What is a Christian?
By Glenn
Miller
As far as I can tell, after twenty years of experiencing God and life as a "Christian" and after thinking about this experience from several perspectives, a Christian is...
a person who has a personal
heart-to-heart relationship with the living God, characterized by warm and
active acceptance on God's part, and our honesty and dependence on the
activities of Jesus Christ.
Let's look at this a
little more closely.
"A
personal heart-to-heart relationship":
The
point of this is to exclude 'religious' relationships, in which an 'object' is
revered 'from afar' but not approached in a personal way. God is indeed an
'awesome entity' but he is nonetheless a Person. A personal relationship is a
reciprocal relationship, not a one-way deal. There is real interaction, real
disclosure, real closeness that develops. The 'heart-to-heart' aspect intends
to convey the honesty and openness of this relationship. There are no 'games'
that can be played with an all-knowing God(!), no secrets withheld, no area of
life concealed. (The interesting thing about this is that, even though God
knows all about an area of our life, we might NEVER open it up to Him in
discussion, in our efforts to 'hide' from His feedback!)
I cannot emphasize
strongly enough the personal character of this relationship. I see so many aberrations
and stunted-growth versions of it. It is not a formal relationship, a primarily
legal one, or even simply a 'creature-Creator' relationship. (I find the human
tendency to relegate God into a religious icon or image or object to
depersonalize the relationship and short-change the possibilities of such a
relationship--much as we do in other significant personal relationships in our
lives.)
"The
living God":
The
subject of God is quite a vast one, but the main point here is that He is
LIVING. There are feelings, and thoughts, and decisions, and actions, and
initiatives, and responses, and values, and commitments... all the aspects of
personal existence. He is not a force or an attitude or a "perspective on
the universe". We walk around our lives 'face to face' with this One--
even if we ignore Him.
"Characterized
by warm and active acceptance on God's part":
From
God's side, He accepts us. But this is not merely a 'political' acceptance--it
has a warmth and joy to it. He 'smiles' upon us. He delights in us(!). This is
more than simply the very important 'peace with God'; it is an active
relationship. He gets involved in our lives for good--for our growth, our
development, our character, our fulfillment, our stability, our significance in
the lives and futures of others. He is always 'glad to see us'.
"Characterized
by our honesty and dependence on":
From our
side, the relationship is one of honesty about who He is and who we are. We are
not 'gods', and as such need our Maker for the realization of the
purposes for which we appear in this universe. We are a people dependent on the
universe He has produced, and we are people whose goodness has been severely
compromised by our regular moral failures and pervasive spiritual apathy.
The main thing in the
universe that God the Father loves...is God the Son. When we are honest with
the Father about who his Son is, and what he did in history for us, God
welcomes us into this warm relationship...We simply have to be honest with Him
about his dearly-loved Son.
The second part of this
is dependence. We depend on Him for the 'repair' of our relationship
WITH Him. He is the active one, coming in history to earth and taking upon
Himself the consequences of our moral failure. We simply are honest about those
actions/events to the extent that we rely
upon those actions/events as an adequate basis for God's warm
acceptance of us. In other words, we agree with God that his Son's life and
work are sufficient grounds to accept us into this special relationship. It's
that simple.
"The
activities of Jesus Christ":
The
basic 'core' truth of Who he was/is and what he did are simple. He was God the
Son, who took on human flesh, lived among us, suffered at the hands of His
Father (on the cross) as our substitute, came back to life after his execution,
and transported himself 'outside' space-time to 'heaven'. He will return to
earth visibly in the future, but for now, He is involved invisibly in the
macro-forces of history, and the micro-events of our lives. His death satisfied
God the Father's just moral demands upon us, and 'freed' God to lavish his warm
acceptance upon us.
This is the beautiful
truth of what a Christian is...a beloved child of the living and loving God...and
it starts with a simple conversation with God...telling Him that you accept
"His version" of who his Son was, and what He did for you...
LET ME PUT IT
THIS WAY………This is my second try at describing the most wonderful
person I have ever met. The first one ending up sounding like a religious
textbook--a little stilted, and probably harsh.
But I've learned a lot
in the year since then...and now I know to focus on simply letting you get a
glimpse of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ--and not 'hit' you with
a lot of religious dogma.
It will still sound
"religious" of course, but maybe this time it won't offend you or
drive you away or convince you to stop reading this (thinking I'm just another
crazy religious fool--Lord knows we have enough of those already!).
Well, here goes...This
person Jesus Christ is probably one of the oddest characters in history. This
common Jewish carpenter went about his short 33 years of life confronting the
religious authorities, calling people to a personal relationship with God
(instead of to a religion), even claiming to be God(!), doing good, and doing
feats that were remembered as miracles. He was executed as a criminal by the
Roman government. His followers claimed that he 'rose from the dead and went to
heaven' and the hostile authorities of the day were never able to find his dead
body to refute the claim.
His teachings were a
strange mix of forgiveness /acceptance for the honest and humble, condemnation for
the arrogant and indifferent, and almost outrageous claims about himself and
His Father. He brilliantly summarized the entire sacred writings of his nation
and extended them to new areas of life and heart. His message centered around
God's radical love for mankind, mankind's general failure to respond
appropriately to this love, and the actions in history that God undertook to
lovingly bring people back to Himself. The most important and strangest act of
love was in God sending his Son Jesus to earth.
Jesus Christ was God
in human form, and deserved to be worshipped and honored and served above all
kings. But he didn't come to earth to be worshipped--he came to help! Listen to
his words: "I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full"
(John 10.10) "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to
serve, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mark 10.45) "For the
Son of Man came to seek and to reclaim what was lost" (Luke 19.10)
"Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his
friends." (John 15.13)
My favorite text shows
his incredibly beautiful heart, and at the same time offers us some serious
relief--Matthew 11.28-30: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am
gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke
is easy and my burden is light." This is a love we can trust--one that
demonstrates its commitment by the way it lives and dies. In love, Jesus shared
with us the important truths about our world, our God, and ourselves: There is
a God and He has a personality. He loves His universe and people intensely; He
chooses how He works within history; He grieves over death, pain, and
wrongdoing; He gets angry at injustice and evil; He desires to make His
creation joyful and fulfilled. He has communicated to man through nature,
conscience, moral notions, and especially in a collection of uniquely-produced
writings, known as the Bible. "The Lord is a God who knows" (I Samuel
2:3) "The Lord lives" (II Samuel 22:47) "God so loved the
world..." (John 3:16) "For since the creation of the world God's
invisible qualities have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been
made..." (Romans 1:20) "The Lord was grieved because of the
calamity..." (II Samuel 24:17) "In the past God spoke through the
prophets at different times and in different ways" (Hebrews 1:1) "You
have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in Your
presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand" (Psalm 16.11)
"The Lord takes the upright into His confidence" (Proverbs 3.32)
"I am the Lord your God. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it"
(Psalm 81.10) "The fruit of doing and being right will be peace; and its effects
will be quietness and confidence" (Isaiah 32.17)
He created mankind for
friendship in an enjoyable and vibrant relationship, but our moral failures,
wrongdoing, apathy toward Him have basically separated us from a relationship
with Him (and from all the benefits that flow from a healthy, active, and
respectful friendship with our Maker -- the very author of true life and joy).
"Your wrongdoings have separated you from your God" (Isaiah 59:2)
"Evil inevitably produces death-in all its forms" (Romans 6:23)
"evil, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death" (James 1:15)
He desired to re-new
the relationship with us, but He had to deal with this wrongdoing issue. His
perfect character is such that He has to be both loving and just, which means
that moral failure cannot be just "over-looked." He must deal with it
according to its seriousness (it is the very source of death in our
universe--both in relationships, physically, and with eternal dimensions). On
the other hand, His love sought a way to deal moral failure its serious
consequences (i.e. separation from Him now and after death) and somehow remove
us from this stream of consequences. "He has set a day when He will judge
the world with justice" (Acts 17:31) "Man is destined to die once,
and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27) "Then they will go
away to eternal punishment, but those right with God into eternal life"
(Matthew 25:46) "For we know that God's judgment is based on truth"
(Romans 2:2) "I will sing of Your love and justice" (Psalm 101:1)
He made a way to do
this. He sent His Son to earth 2,000 years ago. He was God (perfect, loving,
powerful, authoritative, just), took on a human body, lived a perfect life,
claimed to be God, and then engineered His own death -- during which He took on
Himself the consequences of our moral failure! He basically traded places with
us, while His Father poured out on him the just penalty for evil. The
"net" is this: He took the penalty for our moral failures, so we
wouldn't have to! "God made Christ, who lived a morally perfect life, to
'be' evil for us, so that we might 'be' moral 'right-ness' in Him" (2
Corinthians 5.21) "And He himself bore our wrongdoings in His body on the
Cross" (I Peter 2.24) "For Christ died for sins once for all, the
just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us back to God" (I Peter
3.18) "This is really love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us,
and sent His Son to be the sacrifice for our wrongdoing" (I John 4.10)
He didn't stay dead,
but is alive now and offers us a new relationship, a new freedom from guilt, a
total pardon from sin's horrible after-death consequences, a new start toward
fulfillment and significance, and a new source of positive influence/input into
our life. The best part is -- it's free. All He expects of us is to trust
Him to do this! (By the way, "trusting Christ" is not another way of
saying 'Join a church' or 'become a holy-type person.' It's not a matter of
doing good deeds, working in a religion, following rules, etc.--these are
simply means to enjoy this free relationship to the full--they don't establish
that relationship in any way.) We simply tell Him we believe Him: that He was
God-in-flesh who was punished in-our-place. "To everyone who welcomed Him
by trusting in who He was and what He did, he granted the right to relate to
God as intimate children [and not just creatures or citizens or whatever]"
(John 1.12) "I [Jesus] tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting
life to the full" (John 6:47) "For God loved this world so much that
He gave His unique Son, that whoever trusted in that Son would not experience
the final consummation of death in all its forms and degrees, but rather have
that life which is characterized by stability, fullness, and eternity"
(John 3.16)
(You can let this love
into your life right now. You can express that trust in him by simply telling
him. Maybe a simple prayer like "Lord Jesus, it's still all a little fuzzy
to me, but I get the basic idea that because of your love for me, You were
punished in my place so I wouldn't have to be--thank You for doing that for
me." Do it now--it will have some seriously positive implications in your
life--on both sides of physical death.)
Once the relationship
is established, you have access to an incredible Person -- who can do for and
with you what He is doing for/with others. Talk to him about your challenges
(while reading the Psalms, I suggest!), about the limitations you feel (be
honest and humble), pay attention to His practical advice (read Proverbs and
the New Testament epistles). "Through faith in Him [Jesus] we may approach
God with freedom and confidence" (Ephesians 3.12) "These things I
have written to you that have put your confidence in the Person and Work of the
Son of God, in order that you may have full assurance that you have began a new
life that will grow and deepen for all eternity." (I John 5.13)
"Therefore, since we have been declared guiltless through faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1) "Taste
and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34.8) "For as high as the
heavens are above the earth, so great is his love to those who honor and relate
to Him as God" (Psalm 103.11) "You will know that I am the Lord;
those who hope in Me will not be disappointed" (Isaiah 49.23) "Cast
all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you" (I Peter 5:7)
If you
postponed doing this due to procrastination, go back and re-read this until you
do it! If you postponed doing this, because of intellectual-type questions
("How can I trust the Bible?", "What about other
religions?", etc.), believe me, there are
solid and satisfying answers -- the God of truth is not afraid of our
questions. I hope the best for you as you go forward and I hope to meet you in
eternity, if not before.
When
you're ready to take your first step toward God...
This little article is
for those, who for one reason or another, feel ready to take their first step
toward God, and its simple purpose is to give you some "fellow traveler's
advice" about this step and this journey...There are no arguments here for
the existence of God or for the basic reliability of the bible or for the
uniqueness of this message--these can be found at https://www.christian-thinktank.com/.
This is rather for those who have somehow arrived at an overall sense that
there is a God who is worth approaching...
People come to this
"I think I am ready" step for many, many different reasons...
Some are hurting
inside, from fear, anxiety, loneliness,
alienation, betrayal, and this suffering has somehow convinced them that life
is 'deeper' than first appears, and that the spiritual dimension is very, very
real. They have become convinced that God is somehow 'out there' and can
therefore be approached for help.
Some are facing
difficult
crises in their lives--illness, family troubles, difficult choices,
bereavement--and have somehow sensed their deep need to ask for help, inner
strength, and insight. This awareness has somehow brought them to a conviction
that the spiritual dimension of life, although often only faintly recognized
and more often generally downplayed, is in fact deep and significant. And this
awareness has led them to a belief that God is also real, and somehow has
resources and wisdom that might be of immense value to them in their crisis.
Some are
struggling
with guilt or shame, over some act or pattern of moral failure. They have a
deep sense of psychological guilt, eating them alive from the inside. This
internal urgency has drove them to seek out the spiritual side of life, and has
awoken in them an attitude of honesty over both the problem/act itself, and
their need for personal acceptance and forgiveness from God and from others.
Some face challenges
of addiction to destructive patterns, habits, lifestyles. They have
discovered that their "innocent" habit has destructively disturbed
their lives, their minds, their families, their careers, and their lives. But,
they have also discovered that their attempts to break this slavery have been
failures, due to inadequate personal resources. They simply do not have the
personal strength, adequate focus/motivation, or perseverance of will to
overcome this. The habit has already damaged their abilities to recover, to the
point of despair. The depths of the human soul and condition has led them to
believe in a deeper reality, and thus they are now open to the reality of God,
and the hope of approaching God for help.
Some have been
pondering the 'tough' questions of life and history that we explore on the
Thinktank (www.Christian-thinktank.com). They have reviewed the arguments,
looked at the data, heard both sides of the interpretation, and have
decided
that the Christian understanding of the life of Jesus, the reality of the
spiritual, and the basic historical trustworthiness of the message of the bible
is (at least slightly) better supported by the evidence. They
don't have all the answers to all the questions, but the answers
they DO have are adequate enough for them to feel justified in believing in the
God who revealed himself in the historical person of Jesus of Nazareth. Given
this, they feel that they can take this step in personal and intellectual
integrity (not requiring the certitude of basic mathematics, but only the
practical peace of mind about decisions in personal relationships), and in
fact, anticipate getting to know the God who "stooped to earth" to
establish a warm and robust relationship with us.
Some have seen and
known
those extraordinary people who are true followers of Jesus Christ. They
have been up close to lives that exude the qualities that Jesus seems to grow
in His more humble followers throughout the ages--selfless love, gentleness,
vibrancy, peace and stability in the midst of life's challenges, enduring
commitments to others, patience in dealing with people, honest work habits,
warmth and joy. They now want those qualities in THEIR lives. That want what
those others 'have'--and the others all point them to Jesus, and to taking this
first step...
Some were raised in
other religious traditions, and have finally made an independent study of
the person of Jesus Christ. They have looked at his life and words, and have
come away with a sense of his uniqueness in history. They have seen the blend
of strong personal integrity and forgiveness of others, the mix of compassion
for the needy and rebuke for the self-righteous, the combination of human
humility and divine authority--all in this one Person. They have come to
believe that he was truly one of us, yet that he also claimed to be uniquely
the very presence of God in human form. They have sensed his 'Other-ness'
and come seeking a relationship with the One who embraced suffering and yet
promised freedom of spirit to others--through the very act of His suffering.
Some come with
a
sense of danger about what might happen to them after death. Through
circumstances, reading, or simply some inner warning sense, they perceive that
the nature of life after death may indeed have elements of moral justice in it.
They are honest enough about the details and motivations of their past choices
(and non-choices) to have some anxiety about their particular future, and seek
to respectfully approach God for a 'pardon'--a hope for a clean slate in the
moral universe.
And some
have heard
about Jesus all their lives (maybe even raised in a Christian home or
school), but only recently have decided to approach him
as an individual,
and as a personal relationship--regardless of environment or
situation. They have sensed His reality all their lives, but only now has the
issue of starting a heart-to-heart relationship with Him become urgent in their
thinking.
Many of us, of course,
come with more than one of the above, and often these various elements have
come in and out of our lives like the strains in a tapestry, bringing us to
this point.
...But so much
of our mind-set is similar among us at this point:
We all (that is, those
of us who think we are ready for this step) somehow sense that God is
"there", and even "close", and that He is open to our
approaching Him;
We all sense that God
has enough resources to somehow "change things" in our lives and in
our futures, all toward good goals of wellness, renewal, significance, freedom
of spirit, peace of mind, growth, love, and joy;
We all sense that our
lives are a mixture of good and bad choices, habits, and attitudes, and that
even though God is much more morally aware than we humans are, this somehow
doesn't stop God from letting us approach;
We all seem to
understand that somehow Jesus' coming to earth, living among us, and dying as a
criminal is central and focal to our approach to God--indeed, it
seems that God insists that we approach Him through Jesus. [But we are a
little confused about why this is important, and the details of it may escape
us entirely];
We all are generally
somewhat confused about what God 'requires of us'. We have likely been somehow
conditioned to believe that He would make excessive demands on our lives,
relative to behavior, associations, habits, religious activities, and the like,
but we are altogether unsure of our preconceptions in this area.
We all have some level
of confidence that the basic message about God's view of Jesus' life and death
in the bible is a reliable enough guide to follow, as we try to clearly
understand what God would have us do.
So, what
does this message in the bible tell us about how God sees this?
Probably the clearest
expression comes from the lips of Jesus' himself:
"For even the
Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a
ransom for many." (Mark 10.45)
And this was an
allusion to something said by a prophet in the bible centuries earlier, who
foretold of Jesus:
"All we, like
sheep, have wandered away from our Good Shepherd; we have each acted selfishly
on the basis of 'convenient morals' of our own choosing at times, and the Lord
God has transferred to Him (the foretold One) these moral failures and these
destructive acts...He (the Foretold One) deliberately accepted responsibility
and the just consequences for our moral crimes, both large and small, and He
appealed to God on our behalf." (Isaiah 53.6,12b expanded paraphrase)
Purely and simply,
what this means for you at this point is that Jesus became a 'substitute' for
you, standing in your place before God for the moral wrong you have done in
your life (and bearing the spiritual consequences of that for you), and then
clearing the way to God for you. This removes the obstacles to approaching God.
The judicial issues were resolved by Christ's self-sacrifice to God on the
Cross. His moral integrity insured that it was acceptable to God, and his
incredible love insured that you were included its scope. [Jesus' body did not
stay in the grave, but was transformed into a more advanced one, and He lives
today in the spiritual dimension called 'heaven', and interacts with us from
there.]
One very practical
(and for many of us, comforting) implication of this is that our past is no
longer an issue with Him...The issue now is whether you will agree with Him
about this act of love by His Son Jesus...
So, where do you
go from here?
If our past is no
longer an issue, then what is?
Nothing.
Literally nothing
stands between you and Jesus Christ.
Access to the Father
is through Him:
Jesus answered,
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me. (John 14.6)
And welcoming Him into
your life as the answer for your past, and as a kind mentor, intimate friend,
and wise director concerning your future, creates a permanent and intimate
relationship with the God of the universe:
Yet to all who
welcomed Him for who He was, to those who trusted His credentials, character,
and achievements, He gave the right to become children of God (John 1.12)
The Father wants us to
simply trust His Son...to depend on Him for our ultimate well-being in the
future, to trust in His work on the Cross for our past, to be open to His
good-hearted and wise input in our present...to respect His authority, to count
on His forgiveness, and to relax in His warm-hearted acceptance of us...
The Father loves
the Son and has placed everything in his hands. Whoever trusts in the Son
enters into a relationship with God that lasts forever and is characterized by
wellness, growth, love, and loyalty, but whoever rejects the Son will not
experience this at all..." (John
3.35f)
And so, the
"First step" is simply a heart-to-heart with Jesus...
The simple beauty of
the awesome work of Jesus on the Cross is that your step toward God can
be so "un-awesome"...a simple opening your life up to Jesus in
confidence of His goodness and His efforts on your behalf...
A simple admission to
Him (heart-to-heart) of welcome and confidence is all it takes:
"Jesus, I don't
understand all of the depths of this now, but it IS clear to me that You love
me, that you were my substitute on the Cross, that you cleared the way to
spiritual life for me, and that you are willing to take an active, intimate,
and gentle role in my life going forward. In recognition of your proven love
for me, and of your authority and power evidenced in your words, life, and in
your resurrection, I welcome you into my life. I trust your abilities and your
love for me to help me with my future. Thank you for what you have done and for
Who you are. And guide me to realize what I can do now to begin seeing progress
in the areas of dysfunction, insensitivity, or difficulty in my life."
That's it. That's the
first (and only) step to God...You can't skip that one, for every exploration
of this new relationship with Christ is based on this simple act of trust and
this simple recognition of His smiling and warm love for you...Look at the
paragraph above a couple of times, and then simply read it to Him aloud...or
say it in your own words to Him in quietness...but go ahead and take that step,
friend...[I'll wait for you here...(smile)]
Did you hear the
explosion or see the fireworks when you took that step?
Probably not. [If you
didn't take the step, go back to the previous topic... (smile).]
Some people do,
though. Some have emotional sensations of guilt-release. Some feel a sense of
un-burdening. Some sense a loss of appetite for an addiction. A few get the
giggles. Some get a new sense of internal strength for a challenge they are
facing. Quite a number feel nothing, but sense somehow that something has
changed...They cannot put their finger on that intuition, but they sense
something is different.
But most 'feel' nothing,
to the extent that many think "It didn't take", like it was a
vaccination or something! Some doubt that they were 'sincere enough' and they
repeat the paragraph out loud over and over (never realizing that their
sincerity was probably obvious to God from their repeated attempts!).
But this first step is
not an emotional transaction--it is the establishment of a personal
relationship with the living God. [We normally don't want to just "feel
better"--we want to actually "GET better"!] And, as
with many personal relationships, it takes time and interaction and shared
experiences to grow the emotional consequences of a relationship. So don't let
a "I didn't feel anything" lead you to make the illogical jump to
"therefore, nothing happened" or "therefore, God did not pay
attention" or "therefore, God did not accept me"...Believe me,
the God who went to the painful lengths of the Cross will not let your step
toward Him be ineffective...
Hey, I did feel
something, but it was negative!
That's pretty normal.
As soon as you take
this step, your whole person gets involved--and I do mean your
"whole" person! Part of our human condition is that we have
conflicting tendencies within us. For example, when you make a tough moral
choice, part of you says 'good job', part of you says 'you idiot', part of you
says 'you could have done better', part of you says 'you should have waited',
etc.
It's no different with
this choice...You can expect the "you finally became insane", the
"you just became a brainless religious fanatic", the "this story
simply cannot be true", and the "you need to think this over a bit
more carefully"...etc., etc., etc. Don't take the mixed responses of the
"peanut gallery" too seriously. If you came to this personal decision
with a sense that you were doing the right thing, leave it at that. The reasons
you arrived at the "I think I am ready" step (above) are still
just as valid as they were when you begin this process....
So, now that I
have taken that step, what's next?
I might suggest four
things:
1. Relax in the
freedom of knowing you are welcome with God and can draw upon His resources and
wisdom as His child;
2. Reflect upon
the fact that the step you just took will have deep and positive consequences
for the rest of your life...
3. And obviously, read
on....
4. Start looking
for small changes in attitudes, situations, insights, relationships,
perspectives, values...they will come.
As a business
executive, I travel over 200,000 miles per year and stay in a lot of different
places but I probably don't know you, have probably never met you, and will
probably never meet you, unless...
Unless you hunt me
down sometime in the next million years or so because this little pamphlet helped
you in some small way in that strange area of our lives we call 'spiritual.'
This 'spiritual area'
is incredibly confusing for modern man. I am consistently amazed at the foggy
notions of "God" and "Heaven" and "Salvation"
that people have today, not to mention the 'weirdness' of the cults, religious
fanatics, some TV preachers, "get-rich-through-religion" movements,
etc.
You, like most people,
probably have a sense that "there's probably something to all this
stuff," but also probably don't have a clue as to how to cut through all
the clutter, fog, denominations, bizarre terminology to get at "what's
real". Not only this, but you probably know people who have been deeply
enriched by it, and people who have negatively "mutated" due to it as
well! Indeed, you, like me, may even have had bad experiences yourself, with
religious militants or high-pressure religious 'salesmen' or early church
rituals or obnoxious holier-than-thou associates. Coupled with the obvious time
pressures placed on us by 20th century life, chances are good that you have
never had the opportunity to consider this in a non-threatening, clear, 'net,'
and balanced way.
Another obvious problem is that it's sometimes hard
to tell the quacks from those who really have significant experience and wisdom
in this area. And even when we do find a sincere
and knowledgeable person in this area, often they are not able to explain what
the real issues and options are in everyday terms. Instead they use terms like
'redemption' and 'Savior' and 'heaven' and 'Ask Jesus into your heart' and 'open
the door of your life to God'...and expect us to know what they mean (and then
to believe it).
Now don't get me
wrong--many of these people are right on target--they have established a
relationship with God, He is quietly at work in their lives, they generally
have the right perspectives, they struggle with moral issues daily, and they
really care deeply for others--but often they do not know how to
communicate--to people like us--the 'what, why, and how' of their worldview
/experience, as wonderful as it is.
In fact, I am one of
these people (as if you hadn't already guessed that by now!) but I came into
this 'too late.' I didn't discover this option and take advantage of the
opportunity until a senior in college, over 25 years ago. I didn't have a
religious background that used those terms, so I was confused for the first few
years until I learned the new 'language.'
The result was that I
had to work extra hard to understand what I began to experience in my daily
life. And, fortunately or unfortunately, I just could not learn the lingo
blindly; I was too 'intellectual' back in those days.
Again, don't get me
wrong. I'm not any more "dumb" now than I was then (although the
older I get, the less prepared I often feel for life's complexity and
challenges).
In all honesty, I've
had to read and study and agonize (and even pray!) over questions of
philosophy, history, science, archeology, world religions, etc.--to make sure I
could trust (and enjoy) my God with a clear heart and conscience.
I discovered, soon
after I set out on this quest for truth, that the God of truth was not afraid
of my questions. (I often was afraid of the 'tough questions', and to make sure
I faced up to those, "by coincidence" a steady stream of people over
the years would pop into my life, ask me those questions, and then
disappear--no escape for me!) I don't have all the answers, to be sure, but I
have satisfying (intellectually and emotionally) answers to most of them. I get
new ones every year (and many good ones from my kids and business associates)
and maybe you will even send me a tough one!
I've run at the mouth
(or keyboard) enough about my background and motives, I guess, so let me get on
with it. What I would like to do for you, my friend, is to try to capsulize
what I've learned--in ordinary terms--so you can evaluate its truth-claims and
use that data in your search for significance and fulfillment. But let me warn
you--as you probably know by now, with every opportunity comes a challenge. If
you do come 'face-to-face' with a truth here, your challenge will be to deal
with it honestly and in some cases, humbly. Truth and reality have a strange
way of holding us accountable for how we deal with it...in our personal,
professional, and social lives.
What I learned
in the second twenty-five years of my life:
1. There is something
'beyond' the physical universe -- something that 'caused' this one.
The vast, vast
majority of the human race has believed this since our beginnings. Since the
day we began to write down our thoughts some six to eight millennia ago, we
have shown that two things have dominated our thinking from Day One: God and
money! Our earliest records of civilization document extensive economic systems
and elaborate and well-developed religious beliefs. Long before religion was
discovered by the power elite to be useful for social control, kings
quailed before the gods and spirits of their lands and the lands of others. The
concept of a god was not the invention of the powerful, to control the weak--it
was somehow embedded in our thinking from our inception. Even what little data
we have before the invention of writing shows depictions of
'supernatural' creatures and pre-historic burial practices evidence a belief in
a 'life beyond this one' for our companions. The earliest records we have of
religious systems show varied, robust, fanciful and often vain concepts of this
'beyond', but they uniformly point out that we have always believed in
something powerful 'beyond' this physical universe.
The situation at the
close of the twentieth century is not radically different. The vast majority of
humans believe in some 'beyond' reality, which is somehow involved in the
events or character of the physical universe. The vast majority of the western
world is theistic or supernaturalistic, as are the basic majority of scientists
and a sizable portion of philosophers (as shown by polls and membership in
related professional organizations). The conceptions of this "beyond"
vary widely, of course, but the fact of 'beyondness' is quite widely accepted.
And, I might add, the statistical trend toward belief in a 'beyond' is increasing. While some speculated fifty years ago that "science" would somehow remove all the 'gaps' and mysteries out of the universe (somehow assuming that belief in God's existence was somehow dependent on His/Her/Its/Their usefulness as a premise in a scientific theory!), the reverse has actually happened. Science has actually found some 'beyondness' right under our noses, some very real 'holes' in our physical universe! As
I write this, the science of human
consciousness has essentially called for a new paradigm of reality, to allow
for the 'beyond' elements of consciousness; particle and quantum physicists
have become convinced that a few types of elemental physical particles pop in
and out of existence, from some virtual universe 'below the threshold of
existence' (!), mathematicians and philosophers are talking about the
non-physical "existence" of 'abstract entities' and 'ideals', and the
astrophysicists of the Big Bang camp are staring "creation out of
nothing" and "intelligent design" in the face and waxing
mystical...
Now, I know that you
don't normally arrive at truth by counting noses, and I can already hear in my
head my mother, saying the familiar "Well, if everyone jumped off a
cliff, Glenn..." Yet when faced with this almost uniform collective belief
(of the entire human race) in a 'beyond', I also remember my dad offering the
wisdom of "If you find yourself driving facing heavy traffic coming
your way on both sides of your car--you are probably on a one-way
street, headed the wrong direction!"
At a minimum, this
argues that it would be very unwise to dismiss belief in some type of
"beyond" out of hand. This is certainly enough data to make the
reality of some "beyond" at least possible and maybe even
probable.
But even my own simple
experience supports the notion of some causal "beyond". As an
executive, I know you don't make quality products out of nothing and without
massive forethought, labor, and oversight. I know products don't create
themselves and that manufacturing plants do not unfold smoothly by themselves
from the basic laws of physics(!). Every tangible thing I have ever seen has
been an 'effect' which was somehow distinct from, yet a result of, a 'cause'.
Even these cause and effect relationships show the core meaning of
"beyond" because a cause is somehow 'beyond' its effect, and the
effect is somehow 'dependent' on its cause. "Beyondness" could simply
be some kind of causal priority, causal 'distance', or even separateness. So,
this notion seems reasonably intuitive to me.
And, as problematic as
it might seem at first philosophically, the notion of a First Cause (to start
the whole thing) that is itself "un-caused" seems much less
problematic than some "infinite regress" chain of causes
extending infinitely backward--but never having something to actually start
it (entirely apart from the implications of Big Bang cosmology of an actual
beginning of the universe).
As I write this at the
keyboard, I may even be an analog of this notion. According to much current
thinking in consciousness studies, my consciousness has elements in it that are
'beyond' the physical universe as we have historically considered it. And this
'beyond' agency is somehow influencing the physical nexus of my brain, and then
my fingers, and then these keys, to produce this sentence. This seems
reasonable enough and clear enough of a notion for me.
T
he level of precision
of this concept of "beyondness" is somewhat lacking, but doesn't seem
to be any worse that everyday concepts like "person,"
"volition," "cause," "despair,"
"logic," "wisdom," "good,"
"individual," "force," "field,"
"light," and so on. The fact that I cannot give really precise
definitions for many, many of the basic elements of life, science, and
experience in no way counts against their reality! And most 'important' words
are almost impossible to define precisely without apparent contradictions (e.g.
"light," "existence," "life") or circularity
(e.g., "force" and "matter," "essence" and
"attributes").
Accordingly, even
before I get to any possible historical evidences of this 'beyond' and the
scores of philosophical arguments for the existence of a "beyond"(and
the endless debates about these!), it seems that a simple belief in some kind
of 'beyond' is quite reasonable. This belief seems to be part of our thinking
(evidenced by its trans-cultural ubiquity in human history), one that is still
growing in influence, and one with concepts that find general illustration and
practical support within our experience (i.e., "beyondness," First
Cause, causality, dependency).
2. This 'cause' has to
be at-least-as-complex as this universe. The most complex unit that appears in
this universe is the human personality. The 'cause' must therefore be
at-least-as-personal as we are.
3. This 'person'
[hereafter referred to as "Person" -- since this One is obviously superior to us
in created power (and, to use a philosophical term, in "non-derivative
existence"--see, aren't my word choices infinitely clearer than the religious
guy?!!)] created a universe/reality that has an incredible amount of diversity
and beauty in it. This Person could have made a world without color, without
music, without the explosive variety of tastes, of flowers, of life forms, and
of people (imagine New York City with only one type of face!).
4. This Person created
us to have hopes, dreams, fears, and to constantly question "why am I here?",
"what's the point of it all?", "how can I be happy?", "how can I make a
difference?", etc.
5. Correspondingly, this
Person made humanity with the ability to impact his world--for good or ill. So,
we have the works of mankind in such far reaching extremes as Charlemagne,
Albert Schweitzer, Adolf Hitler, Shakespeare, De Sade, Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln,
Michelangelo, Florence Nightengale, Lenin, Joan of Arc,
Beethoven, Torquemada, Augustine, Genghis Khan, Booker T. Washington, Mao. Man
has left his marks on the world-- both good and bad.
6. We have left these
marks -- both good and bad -- on everything. We have left them on ourselves (we
are able to grow and develop, but we never seem to reach our true potential), on
our relationships (we are able to start, maintain, and enjoy personal
relationships generally, but they never seem to reach their true potential --
and they take an incredible amount of work just to keep them healthy at all!),
on our world (do we need to talk about pollution here?!), and on our
relationship to this 'Person' (we often experience estrangement, indifference,
or even hostility toward this One--we certainly don't naturally have an
enjoyable and vibrant relation with Him, to say the least!).
7. The result of this
'mixed character' of our universe becomes apparent as soon as we try to find
some "How Do I get Out of This Mess" data. All we can glean from it about this
'Person' is 1) that there 'is' One; 2) that this Person is complex and
at-least-as-personal as we are; and 3) that we are somehow restless and
wondering about our place in the universe and in history. It quickly becomes
clear that we are not able to 'figure out' how to repair all the relationships,
as well as our own characters, to an optimal state.
8. So we need one thing
for sure, and one other thing, possibly. We definitely need reliable, clear, and
sufficient information on 'what to do.' And...we may need assistance on 'doing
it'--whatever 'it' is-- to complete the repair process.
9. Let's start with the
information requirements--"reliable, clear, and sufficient." We cannot figure it
out from the scant data by ourselves--either individually or in groups. We can
form guesses, universities can form 'educated' guesses, and religious groups can
come up with 'pious' guesses. The problem is that the opinions come in all
sizes, flavors, persuasions, and conclusions! (The history of philosophy, by the
way, has shown us repeatedly that starting with the finite, we never get to the
infinite!).
10. We are therefore
critically dependent on some communication/instruction from the "Person
Outside." Socrates put this need quite clearly on his deathbed: "All the wisdom
of this world is but a tiny raft upon which we must set sail when we leave this
earth. If only there was a firmer foundation upon which to sail, perhaps some
divine word."
Or more recently,
Sigmund Freud... "The meager satisfaction that man can extract from
reality leaves him starving."
11. What would this
communication 'look like'? It would have to be in history (for us to have access
to it at all), recorded (for us to have access to it regardless of our place in
time), linguistic and translatable (for us to have access to it regardless of
our language), and in 'everyday' language (for it to have 'more objectivity'
than, say, art and for it to be able to talk about global issues--like death,
despair, hope, faith, peace, alienation, lack of purpose, self-limitations,
forgiveness--as opposed to more 'precise' languages like math or logic with
their more restricted vocabularies). It would probably NOT be trusted to simple
oral transmission but would be written down and archived as it was communicated.
Since it would deal with the 'tough' issues like our moral failures or our
post-death experiences, it would probably show up in those areas of life
typically called 'religious.' Additionally, it would probably make some bizarre
and incredible claims ("this writing is from the Person 'outside' the
universe"--as opposed to the wisdom from some meditating monk or something) and
would probably offer some evidence or data to support these unusual (to say the
least!) claims. If it were motivated by a real concern to communicate important
and/or 'urgent' information, it would probably bear an authoritative tone
(perhaps even an exclusive one). Finally, a true 'message from this Person'
might affect us strongly -- quotations from it may anger our pride, make us very
uncomfortable and nervous, or calm our fears.
12. My studies and
experiences over the past 25+ years have led me to the inescapable conclusion
that just such a communication has occurred--and not just at one point in time
but over a period of thousands of years. This Person interfaced into history at
a number of points of time and in many varied ways. Much of this communication
was written down and we have it in a 'religious' book called the Judeo-
Christian Scriptures.
(By the way, it has
always fascinated me how people 'evaluate' that Book. The vast majority of
people have almost no first-hand knowledge of where it came from, how its
transmission was protected, how its historical accuracy has been consistently
verified, how alleged 'errors and contradictions' have evaporated over the last
six decades of research, and what its basic teachings are. But...too many of
these people do not consider it accurate, relevant, in-date, or of value to
their search for meaning! It's the old "No, I've never evaluated it
carefully or first-hand, but I know it cannot possibly be right!").
13. In rummaging through
the many and varied religious "classics" that were candidates for being this
communication, I have found this very strange book to differ from the others in
numerous ways. First, it claims hundreds and hundreds of times to be the "Word
of God." It doesn't soft- pedal this bizarre claim at all. It never claims to be
'a consensus of humanity's most noble and sublime thoughts.' It never claims to
be the 'insights' of a religiously privileged character or race. This book is
either totally deceptive, totally deranged, or totally divine--there is no third
option like 'a very good and insightful book'!
Second, it strikes
fear into most people's hearts! Quotations from the Bible abound in great
literature, but taken into a religious conversation with a friend, makes us
nervous! (Even later in this document, when I cite some data from it, chances
are that you, the reader, will respond emotionally to it with either
nervousness, nausea, or both--you watch.)
Third, it manifests
and offers unique evidence for its 'Other-worldy' origin. This book has
hundreds and hundreds of predictions of future events--some general in
terms, but many very detailed with places and dates. To the best of scholarly
knowledge today, not a single one of these has failed to happen. This is just
not your basic human accuracy! It has survived the many major attempts to
eradicate it, from the repressive attempts of Antiochus IV (Epiphanes)
before the times of Jesus to the imperial decrees to burn all copies under
Roman emperors. In spite of cultural, economic, and political pressures toward
polytheism and syncretism during its writing and collection over centuries and
centuries, it maintains a common theme of strict monotheism. It also has
an almost confrontational character to it--what you might expect from a perfect
'Person.' It does not 'coddle' us--it calls us to accept responsibility for our
personal failures. But it does not overwhelm us with them either. It
communicates care and concern for our plight (without being overly melodramatic
or compromising its ethical standards), and documents both its provisions for
this plight and the steps necessary to 'repair' the situation.
Fourth, and most
important of all, its message is radically different than all other literature
(including most 'Christian' literature). It agrees, of course, with most other
literature on basic tenets of good living (Ten Commandments and Golden Rule
kind of stuff), but takes an unique position on the central problem -- our
moral failures and their consequences. Other religious classics assert that the
basic method of overcoming our moral failures and their consequences in our
relationships (with ourselves, other people, the universe, and this 'Person')
is by living better lives, doing good deeds, "walking the religious
way", keeping some set of rules, doing your best, thinking positively etc.
The main message of the Judeo-Christian Scripture is diametrically opposed to
this solution (but not opposed to doing those good things, of course.)
14. Given that I have
now found a source of data on the problem, what does this Communication say
about the issues? (Get the Maalox/Dramamine ready - I'm going to have to cite
some passages from this Book!)
15. There is one other
issue that comes up here - the old "you can interpret the Bible anyway you want
to" issue. -- Sorry to drag you through so much stuff to get to the results, but
as my mother would say "you'll thank me for this later." Without minimizing the
difficulty of understanding every point, and every subtlety, and every reference
in this very substantial book, the basic themes are really easy to access.
(This, of course, would probably fit with the entire notion of why this Person
would communicate with us -- it certainly wouldn't be communication if it
couldn't be understood.) There are a few points to keep in mind on this issue.
FIRST, there are some
passages that totally escape me, and there are some passages that are as clear
as the nose on my face. There is a world of difference between trying to
understand Ezekiel 1:6-10: Each of them had four faces and four wings. And their
legs were straight and their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they gleamed like
burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides were human hands, As for
the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another; their
faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. As for the form
of their faces, each had the face of a man, all four had the face of a lion on
the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an
eagle-- compared to John 10:10: I (Jesus) have come that people might have life,
and have it to the fullest..
Conclusion: It's a
simple exercise in self-discipline to stay with the more obvious passages!
SECOND, there are almost
always clues in the passage as to what each piece means (this is true for all
great literature as well). Parables are explained later, references to earlier
figures are amplified, principles are modeled.
THIRD, the science of
interpretation of literature (hermeneutics) has a special area for sacred
literature. One of the main principles is to note how the original audience
responded. For example, if the people of his day wanted to kill Jesus because he
claimed to be the "Son of God", that phrase could not just mean "good man" or
"Prophet" or "creature of God" or something else -- it had to be 'blasphemous'
by their standards, it had to mean something "more than man".
FOURTH, it has been my
experience that some people try to 'hide behind' this issue to avoid confronting
some important life-issues. This Work is not transparently clear (no serious
world-class literature is), but it is much simpler in the basic areas than most
people think.]
16. What information can
thus be obtained from the 'more obvious' passages dealing with our situation? (I
will state the major point as a thesis and cite some of the more direct textual
passages from the Bible. Some of the paraphrases and translations are mine.)
Thesis One:
This Person has always desired fulfillment, significance,
joy, and the real 'meaty' life for us. It is not a life without some pain or
without some challenges, but one in which those occur in the context of growth,
development, and achievement--leading to fulfillment. We only realize and enjoy
these "benefits" when we are in proper relationships with this
Person, with ourselves, and with other persons. You have filled my heart with
greater joy (Psalm 4.7) You have made known to me the paths of life; you will
fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand
(Psalm 16.11) The Lord takes the upright into His confidence (Proverbs 3.32) I
am the Lord your God. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it (Psalm 81.10) The
fruit of doing and being right will be peace; and its effects will be quietness
and confidence (Isaiah 32.17) I have loved you with an everlasting love
(Jeremiah 31:3)
Thesis Two:
Due to moral failures and shortcomings, all of us have
separated ourselves from these relationships and their consequent benefits. For
all have done wrong and fall short of God's perfection (Romans 3:23) But your
wrongdoing and moral failures have separated you from your God (Isaiah 59.2)
For there is no one who does no evil (2 Chronicles 6.36) No one who has a
haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure (Psalm 101.5) Your eyes are
too pure to accept evil (Habakkuk 1.13)
Thesis Three: This separation is experienced now (e.g. broken
relationships, hopelessness, disillusionment) and intensifies through time,
before and after physical death. In fact, this separation is itself a kind of
'death.' For the inevitable consequence of wrongdoing is death (Romans 6.23)
They 'wasted away' in their failures to do right (Psalm 106.43) Evil results in
death (Romans 6.16) The one who sows to his 'bad side' shall reap decay and
disintegration (Galatians 6.8) Death spread to all men, because all men did
wrong (Romans 5.12) The "Second Death" (the Book of Revelation) You
have brought harm to yourselves (Jeremiah 24.7)
Thesis Four:
This separation has become part of who we are, and what we
do. Any efforts of ours to 'repair' these relationships cannot succeed in
restoring the original relationships. We are just not 'big enough' and 'good
enough' to undo the damage. The trouble he causes recoils upon himself (Proverbs
7.16) Neither can you perform perfectly pure acts, you who are accustomed to
doing wrong or omitting to do right (Jeremiah 13.23) The arrogance of your
heart has deceived you (Jeremiah 49.16) Their deeds do not permit them to
return to their God (Hosea 5.4)
Thesis Five:
If these relationships, especially the foundational one
with the Person, is to be 'repaired/restored' it must be done by Him. There are
no other options. No man can buy back from death the life of another or give to
God a ransom for him--the ransom of a life is costly, no payment is ever enough
(Psalm 49.7) When we were completely powerless due to our moral failures...
(Ephesians 2.5) Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men!
(Isaiah 29.13) It is the gift from God (Ephesians 2.9)
Thesis Six:
He doesn't have to intervene at all, but chooses to (this
reveals something of His character in the process, by the way). He gave us
life, to show the splendor of His gentle kindness (Ephesians 2.5,7) But God,
being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us
(Ephesians 2.4) We are not consumed, because of His compassion (Lamentations
3.22) For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son...(John 3.16)
Thesis Seven:
This 'bridging' between God and Man must do just that--it
must join together in significant relationship two complete parties: God and
man. In other words, the integrity of three things must be maintained in the
transaction (who God is, who man is, what the separation is).
Thesis Eight:
His 'solution' to this is take the 'separation' onto
Himself, and graft us into another pre-existing 'relationship.'
Thesis Nine:
The way this worked out in history is a bit strange
(logical, but strange).
A. God the Father has
an eternal son, outside of space and time, who shares His nature. Father, honor
me in Your presence with the honor I had with you before the world began (John
17.5) Jesus answered "Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8.58)
B. This Son has an
eternal relationship with the Father that cannot be severed (due to the shared
nature). In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God...and the Word became flesh and lived among us (John 1.1,14) I and the
Father are one (John 10.30) The Father is in me, and I am in the Father (John
10.38; 14.10)
. This Son volunteers
(and the Father allows it) to enter the universe and take on the nature and
form of a human (in addition to his Other nature) and took the name Jesus, in
order to re-unite us with 'life'. I have come that they may have life, and they
may have it to the fullest (John 10.10) The Son came to give his life as a
ransom for many (Matthew 20.28) Christ existed in the form of God, took on the
nature of a servant, and was made into the likeness of man (Philippians 2.5-8)
The Son came to find and reclaim that which was lost (Luke 19.10)
D. This Son
demonstrates a 'strangeness' similar to that of the Bible. He made exorbitant
claims (the natives tried to kill him on numerous occasions), echoed the
perspectives of the Communication, showed compassion but did not excuse
wrongdoing, and demonstrated a life well 'beyond Man.' (For example, his
closest friends lived with Him day and night for 3 years, yet testified that He
lived a morally perfect life in every detail!--Imagine what our friends would
say about us.) Like the Scripture, we do not have the option of labeling him
simply a Prophet or 'good man' or a 'great teacher.' He was either Liar,
Lunatic, or Lord! For this reason, therefore, the Jews were seeking all the
more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath [by healing
people!], but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with
God (John 5.18)
E. This Son-on-earth
takes upon Himself our 'separation' (in a public execution known as
crucifixion). God made Christ, who lived a morally perfect life, to 'be' evil
for us, so that we might 'be' moral 'right-ness' in Him (2 Corinthians 5.21)
And He himself bore our wrongdoings in His body on the Cross... (I Peter 2.24)
For Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that
He might bring us back to God (I Peter 3.18) This is really love, not that we
loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the sacrifice for our
wrongdoing (I John 4.10)
F. He did not stay dead
(His eternal relationship with the Father produced a resurrection) and He
opened up the possibility of 'grafting' us into His eternal relationship with
the Father. God raised Him from the dead, because it was impossible for death
to keep its hold on Him (Acts 2.24) You killed the Author of life, but God
raised him from the dead (Acts 3.15)
G. This allows the
Father to not compromise His integrity concerning the separation, and delivers
the full consequences of the separation in history (on His Son). He did it
[separated Himself from His Son on the Cross] to demonstrate his justice , so
as to be just even when announcing that those who have a trust relationship
with His Son are now morally correct before Him (Romans 3.26) My God, My God,
why have You forsaken Me? (Mark 15.34)
[By the way, all of
this was promised and described in detail over a 3,000-4,000 year period, just
so we wouldn't miss it! There were between 100-200 predictions about the
entrance of the Son into History--His birthplace, time, circumstances, early
residences, characteristics, death, purpose, etc.]
Thesis Ten: The last piece of the puzzle is us. We must enter this
relationship as persons, with the first personal act of any positive
relationship -- trust. He may get the information to us through literature like
this, 'harass' us by sending others of His followers, or drive us to Himself
through emptiness or pain, but we must make a personal choice to trust him. We
must affirm Who-He-was (the God who took on human flesh) and What-He-did (bore
the full consequences our our moral failures in our place).
Give ear and come to
me; hear me, that your soul shall live (Isaiah 55.3)
Through faith in Him
[Jesus] we may approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3.12)
To everyone who
welcomed Him by trusting in who He was and what He did, he granted the right to
relate to God as intimate children [and not just creatures or citizens or
whatever] (John 1.12)
For God loved this
world so much that He gave His unique Son, that whoever trusted in that Son
would not experience the final consummation of death in all its forms and
degrees, but rather have that life which is characterized by stability,
fullness, and eternity (John 3.16)
Thesis Eleven: Once we have understood this and made a conscious choice
to depend upon His work to 'bridge the gap,' He then fulfills His commitment by
grafting us into His relation with the Father, and beginning the 'benefit
stream' to us.
Taste and see that the
Lord is good! (Psalm 34.8)
For as high as the
heavens are above the earth, so great is his love to those who honor and relate
to Him as God (Psalm 103.11)
You will know that I
am the Lord; those who hope in Me will not be disappointed (Isaiah 49.23)
He who has the Son has
real life and he who doesn't have the Son doesn't have real life (I John 5.12)
Therefore, if anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation--the old is gone, the new is here! (II
Corinthians 5.17)
(It is critically
important to understand that this is a personal relationship of trust that we
enter into. We trust a Person, because of who He is and what He did. We do not
trust an "im-person"--we do not trust our 'trust' or our 'church
involvement' or our 'good deeds' or 'good intentions' or volunteer work or
donations or 'prayers' or 'positive thinking' or anything less than the
God-who-did-His-work-on-earth.' Remember, it is not our 'trust' that grafts us
into a new relationship, but the Son.)
Thesis Twelve: You must stop reading this, and make your decision now!
(Get nervous now-- I'm going for the close!) If this makes sense to you, it
should make even more sense for you to overcome all natural hesitancies and
reluctance and uncertainties (they will always be around) and DO IT NOW! It's
pitifully simple to do. Simply tell God in your own words that you choose to
trust in His Son and in His work to repair the relationship. Don't worry about
'feeling sincere enough' -- we never do. (That's part of our separation from
ourselves.) Just tell Him something like this: "God, I am not sure of what
all I am doing, but I do choose to trust your Son Jesus to heal our
relationship. I believe that He was God who took on flesh like mine, and that
He took my guilt and its consequence upon Himself, so I would not have to in
the future. Thanks for making it so simple and easy."
(Go ahead, do it now,
I'll wait for you...Dum, dum, dum, de dum...Finished? No? Trust me, do it now,
I'll wait a little longer--look back at the prayer...Dum, dum, dum, de dum...)
If you did that just then,
remember again it's not a prayer or these remarks that graft, it's the Person
to whom the remarks are made.
If you have taken this
'step' and made this movement toward God, starting a relationship with Him
based upon His efforts, then His favorable attention is upon you as you read
this. Consider I John 5.13: These things I have written to you that have put
your confidence in the Person and Work of the Son of God, in order that you may
have full assurance that you have began a new life that will grow and deepen
for all eternity.
So, relax...that issue
is now settled--the relationship is created, is eternal, based on that simple
act of personal trust (simple, wasn't it?). You have just changed the universe
somewhat. The issue now is how to develop this relationship, in order to reach
the full potential of your life.
What can you expect
now? Like beginning most other personal relationships, you will probably not
feel a rush of ecstasy or an emotional "high." God is very quiet in
His dealings with man but He is very thorough...He will pursue your good in
every area of your life. You will also probably experience a chaos of feelings,
thoughts, impressions, doubts, etc. The Scripture uses that peculiar phrase
'new birth' to describe the change that occurred in your life a moment ago. As
a 'new life' is generally unfocused, inarticulate, and confused (like infants)
so it will take a little while for 'it all to make sense' or for the patterns
to become recognizable. And the obvious next step is not even a step at
all--it's simply slow growth, as the benefits of this new relationship begin to
show up in various areas of your life. You will see some new influences,
perspectives, feelings and thoughts in some areas almost immediately--others
may take years or even decades.
But, as in all new
relationships, you will need two things: information and interaction. You can
get a tremendous amount of information about Him from His Communication,
obviously, but there are other sources of data that are important as well. This
'other data' basically comes from interaction with Him and with His 'social
circle.'
You will want to make
a habit of talking about everything to Him. (It will seem very strange at
first, but will become the richest personal experience of your life later!) Ask
about this, complain about that, thank Him for these, admit ignorance about
whatever, beg Him for that, cry to Him about the pain, pour out your
frustrations, open up your fears--everything and anything makes sense in that
relationship. As God (in all that this name really means), He knows you so much
better than you could ever know yourself--and He knows what will fill your life
with richness and fulness and joy and contentment.
Also, please, please,
please...remember, relationships require investments of time. (This one takes
less, due to the simple fact that He never, ever misunderstands you--He is
always patient, firm, wise, kind, gentle, smiling, accepting, and 'on your
side' -- but it is impossible to manipulate Him!)
Just as you need to
discuss your interests, ambitions, concerns, etc. with Him, you should begin to
ask Him about His: what does He care about most in the Universe, what is His
view on this event or movement or person? I probably don't need to tell you to
not expect an audible reply to such questions, but believe me, He is more that
competent enough to make His answers known in your life and experience.
You can also learn a
lot about Him from His 'social circles.' Others that have had this relationship
for longer than you can function as 'older brothers or sisters' in sharing what
they know. Leverage this! (Make sure you get the right crowd, though. You want
people who are into 'the relationship,' not into 'religion.' Christianity, not
Church-anity.
The next 72 hours will
probably be seriously strange! You may feel very silly, very stupid, wonder
where your sanity went while you read this booklet(!). You may have negative
emotional, personal, or professional experiences that you will be tempted to
'blame' on your decision!
The basic reason for
this is our mixed character and how 'both sides' are responding to this
decision. What I recommend is to take your feelings with a 'grain of salt' for
72 hours, while reading certain Scripture (not religious literature) as much as
possible. I suggest you borrow or buy a modern translation Bible (New
International Version or New American Standard) and read the books of
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, and
Titus. (You can find the page numbers in the Table of Contents -- all Bibles
have one.) Read them over and over until the 'strangeness' wears off. (Again,
if you cannot find one, write me and I will send you a paperback one.)
I know it must seem a
bit bizarre for me to assert that your life is beginning to change even as you
read this. You will start to see new influences, see old things in a new light,
have a heightened sense of moral struggle, notice things you never noticed
before, find new strength and vision in your life. Friend, it goes on forever
like this--forever growing, getting better, stronger, kinder, more gentle,
firmer, wiser--more like Him with each new experience (even failures will now
play their part in sculpting our characters and destiny--previous failures may
have served only to open us up to considering this relationship with God).
I know it sounds
terribly trite, but it is the most subtle of wild adventures you can imagine.
Write me, if you will, so I can mark the date down...and I'll call you in ten
years and you tell me if I wasn't right!
Also, if you do have
any questions or need to know of special resources, please feel free to write
me and I will respond, by post or phone. There will be a lifetime of questions
ahead, many of which are discussed at https://www.christian-thinktank.com/. And
after the 72 hours are up, make a copy of this little paper and give it to a
friend...and maybe change the universe again.
(September 1999)
What's Next...
If you
are reading this, then I'm going to assume that you have put your confidence in
Jesus Christ as the God who took on flesh and who traded places with us (during
His death on the Cross) when God judged and punished our wrongdoings...and
that, accordingly, you are related to God in a new way--not as creatures, or as
merely citizens---but as "children" (we'll see what that means as we
go along).
What we need to do now
is to look at four things: 1) what is the character of your new relationship
with the living God, 2) what can you expect to happen in your life now, 3) why
should you go forward from here in a relationship with God, and 4) what
specific attitudes and actions can you initiate to cultivate this relationship,
to nurture it, and to develop it to its fullest expression in your life? (We
will also look at some of the personal and relational benefits of doing this.)
Your New
Relationship to God - What is it?
The most concise
statement I can find in the Bible to characterize your new relationship to the
Living God is in Romans 5:1-2: Therefore, since we have been declared guiltless
through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
There are several
important points to notice about this information. First, we are legally
guiltless before God (remember, Jesus bore our guilt in our place). It doesn't
mean we have not sinned, nor that we will not sin in the future. It means that
God doesn't 'charge that sin to our account'; instead it was 'charged' to
Christ's account. (2 Corinthians 5:19: "God was reconciling the world to
himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.") The consequence
is that we need not worry about ever being separated from God again.
Second, we have peace
with God. Because we are legally guiltless, God is at peace with us. He is not
hostile, or aloof, or angry, or resentful, or bitter, or judgmental. His heart
is at peace with us. We are accepted by Him. The relationship is not
characterized by tension or uneasiness (at least not from His side--you may be
a little uncomfortable at first, but it will pass as you begin to realize the
depth of His loving acceptance of who you are).
Third, we 'stand in
grace.' Now, grace is a very strange word to the modern world. It actually has a
basic meaning of 'undeserved or unearned favor, as a kindness-gift.' The
concept is a very active one (unlike 'peace' which is a more passive word).
This 'favor' smiles at us, acts on our behalf in history, forms the basis for
all of our dealings with our God. It is undeserved in that we could never earn
or deserve God's active, positive involvement in our lives, for our good and
welfare. It has a warm connotation to it, of kindness and tenderness and loving
and gentleness and hearty friendship. It is not a legal term, like 'peace' or
'forgiveness.' It's not like 'doing someone a favor' but rather 'she was
favored with beauty and wit, from childhood.' The consequence of this is that
we are in a spotlight of God's positive workings in history. We have been singled
out as targets for His good and kind working. (You and I will spend many, many
millennia exploring this grace...and never fathom the bottom of it!)
The net result of
these three pieces (guiltless, at peace, a standing in grace) is a firm
relationship with the God of the universe: "In Him (Christ) and through
faith in him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence" (Ephesians
3:12)
We can approach God!
Without being blown away?! With 'confidence' approach the One of whom "It
is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!" Incredible!
"With freedom and confidence"--such are the awesome results of the
work of His Son! The bedrock of our relationship is this access to God.
What Can You
Expect Now?
Like beginning most
other personal relationships, you will probably not feel a rush of ecstasy or
an emotional "high." God is generally very quiet in His dealings with
man but He is very thorough...He will pursue your good in every area of your
life. You will also probably experience a chaos of feelings, thoughts,
impressions, doubts, etc. The Scripture uses that peculiar phrase 'new birth'
to describe the change that occurred in your life when you put your confidence
in Christ. As a 'new life' is generally unfocused, inarticulate, and confused
(like infants) so it will take a little while for 'it all to make sense' or for
the patterns to become recognizable. And the obvious next step is not even a
step at all--it's simply slow growth, as the benefits of this new relationship
begin to show up in various areas of your life. You will see some new
influences, perspectives, feelings and thoughts in some areas almost
immediately--others may take years or even decades.
But, as in all new
relationships, you will need two things: information and interaction.
You can get a tremendous amount of information about Him from His
Communication, obviously, but there are other sources of data that are
important as well. This 'other data' basically comes from interaction with Him
and with His 'social circle.'
The first few days of
this new relationship can be seriously strange! You may feel very silly, very
stupid, wonder where your sanity went while you made a 'religious decision!'
You may even have negative emotional, personal, or professional experiences that
you will be tempted to 'blame' on your decision!
The basic reason for
this is our mixed character and how 'both sides of us' are responding to
this decision. What I recommend is to take your feelings with a 'grain of
salt' for a few days, while you start on the action items in the section
"How to Go Forward From Here...".
At the moment you first put your faith in
Christ, something actually changed inside you. The Scripture is very
specific in saying that God created a new influence inside you: "If anyone
is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Corinthians 5:17) "And have put
on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its
Creator" (Colossians 3:10)
(This is also called
the New Birth ("born again") and the New Man--we'll discuss what
actually transpired in creating that 'new influence' in a later booklet.)
What this means to you
now is that you will experience a more active conscience in day-to-day events,
due to this 'influence.' You will develop a heightened sense of right and
wrong, although the things you think are wrong might not be so. (Our consciences
are not perfect--they were developed during childhood without any serious
Quality Control programs! Under God's tutelage over the decades, they will get
better, more sensitive, and more accurate. But for now, they will just become
more active.)
This influence will
prove to be an extremely valuable asset down the road.
Why Go Forward
From Here...
"For the natural
output of the work of God's Spirit in us is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control" (Galatians
5:22,23)
"The fruit of
doing and being right will be peace; and its effects will be quietness and
confidence" (Isaiah 32:17)
Think what our lives,
our relationships, our fulfillment, our sense of significance would be like if
these qualities filled our lives! Need we say more?!
How to Go Forward
From Here
OK. So, we have this
spiritual influence somewhere in us, producing a new 'self' that needs to grow
and develop. How can we, as spiritual 'newborns,' grow and develop into healthy
and robust people? Answer: in the same way physical infants do--they eat,
wiggle, and watch! That's all they ever do! And yet...they grow, learn
language, develop complex reasoning skills, etc. They all started by eating,
wiggling (exercising), and watching.
The scripture also
approaches it from the same model. Consider these passages:
Eat: "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so
that by it you may grow up in your deliverance from evil's destructive
effects" (1 Peter 2:2)
Wiggle: "Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is
not familiar with the basics of right living. But solid food is for the mature,
who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil"
(Hebrews 5:13-14)
Watch: "We with open
faces, all contemplate the Lord's glorious character, are being transformed
into his likeness" (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Let's Talk About
Eating. In
the life of a physical infant, the first six months are the most critical in
its life--the formative months. Likewise, it is critically important to your
success in this endeavor to consume as much of God's communication to man as
possible during your first weeks and months. You need to get a good
translation Bible, read the easiest-to-digest-books, and begin interacting with
it.
A Good Translation. I recommend the NIV (New International Version) or NAS
(New American Standard). Both are accurate and easy-to-read for
English-speaking readers. For the first several months you will need at least
the New Testament, the Psalms (in the Old Testament) and Proverbs (in the Old
Testament)--if you can't afford an entire Bible. [If you honestly cannot even
afford a New Testament etc., write me and I'll send you one.]
The
Easiest-to-Digest Books. The Bible is a
wonderfully complex and panoramic work of God, done through many authors,
through many centuries, and through many ways. Much of the scripture deals with
God's special relationship with historic Israel; a smaller portion deals
directly with believers today. All of it is profitable for us to pay attention
to, but the easiest to 'process' quickly is that part written by those sent out
from Jesus to the whole world--the Apostles. I recommend for 'mass consumption'
that you read the New Testament "epistles" first (the books from
Romans through Jude--just look in the Bible's table of contents), then the
Psalms, and then the Proverbs. Then repeat the process as much, and as often as
you can. The first time through, read for speed and 'immersion'--the second and
subsequent times, read with interaction.
Begin Interacting
with It. This is the easy part, because
it means keeping a log of the things you don't understand, the things you
disagree with (!), and the things that really 'nail you.' I use a spiral-type
notebook with 4 columns: date, scripture passage address, the question/ issue/
message, and one for later answers. As you read the Bible, make entries in this
log. At the end of each reading session, read them out loud to God and ask for
Him to guide you into the answers. Some answers will come in days, some in
weeks, some in years, some in decades, and maybe even some only after death.
But you will be amazed over time how faithful God is to those who seek the
truth. Remember, the God of Truth is not afraid of our questions!
As you read through a
passage, feel free to mark it up with a good pen. Circle words that are
repeated often, draw lines between phrases that are related, and especially note
the connective words (e.g. for, in, through, because, therefore, in order that,
so that, without, unless, if-then) and try to understand why they are there.
Constantly ask God to show you the 'so what' and 'what now' implications of
each passage. Note these as action items to do or concepts to think about. This
will form an important skill set for the rest of your earthly life.
Once you have gone
through the process about four or five times, you can develop a steady 'diet'
at a steady pace. The Psalms have 150 chapters (5 per day for a month, but do
the long Psalm 119 separately). There are 31 chapters in Proverbs (one per day,
right?!). There are 44 chapters in Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians,
First and Second Thessalonians (a subset of the New Testament Epistles), or one
and a-half chapters per day. (At some point you will want to get a "One
Year Bible" with the entire Bible divided into daily readings. My kids and
I really enjoy having it in 'bite-size chunks.')
The New Testament
Epistles will contain important information as to what resources are available
to you, what hidden elements exist in our worldview, what attitudes you can
expect to develop, and what major challenges will confront you as you make
progress. The Proverbs will teach you to be practical, shrewd (in a positive
sense), and to learn from other peoples' mistakes rather than your own! The
Psalms will teach you to carry every problem, every worry, every success, every
failure, every positive and negative emotion to the Lord in prayer. You will
see your life completely reflected in the experiences of the writer. It's
incredible--every situation I can think of in life: elation, treachery,
rejection, envy, promotion, etc., can be found in this book of the Bible. It
will become a major, major source of comfort, strength, and even companionship
in a sense, as you began to work this new life out into your experience.
A Starter-Kit on
How to Study the Bible. There are many
excellent books that can help you learn to study the Bible effectively. [For
example, two I recommend are Living by the Book by Hendricks and
Hendricks (Moody Press, 1991) and Dynamic Personal Bible Study by Barber
(Loizeaux Brothers, 1981)]. But let me give you a 'five-minute' starter-kit for
your first use. The basic method is two-fold: answer the
"W"-questions and then construct a word-by-word 'test' for students.
The "W"-questions are simple--we learned these back in elementary
school. Read the passage and answer the basics: who, what, where, how, when,
why, why not, wherefore, and 'so what?' These are especially useful for
historical passages such as the Gospels, Acts, and much of the Old Testament.
Often you will need to construct the questions in more detail, such as in the
account of the Widow's Offering in Luke 21:1-4: As He looked up, Jesus saw the
rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put
in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said,
"this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave
their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had
to live on ."
Let's list all the
"W"-questions we can come up with. (We may not have enough data to
answer them from the passage or from the surrounding context, but the exercise
of asking will make us more sensitive to the details of the story.) Who was
watching? Who was being watched? Who else? Who does Jesus say this to? What did
the widow do? What were the copper coins worth? Where did this take place? When
in Jesus' life did this occur? When in the day and in which month? How many
coins did the widow put in? Why did the widow give all she had? Why did Jesus
point this out? What is the basic message of the story? So what does that mean
to me, concerning my attitude toward any gifts I give to the Lord's work?
The second part is to
build a word-for-word 'test' from the passage. This works especially well on
paragraph-sized chunks from the New Testament Epistles. Look at Ephesians 5:1.
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly beloved children
What we do now is to
pretend we are a teacher designing a 'comprehension test' to build skills in
our students. We will try to make a question out of each word in the passage.
Examples: Is "be" a command word? What are we supposed to be? Who are
we supposed to imitate? What is the 'therefore' referring to (you have to check
the context for this question) What kind of imitation are we to do? (as
children or as actors, etc.) Do we imitate as estranged children or as loved
children? Are we just creatures (or children)? Are we just regular children (or
loved children)? Are we just regularly-loved children (or dearly loved)?
In this process of
asking questions of the passage, you will begin to notice details and
connections that will be used of God over time in bringing you to fulfillment.
Let's Talk about
Wiggling. Wiggling in the life of an infant is fascinating to watch and to
think about. They are subtly obeying an ancient, in-built command of God to
'subdue the earth and rule over it' (Genesis 1-2). The first part of the
'earth' an infant has to rule is his or her little body. The wiggling is simply
'practicing until you get it right.' For people just beginning to grow in their
spiritual life, this amounts to practicing the basics of a personal
relationship with the Father, without understanding all of how it works, or
where it's going, or even how it's possible. It's learning how to talk to God,
how to 'look for' God in the day-to-day, how to develop spiritual skills.
The most important one
of these skills to develop quickly is that of prayer, or talking to God.
What does one talk to
God about, actually? Let's look at some examples and instructions from the
Scripture. "I pour out my complaint before Him; before Him I tell my
trouble" (Psalm 142.2) "You are my God, and I will give you
thanks." (Psalm 118.28) "Cast all your anxiety on him, because He
cares for you"(I Peter 5:7) "Then I acknowledged my sin to you and
did not hide my evil. I said 'I will confess my wrongdoing to the Lord'--and
You forgave the guilt of my sin.'" (Psalm 32.5) "Do not worry about
anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition (while giving thanks),
present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6)
We see everything from
complaining to thanking, confession to requesting...all from a child to the
Father. Anything is fair game! It's an open, honest relationship ("access
with freedom and confidence" remember?). Let's look a little closer at
each of these.
Complaining. As long as it's
done in respect, complaining is on-target. Throughout the scripture, God's
people often complained of sickness, political and military enemies, domestic
problems, financial woes, love troubles, persecution, rejection, betrayal,
misjudgment, 'bad luck', and the seeming inequities in life. It was all done
respectfully, as a child might ask a Father to help him out with a local bully
or a onerous math assignment or a frustrating social situation. "Pour out
your heart to him at all times" -- the image of a hot, steaming, bubbling
cauldron of trouble (does this describe your life ever?) poured out on the
ground before the Lord for inspection! (Psalm 62.8) Nothing is too big or
small, but do it often and with awe (remember Who you're talking too).
Thanks. This is so
essential to a joyous life. If God were just a cold creator who made us just to
'show off' His power, then our fundamental relationship to Him would be
obedience. But...God created us to 'show off' His kindness(!), and our
fundamental relationship is to be that of thankfulness! (Not a bad deal for us,
eh?!) The Bible talks about thanks over 150 times! Compare Psalm 50:23:
"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so
that I may show him the deliverance of God."
Our dear Father
focuses on the heart that gives thanks, and He delights in involving Himself in
that life ("show him the deliverance of God"!)
But giving thanks is
not just a 'feeling good' experience. The scripture is clear that we are to
thank God (in an attitude of trusting Him) for everything in our lives,
even the unpleasant, the debilitating, and the difficult. "Give thanks in
all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (I
Thess 5:18)
We'll see later that
nothing happens by accident in the life of one of God's children, but that
everything is somehow calculated to produce a stronger character, a more gentle
and kinder spirit, a wiser and more gracious heart, a more committed will, and
a greater potential for enjoyment and significance. (We just don't know very
often how it all fits together, on this side of death!) To see how clear the
scripture is on this, look up and study (using the above techniques) James
1:2-4; Isaiah 48:10; I Peter 1:7.
Sometimes the
difficulties are 'spankings' to keep us from playing with the stovetop:
"My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline and do not resent his
rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he
delights in." (Proverbs 3:11-12)
Sometimes the
hardships are more like an obstacle course or a difficult exercise regimen:
"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however,
it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been
trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11)
There are other
reasons for hardships in the lives of His children, but in any event, GIVE
THANKS! He knows so much more about us and what we really need, than we ever
possibly could--trust Him!
The Psalmist knew this
well: "It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I might learn your
laws" (Psalm 119:71)
Confession. (Sounds threatening, doesn't it--but it shouldn't be if
you understand what's going on when you do it...) Confession between a child
and his father is nothing more than a reverse "I told you so"--a
"You told me so". Confession in the Bible literally means "to
say the same thing as"--to agree with. When we do wrong, we simply tell
God that we did wrong, and that the wrong was destructive (like He told
us). It's not a matter of 'whipping up enough sorrow' or some weirdness like
that --it is a matter of 'whipping up some honesty' about the wrongdoing. It's
being honest that this sin has no place in our lives, that it always further
complicates matters(!), that its pleasure is outweighed by its consequences and
cost, and that it took the death of Jesus Christ to cover its legal penalty.
You see, when someone
in the universe does evil, there are always two aspects--the legal and the
natural. The legal is the 'justice' part of it; the natural is the 'damages'
part of it. When a murderer kills someone, there are legal results (he is
guilty and should be punished accordingly) and there are natural results (a
person is dead). The legal results can be 'undone' (he may be pardoned), but
the natural results are almost never 100% reversible (the person does not come back
to life).
When a believer sins,
there are only natural consequences, because the legal aspects were
taken care of by Christ on the cross. He took our legal consequences in full.
The result is that when a child of God sins, what needs to be dealt with are
the destructive forces unleashed by that act.
These destructive
forces have two directions in which they move--internal within ourselves--and
external--into our relationships with others. The internal damages typically
show up in weaker wills, more prone to 'sin again' in the future, decreasing
sensitivity to the real horror of sin, complacency, compromise, etc. The
external damages vary considerably: mistrust, rejection, rebellion, apathy,
hostility, damaged reputations, etc.
The cure for the
internal is very easy--I John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all moral
blemishes"
Notice that it's
'confess', not 'agonize over' or 'confess over and over again' or anything like
that. It is a simple Father-child conversation: "I did X, and I agree with
you that it was wrong. Stop the damages in my life--don't let it
weaken/overpower me. And show me how to minimize the damages in the lives of
others. Thanks you for taking care of the legal aspects through the death of
your Son Jesus."
The external
consequences, if reversible at all, must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
Scripture gives several examples of what might be needed to fix the outside
results: restoration of property with penalty, public apology to someone, a
gift, etc.
The critical element
in confession is to deal with wrongdoing quickly! When you sin, don't
let it work for a long time like yeast. Stop the internal weakening (through
confession to God) as quickly as possible. And then...start the strengthening
spiral again (eating and watching).
Requesting. This is what most
people think about when they think of prayer--approaching God with a grocery
list of things they want to have. But the scripture paints a much richer and
warmer picture of what we are to pray for. We ask God for our daily
necessities, like food and clothing. (Matthew 6:6) We ask God to guide our
governments. (I Timothy 2:1-2) We pray for those who have not trusted Christ as
their substitute. (Romans 10:1) Pray that you won't be put into morally awkward
situations (Matthew 26:41) Pray for health (James 5:16; 3 John 1:2) Pray for
people to know God better. (Ephesians 1.17) Pray for other believers to share
their faith more (Philemon 1:6) Pray for anything you might worry about!
(Philippians 4:6) Pray for your enemies. (Matthew 5:44)
And many, many
more...But can He meet those needs, if it makes sense for our true
welfare? "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or
even imagine..." (Ephesians 3:20). Does that clear it up?!
The issue is never can
He, but will He. Many of our requests will be answered "no,"
but not because He cannot do them. Answers of "No" can be
because it is simply not in His best plan for our lives (2 Corinthians 12:8,
Exodus 33:20). And sometimes a "No" only means "Not Yet."
But a definite "Absolutely Not" is most often due to our failures to
approach the matter correctly. Use your Bible study skills and look at these
passages: I Samuel 14:37; Psalm 66:18; Proverbs 1:28; Proverbs 21:13; Proverbs
28:9; Micah 3:4; Zechariah 7:13; James 4:3. You'll find reasons like
selfishness, or apathy toward His communication, or stubbornness--things that
interfere with all personal relationships and communication.
One thing I have
learned over the years is that God delights in showing His children how
faithful, loyal, kind, and active He is. The people of Israel kept a record of
God's special intervention in their history and celebrated it in church
regularly. I have used a similar approach for the last 20 years -- the "I
ask, He answers" Log. What you do is get a notebook or 3-ring binder. You
take some notebook paper and draw a line down the middle. Then label the left
side at the top "I Ask" (or "We Ask" if you do this as a family)
and the right side "He Answers." Then, over the years, you record
your requests (with the date) on the left side, and as He answers them (even
with "No's") you make the entry on the right. This "Audit Trail
of Grace" can be used at special times of thanksgiving and honor to
reflect upon His demonstrated and active involvement in our lives. It will also
encourage you in dark times. Whenever I get overwhelmed by a problem in the
family or at work, I simply go back in the Logbook to the last jam He got me
through--and I calm down a little, and trust Him a little more! If you do this,
make the entries as specific and measurable as possible ('3 Christian books
read by Christmas' vs. 'More Reading'). Some answers will come in days, some in
months, some in decades--but the steady stream always continues!
Another thing I have
to do sometimes (when the challenges I face either are too numerous or too
powerful) is to 'cast them' upon the Lord. I Peter 5:7 says "Cast all your
anxiety on Him because He cares for you." I use a technique of doing this
that probably originated with a Jewish king in 700 B.C. Israel was being
attacked from the east by an overwhelming army (the "hopeless battle
against impossible odds" kind of army) and the enemy commander writes a
letter telling what destruction he is about to do to Jerusalem, how the people
should not trust God, how other nations' gods did not deliver them. Talk about
anxiety! But King Hezekiah 'turned it over' to God: "Hezekiah received the
letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the
Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the
Lord..."
He basically took his
'anxiety list' and laid it out before God. In today's world, we can do
something very similar. I remember the first time someone showed me how to do
this. You simply take a sheet of paper and list on one side everything you
worry about--big, little, immediate, in the future, etc. And then you 'spread
it out before the Lord' -- you write "I Peter 5:7" and then the verse
in big bold letters on top of the worry list. Then tear it to little shreds.
You 'cast them' upon Him, because He cares for you. Talk to him about the
worries, how they got there, specifically what it is you fear the most, what
are the possible outcomes that you can think of (He can think of more, in most
cases!). Lift the bills up to Him, the grades, the medical report, the eviction
notice, the pink-slip, the IRS notice, the legal document, the orders to move,
the 'downsized' headcount number for your department. I use this often and I
have two phrases I consistently say: "See this, Lord?" and
"HELP!" (He's your Father, remember--and a good one at that).
Committing. This is one surprisingly few people do (and often their
results show it ). Proverbs 16:3 says "Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed."
This 'commit' means
something different than the 'commit' in 'commit sin.' In this case it means to
'entrust.' We formulate our plans, goals, targets, etc. and then 'entrust' them
to God to "see them through." We entrust the plans--they are still our
plans--to God. We then, with a calm confidence in His Omni-Competence,
diligently proceed with the work. This promise guarantees us success (assuming
that we have picked a worthy goal, of course).
I need to digress here
for a moment and deal with an issue. What I basically said above was to
"entrust it to the Lord" and then to 'get busy doing it.' And when
the success comes, there are skeptics who will say that it was 'you and not the
Lord' that made it happen. This is a rather naive position to take on any
significant set of plans. The number of things that can go wrong (outside of
the plan itself) is astronomically high: power outages, deaths in the family,
sickness, changed economic situations, natural disasters, memory slips,
transcription errors, traffic jams, priority shuffles--tons and tons of
variables are caught up in every thing we set out to do. (How He invisibly
orchestrates these things in history, I will not know for probably another
30-40 years, if then, but He just does it.) When I finish a big project at the
office, I give thanks!
This also applies to
goals. I do 6 month, 1 year, and 3 year goals. And I write them up while
talking to God. At the end, when I have asked Him for sensitivity to His
priority scheme, I write Proverbs 16:3 on the top of the sheet. I save these in
a file folder, for later reflection and appreciation of His working
behind-the-scenes.
There is one other
'wiggling' habit that is a good one to develop--a 'quiet time.' This is a
period of time set apart for spending one-on-one with God, in a very quiet
setting. Most people set aside a few minutes in the morning before their day
'cranks up the volume' to talk to God, give thanks, plan the day out before Him
in prayer, and read His word. Other people prefer bedtime for this, focusing on
the next day. It makes no difference--the issue is daily (or as close as you
can come to it). It is important to get as isolated as possible to concentrate
on Him, His goodness, His directives for your life, and to pay attention to the
scripture with as little distraction as possible. Their is no magic formula or
set agenda for this (remember, it's a relationship not a religion!), but most
people find it helpful to start with confession, then go to thanks, then to
Bible study, on to 'requesting', and finally to planning the day while praying
about it. Some people can do this in 10-15 minutes; others take 1-2 hours! Make
sure you start with something that is reasonable for you!
Let's Talk About
Watching. It's really fascinating to watch babies grow up. As their little
personalities begin to unfold, mannerisms and characteristics of Mom and Dad
(good, bad, and indifferent!) begin to show up. They are imitative by nature,
and they imitate what they see Mommy do, big brother do, the TV character do,
etc. If their parents are always angry around them, guess what they grow up to
be like. If their parents are always gentle around them, guess what they grow
up to be like. We are built to become like those we interact significantly
with.
(There is a reason for
this. Without getting too far into theology, the human race is patterned after
the Trinity. There is one God and He has three separate personalities: The
Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit. They all 'look' identical. How many times did
Jesus say things like "He who has seen Me has seen the Father.?"
Plenty. The human race was created in that 'plural' image. We are different
persons, united by a common nature. As such, we tend to 'gravitate' to becoming
like the other 'persons' with that nature--after the model of the Trinity.
Babies are very quick at this, but everyone is subject to these influences.)
The Scripture points
out that this imitation can be for good or bad: "He who walks with the
wise will grow wise" (Proverbs 13:20) "Do not make friends with a
hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn
his ways and get yourself ensnared." (Proverbs 22:24-25) "Bad company
corrupts good character" (I Corinthians 15:33)
The message is clear:
to grow more like our Father, we have to "watch Him" more. We have to
'hang out' with Him in the garage, go to the store with Him, listen to Him tell
His stories, think about His comments on the news, and on and on...we need to
look at Him and watch Him.
OK. How do we
'watch' God?
The first answer is both easy and obvious. We pay attention to the
Bible--what it tells us about God. What does He like? What does He hate? What
does He love most in the universe? Why does He do some things and not others?
Why does He work in our lives at the rate He does? What characteristic of God
is prominent in this passage? Ask every passage "what are you telling me
about my Father?"
The second answer takes time for people to develop, but start practising
now. It is seeing His work in the events and circumstances of your life.
(This is called Providence.) You may have already seen His work in however you
came to trust His Son and start the relationship with him. Make a habit of
going over each day and asking Him to show you His working. At first it may be
difficult to see any patterns, but over the years you will begin to see
unmistakable 'fingerprints' in the "statistically improbable"
circumstances of your life. Write them down.
The third answer is obvious, but may not be easy--depending on your
personal situation. It is to watch Him in the lives of others who have
grown to be like Him. Just as a younger kid can learn from an older sister what
Mom is like, so also can we see the Lord in the lives of mature and solid
followers of our Lord. We can see their gentleness, kindness, and firmness. We
can see them forgive others and bear witness in difficult circumstances. We can
see the image of the Father as reflected in their lives.
The reason this can be
difficult at this stage is that finding these individuals may be hard. You may
not have enough data or experience yet to distinguish between the 'wheat and
the chaff.' There are many people who do religious things (some very
impressive--cf. Matthew 7:22,23!) but who do not know God. Indeed, there is
much material in the New Testament letters devoted to helping Christians
distinguish between good and bad leaders.
The fastest way to do
this from scratch is through the local church. I always start at the Yellow
Pages under "Independent, Non-denominational" (I'm just more familiar
with that 'brand' than with the mainline denominations). Then pick the 5-8
closest to you and call and ask them to send you their doctrinal statement
("what our church believes..."). When you get these, weed out those
that don't talk much about Jesus paying for sin, or about the Bible being God's
truthful Word. If the statement talks more about the Holy Spirit than about
Jesus, dismiss it as well (John 15:26; 16:14). [If you cannot find anything,
write me with your area and zip-code and I'll try to send you some
names/numbers.]
At this point you are
ready to visit the churches. I recommend 'scanning the crowd' before you actually
go in. If a good number of the people are carrying Bibles into the church, it's
a good sign--the preacher may be Bible-centered. [Some churches keep bibles
inside the church, though, so just because no one IS carrying a bible, that
doesn't necessarily mean that they are not bible-centered.] If they don't
use/interact with the Bible in the service (e.g. bibles in the pews, or
significant bible reading sections in the bulletin/service)--don't waste your
time--try another one.
If you do attend the
church service, and it seems to line up with what you know to be the case (and
hopefully the preacher showed you in the Bible), then you are ready for the
next step. At this point, you want to find an elder, deacon, pastor, or usher
and ask them this question: "I'm a new believer and I'm looking for a lay
person in your church here to help me learn to share my faith and witness. Can
you recommend a church member who regularly leads people to Christ?"
You may have to ask
two or three of these 'officials' to be sure, but if nobody knows even one,
give it up--something is wrong with that church. If they do give you a name,
write it down for later, and start attending the church. Later, you can look
that person up and ask for some names of people who you could meet with, to
learn from their Christian experience.
Once you begin
associating with these folks, your learning will greatly accelerate. With this
comes a danger of accepting everything a godly man says as true. Develop
the habit early of "Test everything. Hold on to the good." (I
Thessalonians 5:21). But...make sure your 'testing' is done with graciousness:
"Thanks for that, Bob. Now, if I had to teach that to someone else, which
two or three scripture passages would be the best to use?" If they have no
clear passages, then suspend judgement on that teaching until you can
get more information.
The other thing to
find within the church is a weekly Bible study. Good churches (of both
mainstream denominations and of non-denominational varieties) will always have
a small group Bible study somewhere. This will be an important source of both
Bible teaching, as well as a source of like-minded friends that are serious
about growing their relationships with God. Find one and plug in quickly--it
will provide many dividends in the future.
Make sure you
Read-out instead of Read-in. In your
experiences of 'watching' for God in your life, you will learn over time what
He is like, how He operates, what His priorities are, and so on. At the
beginning, you will bring assumptions (read: "baggage") with you in
your expectations of what He is like. You (like everyone) will have a backdrop
against which you will interpret and understand His actions. Sometimes we bring
the backdrop of our earthly fathers, or of a godly teacher, or a wise friend.
This can sometimes be good and sometimes be bad. For example, if our earthly
father was harsh or distant or week-kneed or violent, we will be tempted to see
God as this kind of person, initially. It is as important to focus on what God
is not like, as it is what He is like. (This can sometimes be dealt with by
thinking about any negative characteristics in your "father-type"
role models and thanking God that He does not have these limitations.) You will
need to consciously practise this at first, but over time His character will
become clearer in your mind.
A helpful starting
point in this 'correction process' (which we all have to go through
continually) is a study of the attitudes/qualities of God. While reading your
Bible, jot down in a journal all the verses that tell you something about what
God likes, hates, loves, gets angry at, grieves over, gets excited about,
smiles at, etc. This will greatly facilitate forming an accurate view of the
One who loves you beyond comprehension. (I'll start you off--What do you think
He loves/delights in most in the universe?! And is also incredibly proud of?!
-- My guess is His Son Jesus! Check it out--Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark
1:11; 9:7; Luke 9:25; John 3:35; 5:23) A Closer Look at the Dynamics of Growth
A relationship between
persons can only be as deep and as vibrant as the persons are themselves. This
means that for our relationship with our Lord to grow, we must grow as
persons. (He obviously doesn't need to grow, since God is 'fully grown'
already.) We've already looked at what we must do to grow, and now we need to
understand better the nature of that growth.
Growth is change and
transformation. At its core, growth is change from within, from some
'blueprint' inside us. Consider these bits of data: "Do not conform any
longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your
mind." (Romans 12.2) "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet
inwardly we are being renewed day by day" (Ephesians 4:23) "...and
have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of
its Creator" (Colossians 3:10) "But grow in the grace and knowledge
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18)
There is a definite
emphasis on 'mental renewal' in these verses. Seeing things as He does,
thinking about things He does, loving the things He loves are the central
means of change and transformation. When you start thinking the 'old
things' or the 'old way,' quickly confess it and 'put on' the new viewpoint
toward those things (as best you know how at this stage). If you don't know the
'new view,' just abandon the old and postpone thinking about the issue (but ask
God to teach you over time the correct view). Then ask someone older in the
Lord how they deal with the issue. Sometimes they may have some insight
which will help. But transform, transform, transform.
Growth is temporary
imbalance. Pre-schoolers and adolescents are often good examples of this
principle. Precious growth in one area is often out of balance with the other
areas of a person's life. They are in disequilibrium. There are 'growing pains'
and embarrassing moments of awkwardness. This is normal. In a Christian's life,
this might show up as someone who has rapidly learned alot about the Bible, but
who doesn't share their faith much yet. Or a person who is a prayer 'warrior'
but who shows little compassion for hurting believers. Or people who tell
everybody they meet about Jesus, but who have not learned to enjoy Him in
praise or singing. Be patient, God will grow them in those other areas too
(Philippians 1.9). And be patient with yourself, too! Stretch yourself, reach
for growth, reach for maturity, but expect the disequilibrium of growth.
(Actually, rejoice--it's proof of His work in your life!!) There are also
stages of growth (I John 2.12-14)--a never ending adventure of achievement and
self-realization!
Growth is like
compound interest. Growth (both positive and negative) is like a spiral--the
more you 'do,' the easier it is to 'do' the next level. For example, Galatians
5:22-23, teaches us that self-control is one of the results of 'saying no' to
evil desires in our lives. As we fight temptation and win, we 'grow' the
ability to fight and win farther. Conversely, when we choose the way of moral
failure, our wills weaken and we become more likely to fail again (Galatians
6:8). The implication of this is clear: we need for our positive 'spiral' to
outrun any negative 'spiral' we start. In other words, we need a life that is
full of quality acts and wise decisions and kind perspectives and frequent
'check-ins' with our Father. Confession of sin stops the destructive spiral,
but we immediately need to re-start the positive one. (Actually, we do not
re-start at zero every time, because the positive 'spiral' changes our
character, and not just our enjoyment of that character.) We can overcome any
bad habit in our life over time, by a combination of confession and positive
action/attitudes.
(One of the things I
do in this area to keep focused may be of value to you. It's a bit simplistic,
but it helps me. I keep a journal/diary ["Another journal?! When
does this guy have time to work?!"] of what I did each day for the Lord.
It is very small, because I only make brief entries. My typical entries include
leaving a tract with someone, praying for someone special, writing some on my
books, reading some pages in a Christian book, talking to my kids about the
Lord, putting a tract in with a bill payment, mailing a Christian book to a
friend, extra time in the Word, getting a brief Christian 'twist' into a
conversation at the office, going to church, calling another Christian to
encourage them, etc. But I look at it every night at bedtime--as a
reminder--"what did I do for Him today?")
Problems, Problems,
Problems
One of the most
profound changes that occurred the moment you put your trust in Jesus Christ is
that problems are now constructive, rather than destructive and/or random in
your life. They now 'fit' in your life, for your development. Problems do not
go away (some do) but they will now be changed into 'challenges' and
'opportunities' and 'exercise.' Even though they are now constructive, they are
not 'fun.' Let's look at this very important component of our lives.
The Good News:
Their Limitations. The first thing to get down is that the problems (and the
inherent temptation to sin by abandoning God's way, compromising standards,
reacting in arrogance, etc.) are limited in how powerful they can be. I
Corinthians 10:13 is a life-saver here:
"No temptation
has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not
let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will
also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
His faithfulness means
that we can always deal with it. It will still be difficult (or else it would
not stretch us) but it will not be so intense as to be destructive. To use a
weight-lifting metaphor, if you can lift 100 pounds, it will be 120-130, but it
will not be 200--which could damage muscle tissue.
For example, when I
was a new believer I was petrified that Satan himself would appear to me in
person and overpower my will with his presence, 'forcing' me to do something
terribly evil--murder, rape, theft, blasphemy, etc. I did not understand that
this would have been a temptation 'beyond what I could bear.' When I learned
the truth of this verse, I breathed a sigh of relief and knew that I could
trust my Father to keep me safe while He allowed my skill level to be tested.
The Good News:
Their Results (when done right). When we
keep our calm, our faith, and our actions on target through one of these
'trials,' the result is accelerated growth in our character and relationships.
Compare: "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your
word" (Psalm 119:67) "For our momentary and light troubles are
achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2
Corinthians 4:17) "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those
who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11) "Consider it pure joy,
my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the
testing of your faith develops perseverance." (James 1.2-3)
Notice that it is
'painful'--it is training. But it produces health, life, growth in us.
The Issue of Doubt. Many new believers
agonize over their multitude of doubts about God, Jesus, the Bible, sin--in
fact everything! In many cases, they did not even think about these things
earlier--much less, have the teeming doubt-life they feel guilty about now!
This too is perfectly
natural, and will slowly subside as you grow and get to know Him better. Faith
is not an either/or proposition, but rather something that grows from one level
to another to another (just like love, patience, joy, self-control): "We
ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith
is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is
increasing." (2 Thessalonians 1.3) "our hope is that, as your faith
continues to grow..." (2 Corinthians 10:15)
The implication is
this: be patient with yourself. Rejoice and be thankful that you are as far
along as you are, and tell God you're excited about growing more, so that these
'doubts' will occupy less and less of your thought life. Remember, time is on
your side!
A Special Case of
Doubt: Intellectual Questions. Some people develop a heart for God, but are in a constant
state of turmoil because of intellectual questions about the faith. Sometimes
these questions come from professors or intelligent friends or literature, but
they often cause a lack of peace in one's heart. I experienced this early in my
Christian life, especially in University settings. The intellectual strength of
the Christian worldview is one of the best-kept secrets in the universe! When I
dug into the rational/factual basis for my faith, I was amazed at the 'audit
trail' my Father left in the universe--to document His truth.
There are reams and
reams of quality material in this area (generally called 'Apologetics') that
can be found at most Christian bookstores.
It is important to
remember several things when dealing with these kinds of issues: The God of
Truth is not afraid of our questions. (We may be, but He is not.) Your Father
is God of the whole person: will, emotion, and intellect. You can trust Him to
meet your needs in the intellectual arena (note: needs, not wants).
He will never support your pride/arrogance with knowledge (or: "He will
not help you accumulate ammunition to show off with") He will hold you
responsible to use any such answers/ information, in helping others with
similar needs. He will answer most of your questions before death: some in
hours, some in days, some in weeks, some in years, some in decades. The vast
majority of your questions were asked by some other child of His earlier and
answered by Him earlier. You do not need to re-invent the wheel. Finding these
answers is a lot easier and less stressful than trying to solve each problem over
again! For every argument "against the faith" a skeptic can advance,
we can produce 20 "for the faith." It is much easier to postpone
judgement on the one 'problem' than it is to abandon the faith and then have to
'explain away' our 20!
The God who loves you
can be trusted in this area--I have learned this over the last two decades of
'intellectual history.' (Just by way of reference, I am not 'excessively dumb'
(!), and I can honestly say that He has answered the vast majority of both my
'bright' questions and my 'stupid' questions--in His own time. I testify that
He can be trusted. So, calm down, already!)
Sin and Illusion. We've already
talked about how a sin-spiral will weaken you, sap your strength, stunt your
growth, rob you of joy and peace, and introduce decay and destructive forces
into your relationships. Here I want to focus on another major damage-type:
deception. Sin 'tricks' us. It changes our minds and 'tilts' our worldview. It
is to be avoided at all costs, for this reason especially. Look at these:
"For sin...deceived me" (Romans 7:11) "put off the old self,
which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires" (Ephesians 4.22)
"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by
all kinds of passions and pleasures." (Titus 3.3) "...so that none of
you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (Hebrews 3:13) "...and in
every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing." (2
Thessalonians 2:10)
The Bad News: The
Struggle.
One of the most impressive evidences for the serious consequences of sin is the
daily struggle within ourselves that we experience as believers. Men and women
were created perfect originally, without a 'bent toward' evil. When sin was
allowed to break into human history, it introduced disturbances and defects
into human nature. We are all descended from those original natures, and sin
has taken its toll on our spiritual "DNA"--we now have an aspect of
our nature that aggressively tends to evil. The Bible calls this a sin
'nature,' which we do not shed until death. The consequence is that our lives
are lived in a constant struggle between this 'old nature' and the 'new nature'
which God placed in our hearts/lives when we trusted Him (remember the new
influence we talked about earlier?). The scripture is very frank about this:
"For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the
Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each
other, so that you do not do what you want." (Galatians 5:16-17) "...but
I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law
of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my
members." (Romans 7:23)
As you grow in this
relationship, your love for Him will increase and increase. The consequence of
this is that your moral failures will grieve you more and more intensely over
time. The struggle (and our 'losses' therein) could become a major source of
discouragement in your walk with the Loving Lord. Let me give you a few things
to think about, that may arm you against this.
The best
defense is a good offense. The same passage in
Galatians begins like this: "live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify
the desires of the sinful nature" (5:16). In other words, be so busy doing
good, that you do not have time to even notice the temptation to sin! Be
constantly thinking about the Lord, His will, His ways, His works, what He
wants you to do each minute at your job, and talk to Him, and about Him, and
study His word, and be involved in Bible study and share groups and...don't
ever even finish this sentence! (But, be careful of burn-out. It can be just as
dangerous as being idle.)
See it in
perspective. God will use this
'nature' to refine your character, like he will use evil people and evil
circumstances. Remember, God is orchestrating all the forces in your life now.
That does not mean they are all good, but it does mean that none can ultimately
thwart God's purpose for your life. Just as we can thank God for the trials
that come from without, we can also thank Him for the trials that come from
within.
Don't let it
trick you into extended discouragement. When you fall, get
up! When it wins and you sin, confess it to the Lord and get back on track. Nip
the spiral in the bud. Don't allow yourself the self-indulgence of a 'Pity
Party.' Will you fall again? Probably. But, remember Proverbs 24.16:
"though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again."
Starve the
little sucker! Like all natures,
it needs 'food' to maintain its vitality. Spiritually 'starve' it. Stop reading
bad and/or questionable material. Screen what TV/movies you watch. Kill
thought-life fantasies early. Ignore it whenever possible. Re-configure your
social life. Cut down on your drinking. Shorten your periods of arrogance.
Avoid people that bring up bad associations or memories. Create new ones. Feed
the new nature instead: Bible, singing, friends, church, prayer, a
phone-encouragement Christian friend, Christian reading, Classics.
"whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or
praiseworthy--think about such things." (Philippians 4:8)
Laugh at its
mortality!
In a million years, you will be around,
but it will not. It is a helpless, doomed little thing--Jesus Christ has signed
its death warrant on the cross, and has crushed it utterly! It still gasps and
twitches and gropes, but in 100 years or less it will be history! Such is the
work of our powerful Savior! Recognize it for what it is--a short-term and
dying aspect of our existence.
Dealing with the
"show-stopper" Problems. Some of us walked into this new Christian
experience with some very serious, almost catastrophic problems: failing
marriages, substance addiction, legal trouble, financial ruin, medical
problems, dysfunctional families, bad business situations, destructive
relationships. These have the urgency and capability to distract us, cripple
our efforts, and throw us into a pit of discouragement (among other things).
There are three pieces of counsel I would offer you, if you find yourself in
this kind of a predicament.
First,
"pour it out before the Lord."
Take a notebook and write a letter to your heavenly Father about the problem.
Describe everything you can think of about it on paper: how it started, the
course it took, why it happened, what forces make it continue, what
consequences you are currently experiencing, what a 'best case' scenario would
be, what your role is in it, who else is involved, and what your godly options
might be. This is just a starter, but begin to think through (prayerfully,
while talking to him) what your options for recovery are. Be totally honest
with Him (as if you could fool Him, right?!) and yourself. "Pour it
out"--record it all on paper, date it, sign it, address it to Him. Then
write the I Peter 5:7 verse on it, and put it away somewhere for safe keeping.
Second, break
it down into sub-problems and go for some 'early wins.' Most big problems
have lots of little ones hidden inside. Try to identify these and focus on
solving the easier ones first. Get a positive 'win' spiral started so some of
the benefits will bleed over into the more difficult areas. Fix as many
small/easy ones as quickly as you can, to get some 'health forces' working in
your life. This will grow your wisdom, insight, and strength and allow you to
tackle the next level of difficulty and so on.
Third, do not
try to do it all by yourself. Ask for professional,
mature help in and through the church, or Christian service organizations. God
created the church (a group of people) with different talents, training, and
abilities so we would not have to 'know it all.' Get an expert involved.
Take the Longer
View of Problems. All problems try to get us to focus only on the next 5
minutes, but the Christian is not limited to this narrow perspective. I try to
put my challenges into perspective using a habit I developed based on Psalm 42:
11: "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your
hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God."
In this Psalm, the
psalmist is faced with some kind of problem. But he/she has been through
problems before and remembers that God delivered him from those problems. This
'pattern' of problem/deliverance is applied to the then-current problem, and
the psalmist expresses confidence that he will 'get through it' ok.
I have adapted this
perspective for myself in this way. Whenever I get hit with a big challenge (to
the point of being worried or downcast) I get out my daily pocket calendar and
find the date exactly 6 months from the current date. Then I write a note to
myself on that date to thank God for how He got me through this problem!
"I will yet praise Him" in exactly 6 months! He will get me through
it--He's done it so many times in 20+ years!
So put problems into
the perspective of God's sure deliverance. Begin thanking Him now for how He's
going to do it. Look forward to learning more about how He works through this
specific experience. Relax and trust His wisdom and careful, tender love for
you. He loves you more than you could possibly understand. "And I pray
that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with
all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of
Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge" (Ephesians
3:17-19)
A Last Word about
the Relationship
I've said several
times in this work that "it is a relationship, not a religion." It's
a warm, personal relationship, not simply a legal or 'organizational' one. You
will tend (like us all) to 'routine-ize' it or let it stagnate in the
status-quo mode. You will need to invest time in it, invest new moments of honesty,
openness, friendship, and freshness in it. You will need to practice humility
before the One who humbled Himself in becoming a man (to die on the cross in
your place)--Philippians 2.8!
At the same time, it
is important to remember that this relationship is built on trust and
confidence. Just as you began your relationship with God by trusting His Son
and His work on your behalf, in the same way the relationship will grow--by
faith. "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to
live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were
taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." (Colossians 2:6-7)
Just as you did not
earn His acceptance into His family, so you cannot earn His continued
acceptance--both of these were secured for you by Jesus Christ. (You can earn
His approval for what you become and for what you do, and can earn His smile
and pleasing Him with your life.)
And faith is not
something magical or mystical or something we 'close our eyes, grit our teeth,
and whip up in our heart.' The scripture has a much calmer and peaceful
approach(!): "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of
what we do not see." (Hebrews 11.1) "And without faith it is
impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he
exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11.6)
It is simply a quiet,
calm, confidence in an awesome, kind, gracious God.
(Now, to be sure,
sometimes we do have to grit our teeth and hold on, like we have to do in human
relationships when troubles/ misunderstandings arise. But the majority
character of faith is a restful trust in the One who is committed to our
welfare, growth, fulfillment, and joy.)
This relationship on
earth is so important in history that I highly recommend everyone to 'nail it
down for success.' By this I mean to entrust the relationship to His care,
to His responsibility. I know better than to trust myself to hold up my end
of the relationship (over the remaining years of my life), but I know I can
trust Him to make me! (Cf. 2 Timothy 1:12 and Proverbs 28:26). Just as I have
entrusted my eternal destination to him, so have I entrusted our historical
relationship. I highly suggest you do the same. A simple prayer-blueprint might
be like this: "Father, thanks for all you have done and have started in my
life. I want our relationship to grow, develop, and be fruitful. But I do not
trust myself to accomplish this. I entrust our relationship, especially my
part, to Your care. Protect it from outside forces, from inside influences, and
from apathy or indifference. Keep it moving and vibrant. Keep me growing. Keep
me from actions and attitudes that will retard progress. Thanks."
I have learned over
the years what a beautiful, delightful, and enjoyable character is our God. I
encourage you to enjoy Him, and delight in Him, and just generally to fall in
love with Him. He can make this happen for you, believe me! Compare I Peter
1:8-9: "Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do
not see him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and
glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the deliverance and
freedom of your souls."
Walk this walk and you
will see this in your own life--steady by steady. God will share Himself with
you as you grow in your ability and commitment to Him. Personal relationships
are based on trust. As we prove trustworthy, friends and partners 'open up' to
us and confide in us more. Incredibly, this is also the case with our Great
God! "The Lord confides in those who warmly respect Him." (Psalm
25.14) "for the Lord detests a perverse man, but takes the upright into
His confidence." (Proverbs 3.32)
I
pray for you, my friend, that you will find the incredible Friend and Love that
I have found in the arms of our Jesus, and that you would serve Him and enjoy
Him forever and ever.
…………………A
Friend (Glenn Miller)
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