It’s the stuff of sitcoms: the authority figure leaves the scene with one final instruction: “Don’t push that button,” or “Don’t drink the wine.” Halfway through the comedy, the rule is broken, the cover-up begins, hilarity ensues. It’s inevitable, right?
I suspect many people have the same view of their relationship with the Heavenly Father. From the very beginning, God is the one who is absent, the one who leaves behind some kind of warning: “Don’t eat from the fruit from this one tree,” or, “Don’t engage is this (or that) activity.” We are the screw-ups in a mad-cap cosmic comedy: eating, drinking, messing up and covering up. It’s inevitable, right?
Except we give such a viewpoint more respectable, religious, language. We are simply “miserable sinners,” constantly in need of grace and forgiveness, provided without measure by Jesus Christ. It’s inevitable, right?
It’s true--his mercy and grace flow unending, constantly meeting our need. Yet many followers of Jesus find themselves trapped in what Dallas Willard calls Miserable Sinner Theology: our destiny is constant failure; his ministry is unending forgiveness. When we limit the work of Jesus to nothing but forgiveness, we lose sight of the possibilities of experiencing a new kind life with him here and now.
This week’s meditation finds it’s source in two passages and two questions:
Passage One: “Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?’ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.” (Deuteronomy 30: 11 - 14)
Passage Two: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28: 18-19)
Question One: Is obedience possible?
Question Two: Is Jesus the kind of person who would demand of us something we can never give?
Great post Ray. The two keys for me have been:
ReplyDelete1. Understanding the relevance of the resurrection today.
2. Learning to pray with God's power and authority.
It's still a battle some days, but I feel like I'm far less of a lost cause of late because God is teaching me to apply what I know. It's encouraging to see progress, even if it isn't all I'd hoped it would be.
Ray--I'm convinced that God designed us from the beginning to be completely dependent upon Him--hence the fact that we were made of dust (showing our fragility) and of His breath (where our strength lies).
ReplyDeleteIt seems that with The Fall, the dust seemed to outduel the breath and the Old Testament became one big "miserable sinner" story after another. Thankfully, the Lord took it up a notch with His plan shown in Ezekiel 36:26-27: " I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
With the baptism of the Holy Spirit (which is coincidently included in the Great Commission), that plan became a reality...and we now have access to His Spirit inside of us. This allows us to be obedient. The catch goes back to the beginning--the degree to which we are dependent upon His spirit inside of us is the degree to which we will be able to obey Him.
Praise God that he devised such a wonderful plan and that He has placed His Spirit inside of us to do the obeying for us--as long as we learn to depend on Him. ISN'T HE GOOD?
Thanks, Ed: perhaps the way to win the battle is . . . surrender?
ReplyDeleteDawsons! Always good to hear from you all. Yes, to answer your question, he is VERY GOOD. I'm working on the next post, in which perhaps we can discover a word less grating than "Obedience?"
I've had this post open in a tab since Monday, waiting for a spare moment. I love this analogy:
ReplyDelete"We are the screw-ups in a mad-cap cosmic comedy: eating, drinking, messing up and covering up."
And I can relate to the "miserable sinner" trap. This really hit me hard when I was suddenly immersed in Reformed theology as a student at Calvin College (Total Depravity, anyone?). Thanks for the scripture passages, and this reminder:
"When we limit the work of Jesus to nothing but forgiveness, we lose sight of the possibilities of experiencing a new kind life with him here and now."
Ray--I'm convinced that God designed us from the beginning to be completely dependent upon Him--hence the fact that we were made of dust (showing our fragility) and of His breath (where our strength lies).
ReplyDeleteIt seems that with The Fall, the dust seemed to outduel the breath and the Old Testament became one big "miserable sinner" story after another. Thankfully, the Lord took it up a notch with His plan shown in Ezekiel 36:26-27: " I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
With the baptism of the Holy Spirit (which is coincidently included in the Great Commission), that plan became a reality...and we now have access to His Spirit inside of us. This allows us to be obedient. The catch goes back to the beginning--the degree to which we are dependent upon His spirit inside of us is the degree to which we will be able to obey Him.
Praise God that he devised such a wonderful plan and that He has placed His Spirit inside of us to do the obeying for us--as long as we learn to depend on Him. ISN'T HE GOOD?
I've had this post open in a tab since Monday, waiting for a spare moment. I love this analogy:
ReplyDelete"We are the screw-ups in a mad-cap cosmic comedy: eating, drinking, messing up and covering up."
And I can relate to the "miserable sinner" trap. This really hit me hard when I was suddenly immersed in Reformed theology as a student at Calvin College (Total Depravity, anyone?). Thanks for the scripture passages, and this reminder:
"When we limit the work of Jesus to nothing but forgiveness, we lose sight of the possibilities of experiencing a new kind life with him here and now."