Re (1): Two Choices

Constanza,

Hello. No, I wouldn't exactly say that I am pulling my hair or intellectualizing my faith, though there have been times when I have been guilty of either. What I was essentially referring to (regarding the personal aspect of the newsletter) was how distractions and busyness can crowd out my quietness of spirit, an element that happens often in this very busy season in my life. What is more, I am far from being alone in having this type of a struggle, particularly in this busy world of ours with all the technological conveniences that at times seem more to enslave than liberate.

The objective part of the newsletter was to bring balance to the two distortions that are often manifest in the Christian faith, at least as it often appears through an American cultural lens. To summarize it as simply as I can, my message was that when we are declared forgiven, this is the beginning of the journey, a spiritual journey that requires not only trust but also obedience. There is a tendency among certain churches and strains of Christianity to de-emphasize the aspect of grace and forgiveness and to feel that one must "bribe God" if you will, a point the Apostle Paul addresses consistently throughout the epistles in the New Testament. On the other hand, there is tendency among others to believe that once they have accepted Christ's atonement for their sin it matters not how they live: that they have taken out a “fire insurance policy” and now they can go out and live like the devil himself and it doesn’t matter at all. My precise point of this week's newsletter is that if we want to live the truly abundant life of which Scripture speaks, we need both the trust and the obedience factors to be in place.

Now then, one last comment concerning where I am in my personal life: in the study group that meets in my home on Wednesday nights, I was very candid in sharing my struggles and my thoughts, for my life so often seems to lack the intimacy I not only desire but have personally experienced at various times in my Christian journey. Our collective conclusion as I shared with my empathetic brothers in Christ was that what I am experiencing is another of those dry seasons where we feel dull, dead, bland, a general overall “blah” feeling. We also considered the possibility that there may be an area of my life that I have not fully surrendered—an area of which I am not yet consciously aware—that will need to be surrendered before I can take the next step in my faith.

Perhaps the tone or the style of the newsletter struck you as an issue of doubt or a case of intellectualizing something, but if so, that misrepresents the truth of my life at this moment. I am very spiritually dry right now (or was, as the fellowship with my brothers did help to restore some of the intimacy I have been seeking) and I was using this as a means of communicating the balance necessary for abundant Christian living: the trust aspect and the obedience aspect. I think that my precise point is better framed in the first section of Hannah Whitall Smith's classic The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life. In 1998 and 1999, I taught a Sunday school class for the teen group in my local church and often prepared my own lesson plans. After reading Smith’s book, I played editor and condensed the first three chapters of it down into a manageable article that would fit into the time allotted for the class session, removing some of the repetition but attempting to retain the heart of her point as well as a number of her examples and illustrations. (I am of the opinion that examples are where the true power of teaching is to be found for they help us visualize and conceptualize—“wrap our mind around”—concepts and ideas.) Conveniently, I have published this excerpt on the web and it can be found here. I believe that it should clear up any confusion that may have occurred in the presentation of this newsletter and her point is stated with a simple elegance.

One last parting thought and then I am through. I don’t think we can really speak for another person except in a general sense as we would address all people. Each one of us is at a different stage in our Christian journey and while "blind faith" (as you describe it) comes easily for some, for others faith of this nature is very difficult for them. Yet there are other areas of their faith in which they excel. I think we must be very careful in assuming that we have correctly identified and know exactly where the other person is standing in his or her walk with the Lord. Perhaps the strongest example left to us in the Scriptures is that of Job. His friends were convinced that he had sinned against God and that he had a number of issues going on in his life. Because we have privileged information, we know that in reality his faith was likely stronger and more mature than that of his friends, for when the blessings stopped flowing in his life, he still trusted God. At that moment, I don't imagine that faith was "so simple" to him. Now God did work with him—and Job, being a mortal man, was not without his faults, in this case a certain degree of presumption. But I would argue that his friends were far more presumptuous still, for they felt like they could read into his life things that were not there. In the same way, even if we know beyond doubt that a fellow believer is fallen, I believe that the Bible admonishes us to restore him gently with sensitivity and grace. My only point is that from your perspective, “blind faith” may be incredibly simple, but for another person it might be a major obstacle that they must overcome. In the same way, my intelligence and aptitude for study comes easily for me, but I recognize that it does not come as easily for other people. We are all different: we all have various strengths and weaknesses. And while there are guiding principles which apply universally to all of humanity, the application is as individual as the man or woman involved. We are, after all, talking about a relationship here. And every relationship is different: each has its own unique dynamic.

God bless,
Eric

• Weekend reading - By Constanza February 20, 2004 at 04:12:14 PM
• Re(2): Two Choices - By Eric February 14, 2004 at 08:36:47 AM