossibilities—all impossibilities are God’s blessed servants (Ps. 119:91)—they all have this one and the same task: to contribute to this very same impossibility that took place in the Son of Man so that it can also take place in us: that the root of sin is condemned in the hidden, that the body of sin is destroyed point after point after point.

This inner, divine life develops in the soul who forsakes himself and all his possessions, who considers himself dead with Christ and who walks in the Spirit by faith.

It is possible to have victory over sin in general, and yet have a remnant left. We can be finished with the old, sinful life once and for all, and yet there can be a point left—a particular weakness—which my faith has not managed to embrace until this day. On this point a person suffers defeat often or once in a while. This may have continued for years, and the longer it has continued, the more impossible it seems. This is precisely what God is interested in. This is also what your interest should be. This pertains to your calling in particular—precisely because it is impossible. Here you are called not only to be victorious, but to be triumphant!

It is obvious that it is utterly impossible; therefore our own boasting is completely excluded—by the law of faith. Therefore God gives grace to this very thing—to His honor and praise and worship.

Therefore expect the impossible!