One of the more interesting passages in the life and ministry of Elisha the prophet, is the account of the floating ax head in 2 Kings 6:1-7.

It reads: “Some of the prophets said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you is too cramped for us. Let’s go to the Jordan. Each of us will get a log from there, and we will build a meeting place for ourselves there.” He said, “Go.” One of them said, “Please come along with your servants.” He replied, “All right, I’ll come.” So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they started cutting down trees. As one of them was felling a log, the ax head dropped into the water. He shouted, “Oh no, my master! It was borrowed!” The prophet asked, “Where did it drop in?” When he showed him the spot, Elisha cut off a branch, threw it in at that spot, and made the ax head float. He said, “Lift it out.” So he reached out his hand and grabbed it.”

At first blush, it seems to have little to commend itself to the modern reader, but I think there is a wonderful reaffirmation of Gospel truth in it.

All of the graces we had in Adam, were granted to us – “borrowed” from God, and were not ours inherently. This is so because we did not create ourselves nor do we sustain ourselves.

1 Corinthians 4:7  “For who sees anything different in you? vWhat do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?”

It was a weighty thing we lost in the Fall: Holiness.

Holiness is not light and not lightly recovered. Even as the word “glory” has the thought of weightiness in it – so the glory we were made to bear as God’s image bearers sunk into the dark and muddy waters.

All we had was from Him. And what little we have left is still from Him. But our righteousness, the image of His glory – this we lost. The holiness and uprightness we were created in is gone. The very image of God in us was marred beyond recognition. We were no longer able to glorify – to reveal Him as were created to do. Lost so as to be irrecoverable by human means. It would take a miracle of grace alone to do the impossible in saving us. The very transcendence of nature and its laws. That which could only be done by God Himself.

Oh, what a glorious salvation belongs to those who believe.

And in the words of John Newton, this truly is “Amazing Grace.”