Why am I not sorry at sin? We ought to have feelings commensurate with our actions. Our feelings should match our actions. When we do something very bad, we ought to feel very bad; when we do something very good we ought to feel very good. Feeling here refers to the deep moral sense and not to physical sense, although the moral sense affects the physical sense. A hard day's work may be the right thing to do, and when we have done it our bodies may feel very bad but we feel very good about our work. In contrast, gluttonizing a large piece of cake may be the wrong thing to do, but our bodies still enjoy the pleasure of the cake while our moral sense aches for having eaten it. Whatever the mechanism that ties our actions to our moral sense actually is, at least we can say its proper function is this: to give us feelings commensurate with our actions. We can call this mechanism the "action-moral sense connection."
(Note on the "action-moral sense" connection: it is not logically necessary. Why should we have any "feeling" at all about any action we have done? Why are we affected emotionally by our bodily actions? There is an implied fused duality here. "We" feel bad about "our" actions. "We" refers to our inward self - the man in the machine. "Our" refers to our bodily actions - the machine. This is a duality. We can observe and react to our own actions in the third person. Yet the duality is fused; "we" feel bad about "our" actions because we are our. There is an ontological connection between the body and soul on which the "action-moral sense" rides.)
On what scale then is rightness and wrongness measured? If we should feel "very bad" about "very bad" actions, what constitues a "very bad" action? Here we need to explore the nature of true evil. A thought on it: justice is the best theme for exploring true virtue and evil. That which is most evil is that which is most unjust; that which is most right is most just. Perhaps the word "fittingness" is a better, though colloquial, term for the idea. How do we determine what is just or fitting? (insert dissertation on virtue here)
So, when we sin and do not feel bad for it, what is happening? How has the action-moral sense tie been broken? An action against God, any action at all, must be more unjust than even the most heinous crime against any created thing. And yet we find the opposite in our feelings for our crimes: we feel worse for sinning against man than we do for sinning against God. We are morally and physically disturbed when we sin against a fellow being, yet we seem to be very little affected by our sin against our Maker and Lord. In some cases the action-moral sense connection is broken even with crimes against humanity. Guilty criminals sometimes never repent and never allow remorse to spring up and show that justice has been met in their hearts as well as it being forced on their bodies by prison or execution. Is there anything so disturbing, so maddening, so contemptible as an unrepentant murderer or rapist? Their unrepentance is as great of a crime as their first. Their unrepentance may actually be the greater crime; it feels fitting in some cases to pardon the original crime if the criminal repents, but it never feels fitting to pardon unrepentance.
We are not naturally born with a hardened action-moral sense connection. Children are very soft and usually repent of their sin far more quickly than do adults. This observation suggests that losing our action-moral sense connection is a gradual process. Then what makes up that process and how can we reverse it?
A theory: we are not sorry for sin for one of two reasons - 1) we have not learned that some action is sin, or 2) we have resisted our guilt-making mechanism to the point of damaging it (1 Tim 4.2).
Is "conscience" synonymous with "action-moral sense connection"?
DJB
Friday, June 5, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
That awful American religion
Seeing Jesus in the temple and (somehow) knowing it was the One he had been waiting for while his beard grew long, Simeon picks Jesus up and says:
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your work; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
Then Simeon turns to Mary and Joseph and says:
“Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed – and a sword will pierce through your own soul also – so that thoughts the many hearts may be revealed.” (Lk 2)
Christianity is not ours to defend, but God’s. It is not our religion. It’s not America’s religion or Israel’s or some missionary’s. In 150 years sociologists may lecture on Christianity as the Chinese religion. If we aren’t careful we can very easily develop an inappropriate sense of ownership over the book, the history, the Man, the God that belongs to God alone. He is his own and if we take part in him it is because he owns us.
Simeon saw the salvation that God had prepared in the presence of all peoples – a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to his people Israel. It was not Simeon’s salvation or even Israel’s. It was God’s salvation he prepared over all cultures, nations, languages, and religions. Jesus is light to the Gentiles and glory for his people Israel.
That Simeon would bless the Gentiles in his prophetic declaration is offensive for the Jews who would like nothing more than the throw off the heavy and dirty hand of the Gentiles by the power of their new Messiah. But Simeon is over Israel’s religion; he has tasted the freeing truth of God’s religion. He can speak without ownership of his words because they are God’s. He says Jesus will bring the rise and fall of many in Israel. Why would he ruin the moment of exaltation in the coming of the Messiah by predicting the ruin of some in Israel? Why would he say that Jesus will be a “sign that is opposed”? Why would he terrify Mary and Joseph by telling them a sword will pierce through their soul? The specific meaning of those announcements should be worked out, but I just notice this: God owns what is happening, not any person or nation.
The story of salvation across the testaments is enormous and out of the control of any author. The fulfillments of Jesus and the revelation of his lordship is too immense, too unpredictable, too unwieldy, too complicated, too suicidal for anyone but God to control. He owns his way and works it over and, if necessary, against us.
Brothers, have the confidence that comes with being part of something far larger than you. Have the boldness that comes in seeking God’s way to the dismissal of human opinion. Disbelieve the marginalizing evaluation of “your” religion; we do not ultimately answer for it.
Brothers, take ownership of the faith so far as it concerns your will; take comfort in the faith because it stand’s in God’s.
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your work; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
Then Simeon turns to Mary and Joseph and says:
“Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed – and a sword will pierce through your own soul also – so that thoughts the many hearts may be revealed.” (Lk 2)
Christianity is not ours to defend, but God’s. It is not our religion. It’s not America’s religion or Israel’s or some missionary’s. In 150 years sociologists may lecture on Christianity as the Chinese religion. If we aren’t careful we can very easily develop an inappropriate sense of ownership over the book, the history, the Man, the God that belongs to God alone. He is his own and if we take part in him it is because he owns us.
Simeon saw the salvation that God had prepared in the presence of all peoples – a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to his people Israel. It was not Simeon’s salvation or even Israel’s. It was God’s salvation he prepared over all cultures, nations, languages, and religions. Jesus is light to the Gentiles and glory for his people Israel.
That Simeon would bless the Gentiles in his prophetic declaration is offensive for the Jews who would like nothing more than the throw off the heavy and dirty hand of the Gentiles by the power of their new Messiah. But Simeon is over Israel’s religion; he has tasted the freeing truth of God’s religion. He can speak without ownership of his words because they are God’s. He says Jesus will bring the rise and fall of many in Israel. Why would he ruin the moment of exaltation in the coming of the Messiah by predicting the ruin of some in Israel? Why would he say that Jesus will be a “sign that is opposed”? Why would he terrify Mary and Joseph by telling them a sword will pierce through their soul? The specific meaning of those announcements should be worked out, but I just notice this: God owns what is happening, not any person or nation.
The story of salvation across the testaments is enormous and out of the control of any author. The fulfillments of Jesus and the revelation of his lordship is too immense, too unpredictable, too unwieldy, too complicated, too suicidal for anyone but God to control. He owns his way and works it over and, if necessary, against us.
Brothers, have the confidence that comes with being part of something far larger than you. Have the boldness that comes in seeking God’s way to the dismissal of human opinion. Disbelieve the marginalizing evaluation of “your” religion; we do not ultimately answer for it.
Brothers, take ownership of the faith so far as it concerns your will; take comfort in the faith because it stand’s in God’s.
Monday, May 25, 2009
"Doing" and "Boundaries"
I just now saw how well Wesley's post goes with mine. He exhorted us to use our talents to the fullest and to pour them out in humility in the service of Him who gave them.
Thinking on what he said, and on the usefulness of boundaries, I realized that our areas of talent and areas of lack of talent combine to create boundaries for the fitness of our service. If we were all talented in every way, our avenue of proper service in the body of Christ would have unlimited possibilities and would so be far less clear. And since our desires naturally follow our talents, so that typically we end up doing what we are good at, with an unlimited number of talents our desires would be pulled in an unlimited number of directions. I ask, "are your desires not already too diverse?"
So, while we tend to desire the gifts we see in others, we rather should thank God for the gifts He has not given to us. They are boundaries around our whole lives that nudge us to a greater and greater degree into line with our place in Christ's body.
Thinking on what he said, and on the usefulness of boundaries, I realized that our areas of talent and areas of lack of talent combine to create boundaries for the fitness of our service. If we were all talented in every way, our avenue of proper service in the body of Christ would have unlimited possibilities and would so be far less clear. And since our desires naturally follow our talents, so that typically we end up doing what we are good at, with an unlimited number of talents our desires would be pulled in an unlimited number of directions. I ask, "are your desires not already too diverse?"
So, while we tend to desire the gifts we see in others, we rather should thank God for the gifts He has not given to us. They are boundaries around our whole lives that nudge us to a greater and greater degree into line with our place in Christ's body.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Serendipitously discovered significance of boundaries
I commend serendipity to you. “They were always making discoveries, by accident and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.” So says Walpole about his Princes of Serendip. Going about one’s business in such a way to catch the happen-stance and valuable. Just think, how many valuable things have come to you like that?
Here’s one that happened to me recently. Here goes some running sentences in the literary present:
I’m sitting down with my journal out of emotional compulsion no plans no good thoughts, what to write. I just want to express something meaningful, and not just to me. I always write like this, to no one and everyone – who will read this? I want it to be meaningful to them too. Yes, I want to meet them where they are at and speak something useful to them. I want to write to persuade everyone in the whole world. But what? It must be objective and fair and not say too much besides. But sometimes we need to hear unfair things to shock us. But unfair things also sound bigoted. Stop. Just write. Write what? I don’t want to limit this; I want this to meet any person anywhere with any set of beliefs in any emotional condition with any background when read on any occasion. Why are you thinking all this about a journal entry, no one will ever read it. You will. And what will I think then? I don’t want to be embarrassed to read what I wrote. Well make sure then that you don’t write something stupid you’ll hugely disagree with later. Wait, am I right now deciding what to write based on the tastes of my not-yet self? What a strange thing. Look, it’s been 10 minutes, am I going to write or what? I can’t think of anything…
That actually happened. If you missed the main point in that, here it is: I didn’t know what to write because I wanted it to connect well with the person reading it (me or other) and I didn’t know how to fit my audience because I didn’t know who they were or if they existed.
Ok, now that I write this out it’s all sounded very very strange. But it taught me something nonetheless. Here it is: the imagination dies without boundaries.
It is boundaries that enliven and make possible the imagination. In the absence of boundaries, the imagination has no limits, thus nowhere even to start, and therefore no chance of progressing. When I was trying to write my journal entry I wanted these boundaries: the condition of my audience. Would someone read this after losing a loved one? When young? Old? Man? Woman? Angry? Me when I know a lot more about this subject? Way in the future when I will sound archaic? Because I could not answer the question I could have no boundaries. I couldn’t progress because progress means forward and I couldn’t tell which way that was. The man on earth has two main boundaries: gravity and the ground. Gravity keeps him from going too high; the ground keeps him from going too low. If it weren’t for gravity he may fly off to the sun if he wants, and to China without the ground. (What China would be without the ground, I don’t know.) The man floating in outer space does not have these boundaries, but which man is immobile?
This was a serendipitous discovery made in the course of failing to write a journal entry. I didn’t know where to start because I didn’t have any boundaries. Without boundaries, my imagination shriveled, not grew.
Some material examples of this principle:
Actually, let’s end with Lewis:
“But you can not go on ‘explaining away’ for ever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You can not go on ’seeing through’ things forever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to ’see through’ first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To ’see through’ all things is the same as not to see.” From Abolition of Man
So I commend serendipity to you, and boundaries. Now that I’ve set some boundaries on this discussion, what does your imagination tell you about the implications of this principle?
I swear the next thing I write on here will be devotional.
Here’s one that happened to me recently. Here goes some running sentences in the literary present:
I’m sitting down with my journal out of emotional compulsion no plans no good thoughts, what to write. I just want to express something meaningful, and not just to me. I always write like this, to no one and everyone – who will read this? I want it to be meaningful to them too. Yes, I want to meet them where they are at and speak something useful to them. I want to write to persuade everyone in the whole world. But what? It must be objective and fair and not say too much besides. But sometimes we need to hear unfair things to shock us. But unfair things also sound bigoted. Stop. Just write. Write what? I don’t want to limit this; I want this to meet any person anywhere with any set of beliefs in any emotional condition with any background when read on any occasion. Why are you thinking all this about a journal entry, no one will ever read it. You will. And what will I think then? I don’t want to be embarrassed to read what I wrote. Well make sure then that you don’t write something stupid you’ll hugely disagree with later. Wait, am I right now deciding what to write based on the tastes of my not-yet self? What a strange thing. Look, it’s been 10 minutes, am I going to write or what? I can’t think of anything…
That actually happened. If you missed the main point in that, here it is: I didn’t know what to write because I wanted it to connect well with the person reading it (me or other) and I didn’t know how to fit my audience because I didn’t know who they were or if they existed.
Ok, now that I write this out it’s all sounded very very strange. But it taught me something nonetheless. Here it is: the imagination dies without boundaries.
It is boundaries that enliven and make possible the imagination. In the absence of boundaries, the imagination has no limits, thus nowhere even to start, and therefore no chance of progressing. When I was trying to write my journal entry I wanted these boundaries: the condition of my audience. Would someone read this after losing a loved one? When young? Old? Man? Woman? Angry? Me when I know a lot more about this subject? Way in the future when I will sound archaic? Because I could not answer the question I could have no boundaries. I couldn’t progress because progress means forward and I couldn’t tell which way that was. The man on earth has two main boundaries: gravity and the ground. Gravity keeps him from going too high; the ground keeps him from going too low. If it weren’t for gravity he may fly off to the sun if he wants, and to China without the ground. (What China would be without the ground, I don’t know.) The man floating in outer space does not have these boundaries, but which man is immobile?
This was a serendipitous discovery made in the course of failing to write a journal entry. I didn’t know where to start because I didn’t have any boundaries. Without boundaries, my imagination shriveled, not grew.
Some material examples of this principle:
- Games
Basketball games without sidelines, fouls, or clocks is not a basketball game. The rules of chess are what make the game. - Physical motion
Without something to push off of, you can’t move. - Art
Photographs don’t compete with drawings because they have two different sets of boundaries. The boundaries of art are amazingly complex, but whatever they are they make great art great.
- Words
Words must have boundaries on meaning. Without boundaries, communication is impossible. - Fictional stories
Without boundaries on plot, setting, characters etc., a story cannot happen. - Math
High math is probably the best of all examples to show how well-used, skillfully-navigated sets of boundaries lead to progress. - Journal entries.
Actually, let’s end with Lewis:
“But you can not go on ‘explaining away’ for ever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You can not go on ’seeing through’ things forever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it. It is good that the window should be transparent, because the street or garden beyond it is opaque. How if you saw through the garden too? It is no use trying to ’see through’ first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To ’see through’ all things is the same as not to see.” From Abolition of Man
So I commend serendipity to you, and boundaries. Now that I’ve set some boundaries on this discussion, what does your imagination tell you about the implications of this principle?
I swear the next thing I write on here will be devotional.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
'Doing' in keeping with gifting
I’ve discussed with some of you recently my interest in Jesus’ parable about the talents (or ‘bags of gold’ as translated by the TNIV) as recorded by Matthew in 25:14-28. The whole scenario intrigues me. A wealthy master in the fictional story summons his servants, spreads his wealth amongst them, and then promptly ‘makes like a baby and heads out’. Several things strike me about the narrative’s development as being particularly noteworthy and applicable. First is the basis for the uneven allocation—namely the ability of each servant. Verse 15 says: ‘To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.’ A second fascinating piece is the fact that the master in the story establishes no strictures or requirements as to how each servant should go about the investment process. He ‘entrusts’ his wealth and then leaves (vs 15c). It comes across almost as if he could care less as to how they use the money so long as a profit is gained. He adds responsibility in keeping with their innate/intrinsic ability and expects them to act accordingly. Hmm. Third and last, it is implied that each steward has as his singular aim the advancement of his master’s honor, glory, and estate. Don’t forget the severity of each’s judgment. To the two who served well: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness’ (vs 23). These two merited the commendation of their master and were granted greater responsibility and the unmitigated joy accompanying association with their owner. To the fool however, it was said, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ This servant’s shocking end? He, called by his owner a ‘worthless servant’, is cast out into darkness where weeping and gnashing of teeth persist (also in unmitigated fashion).
Staggering, is it not? So the question with which I have been plagued of late and which I now cast upon your conscience for consideration is ‘how are you leveraging your gifts and corresponding entrustments for the Master’s good?’ (I got the ‘leveraging’ term from JR). Our pagan culture may be impressed with mere abilities, but Jesus is not, for he has given them to us. He has given them to us for a purpose: his advancement; not for our own consumption. You have been bought with a price, so glorify God with your body. Are you attractive? Intelligent? Studious? Technologically astute? Musical? Ambitious? Gregarious? Quick-witted? If you have some of these qualities (or all) and are tempted to be impressed and consequently self-satisfied…get over yourself. God hasn’t bestowed these things that we might be counted commendable by the world. What does it profit, brothers, to gain the world’s recognition if in the process we forfeit our souls? No, he’s gifted us so that we might wield them for kingdom purposes, for his cause. So, we would do well, I think, to assess our abilities (and to help one another see them), accept responsibilities fitting for those capabilities, and begin to wage war against Satan’s kingdom with a vigorous intentionality.
‘Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire”’ (Heb 12:28).
Staggering, is it not? So the question with which I have been plagued of late and which I now cast upon your conscience for consideration is ‘how are you leveraging your gifts and corresponding entrustments for the Master’s good?’ (I got the ‘leveraging’ term from JR). Our pagan culture may be impressed with mere abilities, but Jesus is not, for he has given them to us. He has given them to us for a purpose: his advancement; not for our own consumption. You have been bought with a price, so glorify God with your body. Are you attractive? Intelligent? Studious? Technologically astute? Musical? Ambitious? Gregarious? Quick-witted? If you have some of these qualities (or all) and are tempted to be impressed and consequently self-satisfied…get over yourself. God hasn’t bestowed these things that we might be counted commendable by the world. What does it profit, brothers, to gain the world’s recognition if in the process we forfeit our souls? No, he’s gifted us so that we might wield them for kingdom purposes, for his cause. So, we would do well, I think, to assess our abilities (and to help one another see them), accept responsibilities fitting for those capabilities, and begin to wage war against Satan’s kingdom with a vigorous intentionality.
‘Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire”’ (Heb 12:28).
Friday, February 27, 2009
The Error of a Misfocused Repulsion of Sin
Sin is a horrible thing. Sin has caused indescribable pain and destruction for billions of people, and has sent Jesus to the cross. Sin grieves the heart of God, originally disrupted man’s fellowship with God, ruins relationships (family, friend, business, etc.), and blinds men’s hearts from seeing God for who he really is.
Sin should not be taken lightly and should not exist in the life of a Christian. It should repulse us when it appears is our lives. We should hate the existence of both “big” and “small” sins.
But, in our repulsion of our sin, we need to guard against a view of sin that forgets the forgiveness Christ purchased for us. If the Bible says Christ’s sacrifice paid the debt of all our sins (Col 2:13-14), it is wrong for us to count our sins as unpaid. When I sin, sometimes I find myself feeling more forgiven if I have really “beat myself up” over a certain sin. This attitude is wrong because I cannot pay for my sins with anything, even remorse. Remorse is good except when we use it to make ourselves feel as if we have somehow paid a little towards the debt of our sin.
If we are Christians, I think we should feel nearly every kind of sick feeling toward our sin except the feeling of being condemned by God for an unpaid/unpayable debt of sin. Because He says our debt is paid, it would be wrong for us to live in a way that demonstrates we actually think we can add something to Jesus’ sacrifice.
Hate your sin, but not in the way of a murderer strapped to an electric chair about to pay for his crime. Hate your sin in the way of an unfaithful wife (“the church” Eph. 5) who has been forgiven and loved by a faithful husband (“Christ” Eph. 5) and has no merit to stand in his presence other than his forgiveness and acceptance of her.
Edit: I just came across this quote I had written down during college which I think is applicable to this post.
"Almost every generation has to rediscover grace because our human nature's worldly perspective wars with the notion that we can do nothing to gain God's acceptance." -Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching p. 290
Sin should not be taken lightly and should not exist in the life of a Christian. It should repulse us when it appears is our lives. We should hate the existence of both “big” and “small” sins.
But, in our repulsion of our sin, we need to guard against a view of sin that forgets the forgiveness Christ purchased for us. If the Bible says Christ’s sacrifice paid the debt of all our sins (Col 2:13-14), it is wrong for us to count our sins as unpaid. When I sin, sometimes I find myself feeling more forgiven if I have really “beat myself up” over a certain sin. This attitude is wrong because I cannot pay for my sins with anything, even remorse. Remorse is good except when we use it to make ourselves feel as if we have somehow paid a little towards the debt of our sin.
If we are Christians, I think we should feel nearly every kind of sick feeling toward our sin except the feeling of being condemned by God for an unpaid/unpayable debt of sin. Because He says our debt is paid, it would be wrong for us to live in a way that demonstrates we actually think we can add something to Jesus’ sacrifice.
Hate your sin, but not in the way of a murderer strapped to an electric chair about to pay for his crime. Hate your sin in the way of an unfaithful wife (“the church” Eph. 5) who has been forgiven and loved by a faithful husband (“Christ” Eph. 5) and has no merit to stand in his presence other than his forgiveness and acceptance of her.
Edit: I just came across this quote I had written down during college which I think is applicable to this post.
"Almost every generation has to rediscover grace because our human nature's worldly perspective wars with the notion that we can do nothing to gain God's acceptance." -Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching p. 290
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Thoughts on Prayer
I wrote this for a post for one of my classes. It was kind of quick and off the top of my head and I didn't go back to edit so there might be some miss haps but I thought I would post it and see what your thoughts were.
This is kind of lengthy and so if you don't have the time just read the last paragraph.
Read your bible and pray every day is something that most of us have heard from day 1. It is something that is foundational and yet something that so easily has been pushed to the back of our minds behind the more pressing issues of figuring out whether I am a covenant or dispensational theologian, or whether I think there should be elders or deacons, or whether I think people should be allowed to drink or not, or whether I am pre-trib or post trib, or what my view is on the trinity and whether I think there is just some type of economic subordination or some type of ontological subordination, or figure out if I think some gifts have ceased for today or if they haven't or if they have all ceased, or just to figure out what type of epistemology I think is legitimate. So, there is so much that has come to the forefront in my life and dominates the every day demands of my life and my pursuit. Not to mention the day to day push of work and ministry whatever aspect of ministry is pressing upon us in our lives. To spend time thinking about read your bible and pray every day just seems like an almost afterthought like even though we know we always need to grow in that area it really isn't that important to give it a lot of thought. What am I trying to say? What I am trying to say is if you pinned any one of us down and asked if prayer and saturation in the word were important and if we needed to grow in those areas of course we would all say yes but if you actually looked at our lives or I should say if you actually looked at my life you would probably have to ask me "did someone ever teach you that you should read your bible and pray every day?" Now some might start to have the term legalism creep into their mind after that statement but I'm really not worried about it at all so you should probably just get over your obsession with pointing out legalism in people's speech and ask yourself if you are attempting to make a loophole for the freaking laziness that is in your life. Again I am speaking more at myself. It's like the old answer to the version debate "I just wish you would pick one and read it" I want to say I wish you would stop worrying about legalism and get on your knees or take a walk or whatever so that you can talk to the God of this universe the one who made you the one who has called you, justified you, sanctified you, and will glorify you. The one who's mercies are new every morning. The one who stepped down into time laying aside his heavenly rights and became a human and bore our wrath and took our curse and died in our place so we could experience reconciliation and we could be deemed Righteous. I want to stop making excuses for why I don't talk more to the one who I claim that I love with all of my heart. I want to quit playing games pretending like I have the sweet constant dialogue with God throughout the day where I like talk to him when my mind isn't on other things and it is just the constant communication with him. I want that to be true and more. I am not married and I don't have a girlfriend but if I did I sure would want to talk to her a little more than just some type of nebulous "I do it throughout the day when my mind is not on other things..." I would want to talk to her for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours. Of course we can't take 3 hours every day to get alone and talk to God. We don't have time. Our 40 hour a week job just doesn't make that possible. I'm fine with that. But maybe the reason's why we don't are pretty weak. Maybe we really don't need 40 hours a week so that we can purchase a bigger house and have a nicer phone, and drive a nicer car. Maybe we need to cut back to 30 hours a week so that we can give more time to our families, our school, and our God instead of playing the "oh we need to be wise car" when really we are trying to justify needing more money to provide for our needs so that we can give each of our kids there own room, and own our own home, and drive a better car, and have cable, and an HDTV, and "i" whatever. Of course we don't have to pray 30 min. or 1, 2, or 3 hours a day to be spiritual. Of course it would be stupid to attempt to go from only praying 10 minutes a day to trying to pray 2 hours a day. What I want to know is why after 20 years are we still at 10 minutes a day...or less? Of course if we go a day and don't get away for 30 minutes it does not mean that we were less spiritual that day or less in love with Christ. What I want to know is why is the reverse true of my life that the rarity isn't the missed day but the rarity is the day that I do do whatever I do.
Some are going to answer this with saying that my focus should not be on this but my focus should be on looking at Christ and how glorious and wonderful he is and look at the gospel and that is where my focus should be and that prayer and everything else will fall in to place. You know what? I totally agree. But the fact remains that if that has been your focus for so long, focusing on Christ and the positive instead of the negative, why do we still pray like pansies? I agree the remedy is not saying "I need to pray more, I need to pray more, I need to pray more." It is obviously to pursue a vision of God high and lifted up and to see how awesome and glorious he is that drives me to my knee, I should be pursuing and understanding of the gospel more and more every day and pursuing to see the supremacy of Christ more and more every day but again I ask why are there so many that claim to have that as the focus and yet they still don't talk to God...or the answer is "I had quality time not quantity time". There is a place for that...I agree that someone can kneel down and say more worth while stuff to God in 1 minute than some can say in an hour. Sometimes I have experienced the grace and love and righteousness and holiness of God more vibrantly in 30 minutes than I did in 4 hours. But still, why should that stop me from wanting 30 of those precious minutes all of a sudden one day stretch out into 3 more just like it. Really this boils down for me that prayer reveals how much I truly think I am dependent on God. The more I pray the more I reveal that I truly believe I am dependent on God in every aspect of my life. The less I pray the more I reveal that I am a very proud person and the less I pray the more I reveal that I truly think I am dependent on myself and I can get things done. I am not asking for us to be legalistic and check off a list every day and I am not asking all of us to be like Luther, or Mueller...at least right away...I am just asking myself if I truly love the one I claim to love and if I really believe that I am absolutely dependent on Him for every aspect of my life. Prayer is a glorious gift. I just wish I would realize how glorious the gift really is.
It is also a difficult struggle for myself and I am sure for many because prayer from a rationalistic standpoint is difficult because when I am doing something with my hand or being productive so to speak with my body where I can see results I always feel like those things are much more worth my time. I do not see the value of prayer. It is not real to me. I do not see that I am walking into the thrown room of the king so it is much more productive and easier in my eyes to go clean my toilet then it is to get on my knees. I don't see the reality and concreteness of prayer it seems abstract and unproductive.
I also think that our strong view of the sovereignty of God, which I think is totally right, tends to weaken our prayer lives. Yes we know that prayer is still tantamount in importance but in our stupidity we let our view of theology push prayer down the scale because God has everything planned out.
Prayer and whether it is effective or not should not be judged by the number of prayers answered or not. I understand the way people's faith works and why they like to keep a list in a journal of all of their prayers and which ones have been answered and the date and what not. I understand that. I just think it is too narrow. It should be enough for us that we are allowed to talk to God. That is all. That is all. That should be enough to say to me how can I not talk to the God of the universe. A few thoughts from Piper make this point. "The main way that God deepens, strengthens, and awakens confidence in prayer is not answered prayer it is by the word of the living God. When God says I hear you we should believe him...I was praying this morning for my children and for myself Eph. 3:14-21 and I stopped. I have prayed that for myself hundreds of times. Hundreds. And it hit me. I've been praying this prayer for 29 years at this church that God would grant me to know the height, and depth, and length and breadth of the love of Christ that passes knowledge and you know what came into my mind. That's the reason you have seen what you have seen about the nature of the love of God being the glorification of himself in people's lives. My way of talking about the love of God today is that you are loved not when God makes much of you but when he at great cost to himself gives you the inclination to make much of him and the joy of making much of him. I do not believe I would have seen that if I had not prayed that pray a hundred times. So now, of course the skeptic would say I think you would have thought that even if you hadn't prayed that prayer. I think you would have seen that in the bible and you would have taught it even if you hadn't prayed that prayer. To which I would say I guess that's what you are going to believe. But this morning at the bottom of my soul it seemed to me God was saying the reason you see what you see is because you have asked to see it a hundred times. I've heard you. It's no accident that you've seen John 11:1-6 in relation to John 17:1-5, 24 the way you do. I don't give everybody that. I give it too you. I give it to hundred others thousands others. I give it to people who want it so bad they pray Eph. 3:14-19 over and over and over and I store it up in a bottle and then one day in a conversation with someone or while you are studying the Bible I pour it out and you see what you would not have seen."
This is kind of lengthy and so if you don't have the time just read the last paragraph.
Read your bible and pray every day is something that most of us have heard from day 1. It is something that is foundational and yet something that so easily has been pushed to the back of our minds behind the more pressing issues of figuring out whether I am a covenant or dispensational theologian, or whether I think there should be elders or deacons, or whether I think people should be allowed to drink or not, or whether I am pre-trib or post trib, or what my view is on the trinity and whether I think there is just some type of economic subordination or some type of ontological subordination, or figure out if I think some gifts have ceased for today or if they haven't or if they have all ceased, or just to figure out what type of epistemology I think is legitimate. So, there is so much that has come to the forefront in my life and dominates the every day demands of my life and my pursuit. Not to mention the day to day push of work and ministry whatever aspect of ministry is pressing upon us in our lives. To spend time thinking about read your bible and pray every day just seems like an almost afterthought like even though we know we always need to grow in that area it really isn't that important to give it a lot of thought. What am I trying to say? What I am trying to say is if you pinned any one of us down and asked if prayer and saturation in the word were important and if we needed to grow in those areas of course we would all say yes but if you actually looked at our lives or I should say if you actually looked at my life you would probably have to ask me "did someone ever teach you that you should read your bible and pray every day?" Now some might start to have the term legalism creep into their mind after that statement but I'm really not worried about it at all so you should probably just get over your obsession with pointing out legalism in people's speech and ask yourself if you are attempting to make a loophole for the freaking laziness that is in your life. Again I am speaking more at myself. It's like the old answer to the version debate "I just wish you would pick one and read it" I want to say I wish you would stop worrying about legalism and get on your knees or take a walk or whatever so that you can talk to the God of this universe the one who made you the one who has called you, justified you, sanctified you, and will glorify you. The one who's mercies are new every morning. The one who stepped down into time laying aside his heavenly rights and became a human and bore our wrath and took our curse and died in our place so we could experience reconciliation and we could be deemed Righteous. I want to stop making excuses for why I don't talk more to the one who I claim that I love with all of my heart. I want to quit playing games pretending like I have the sweet constant dialogue with God throughout the day where I like talk to him when my mind isn't on other things and it is just the constant communication with him. I want that to be true and more. I am not married and I don't have a girlfriend but if I did I sure would want to talk to her a little more than just some type of nebulous "I do it throughout the day when my mind is not on other things..." I would want to talk to her for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours. Of course we can't take 3 hours every day to get alone and talk to God. We don't have time. Our 40 hour a week job just doesn't make that possible. I'm fine with that. But maybe the reason's why we don't are pretty weak. Maybe we really don't need 40 hours a week so that we can purchase a bigger house and have a nicer phone, and drive a nicer car. Maybe we need to cut back to 30 hours a week so that we can give more time to our families, our school, and our God instead of playing the "oh we need to be wise car" when really we are trying to justify needing more money to provide for our needs so that we can give each of our kids there own room, and own our own home, and drive a better car, and have cable, and an HDTV, and "i" whatever. Of course we don't have to pray 30 min. or 1, 2, or 3 hours a day to be spiritual. Of course it would be stupid to attempt to go from only praying 10 minutes a day to trying to pray 2 hours a day. What I want to know is why after 20 years are we still at 10 minutes a day...or less? Of course if we go a day and don't get away for 30 minutes it does not mean that we were less spiritual that day or less in love with Christ. What I want to know is why is the reverse true of my life that the rarity isn't the missed day but the rarity is the day that I do do whatever I do.
Some are going to answer this with saying that my focus should not be on this but my focus should be on looking at Christ and how glorious and wonderful he is and look at the gospel and that is where my focus should be and that prayer and everything else will fall in to place. You know what? I totally agree. But the fact remains that if that has been your focus for so long, focusing on Christ and the positive instead of the negative, why do we still pray like pansies? I agree the remedy is not saying "I need to pray more, I need to pray more, I need to pray more." It is obviously to pursue a vision of God high and lifted up and to see how awesome and glorious he is that drives me to my knee, I should be pursuing and understanding of the gospel more and more every day and pursuing to see the supremacy of Christ more and more every day but again I ask why are there so many that claim to have that as the focus and yet they still don't talk to God...or the answer is "I had quality time not quantity time". There is a place for that...I agree that someone can kneel down and say more worth while stuff to God in 1 minute than some can say in an hour. Sometimes I have experienced the grace and love and righteousness and holiness of God more vibrantly in 30 minutes than I did in 4 hours. But still, why should that stop me from wanting 30 of those precious minutes all of a sudden one day stretch out into 3 more just like it. Really this boils down for me that prayer reveals how much I truly think I am dependent on God. The more I pray the more I reveal that I truly believe I am dependent on God in every aspect of my life. The less I pray the more I reveal that I am a very proud person and the less I pray the more I reveal that I truly think I am dependent on myself and I can get things done. I am not asking for us to be legalistic and check off a list every day and I am not asking all of us to be like Luther, or Mueller...at least right away...I am just asking myself if I truly love the one I claim to love and if I really believe that I am absolutely dependent on Him for every aspect of my life. Prayer is a glorious gift. I just wish I would realize how glorious the gift really is.
It is also a difficult struggle for myself and I am sure for many because prayer from a rationalistic standpoint is difficult because when I am doing something with my hand or being productive so to speak with my body where I can see results I always feel like those things are much more worth my time. I do not see the value of prayer. It is not real to me. I do not see that I am walking into the thrown room of the king so it is much more productive and easier in my eyes to go clean my toilet then it is to get on my knees. I don't see the reality and concreteness of prayer it seems abstract and unproductive.
I also think that our strong view of the sovereignty of God, which I think is totally right, tends to weaken our prayer lives. Yes we know that prayer is still tantamount in importance but in our stupidity we let our view of theology push prayer down the scale because God has everything planned out.
Prayer and whether it is effective or not should not be judged by the number of prayers answered or not. I understand the way people's faith works and why they like to keep a list in a journal of all of their prayers and which ones have been answered and the date and what not. I understand that. I just think it is too narrow. It should be enough for us that we are allowed to talk to God. That is all. That is all. That should be enough to say to me how can I not talk to the God of the universe. A few thoughts from Piper make this point. "The main way that God deepens, strengthens, and awakens confidence in prayer is not answered prayer it is by the word of the living God. When God says I hear you we should believe him...I was praying this morning for my children and for myself Eph. 3:14-21 and I stopped. I have prayed that for myself hundreds of times. Hundreds. And it hit me. I've been praying this prayer for 29 years at this church that God would grant me to know the height, and depth, and length and breadth of the love of Christ that passes knowledge and you know what came into my mind. That's the reason you have seen what you have seen about the nature of the love of God being the glorification of himself in people's lives. My way of talking about the love of God today is that you are loved not when God makes much of you but when he at great cost to himself gives you the inclination to make much of him and the joy of making much of him. I do not believe I would have seen that if I had not prayed that pray a hundred times. So now, of course the skeptic would say I think you would have thought that even if you hadn't prayed that prayer. I think you would have seen that in the bible and you would have taught it even if you hadn't prayed that prayer. To which I would say I guess that's what you are going to believe. But this morning at the bottom of my soul it seemed to me God was saying the reason you see what you see is because you have asked to see it a hundred times. I've heard you. It's no accident that you've seen John 11:1-6 in relation to John 17:1-5, 24 the way you do. I don't give everybody that. I give it too you. I give it to hundred others thousands others. I give it to people who want it so bad they pray Eph. 3:14-19 over and over and over and I store it up in a bottle and then one day in a conversation with someone or while you are studying the Bible I pour it out and you see what you would not have seen."
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