I saw the movie Philomena tonight. It is a provocative movie about an older Irish woman who spent 50 years desiring to reconnect with her son who was taken from her when the son was just a few years old. Philomena was abandoned as a teen by her family when she became pregnant after following her flesh passion. She was sent to a convent to have her child and was required to stay at convent and work to pay the convent the expenses she incurred with birthing her child. The convent was actually selling the children to wealthy Americans who were seeking adoption of Irish children. One day Philomena saw her son being sent away with another family. Her heart broke for she loved the child so much.
She kept this a secret for 50 years out of shame. One day she decided the secret was worse than the shame she felt from her "sin". A down and out journalist agrees to help her find her son to rejuvenate his career. His magazine wanted the story to boost their ratings.
(BTW, see the exchange imperative everywhere???)
Together, they follow leads to ultimately find out he had died and was buried back at the convent where he was born. He had sought his mother, but the nuns told him she had abandoned him and they didn't know where she was. The nuns had profound disdain for the "sinful" teen mothers they were "helping".
The movie is full of various perspectives toward God and sin. While the world elevated the guilt of sin committed by Philomena as a young girl, the Church perpetuated judgmentalism and fraud, all in the name of taking care of Jesus' business to punish sinners (duty). The nun who sold the son and then lied to him about his mother claimed Philomena deserved it because of her sin. In response to being confronted by Philomena as to why the nun would keep Philomena from her son, the nun was resentful and cynical because she took vows of chastity and had to refrain from sexual pleasure while Philomena had enjoyed sex as a fornicator. The nun believed Philomena DESERVED eternal punishment.
(There's that equity imperative).
I was reminded in that scene how Graceless duty and obligation of the nun had contaminated her heart. She lived a joyless life, all in the name of doing God's work as He demanded of her. The message of this movie is quite exemplary of the point of my book, "stuck in stinkin thinkin." When we approach God from a carnal mind of the equilibrium imperative, the life of joy, significance, freedom and hope escapes us and others are judged, not BLESSE$D. Philomena, the outcast "sinner", saw her sin as an offense to God, but knew that forgiveness (Grace) is the heart of God.
Great movie, I recommend it highly - lots to ponder :-)
random musings from the heart of a CRAZY old man (dedicated to those who inspire me)
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
The book is here
I have finally worked through all the editing and suggestions from reviewers and pulled the trigger. Its the first edition so I can enhance it with feedback from readers.
Currently a printed copy of the book can be ordered at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Stuck-Stinkin-Thinkin-Divine-Alternative/dp/1494266237/ref=sr_1_12/187-2560403-6864727?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387647018&sr=1-12&keywords=stinkin+thinkin
It is written to help anyone learn about why people do what they do and the "invisible" force working against people experiencing joy, significance, freedom, and hope.
http://www.amazon.com/Stuck-Stinkin-Thinkin-Divine-Alternative/dp/1494266237/ref=sr_1_12/187-2560403-6864727?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387647018&sr=1-12&keywords=stinkin+thinkin
It is written to help anyone learn about why people do what they do and the "invisible" force working against people experiencing joy, significance, freedom, and hope.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Just like Columbus
There was a time when everyone believed the earth was flat.
This knowledge was the prescription for how things worked without people ever realizing
it. The cultural imperative that the earth was the center of the universe and
the sun revolved around it influenced minds that could not imagine it any other
way. The desire to be legitimate restricted the discovery of new possibilities.
Eventually the discovery that exposed the futility of this stinkin’ thinkin’
transformed the ages and removed constraints on the provisions and privileges
that became available to society from the New World.
In many ways people today are also stuck in a stinkin' thinkin' that constrains their well-being. While I am sure there are still discoveries in science that can make a big difference in our lives, I am referring to our nature. There are imperatives of your human nature controlling your mind in ways you cannot even imagine.
Would you have ever thought that your obsession with fairness, your discomfort with receiving from others, and your tendency to do what’s necessary to be accepted by others is the spiritual equivalent of believing the earth is flat?
Would you have ever thought that your obsession with fairness, your discomfort with receiving from others, and your tendency to do what’s necessary to be accepted by others is the spiritual equivalent of believing the earth is flat?
You need a journey of discovery. Just like Columbus unlocked endless possibilities for his world because he believed beyond what was visible, you can unlock a whole new world in your life with endless possibilities when you explore the vast frontier of your Faith.
An example of how Grace transforms our stinkin' thinkin'
An example of how Grace transforms our stinkin' thinkin'
The Gospel
of Grace produces a heart that is broken and weeps over what sin has done to
someone we love rather than a wounded heart that judges the hurt our loved one
has done to us.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Playing a song or playing the piano
My youngest granddaughter likes to pretend she is playing my piano when she comes to visit. It really is just noise. One day she asked me to teach her how to play a song. So i showed her the notes on the piano to Frosty the Snowman and she could memorize well enough to play that one song. She is back visiting for Thanksgiving and said again, "Pop, can you teach me another song?"
We were a few minutes into learning Rocking Around the Christmas Tree when i noticed she was a bit frustrated with memorizing another song so I said, "you know, you are learning to play a song but you are not learning to play the piano." She looked at me a bit confused and I said, "if you learn to play the piano, you will be able to play lots of songs, anytime you want even without my help."
Her reply, "then teach me to play the piano." I did and now she plays many songs from the freedom she has because she discovered how notes on the page point to keys on the keyboard.
This little life example has profound implications for us all and the reason i am writing my book "stuck in stinkin thinkin - The Divine alternative". I have found that because many people just focus on learning to play a song (knowledge and rules to do a task), they do not do the work of learning to play the instrument (discovery). Thus it is with Grace. Many people are stuck with playing out life from their human nature (carnal mind) occasionally doing some Spiritual activities to pretend they are playing grace. My desire for all is to learn to make sense of life through the instrument of Grace and not the human imperative of social exchange and justice so that joy, freedom, significance, and hope are your song played out in every way.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
We were a few minutes into learning Rocking Around the Christmas Tree when i noticed she was a bit frustrated with memorizing another song so I said, "you know, you are learning to play a song but you are not learning to play the piano." She looked at me a bit confused and I said, "if you learn to play the piano, you will be able to play lots of songs, anytime you want even without my help."
Her reply, "then teach me to play the piano." I did and now she plays many songs from the freedom she has because she discovered how notes on the page point to keys on the keyboard.
This little life example has profound implications for us all and the reason i am writing my book "stuck in stinkin thinkin - The Divine alternative". I have found that because many people just focus on learning to play a song (knowledge and rules to do a task), they do not do the work of learning to play the instrument (discovery). Thus it is with Grace. Many people are stuck with playing out life from their human nature (carnal mind) occasionally doing some Spiritual activities to pretend they are playing grace. My desire for all is to learn to make sense of life through the instrument of Grace and not the human imperative of social exchange and justice so that joy, freedom, significance, and hope are your song played out in every way.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Sunday, November 17, 2013
stuck in stinkin' thinkin' about motivation
It has taken me quite a bit of thinking to identify stinkin' thinkin' about intrinsic motivation. The idea that intrinsic motivation is "scratching the itches of our soul" versus extrinsic, where putting forth effort to receive rewards from the world around us, is as far as I had taken it. However, in my book I am writing, I was faced with the question if intrinsics are ever carnal and if so, what is the difference between carnal intrinsics and and Grace intrinsics? The following is where I have landed. Its been an very interesting thought journey to get here. I would like anyone's thoughts on this exert from my book draft regarding clarity and completeness. You know - making sense of things is what the book is about :-)
**************************************
I would suggest first that
extrinsically motivated behavior is carnal minded in the sense that it requires
exchange of one’s behavior for reward from the world around them. Intrinsically
motivated behavior is a bit more complex. Whether the motivation is from a
carnal mind or Kingdom mind depends on the nature of our intrinsics. If our
purpose, meaning, and enjoyment in life are satisfaction gained from meeting
our need to be significant through our own actions, we are intrinsically
motivated to scratch self-serving itches and our well-being depends on the
impact we make in the world around us. Viewing this through the lenses of Equity
Theory of motivation, the carnal mind sees more effort is necessary to produce
an outcome that is significant in their world, which creates for them a
desired sense of happiness (referent). Making sense of intrinsic motivation through the
Kingdom mind involves understanding the outcome of one's effort is independent
of context (the worldly situation) and focused on the outcome of pleasing God, resulting
in joy (referent). Apostle Paul
says in his writings to the Corinthians that we seek (our intrinsic motivation) outcomes that are eternal and invisible resulting in an ambition to please
God. Of course, we know from the famous passage in the letter to the Hebrews
that without faith it is impossible to please God. Thus, we can contrast the carnal
sense of intrinsic motivation from the Divine alternative using Equity Theory
of motivation in following way:
It is interesting to note that there
have been many books written to encourage people to seek purpose in their lives
as their ultimate ambition. Some, like Buford’s “Halftime,” focus on
significance not worldly success as a higher order need in our human existence.
While I cannot speak to the authors’ sense-making assumptions that are at the
root of theses messages, I can say that the appeal to significance to produce a
happy and fulfilling life is carnal minded when our significance is defined by
our impact on the world around us. This notion of significance as purpose is so
stealth that many, many Kingdom dwellers are deceived to believe significance
is their ambition, putting them in bondage to the results of their actions, not
the faithfulness of them.
Friday, November 8, 2013
making sense of hypocrties
A hypocrite is one who pretends to be something they are not, taking from the root word meaning actor. The normal application is the criticism of Christians who pretend to be something but acts differently than what they purpose they are. "Christians are just such hypocrites", claim critics of God. Even Noah Webster's original English dictionary published in 1828 defines hypocrite in these terms, "one who has the form of Godliness without the power, one who assumes an appearance of piety".
While the word hypocrite is a general sense of one appearing to be what they are not, its interesting that the culture applied it to a specific kind of pretending, one who is not a Godly person but presents them self to be. I think there is a more powerful application for the word hypocrite and its really the reversal of its normal use.
My experience shows me that there are many Christians who are hypocrites, but not in the way the world means it. Christians are adopted children of God. they have every access to the provisions and privileges of the King. BUT, they rarely act like it. Christians who were once orphans, now live in the mansion on the hill, but mainly don't act as if they believe their new found fortune.
The King who has the mansion on the hill wants more than anything for their adopted child to feast at His table and to dress in the clothes He provides. Yet, what does His children often do. They abandon the provisions and privileges of the King, put on their old rags and go back down into the garbage heaps of the world and act like they are still orphaned, living off the paltry provisions of the street. They are pretending to be an orphan when they are actually a child of the King.
I find this form of hypocrite to be more profoundly evident than the cultural application perpetuated by a carnal minded world. Wouldn't it be interesting if when people criticize Christians they would really be saying, "look at those Christians, they are such hypocrites, they are adopted children of the King of this Universe but they act like they are still an orphan. How silly and foolish of them!"
Just imagine that!!!!
While the word hypocrite is a general sense of one appearing to be what they are not, its interesting that the culture applied it to a specific kind of pretending, one who is not a Godly person but presents them self to be. I think there is a more powerful application for the word hypocrite and its really the reversal of its normal use.
My experience shows me that there are many Christians who are hypocrites, but not in the way the world means it. Christians are adopted children of God. they have every access to the provisions and privileges of the King. BUT, they rarely act like it. Christians who were once orphans, now live in the mansion on the hill, but mainly don't act as if they believe their new found fortune.
The King who has the mansion on the hill wants more than anything for their adopted child to feast at His table and to dress in the clothes He provides. Yet, what does His children often do. They abandon the provisions and privileges of the King, put on their old rags and go back down into the garbage heaps of the world and act like they are still orphaned, living off the paltry provisions of the street. They are pretending to be an orphan when they are actually a child of the King.
I find this form of hypocrite to be more profoundly evident than the cultural application perpetuated by a carnal minded world. Wouldn't it be interesting if when people criticize Christians they would really be saying, "look at those Christians, they are such hypocrites, they are adopted children of the King of this Universe but they act like they are still an orphan. How silly and foolish of them!"
Just imagine that!!!!
Thursday, November 7, 2013
scratching the itches of MY soul
Those who have set under my teaching have heard me frequently express intrinsic motivation with this phrase about the itches of our soul. Human psychology associates intrinsic motivation with directing our personal attentional resources towards behavior that rewards us internally through enjoyment, purpose, and meaningfulness. I believe that intrinsic motivation is the basis by which we play out what God has put in us. In my scholarly and Biblical study I believe that our calling is primarily driven by these internal motivation factors more so than talent, skills and giftedness because these direct our effort, abilities do not. Paul would say he was compelled to go here or do that or say this. Compel is the force of intrinsic motivation. Many have heard me say that the South Alabama meaning of compel is "can't not do it."
I am currently being overwhelmed with the calling to take a message to those who have ears to hear. In my soul I feel I am at a pinnacle of understanding a few key insights that can transform people's lives. In my university teaching, my small group discussions, and teaching Bible study, a clear message has emerged that has impacted people's spiritual walk in very tangible positive ways.
This message is basically this :
Christians spend much of their study acquiring more knowledge, but knowledge alone has little motivational power. Its when we discover truths that can be applied to our psychology to think, feel, and choose differently that we are truly transformed. One of the ideas we learn from Scripture is that we have a carnal mind (old man) that represents our thoughts, feelings and choices influenced by our flesh or our human nature. We also have a Kingdom mind (new man) that is given to us by God as we become His adopted child. Our dilemma is that as we grow in our head knowledge of grace, we are influenced by our nature more than we know because we know very little about it except that it is at enmity with God and it is so natural to us.
For example, two of the theories of human behavior that explain how our nature works are Social Exchange Theory and Equity Theory. Social Exchange Theory states that the force that holds relationships together is the value that passes between them. Basically, we give to get and we are obligated to return when we receive. If we apply this natural way to make sense of our relationship with God we become legalistic and CANNOT make sense of our self and the world around is through the lenses of Grace, and thus fail to fully realize the privileges and provisions of the Kingdom of Heaven. This has nothing to do with our salvation but has everything to do with the quality of our Christian walk and testimony. Its what would make us different from the world. I believe that Social Exchange is so subtle and so natural that it provides a competing belief system to the Gospel of Grace and wars against our Spirit in a stealth way. Once we grasp this nature in a conscious way, we gain a freedom to make sense of things through grace and we experience more joy, hope, and significance.
In a similar way Equity Theory is our nature to demand fairness. This is ever present in our sense making and its so natural that we give it the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval and never question it as being carnally minded. The futility of sensing we fail God and do not deserve His favor robs us of the joy and freedom of Grace and leaves us frustrated in our guilt. Gaining an understanding of these natural forces at work in our sense-making, of which we really are unaware, renews our mind to be informed by grace, which is the opposite of Social Exchange and Equity judgments.
I feel so compelled to engage people with this message. I know I need to establish mechanisms to do this. Obviously there is much more to this message than what I could share here so I know I need to write a book on the contrasting models of carnal and Kingdom minds in sense-making. I need to deliver workshops to people everywhere I can. I know I need to coach individuals one on one who desire special support to applying the basics of this message. I need a website and other structural aspects of a ministry. I know this whole endeavor is risky from a human point of view. I don't know if anyone will publish or buy the book or whether anyone will attend a workshop or desire coaching, but i know that in my 4th quarter of life, I must do this. Dudley Hall once defined passion as "that which propels us through obstacles as if they were not there in the quest for the object of our love." Passion is intrinsic motivation on steroids!! Passion is the heart and soul of calling. This is my calling and so I am compelled - the real risk is NOT doing this :-)
I am currently being overwhelmed with the calling to take a message to those who have ears to hear. In my soul I feel I am at a pinnacle of understanding a few key insights that can transform people's lives. In my university teaching, my small group discussions, and teaching Bible study, a clear message has emerged that has impacted people's spiritual walk in very tangible positive ways.
This message is basically this :
Christians spend much of their study acquiring more knowledge, but knowledge alone has little motivational power. Its when we discover truths that can be applied to our psychology to think, feel, and choose differently that we are truly transformed. One of the ideas we learn from Scripture is that we have a carnal mind (old man) that represents our thoughts, feelings and choices influenced by our flesh or our human nature. We also have a Kingdom mind (new man) that is given to us by God as we become His adopted child. Our dilemma is that as we grow in our head knowledge of grace, we are influenced by our nature more than we know because we know very little about it except that it is at enmity with God and it is so natural to us.
For example, two of the theories of human behavior that explain how our nature works are Social Exchange Theory and Equity Theory. Social Exchange Theory states that the force that holds relationships together is the value that passes between them. Basically, we give to get and we are obligated to return when we receive. If we apply this natural way to make sense of our relationship with God we become legalistic and CANNOT make sense of our self and the world around is through the lenses of Grace, and thus fail to fully realize the privileges and provisions of the Kingdom of Heaven. This has nothing to do with our salvation but has everything to do with the quality of our Christian walk and testimony. Its what would make us different from the world. I believe that Social Exchange is so subtle and so natural that it provides a competing belief system to the Gospel of Grace and wars against our Spirit in a stealth way. Once we grasp this nature in a conscious way, we gain a freedom to make sense of things through grace and we experience more joy, hope, and significance.
In a similar way Equity Theory is our nature to demand fairness. This is ever present in our sense making and its so natural that we give it the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval and never question it as being carnally minded. The futility of sensing we fail God and do not deserve His favor robs us of the joy and freedom of Grace and leaves us frustrated in our guilt. Gaining an understanding of these natural forces at work in our sense-making, of which we really are unaware, renews our mind to be informed by grace, which is the opposite of Social Exchange and Equity judgments.
I feel so compelled to engage people with this message. I know I need to establish mechanisms to do this. Obviously there is much more to this message than what I could share here so I know I need to write a book on the contrasting models of carnal and Kingdom minds in sense-making. I need to deliver workshops to people everywhere I can. I know I need to coach individuals one on one who desire special support to applying the basics of this message. I need a website and other structural aspects of a ministry. I know this whole endeavor is risky from a human point of view. I don't know if anyone will publish or buy the book or whether anyone will attend a workshop or desire coaching, but i know that in my 4th quarter of life, I must do this. Dudley Hall once defined passion as "that which propels us through obstacles as if they were not there in the quest for the object of our love." Passion is intrinsic motivation on steroids!! Passion is the heart and soul of calling. This is my calling and so I am compelled - the real risk is NOT doing this :-)
Monday, November 4, 2013
"weak and worthless elementary principles of this world"
I have definitely entered the fourth quarter of life and feel compelled to be the most strategic that i can be. I have raised kids, been a business professional, and engaged bible study for much of my life. In the more recent years I took the path of academia to develop a more disciplined way to think about human behavior and to teach it to college students. I believe I am at the pinnacle of my life's journey in understanding the tension involved in being in this world but not of the world.
I have seen evidence all along life's journey that what God has put in me has power to transform lives. I find I am more capable and passionate to help others move beyond the "weak and worthless elementary principles of this world" (Galatians 4: 9) to a life model that is strategic and nourishes the soul's well-being. To be faithful to my calling I have found closure to my full time faculty position that was extremely rewarding and productive to develop a full time ministry that broadens the network of people's lives I can intersect with the message God has given me to profess.
In the months ahead I will provide details of the form this ministry will take. I do know the theme will be applying the Kingdom mind to make sense of personal and professional headwinds through teaching and coaching. Making sense of our life and the world around us through the lenses of Grace rather than our human nature (social exchange and obsession with justice) is transformational. More over, a transformed life is the greatest witness of the hope that is in us.
Everyday I think about the bondage that people live in because they are slaves of "the weak and worthless elementary principles of this world." Most of my life has prepared me for this moment. I have done some things right and I have made many mistakes. God has redeemed all of this to bring me to the fourth quarter.
If you have enjoyed and been blessed by my blogs, I think you'll find the next step to be quite exciting. Stay tuned - more to follow :-)
I have seen evidence all along life's journey that what God has put in me has power to transform lives. I find I am more capable and passionate to help others move beyond the "weak and worthless elementary principles of this world" (Galatians 4: 9) to a life model that is strategic and nourishes the soul's well-being. To be faithful to my calling I have found closure to my full time faculty position that was extremely rewarding and productive to develop a full time ministry that broadens the network of people's lives I can intersect with the message God has given me to profess.
In the months ahead I will provide details of the form this ministry will take. I do know the theme will be applying the Kingdom mind to make sense of personal and professional headwinds through teaching and coaching. Making sense of our life and the world around us through the lenses of Grace rather than our human nature (social exchange and obsession with justice) is transformational. More over, a transformed life is the greatest witness of the hope that is in us.
Everyday I think about the bondage that people live in because they are slaves of "the weak and worthless elementary principles of this world." Most of my life has prepared me for this moment. I have done some things right and I have made many mistakes. God has redeemed all of this to bring me to the fourth quarter.
If you have enjoyed and been blessed by my blogs, I think you'll find the next step to be quite exciting. Stay tuned - more to follow :-)
Friday, October 25, 2013
"Grace Unplugged"
I saw this movie tonight and cried most of the way through it. This movie touched the deepest chords of my heart. The story line is of a girl named Grace who was raised by a former pop artist with a big hit as a young man. He rejected pop culture and turned pastor of music as Jesus invaded his life and changed his motives. He had a daughter who was raised singing with him as praise leaders at their local church.
As she reached 18 she began to want to sing and use music to fit her dream. However, dad "knew what was best for her" and so instead of nurturing her dream and how God might be playing Him self out in her life he put her in a box and focused on conforming her to his image. This well intended but destructive behavior of dad drove her away and put her in danger. His actions did not support her, but rather protected him. I see this everywhere around me, especially in legalistic, moralistic graceless Christian dads.
While Grace was "unplugged" to grace, she was plugged into rebellion to pursue her dream and thus subject to a world who wished to exploit her for their own benefit. She was drifting and subject to deceptive influences. Being unplugged to grace Grace lacked the transforming power of grace not provided her by her dad . When dad finally "plugged" into Grace's life by trusting God for Grace's protection and development, Grace was transformed into God's desire for her. Ironically, God put a Christian young man into Grace's life to guide and protect her. Dad had no way of knowing how God was going to work in Grace's life, he just needed to let go of his own control and believe God loved Grace more than he did and would provide what she needed.
This contrast between a dad's destructive need to conform his daughter into his image and unleashing God's grace into her life tears at my soul. I see way too many young women set back for years by dad's controlling influences that work against God's design on his daughter. My heart weeps as I see young women struggling to break away and having to seek rebellion, and loneliness which leaves them empty of a father's love and distracts them from the power of The Father's love.
My heart is still shaking from grace I see "unplugged" in daughters ....
As she reached 18 she began to want to sing and use music to fit her dream. However, dad "knew what was best for her" and so instead of nurturing her dream and how God might be playing Him self out in her life he put her in a box and focused on conforming her to his image. This well intended but destructive behavior of dad drove her away and put her in danger. His actions did not support her, but rather protected him. I see this everywhere around me, especially in legalistic, moralistic graceless Christian dads.
While Grace was "unplugged" to grace, she was plugged into rebellion to pursue her dream and thus subject to a world who wished to exploit her for their own benefit. She was drifting and subject to deceptive influences. Being unplugged to grace Grace lacked the transforming power of grace not provided her by her dad . When dad finally "plugged" into Grace's life by trusting God for Grace's protection and development, Grace was transformed into God's desire for her. Ironically, God put a Christian young man into Grace's life to guide and protect her. Dad had no way of knowing how God was going to work in Grace's life, he just needed to let go of his own control and believe God loved Grace more than he did and would provide what she needed.
This contrast between a dad's destructive need to conform his daughter into his image and unleashing God's grace into her life tears at my soul. I see way too many young women set back for years by dad's controlling influences that work against God's design on his daughter. My heart weeps as I see young women struggling to break away and having to seek rebellion, and loneliness which leaves them empty of a father's love and distracts them from the power of The Father's love.
My heart is still shaking from grace I see "unplugged" in daughters ....
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
The Institutional Imperative
Warren Buffet has been acclaimed for his characteristic of the organizational phenomenon that seeks legitimacy and resists changes by mimicking normative practices of their industry. This behavior is basically an inertial resistance by organizations to any change to its current direction. This is not new to Buffet in that economist Adam Smith predicted in 1776 such constraints in organizations as managers became caretakers of organizations. In the 1950's March & Simon described rational decision making as a logic of legitimacy more than a logic of consequences. What this means in organizations is that existing practices get perpetuated not because they are the best path but because they are the established path.
The institutional imperative is not limited to commercial organizations. I find the church to be just as subject to these inertial influences. As many of you know I have been frustrated by how the church teaching has perpetuated the concept of "the process of sanctification." Theologians have declared sanctification has two meanings, definitive and progressive. Because this has been declared and accepted by mainstream theologians, preachers regularly preach sanctification in both ways, with more emphasis on the "progressive" and completely resisting any challenge to it.
I have argued that the definitive form is the only form supported both by the definition of the word sanctification and God's ordinances as expressed in Scripture. The word sanctification literally means "set apart." In Scripture this refers to God's work in and through us to set us apart for His purposes (I Thess 5:23; Hebrews 13:12; I Corinthians 1:2). John Frame labeled this definitive sanctification. However, others like Wayne Grudem have added to this a notion of progressive sanctification, that is a continual work of GOD and MAN that is an incremental spiritual work of both.
I do not find any evidence in the meaning of the word or biblical use of the word to suggest it is collaborative in any way. I Thess 4:3 has been used to support our role in sanctification. However, this implies more to our reaction to our sanctification, not our part in it. The INERTIA to make the Christian life more collaborative than God's ordinances set forth leads to a stubborn embrace of this dual notion of sanctification. Thus, the logic of legitimacy has trumped the logic of consequences. The defense of the legitimacy of these two tenets of sanctification lacks thorough examination. I am generally dismissed and simply told by preachers (and others) the difference between definitive and progressive is a nuance, not substantive.
I think this "blinds eye" to the consequences in favor of legitimacy is substantive. Collaborative meaning to any of God's sovereign acts breeds legalism and ultimately guilt and judgmentalism. To suggest that being made holy is a collaborative work of God and man places an inappropriate role on us and diminishes the power of God's Grace. While "growing in Christ" may in fact represent a legitimate experience as Christians, it is not the incremental progressive work of sanctification, it is mainly living by faith in the sanctification we already have. When God sanctifies us, we are His. It is a finished work. He doesn't need us to help Him complete it. It is not incremental. To think its collaborative and progressive exalts us.
"Growing in sanctification" implies we don't have it all yet. I don't get more sanctified by trusting in Jesus? Do I? Just like salvation and justification, I would prefer to say "growing IN OUR sanctification" which implies that we are exercising something we already have (Philippians 2:12b). I think it frustrates Christians to believe God hasn't given us all we need and we must work with Him or do something to get more of it. God's ordinances clearly sets forth that He has justified and sanctified us in His redemptive work of salvation. Our issue is not getting more sanctified but appropriating by faith sanctification we already have.
The reluctance of even reformed preachers to challenge Grudem's collaborative extension to the meaning of sanctification is an institutional imperative based on inertia of man's need to do something to make himself Holy. The consequences are much more than a nuance. The notion of "progressive sanctification" constrains the freedom and the joy of our calling to play out what God has put in us.
So, is preaching the "process of sanctification" an institutional imperative? I have yet to be given an explanation of why its not. IDK
Affectionately Yours,
The Word Nerd
Ay yi yi ......
The institutional imperative is not limited to commercial organizations. I find the church to be just as subject to these inertial influences. As many of you know I have been frustrated by how the church teaching has perpetuated the concept of "the process of sanctification." Theologians have declared sanctification has two meanings, definitive and progressive. Because this has been declared and accepted by mainstream theologians, preachers regularly preach sanctification in both ways, with more emphasis on the "progressive" and completely resisting any challenge to it.
I have argued that the definitive form is the only form supported both by the definition of the word sanctification and God's ordinances as expressed in Scripture. The word sanctification literally means "set apart." In Scripture this refers to God's work in and through us to set us apart for His purposes (I Thess 5:23; Hebrews 13:12; I Corinthians 1:2). John Frame labeled this definitive sanctification. However, others like Wayne Grudem have added to this a notion of progressive sanctification, that is a continual work of GOD and MAN that is an incremental spiritual work of both.
I do not find any evidence in the meaning of the word or biblical use of the word to suggest it is collaborative in any way. I Thess 4:3 has been used to support our role in sanctification. However, this implies more to our reaction to our sanctification, not our part in it. The INERTIA to make the Christian life more collaborative than God's ordinances set forth leads to a stubborn embrace of this dual notion of sanctification. Thus, the logic of legitimacy has trumped the logic of consequences. The defense of the legitimacy of these two tenets of sanctification lacks thorough examination. I am generally dismissed and simply told by preachers (and others) the difference between definitive and progressive is a nuance, not substantive.
I think this "blinds eye" to the consequences in favor of legitimacy is substantive. Collaborative meaning to any of God's sovereign acts breeds legalism and ultimately guilt and judgmentalism. To suggest that being made holy is a collaborative work of God and man places an inappropriate role on us and diminishes the power of God's Grace. While "growing in Christ" may in fact represent a legitimate experience as Christians, it is not the incremental progressive work of sanctification, it is mainly living by faith in the sanctification we already have. When God sanctifies us, we are His. It is a finished work. He doesn't need us to help Him complete it. It is not incremental. To think its collaborative and progressive exalts us.
"Growing in sanctification" implies we don't have it all yet. I don't get more sanctified by trusting in Jesus? Do I? Just like salvation and justification, I would prefer to say "growing IN OUR sanctification" which implies that we are exercising something we already have (Philippians 2:12b). I think it frustrates Christians to believe God hasn't given us all we need and we must work with Him or do something to get more of it. God's ordinances clearly sets forth that He has justified and sanctified us in His redemptive work of salvation. Our issue is not getting more sanctified but appropriating by faith sanctification we already have.
The reluctance of even reformed preachers to challenge Grudem's collaborative extension to the meaning of sanctification is an institutional imperative based on inertia of man's need to do something to make himself Holy. The consequences are much more than a nuance. The notion of "progressive sanctification" constrains the freedom and the joy of our calling to play out what God has put in us.
So, is preaching the "process of sanctification" an institutional imperative? I have yet to be given an explanation of why its not. IDK
Affectionately Yours,
The Word Nerd
Ay yi yi ......
Saturday, September 21, 2013
where does evil get its power?
"be vigilant, be sober, because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour" I Peter 5:8
"the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, I come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly" John 10:10
Where does evil get its power? We see that the objective of evil is to destroy, to kill "life" (zoe, God's life) and evil "roams around seeking whom it may devour". We know that for the unbeliever, evil is eternal separation from God (Hell). But for the believer, the consequences of evil are not death (eternal separation from God) but rather impotence. The power evil has over believers is to constrain their light and to steal their joy, to put them in a box where Christ stays private. This happens through shame, guilt, fear, pride, etc. of the believer. This gives evil its power.
Why does the believer feel these emotions that constrain their joy and make them hide their light under a basket? Well, I think it generally comes from our desire to please others, to be respected and liked by our peers. But its more than that. There are two sides to the equation.
While our nature is to seek our well being from the world around us and not the glory God has given us through Jesus, our reaction to our own transgressions feeds destruction of our pride resulting in our fear, shame, blame, and guilt. However, if those who witness our transgression responded to us in Grace, we the transgressor may be spared the consequences of Satan's desires, and thus not have the light in us extinguished. There's a case to be made that evil has no power unless the persons witnessing the transgression choose to give evil attention and react in judgment and gossip, not Grace.
I for one have made many mistakes, some significant ones even recently. As I pondered the shame and guilt from my actions, I realized that while I really offended God and should know better, my desire to withdraw and hide is mainly influenced by fearing the condemnation of others, not God. The thought occurred to me that if my friends never embellish evil's design on me, if they simply ignore what Satan has orchestrated and respond in unconditional love as God does, then "death and destruction" doesn't occur. The power evil has to shut me down and to steal my joy may be as sourced in my brothers and sisters mistakes in how they respond to my mistake than in my mistake itself. This is not intended to be a deflection away from consequences of my own action, but a broader look from God's perspective of what is really happening.
In some ways a condemning response to another's transgression may be more destructive than the original mistake itself. While not excusing or rationalizing our sin, may God really be equally concerned by our giving evil its power when we respond to others in judgment rather than Grace?? Can we really take the sting out of evil and make it impotent instead by extending the Grace we have been blessed with to others as each of us in our own way fail in our actions.
certainly worth pondering .....
"the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, I come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly" John 10:10
Where does evil get its power? We see that the objective of evil is to destroy, to kill "life" (zoe, God's life) and evil "roams around seeking whom it may devour". We know that for the unbeliever, evil is eternal separation from God (Hell). But for the believer, the consequences of evil are not death (eternal separation from God) but rather impotence. The power evil has over believers is to constrain their light and to steal their joy, to put them in a box where Christ stays private. This happens through shame, guilt, fear, pride, etc. of the believer. This gives evil its power.
Why does the believer feel these emotions that constrain their joy and make them hide their light under a basket? Well, I think it generally comes from our desire to please others, to be respected and liked by our peers. But its more than that. There are two sides to the equation.
While our nature is to seek our well being from the world around us and not the glory God has given us through Jesus, our reaction to our own transgressions feeds destruction of our pride resulting in our fear, shame, blame, and guilt. However, if those who witness our transgression responded to us in Grace, we the transgressor may be spared the consequences of Satan's desires, and thus not have the light in us extinguished. There's a case to be made that evil has no power unless the persons witnessing the transgression choose to give evil attention and react in judgment and gossip, not Grace.
I for one have made many mistakes, some significant ones even recently. As I pondered the shame and guilt from my actions, I realized that while I really offended God and should know better, my desire to withdraw and hide is mainly influenced by fearing the condemnation of others, not God. The thought occurred to me that if my friends never embellish evil's design on me, if they simply ignore what Satan has orchestrated and respond in unconditional love as God does, then "death and destruction" doesn't occur. The power evil has to shut me down and to steal my joy may be as sourced in my brothers and sisters mistakes in how they respond to my mistake than in my mistake itself. This is not intended to be a deflection away from consequences of my own action, but a broader look from God's perspective of what is really happening.
In some ways a condemning response to another's transgression may be more destructive than the original mistake itself. While not excusing or rationalizing our sin, may God really be equally concerned by our giving evil its power when we respond to others in judgment rather than Grace?? Can we really take the sting out of evil and make it impotent instead by extending the Grace we have been blessed with to others as each of us in our own way fail in our actions.
certainly worth pondering .....
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Will the real xxxxx please stand up?
What are we really like? What we think? How others perceive us? Is there a reality of self that both miss? Self-perception is an interesting phenomenon. Sometimes we see ourselves as we wish we were, or as we fear we are, or as others convince us we are. The degree we deceive ourselves about ourselves is the degree we fail to receive feedback from others about us. Its true that some feedback, if not all, is contaminated by the biases of the source of the feedback. The motive of the feedback source can reduce credibility of the message others have for us about our self. Yet information from others about us is necessary to challenge the tendencies we have to see our self as we want to and not as we really are.
In my organizational behavior class i require students to provide me with a write-up of their reflections on each chapter they read. I am currently reading the first write-ups form this semester's class. The chapter includes the topic of personality and how it informs behavior. Students had opportunity to take a personality survey on them selves to further grasp the topic of personality.
Here is one student's reflections: "The results show I have a distinctive preference for judging.... I see myself as not very judgmental... I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt." The student then proceeds to slam "personality tests." She writes "I do not believe this is an accurate way of assessing one's personality... people perceive each other differently and a test cannot determine a universal way of knowing.... the model isn't a sure fire way of assessing who a person really is...I see myself differently than this test has scored me.... I believe I have a great personality.. the personality test I have taken would not agree.. its all how one perceives it (personality)." REALLY???
I found this so interesting. Personality is merely the tendency to behave a certain way. There is no right or wrong personality. Depending on the desired behavior, some are more likely to produce the behavior than others.
This student announces the "test" pegged her incorrectly ( based on her own self-perception) but then spends the rest of her write-up (behavior) displaying her judgmentalism by condemning personality tests. I don't think I have ever witnessed a more blatant example of how one's behavior totally contradicts one's self-perception. So, what is this student really like - what she thinks or what some objective feedback suggests?
Duh!!!!!
In my organizational behavior class i require students to provide me with a write-up of their reflections on each chapter they read. I am currently reading the first write-ups form this semester's class. The chapter includes the topic of personality and how it informs behavior. Students had opportunity to take a personality survey on them selves to further grasp the topic of personality.
Here is one student's reflections: "The results show I have a distinctive preference for judging.... I see myself as not very judgmental... I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt." The student then proceeds to slam "personality tests." She writes "I do not believe this is an accurate way of assessing one's personality... people perceive each other differently and a test cannot determine a universal way of knowing.... the model isn't a sure fire way of assessing who a person really is...I see myself differently than this test has scored me.... I believe I have a great personality.. the personality test I have taken would not agree.. its all how one perceives it (personality)." REALLY???
I found this so interesting. Personality is merely the tendency to behave a certain way. There is no right or wrong personality. Depending on the desired behavior, some are more likely to produce the behavior than others.
This student announces the "test" pegged her incorrectly ( based on her own self-perception) but then spends the rest of her write-up (behavior) displaying her judgmentalism by condemning personality tests. I don't think I have ever witnessed a more blatant example of how one's behavior totally contradicts one's self-perception. So, what is this student really like - what she thinks or what some objective feedback suggests?
Duh!!!!!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Genesis - and not the one from Hyundi
There's growing hype on Hyundi's new luxury car Genesis, especially where I live - someone is getting a new one for the first time almost monthly. When I bought mine I wondered why they picked that name. What could Hyundi be trying to communicate to car buyers with this name. For most of history Genesis has been associated with the first book of the Bible. I looked up genesis in 1828 Webster's dictionary, the first dictionary published in USA and the one I used in college (jk). The first reference of meaning was that Genesis is the first book of the Bible. I had always thought genesis primarily meant "the beginning". However, the only other reference to meaning of genesis in 1828 was an application in geometry, "the formation of a line, plane or solid by the motion or flux of a point, line or surface."
Here we see that in part genesis reflects the notion of beginning but more importantly denotes the act of formation. Formation is a bit more substantive than just the beginning because formation denotes source and intent, not just beginning. I guess buying a Hyundi Genesis represents not just a new beginning but the formation of a new driving experience desired by the engineers at Hyundi.
In the Bible Genesis then is not just the beginning of God's story but the formation of history as God desires it to be. The creation is God's original intent, His ordinances prior to sin, the fall of mankind. In the creation story we see God gives us His intent in at least 3 areas - work, worship, and relationship. The Fall of man contaminates these three areas of our life and the Cross redeems them back to the original design or genesis of life.
The creation account in Scripture has often been the central component of the scientific perspective of the origin of the universe. Does one day really mean 24 hours? How does theory of evolution contradict Genesis 1? However, references in the rest of Scripture doesn't seem to worry itself about these questions but rather we find the essence of the creation account - God sovereignly did it and it was good - as the basis for worship and pastoral endeavors. In other words the intent of Genesis 1 and 2 is not to answer the scientific debate on origin of universe but to establish the formational intent of life as one established by God for His purposes according to His ordinances. Its man who has attempted to imagine life as intended and sourced by other means, for other purposes, and with other ordinances.
Tim Keller once said unless "your God can outrage you and make you struggle will you know that you worship the real God and not a figment of your imagination." Those who reject Genesis (God's formational intent of life) have done so because their own imagination provides a comfort to them and does not challenge the notion that man alone is sufficient to deliver the soul's well being.
If our faith does not cause us to struggle against our carnal mindedness, then our imagination provides for us comfort in the illusion that we are the sovereign one ...........
Here we see that in part genesis reflects the notion of beginning but more importantly denotes the act of formation. Formation is a bit more substantive than just the beginning because formation denotes source and intent, not just beginning. I guess buying a Hyundi Genesis represents not just a new beginning but the formation of a new driving experience desired by the engineers at Hyundi.
In the Bible Genesis then is not just the beginning of God's story but the formation of history as God desires it to be. The creation is God's original intent, His ordinances prior to sin, the fall of mankind. In the creation story we see God gives us His intent in at least 3 areas - work, worship, and relationship. The Fall of man contaminates these three areas of our life and the Cross redeems them back to the original design or genesis of life.
The creation account in Scripture has often been the central component of the scientific perspective of the origin of the universe. Does one day really mean 24 hours? How does theory of evolution contradict Genesis 1? However, references in the rest of Scripture doesn't seem to worry itself about these questions but rather we find the essence of the creation account - God sovereignly did it and it was good - as the basis for worship and pastoral endeavors. In other words the intent of Genesis 1 and 2 is not to answer the scientific debate on origin of universe but to establish the formational intent of life as one established by God for His purposes according to His ordinances. Its man who has attempted to imagine life as intended and sourced by other means, for other purposes, and with other ordinances.
Tim Keller once said unless "your God can outrage you and make you struggle will you know that you worship the real God and not a figment of your imagination." Those who reject Genesis (God's formational intent of life) have done so because their own imagination provides a comfort to them and does not challenge the notion that man alone is sufficient to deliver the soul's well being.
If our faith does not cause us to struggle against our carnal mindedness, then our imagination provides for us comfort in the illusion that we are the sovereign one ...........
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Risky Business
A 1983 movie starring Tom Cruise chronicled a Chicago teenager looking for fun while his parents were out of town. The notion of risky here was putting his parents wrath in play in exchange for some teenage fun. Most peeps attempt to steer away from a risky lifestyle because they are not willing to exchange the displeasure of the world for personal pleasure. Of course the basis for risk here is the exchange of favor of the world for doing things the way the world expects. As I have blogged many times, this is simply carnal mindedness, which is the opposite of what we may think. We have been taught to believe "carnal minded" is the search for pleasure, but that is just hedonism. Carnal minded according to Scripture is seeking our well being by exchanging our behavior with the world to extract for ourselves what the world has to offer us (respect, love, comfort, safety, economic benefit, etc.).
What is risky business for the Kingdom minded peep? Consider that Grace compels us to give with no expectation of return and to receive with no obligation to return. This suggests that what seems to be risky is really the path of least risk. Grace drives us to "recklessness". What? How so? That doesn't sound Christian, to live recklessly. Isn't that risky business?
"Reckless" means careless, or without care. So, if we don't care about fear, or pride, or hedonism, or worldly security, or comfort, then we seem reckless to the world. In this way Grace makes us reckless and appears as risky business.
Yet, Grace gives us joy, peace, eternal security, love, ........ So when we act in Thanksgiving (not duty) from the Grace we have received we can give, love, share, speak truth, wait, and so forth without any expectation of receiving because we already have everything we need for our well being forever. The world perceives us as risky when we move on the unctions of God because we do not appease the world, but in reality "reckless" Grace is the least risky lifestyle there is.
When you feel constrained from responding as God has prompted you because of what others may think, then you have risked the quality of life that is our privilege as a child of the Kingdom!! Just look at all the actions Jesus took that shocked the world's establishment.
Something to ponder .....
What is risky business for the Kingdom minded peep? Consider that Grace compels us to give with no expectation of return and to receive with no obligation to return. This suggests that what seems to be risky is really the path of least risk. Grace drives us to "recklessness". What? How so? That doesn't sound Christian, to live recklessly. Isn't that risky business?
"Reckless" means careless, or without care. So, if we don't care about fear, or pride, or hedonism, or worldly security, or comfort, then we seem reckless to the world. In this way Grace makes us reckless and appears as risky business.
Yet, Grace gives us joy, peace, eternal security, love, ........ So when we act in Thanksgiving (not duty) from the Grace we have received we can give, love, share, speak truth, wait, and so forth without any expectation of receiving because we already have everything we need for our well being forever. The world perceives us as risky when we move on the unctions of God because we do not appease the world, but in reality "reckless" Grace is the least risky lifestyle there is.
When you feel constrained from responding as God has prompted you because of what others may think, then you have risked the quality of life that is our privilege as a child of the Kingdom!! Just look at all the actions Jesus took that shocked the world's establishment.
Something to ponder .....
Sunday, August 18, 2013
If I were only just a little ....
How often have we heard someone say, "I wish I were a little bigger, or a little smaller, especially here or there"? Or "I wish I were a little more like this or less like that"? Heck, maybe we say something like this ourself oh so often!!
Being obsessed with one's perceived physical appearance or personality flaws is quite common, especially in Western cultures. Why is this so common? Is there something wrong with the culture? Or is there something in each of us that sources this obsession? Maybe its the combination of the two?
We know that culture is a sociological phenomenon that influences what people value and what is normal. When society values certain forms of appearance and certain kinds of behavior over others (and I believe all do), then peeps are prone to attach what makes them acceptable and important to these social norms and values. Couple this with the carnal mind's notion that I get what makes me happy by exchanging what I have with what the world wants to get what it has for me in return. Obsession is born.
Now many if not all of you reading this know that our self worth is not in what we do or how we look. The Kingdom mind learns that value and identity is granted to us by God's grace (the atonement of the Cross).
Kingdom minded peeps want to be healthy and behave in respectable ways because excellence is God's way and these add quality to the testimony of our life.Yet we still obsess. We forever fall prey to the forces of culture.
The fact is we KNOW this, the question is why don't we act on what we know.
The answer may be in that knowledge does not equal belief and without belief there is no action.
What keeps us from believing what we know??
Now that is worth pondering ........
We know that culture is a sociological phenomenon that influences what people value and what is normal. When society values certain forms of appearance and certain kinds of behavior over others (and I believe all do), then peeps are prone to attach what makes them acceptable and important to these social norms and values. Couple this with the carnal mind's notion that I get what makes me happy by exchanging what I have with what the world wants to get what it has for me in return. Obsession is born.
Now many if not all of you reading this know that our self worth is not in what we do or how we look. The Kingdom mind learns that value and identity is granted to us by God's grace (the atonement of the Cross).
Kingdom minded peeps want to be healthy and behave in respectable ways because excellence is God's way and these add quality to the testimony of our life.Yet we still obsess. We forever fall prey to the forces of culture.
The fact is we KNOW this, the question is why don't we act on what we know.
The answer may be in that knowledge does not equal belief and without belief there is no action.
What keeps us from believing what we know??
Now that is worth pondering ........
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
A different perspective on tattoos
I was doing my power walk on the Red Neck Riviera beach (Gulf Shores, Al) this morning. Of course there are many young peeps there and therefore many tattoos. I thought to myself that the main problem these young peeps have is that their instant gratification of being cool will be with them for their whole life and eventually the tattoos will sag with the natural process of aging. This was verified as I witnessed some not so young peeps who got their tattoo years ago.
The thought then hit me is that its us older peeps that should be getting the tattoos. The rest of our life is not that long anymore and what's gonna sag has. Furthermore, it gets more difficult to find ways to be cool. Its the perfect time!!!
This just goes to show that everything eventually is a matter of personal perspective and perspective comes from our own power to rationalize ......
The thought then hit me is that its us older peeps that should be getting the tattoos. The rest of our life is not that long anymore and what's gonna sag has. Furthermore, it gets more difficult to find ways to be cool. Its the perfect time!!!
This just goes to show that everything eventually is a matter of personal perspective and perspective comes from our own power to rationalize ......
Oh, then there is absolute truth, what do we do with it???
Sunday, May 26, 2013
In what do we boast?
Webster 1828 dictionary says to boast is to glory in something, such as to speak of with laudable pride and ostentation (ambitious display) of merit or worth. It seems that the act of boasting itself is not the issue then, but the target of our boasting. That's why the question - in what do we boast?
I think most of us would confess that while we do sometimes direct our attention to the greatness around us, our most natural desire is to boast in ourselves - to want others to think well of us, to see us as worthy, desirable peeps. Even when we have low esteem and practice self-deprivation, we are boasting in pride of our self, focusing on projecting what we want others to think, to agree with us about our sense of unworthiness.The issue with boasting is not whether we think highly or lowly of ourselves, its that self is the target and source of our identity and value.
The prophet Jeremiah (9: 23-24) reminds us "let man boast in this, that He (God) understands and knows me." Here the target of our boasting is not us but God. If we are to have any pride in our self its that God is the author of our self. He defines our identity and our value. He receives the glory, the laudable praise for everything about us. Our ambition becomes to display His merit and worth.
The Apostle Paul states that his ambition is to please God, which is to trust Him completely for well being of our self. When Paul looks at his own resume, he reminds us that he is Grade A prime beef. No one could boast about themselves as he could. Yet his resume is just, well lets say BS (manure), compared to his life being defined by faith in Jesus.
In a world that is so unstable, where is stability? With a nature that desires to glorify self, in what should we boast?
A little pondering here can go a long way .....
I think most of us would confess that while we do sometimes direct our attention to the greatness around us, our most natural desire is to boast in ourselves - to want others to think well of us, to see us as worthy, desirable peeps. Even when we have low esteem and practice self-deprivation, we are boasting in pride of our self, focusing on projecting what we want others to think, to agree with us about our sense of unworthiness.The issue with boasting is not whether we think highly or lowly of ourselves, its that self is the target and source of our identity and value.
The prophet Jeremiah (9: 23-24) reminds us "let man boast in this, that He (God) understands and knows me." Here the target of our boasting is not us but God. If we are to have any pride in our self its that God is the author of our self. He defines our identity and our value. He receives the glory, the laudable praise for everything about us. Our ambition becomes to display His merit and worth.
The Apostle Paul states that his ambition is to please God, which is to trust Him completely for well being of our self. When Paul looks at his own resume, he reminds us that he is Grade A prime beef. No one could boast about themselves as he could. Yet his resume is just, well lets say BS (manure), compared to his life being defined by faith in Jesus.
In a world that is so unstable, where is stability? With a nature that desires to glorify self, in what should we boast?
A little pondering here can go a long way .....
Friday, April 26, 2013
through the eyes of a child
Recently I was asked to visit my granddaughter's 4th grade class on Career Day. This was a time the teacher had invited in mainly parents to tell the kids what they "did for a living" or what "job they had." I chose to take a little different approach and talk with them about what makes a career. I explained mainly that a career is a journey not a job and flowed from the "itches inside your soul", especially since I had personally done a number of different things from business executive to college professor, always considering what I was doing professionally as a calling.
I wasn't sure if I would be able to communicate with 10 yr olds because my seniors in college struggle much of the time getting what I trying to say. I found myself explaining many words like intrinsic motivation and psychology and manager, which caused me to stop and ask them questions along the way about what they understood. I was amazed at the time at what they could grasp and the responses they had to concepts I was sharing with them.
Yesterday I received a package from the teacher thanking me for my time and expressing how much the kids enjoyed my Career Day talk. That was nice and pretty much expected. What was not expected were letters the kids wrote me giving their perspective on what I was saying. On one hand they are hilarious but on the other quite surprisingly insightful. So I thought I would share a few of their comments on my blog.
"I think it is interesting that you work 2 days a week. I would really not like to have your job considering how much you work." (I think she means "how little I work", haha)
"I would not want your job because it's another time that you go to school."
"I think an interesting thing about your job is that you teach about jobs."
"I think it is very interesting that you gave us a college class when we are only 4th graders."
"I think I would not like this job because you see a lot of kids, don't you? Because you have to remember a lot of names."
"I learned that our career is like a journey. It is interesting that some of the students will come and ask you for help on certain things."
"I think it is interesting that you teach college students. I also learned you teach many subjects. I dont think I want to be a college teacher because sometimes college students are crazy."
"It was cool what you said, 'I teaching you kids college education, plus it was an hour long.'"
"I liked that you taught us all about what it was like being one (college professor)."
"I have never been good at Math like you are, but I am good at reading and writing. I also like Social Studies and Science. Do you use these skills in your job?"
"The most interesting thing about your job is you get to hang out (teach) with them. The cool thing is you go to a college. I've never been to a college."
"when I start working I want to be a prof just like you."
What was it Art Linkletter built a career on? "kid's say the darnedest things!"
I am impressed with 10 yr olds!! :-)
I wasn't sure if I would be able to communicate with 10 yr olds because my seniors in college struggle much of the time getting what I trying to say. I found myself explaining many words like intrinsic motivation and psychology and manager, which caused me to stop and ask them questions along the way about what they understood. I was amazed at the time at what they could grasp and the responses they had to concepts I was sharing with them.
Yesterday I received a package from the teacher thanking me for my time and expressing how much the kids enjoyed my Career Day talk. That was nice and pretty much expected. What was not expected were letters the kids wrote me giving their perspective on what I was saying. On one hand they are hilarious but on the other quite surprisingly insightful. So I thought I would share a few of their comments on my blog.
"I think it is interesting that you work 2 days a week. I would really not like to have your job considering how much you work." (I think she means "how little I work", haha)
"I would not want your job because it's another time that you go to school."
"I think an interesting thing about your job is that you teach about jobs."
"I think it is very interesting that you gave us a college class when we are only 4th graders."
"I think I would not like this job because you see a lot of kids, don't you? Because you have to remember a lot of names."
"I learned that our career is like a journey. It is interesting that some of the students will come and ask you for help on certain things."
"I think it is interesting that you teach college students. I also learned you teach many subjects. I dont think I want to be a college teacher because sometimes college students are crazy."
"It was cool what you said, 'I teaching you kids college education, plus it was an hour long.'"
"I liked that you taught us all about what it was like being one (college professor)."
"I have never been good at Math like you are, but I am good at reading and writing. I also like Social Studies and Science. Do you use these skills in your job?"
"The most interesting thing about your job is you get to hang out (teach) with them. The cool thing is you go to a college. I've never been to a college."
"when I start working I want to be a prof just like you."
What was it Art Linkletter built a career on? "kid's say the darnedest things!"
I am impressed with 10 yr olds!! :-)
Sunday, April 21, 2013
"Blessed are the meek"
I watch my wife with her dog Spot. I see Spot respond to her for her good pleasure. While he selfishly wants to go places and do things that he somehow knows he shouldn't, he refrains from his own natural desires and sits patiently watching Gail until he perceives she approves. He learns her wishes for him because he now belongs to her. He discerns when to sleep in the chair in the bedroom and when he can get in the bed. He waits til she is ready for him to sit in her lap before he jumps up. When Gail yanks on Spot's lease with disapproval of the direction he is going, he cowers in awe and respect for her intentions for him.
You may be asking about now, what does this have to do with the title of this blog. It seems Jesus had the image of a domesticated pet when He said, "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." In the day of Jesus, the Greek word translated into "meek" was normally used to refer to a pet that was totally committed to its master. A domesticated animal that had every emotion and action in submission to the one in authority because of its desire to totally please that one.
Because Spot has proven to Gail that his actions are fully formed by his desire to please her, Gail gives Spot full advantage of our house. He is not penned up while she is gone. There are no places he cannot enjoy. In a sense he has "inherited" our home. This is the consequence of being "meek" and is what Jesus is pointing us to in this Beatitude. As we submit every thought, emotion, and action to the will of our master because we so fully desire the pleasure of His will, we inherit the dwelling place of our being, free to use and partake as we enjoy its provisions and privileges.
Interestingly, the Beatitudes begin each aspect of our life in Christ with the phrase " blessed are". Unfortunately this is often translated "happy are." However, the original word used here is makarios and means "the joy of being". The root word for happiness is hap. Happiness is our sense of favorable well being because or happenstances meet our approval. Blessedness on the other hand is a favorable well being independent of our circumstances. A well being of our soul that comes from inside, from the life of Christ in us. So this Beatitude is describing the nature of a Christian as being similar to Spot's. His well being is established by his desire to be fully aligned with Gail's will. His inner disposition provides his joy, the correlate to that is his full run of his domain, our house.
Such it is with those who trust Jesus for their well being, Our disposition is not one of fear or guilt or obligation, but of thanksgiving and peaceful assurance, which is the source of our joy. In concert with this is our freedom to fully enjoy and participate in the offerings of our domain, the earth in which we live.
Such are the musings of an old man whose wife has a pet dog named Spot .....
You may be asking about now, what does this have to do with the title of this blog. It seems Jesus had the image of a domesticated pet when He said, "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." In the day of Jesus, the Greek word translated into "meek" was normally used to refer to a pet that was totally committed to its master. A domesticated animal that had every emotion and action in submission to the one in authority because of its desire to totally please that one.
Because Spot has proven to Gail that his actions are fully formed by his desire to please her, Gail gives Spot full advantage of our house. He is not penned up while she is gone. There are no places he cannot enjoy. In a sense he has "inherited" our home. This is the consequence of being "meek" and is what Jesus is pointing us to in this Beatitude. As we submit every thought, emotion, and action to the will of our master because we so fully desire the pleasure of His will, we inherit the dwelling place of our being, free to use and partake as we enjoy its provisions and privileges.
Interestingly, the Beatitudes begin each aspect of our life in Christ with the phrase " blessed are". Unfortunately this is often translated "happy are." However, the original word used here is makarios and means "the joy of being". The root word for happiness is hap. Happiness is our sense of favorable well being because or happenstances meet our approval. Blessedness on the other hand is a favorable well being independent of our circumstances. A well being of our soul that comes from inside, from the life of Christ in us. So this Beatitude is describing the nature of a Christian as being similar to Spot's. His well being is established by his desire to be fully aligned with Gail's will. His inner disposition provides his joy, the correlate to that is his full run of his domain, our house.
Such it is with those who trust Jesus for their well being, Our disposition is not one of fear or guilt or obligation, but of thanksgiving and peaceful assurance, which is the source of our joy. In concert with this is our freedom to fully enjoy and participate in the offerings of our domain, the earth in which we live.
Such are the musings of an old man whose wife has a pet dog named Spot .....
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Behold the Lamb
In John 1:29 John the Baptist announces Jesus when he sees Jesus coming toward him. He shouts forth "behold the Lamb of God" speaking to the perfect sacrificial nature of Jesus. Sacrifice to the Jews meant an offering to God to appease Him for their own sin against Him. Sacrifice then to the peeps of John's time meant man's action toward God on their own behalf so they could then be acceptable to God.
John announces something astounding, that the person of Jesus IS the sacrifice to God on man's behalf. Interestingly, man is not the one making the sacrifice on their own behalf. God provides the PERFECT sacrifice when man cannot. It's God's act on behalf of man to reconcile man to Himself. BTW, that why Christianity is not a religion, which is man's attempt to establish his own relationship with God.
The point John is ultimately making about Jesus is that He "takes away the sin of the world." You ever thought what that means? Does it refer to Jesus's purpose is to correct all immoral behavior? Make peeps good enough for God by fixing what they do wrong? Does Jesus simply erase God's memory so He forgets what we've done or puts a blindfold on God so to speak so God doesn't see our misbehavior?
What are the key words here? First, world means inhabitants of the world or mankind. Next "take away" simply means that Jesus removes, not can remove but does remove. What does John mean by sin? This is where many peeps get confused. There are numerous different Greek words translated into the word sin. Most involve actions or behavior of humans, such as making a mistake, transgressing the law, or failing to meet moral code, and so forth. However, quite often in Scripture and in this case the word for sin, hamartia, literally means missing the mark. Its general application was to the true end of life and typically meant "to miss the true purpose of life as to not share in the prize." Thus, sin in this statement means that a person misses the point of the Gospel and doesn't see the Gospel as good news, not missteps in their life.
It would seem to me more beneficial for peeps, who wish to appease God so that they are acceptable to Him, to accept the sacrifice God made on their behalf than to produce acceptable actions on their own. The sin we should all attend to is not behavioral mistakes, moral failures, or transgressions of our actions but failing to receive the action God has already taken on our behalf, called the Lamb of God.
"Behold" means to see with absolute surprise. It is so amazing that our biggest and only failure is in receiving what God has done on our behalf in faith. Our eternal well-being is at risk but peeps of this world too often just can't believe this and so trust their own ability to be good enough for God and to produce from the world around them their own well being. This approach gets no piece of God's pie (provisions and privileges of the Heavenlies), and that's our sin.
probably worth pondering as much as our stock portfolio, or even where we going to go to dinner tonight :-)
John announces something astounding, that the person of Jesus IS the sacrifice to God on man's behalf. Interestingly, man is not the one making the sacrifice on their own behalf. God provides the PERFECT sacrifice when man cannot. It's God's act on behalf of man to reconcile man to Himself. BTW, that why Christianity is not a religion, which is man's attempt to establish his own relationship with God.
The point John is ultimately making about Jesus is that He "takes away the sin of the world." You ever thought what that means? Does it refer to Jesus's purpose is to correct all immoral behavior? Make peeps good enough for God by fixing what they do wrong? Does Jesus simply erase God's memory so He forgets what we've done or puts a blindfold on God so to speak so God doesn't see our misbehavior?
What are the key words here? First, world means inhabitants of the world or mankind. Next "take away" simply means that Jesus removes, not can remove but does remove. What does John mean by sin? This is where many peeps get confused. There are numerous different Greek words translated into the word sin. Most involve actions or behavior of humans, such as making a mistake, transgressing the law, or failing to meet moral code, and so forth. However, quite often in Scripture and in this case the word for sin, hamartia, literally means missing the mark. Its general application was to the true end of life and typically meant "to miss the true purpose of life as to not share in the prize." Thus, sin in this statement means that a person misses the point of the Gospel and doesn't see the Gospel as good news, not missteps in their life.
It would seem to me more beneficial for peeps, who wish to appease God so that they are acceptable to Him, to accept the sacrifice God made on their behalf than to produce acceptable actions on their own. The sin we should all attend to is not behavioral mistakes, moral failures, or transgressions of our actions but failing to receive the action God has already taken on our behalf, called the Lamb of God.
"Behold" means to see with absolute surprise. It is so amazing that our biggest and only failure is in receiving what God has done on our behalf in faith. Our eternal well-being is at risk but peeps of this world too often just can't believe this and so trust their own ability to be good enough for God and to produce from the world around them their own well being. This approach gets no piece of God's pie (provisions and privileges of the Heavenlies), and that's our sin.
probably worth pondering as much as our stock portfolio, or even where we going to go to dinner tonight :-)
Sunday, February 17, 2013
the sign of a promise
Today at church a baby was baptized. This was a precious, innocent little baby girl beautifully dressed in her white lace baptismal gown. The preacher opened his comments with "I have some bad news for baby X. She has been born into a broken world. The world is brutal and will seek to harm her in many ways. In fact baby X will actually contribute to this brokenness with her own self centeredness."
I admit this is not the typical feel good infant baptism, but he was correct. The world is fallen, dominated by the Prince of this world, who works against God's purposes. We are all born with a sin inheritance, in bondage to self worship and gratification. I am sure the mom and dad of this infant already know how baby X desires to get her own needs met above the convenience and well being of her parents.
So what is purpose of the baptism? Obviously the child is not old enough to make a decision for Christ. She knows basically nothing compared to what she'll learn across her life time.
Baptism is a sign of what God promises baby X. Her parents want for God's sign of promise to be placed on her as she begins her life. No one but God knows her path, her decisions, her love for Him or not. However, we all who witnessed the baptism know that she has been committed to His promise with the sign of baptism. She will never have to live another day absent the knowledge of His promises.
God promises to protect her soul, to guard her heart. He does not promise the world will not create difficult circumstances for her, but that no circumstance can separate her from Him. He promises that she has all the privileges and provisions of the Heavenlies, His Kingdom, awaiting her and sealed for eternity. He promises that He will even love her forever no matter what kind of mess she makes.
Oh, BTW, her baptism reminds many of us that we too have been sealed with the sign of His promises. We may not be too good about keeping our promises, but He is perfect at it.
Good thing to ponder .......
I admit this is not the typical feel good infant baptism, but he was correct. The world is fallen, dominated by the Prince of this world, who works against God's purposes. We are all born with a sin inheritance, in bondage to self worship and gratification. I am sure the mom and dad of this infant already know how baby X desires to get her own needs met above the convenience and well being of her parents.
So what is purpose of the baptism? Obviously the child is not old enough to make a decision for Christ. She knows basically nothing compared to what she'll learn across her life time.
Baptism is a sign of what God promises baby X. Her parents want for God's sign of promise to be placed on her as she begins her life. No one but God knows her path, her decisions, her love for Him or not. However, we all who witnessed the baptism know that she has been committed to His promise with the sign of baptism. She will never have to live another day absent the knowledge of His promises.
God promises to protect her soul, to guard her heart. He does not promise the world will not create difficult circumstances for her, but that no circumstance can separate her from Him. He promises that she has all the privileges and provisions of the Heavenlies, His Kingdom, awaiting her and sealed for eternity. He promises that He will even love her forever no matter what kind of mess she makes.
Oh, BTW, her baptism reminds many of us that we too have been sealed with the sign of His promises. We may not be too good about keeping our promises, but He is perfect at it.
Good thing to ponder .......
Friday, January 18, 2013
the invisible and eternal
Paul tells the Corinthians "while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." Paul is reminding Christians that God works in the invisible and eternal realms of life. This is generally applied to our lives when we are having a tough go of it. That is primarily the context of this passage.
My question is why we don't apply this in other aspects of our Christian walk, particularly the aspect of "Holy living" as perpetuated by the notion of "the process of sanctification" (the topic of my previous post). The notion of cleaning up our selves to become more like Christ just seems to contradict Scripture in many ways. I have not been able to understand why theologians never mention the idea that sanctification means "set apart" but rather always focus on the process of becoming more Christ like. My question is in what way are we not Christ like from God's perspective and therefore need to become more so?
The reason it appears to us we are not Christ like is because our feelings and behavior, the visible parts of our life, seem far from being like Christ. This is true, but not the point. I believe that Christian theologians have to add to what God has done to and for us because our human condition forces us to accommodate the visible and temporal, but God doesn't. the Westminster Confession, one of the great reformed statements in history defines sanctification well in the beginning as an act of God's grace (although I still don't know why it does not say "God set us apart by His Grace for His purposes", that would be enough). But it has to add something about being renewed in Christ likeness as if there's more to be done that what God has done to sanctify us.
I could go on and on in my frustration about this but I will simply say,
if we as humans would anchor ourself in God's perspective, one that is invisible and eternal, we would not be tempted to define sanctification as a process because it would be natural (in our spirit) to see us as God does, a completed work in Christ. we don't need to be more righteous in His eyes, we already have the righteousness of Christ. It doesn't feel or look that way to us and others around us, but that's because the eyes are carnal, temporal and visible. we can only see sanctification as a completed work thru the eyes of faith, believing what God says about us, we are seated at His right hand in Christ Jesus right now, we are not working our way there!!
If anything is a "process" for us, its believing the sanctification we have, not trying to get more of it.
just something to ponder ......
My question is why we don't apply this in other aspects of our Christian walk, particularly the aspect of "Holy living" as perpetuated by the notion of "the process of sanctification" (the topic of my previous post). The notion of cleaning up our selves to become more like Christ just seems to contradict Scripture in many ways. I have not been able to understand why theologians never mention the idea that sanctification means "set apart" but rather always focus on the process of becoming more Christ like. My question is in what way are we not Christ like from God's perspective and therefore need to become more so?
The reason it appears to us we are not Christ like is because our feelings and behavior, the visible parts of our life, seem far from being like Christ. This is true, but not the point. I believe that Christian theologians have to add to what God has done to and for us because our human condition forces us to accommodate the visible and temporal, but God doesn't. the Westminster Confession, one of the great reformed statements in history defines sanctification well in the beginning as an act of God's grace (although I still don't know why it does not say "God set us apart by His Grace for His purposes", that would be enough). But it has to add something about being renewed in Christ likeness as if there's more to be done that what God has done to sanctify us.
I could go on and on in my frustration about this but I will simply say,
if we as humans would anchor ourself in God's perspective, one that is invisible and eternal, we would not be tempted to define sanctification as a process because it would be natural (in our spirit) to see us as God does, a completed work in Christ. we don't need to be more righteous in His eyes, we already have the righteousness of Christ. It doesn't feel or look that way to us and others around us, but that's because the eyes are carnal, temporal and visible. we can only see sanctification as a completed work thru the eyes of faith, believing what God says about us, we are seated at His right hand in Christ Jesus right now, we are not working our way there!!
If anything is a "process" for us, its believing the sanctification we have, not trying to get more of it.
just something to ponder ......
Monday, January 7, 2013
A Preacher's misstep
I was visiting a Baptist church this Sunday, it really doesn't matter which one nor matter much that its Baptist, I heard a sermon that perpetuated what I find to be one of the greatest lies or missteps we get from the pulpit - The Process of Sanctification. I hear this all the time from Christians and they get it from preaching that just can't void itself of legalism. What? How can you say that Professor? OK, here's my case using Sunday as an example.
The preacher used some material from Wayne Grudem's book "Systematic Theology". He defines sanctification as a lifelong process of growth in the likeness of Christ. While spiritual growth may be somewhat true of the Christian life, it is not what sanctification means. So how can someone just come along and define a word differently than its meaning? This is what our culture does, shapes words to fit what we want them to mean to perpetuate our own thinking, rather than to let the true meaning of words shape our thinking.
The Greek word in Scripture for sanctification is indeed derived from the same word for Holiness, but it means "set apart to Holiness", not the process of becoming Holy. The original Websters dictionary published in 1828 defines sanctification from the original language as "the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified, alienated from sin and the world (meaning the world's system, I call it social exchange) and exalted to a supreme love to God." Webster's then uses Scripture to illustrate, "God hath from the beginning chosen you unto salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." (2 Th 2 and 1 Peter 1). The key words here are "the act of God's grace". That is, it is God who sanctifies us in His action of choosing us.
Some may say, "well Prof, aren't you just parsing words? In the end aren't these the same thing?" I say, "NO, NO, NO" to that. The problem is that the human condition is already bent toward legalism, the human's behavioral attempt at satisfying God through obligation to Him for what He has done for us. Grudem's definition and meaning of sanctification and the emphasis on "our process" just feeds peeps' already predisposed desire to contribute to their own Holiness. This desire we have to do something for God to make us "more Holy" is stinkin' thinking and robs us of our joy and burns us out. Working in our own strength to become Holy denies us reality of the finished work of the Cross.
Let me illustrate. This preacher from Sunday included in his sermon notes a diagram from Grudem's book to help us understand sanctification as a collaborative work on our part. This diagram contrasts sanctification with justification, showing them to be somewhat opposites. He states that justification is a legal standing, accomplished once for all time, entirely God's work, perfect in this life and the same for all Christians. This is good, but that means sanctification is (according to Grudem) an internal condition, continues to occur throughout life, requires our cooperation, is not perfect (complete) in this life, and is greater in some Christians than others. WHAT?
Here's where this becomes dangerous for us. The preacher says, "have you developed a personal sanctification plan?" WHAT? You mean sanctification hasn't already occurred for me? You mean its something I have to make happen? Holy cow!! What a burden!!
In His final prayer Jesus cries out to God with His deepest desires, "sanctify them by your truth" (John 17). Jesus knew that only God sanctifies. In fact God sanctified Jesus (John 10: 36). The writer of Hebrews says, "by that we have been sanctified." What did he mean by "that", our personal plan? No, he was referencing Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for us. See sanctification is not in contrast to justification, it is the other side of the coin. It is the state of Holiness we obtain by God's act of grace in our lives accomplished at the Cross. Its not something that has to be attained by us. We all have it equally and we have it completely. So why do peeps' all over the place talk about "the process of sanctification." Mainly because we don't feel Holy, we don't see ourselves as God sees us. Satan continually reminds us of how we haven't arrived yet.
It is true that we do not always act Holy. We are messy, flawed peeps in our behavior, but that does not make us something different than what God made us when He chose us and set us apart for His purpose. That is our sanctification. The problem is not that we are not fully sanctified, its that we don't believe it. We do not appropriate what we have. This truth has much greater impact on our life than the legalistic notion of our personal plan to grow in sanctification. Paul says in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica "that each of you should know how to process his own vessel in sanctification." Yes, we need to process the sanctification we already have, that came to us in salvation, but our life is not a "process of sanctification."
Amen goes here!!!
something to ponder when you want to kick legalism in the butt!!
The preacher used some material from Wayne Grudem's book "Systematic Theology". He defines sanctification as a lifelong process of growth in the likeness of Christ. While spiritual growth may be somewhat true of the Christian life, it is not what sanctification means. So how can someone just come along and define a word differently than its meaning? This is what our culture does, shapes words to fit what we want them to mean to perpetuate our own thinking, rather than to let the true meaning of words shape our thinking.
The Greek word in Scripture for sanctification is indeed derived from the same word for Holiness, but it means "set apart to Holiness", not the process of becoming Holy. The original Websters dictionary published in 1828 defines sanctification from the original language as "the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified, alienated from sin and the world (meaning the world's system, I call it social exchange) and exalted to a supreme love to God." Webster's then uses Scripture to illustrate, "God hath from the beginning chosen you unto salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth." (2 Th 2 and 1 Peter 1). The key words here are "the act of God's grace". That is, it is God who sanctifies us in His action of choosing us.
Some may say, "well Prof, aren't you just parsing words? In the end aren't these the same thing?" I say, "NO, NO, NO" to that. The problem is that the human condition is already bent toward legalism, the human's behavioral attempt at satisfying God through obligation to Him for what He has done for us. Grudem's definition and meaning of sanctification and the emphasis on "our process" just feeds peeps' already predisposed desire to contribute to their own Holiness. This desire we have to do something for God to make us "more Holy" is stinkin' thinking and robs us of our joy and burns us out. Working in our own strength to become Holy denies us reality of the finished work of the Cross.
Let me illustrate. This preacher from Sunday included in his sermon notes a diagram from Grudem's book to help us understand sanctification as a collaborative work on our part. This diagram contrasts sanctification with justification, showing them to be somewhat opposites. He states that justification is a legal standing, accomplished once for all time, entirely God's work, perfect in this life and the same for all Christians. This is good, but that means sanctification is (according to Grudem) an internal condition, continues to occur throughout life, requires our cooperation, is not perfect (complete) in this life, and is greater in some Christians than others. WHAT?
Here's where this becomes dangerous for us. The preacher says, "have you developed a personal sanctification plan?" WHAT? You mean sanctification hasn't already occurred for me? You mean its something I have to make happen? Holy cow!! What a burden!!
In His final prayer Jesus cries out to God with His deepest desires, "sanctify them by your truth" (John 17). Jesus knew that only God sanctifies. In fact God sanctified Jesus (John 10: 36). The writer of Hebrews says, "by that we have been sanctified." What did he mean by "that", our personal plan? No, he was referencing Jesus as the perfect sacrifice for us. See sanctification is not in contrast to justification, it is the other side of the coin. It is the state of Holiness we obtain by God's act of grace in our lives accomplished at the Cross. Its not something that has to be attained by us. We all have it equally and we have it completely. So why do peeps' all over the place talk about "the process of sanctification." Mainly because we don't feel Holy, we don't see ourselves as God sees us. Satan continually reminds us of how we haven't arrived yet.
It is true that we do not always act Holy. We are messy, flawed peeps in our behavior, but that does not make us something different than what God made us when He chose us and set us apart for His purpose. That is our sanctification. The problem is not that we are not fully sanctified, its that we don't believe it. We do not appropriate what we have. This truth has much greater impact on our life than the legalistic notion of our personal plan to grow in sanctification. Paul says in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica "that each of you should know how to process his own vessel in sanctification." Yes, we need to process the sanctification we already have, that came to us in salvation, but our life is not a "process of sanctification."
Amen goes here!!!
something to ponder when you want to kick legalism in the butt!!
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