Layers

In my own life and that of others to whom I have ministered over the years, I would describe God’s healing and restoration process in a believer’s life as being completed in layers. I have observed that, like an onion, the Lord works through our layers of hardness of heart, ignorance of God’s truth, and distortion of our thinking. He transforms us into a new creation, with a new worldview, and a changed attitude, demeanor, and countenance.

Recently, while studying today’s text, I discovered that the words translated in the NIV as ‘through and through’ are two related Greek words from the same root. One of the words is translated as ‘completely’ and the other is translated as ‘entirely’ in the interlinear Greek New Testament.

But more to the point, the one translated ‘completely’ can have the meaning of being ‘fully-layered’. This describes us reaching the end goal of sanctification - a complete permeation of the Lord’s transforming power through all the layers of who we are to make us into the likeness of Jesus.

Through the Apostle Paul, the Lord was saying that, if we allow it, the process of sanctification works through all the ‘layers’ of our being, purifying, cleansing, and restoring every layer until we are fully set apart to the Lord. Just as until death our body cannot be separated from our soul, nor our soul from our spirit, all the layers that need healing will, to some degree or the other, affect the other layers surrounding them.

As the Lord heals us one layer at a time, those layers that were rotten, weak, impure, or wobbly, turn clean, solid, secure, and healthy. This ‘builds us up’ and restores us to the condition God originally intended.

Of course, we realize that the final and ultimate healing of every layer will not happen until we see Jesus. There is no sinless perfection while we are still this side of heaven. But as we walk with the Lord faithfully, day by day submitting ourselves to the hand of the Great Physician, making the changes He highlights and releasing the things to Him that have weighed us down or beset us, we will find our ‘layers’ being transformed and ourselves becoming more solid and secure in who He created us to be.

Can we say yes to allowing the Lord access to every layer?
Can we take hope that He wants to heal all of them?