"It is for freedom that Christ has set you free." (Gal 5:1) Freedom from the bondage of sin, but also freedom from the bondage of the law. If freedom is having the options to solve problems, then bondage is not having the options to solve problems, and sin is that which prevents the solving of problems.
Life is problems. This is why we are unhappy. There are two types of problems: unmet needs and obstacles to meeting those needs. The obstacles are sin. Sin separates us from God. Separation from God is a problem to be solved. The point is to be free from that which separates us from God.
The legalist mindset creates lists of sins and obligations. These lists confuse because they never get to the essence of the matter. Jesus cut through all that with the simple formula: love God and love your neighbor. As for the details, “Whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.” (Rom 24:22)
And if you think this is all too facile, try doing it. There's nothing easy about it. It's easy to like God when things are going well, but that's shallow. Can you love God when things are going badly? It's easy to like people when they treat you well. But can you forgive them when they do you wrong? The Pharisees took an easier road than this. But that road led nowhere.
There are two categories of sin that block and frustrate us: our own sins, and the sins of others who wrong us. Obviously, we can't do much about the sins of others. But do you think you can do something about your own sins? Repentance is hard. We cannot overcome sin by our own effort. We can't will ourselves to sincerely love God or our neighbor. Only God's grace can save us.
Too many churches preach that we must repent our sins - in the sense of stopping them - and receive forgiveness from God for past sins and for various petty involuntary sins. What we need to realize is that we CAN'T really stop sinning, not even almost. "Repent and sin no more" is not actionable if you take it literally.
Now of course we should show our gratitude toward God by not sinning gratuitously (Rom 6.) But that's not what modern Christendom focuses on. There is an idolatry of righteousness in certain churches. They actually think they can lead - for the most part - righteous lives, with only little peccadilloes here and there. But like the Pharisees, they simply don't see their big sins. They are unloving, un-empathetic, cliquish, selfish, backstabbing and neurotic (to be precise, afflicted with moral narcissism.) Nobody likes them and they have no idea why because they just can't see how unpleasant they are. They smugly tell themselves: "Oh, the world is just shamed at seeing us live such righteous lives." No, that's not it. The world is disgusted at the rank hypocrisy. "We will win them over with our love." That's not love; that's condescension. And it's not going to win many people over.
Of course, they talk a good game. They confess petty sins and say it's Satan trying to lead them astray, and congratulate themselves of having resisted successfully. Their grand sins they don't see, because they're so self-satisfied with the gnats they've strained out. And they actually think Satan can be bothered to tempt them personally! Satan has better things to do. He might perhaps send a very minor demon after such as these if he thought them in the least worthwhile. But that demon would likely get distracted hunting down his red Swingline stapler.
No, not everyone in this type of church is like that. But most of them are. And the worst of them rise to positions of influence. That's the culture. Their spirituality is smugness; their confession is humblebragging, and their real sins are obvious to all but themselves.
I was once attracted to such churches, because the lukewarmness of other churches disgusted me. But now I see they're just the same, only in deeper denial. When I saw this, I felt betrayed. I had hoped they would show me how to be a better person. They showed me anything but. They wasted a few precious years of my life, but I fear for their souls.
This is the paradox of righteousness. The only way you can be righteous before God is if God forgives you. And the only way God can forgive you is if you face the fact that righteousness is unattainable by your efforts. Yes, the legalist churches give mouth service to this, but then they deny the consequent. They tell you to have faith in order to be saved, then afterwards it's back to righteousness by works.
My priorities have changed. I no longer focus as much on conventional notions of morality. Even where the Bible endorses them, the Bible makes it clear that other things matter more. Now I look for kind and gentle souls, in the hopes that I can learn from them how to be kind and gentle. Because I'm not, and I want to be. I have decided that I will try anything to be more loving and less bitter, even if it involves not trying so hard on lesser matters. (All other matters are lesser matters.) I must trust God's grace to cover me on the rest, because I can't be completely sinless. It's not in me. It's not in you, either. It's not in anyone on earth. People who think they can even approximate complete sinlessness are dangerously deluded. Face the truth about yourself, and you can cut others some slack.
For example, I have discovered that after two beers, I find it much easier to wish others well. Alcohol supposedly brings out one's true nature. Is there a capacity for compassion in me, buried deep under the scars of all the wrongs I've suffered? Even then, I don't love everyone. But I can love most people. And I never do more than three beers, because that's the point of diminishing returns for me. Once you're past legalism, and trust to grace, you can start to rationally calculate the tradeoffs. This isn't licentiousness; it's humility. Minimize sin, that grace may abound.
And what about dating? Purity is a wonderful ideal. Just remember that's it's only an ideal, or else you'll tie yourself in knots trying to achieve an unachievable perfection. Much has been said against the purity culture, and with good reason. It flat out doesn't work as advertised, and it makes people neurotic. You don't restrain sensual indulgence that way (Col 2:23.) Here's a better idea: just don't go out of your way to be impure (Rom 6.) Trust God's grace to cover the difference.
Addicted to cigarettes? Make a good faith effort to quit, or at least cut down. If you fail, don't beat yourself up over it. Results aren't your job; faith is your job. And if you feel you need to hide your failing or get defensive about it, then you are letting men judge you. Only God has authority to judge you, and you can't hide from Him, nor do you need to. He makes allowances for your weaknesses.
But wait a minute! Won't the world accuse us of hypocrisy if we don't live lives of exemplary righteousness? Yes, they will. But that's a foregone conclusion, because you can't live a life of perfect righteousness. It simply can't be done. No, you can't live a life of almost perfect righteousness either. You will sin, they will see it, and they will call you a hypocrite. Just accept it.
How then can we be a light to the world? Here's an idea: humility. Let your humility before God shine as a beacon to the world. No, not humility before men - let no man judge you. Humility before God. Model that. Oh, and gentleness. I find gentleness less difficult when I've accepted God's forgiveness for my own shortcomings. If no man can judge me, I need judge no man.
As you forgive others, so God will forgive you. This is the error of legalism: a focus on results poisoned by perfectionism and anaesthetized by a lack of self-awareness. In this world, results are the bottom line. They obviously matter, and we think we can measure them. But in God's eyes, from an eternal perspective, our helpless need for grace is the bottom line. The cleansing from sin guilt is God's job. Let Him deal with it, because only He is competent. All you have to do is cooperate.
I Corinthians 13:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
To which I would add: if you fall short in all those other things, but have charity, that's an improvement. This is what I'm trying for now. When I can love God and love my neighbor, then I will rest secure in my salvation. After that, I'll work on the other things. Not to be saved, but to show gratitude toward God, and to put love into practice.
But I must make a clean break with the houses of spiritual narcissism. They're a bad influence. I want to learn how to love and they can teach nothing about love. They lost their first love long ago, and they have no future. Given time, I can - and must - forgive them for how they misled me. But I can't save them. Therefore I shall save myself from that corrupt and wicked generation. Having done so, I may then become able to lead others to salvation.
I will make mistakes. They will be my mistakes, and I will learn from them. I will close the feedback loop, by cutting the blind guides out of that loop. I will never again look to any church organization to enlighten or encourage me, although I may attend church again after I have found sufficient enlightenment and encouragement elsewhere that my participation may accomplish something. I know what the Bible says about the Body of Christ, but that was the First Century. That church no longer exists. (I'll outline what's wrong with restorationism in some future article.)
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. - Phil 3:14
Life is problems. This is why we are unhappy. There are two types of problems: unmet needs and obstacles to meeting those needs. The obstacles are sin. Sin separates us from God. Separation from God is a problem to be solved. The point is to be free from that which separates us from God.
The legalist mindset creates lists of sins and obligations. These lists confuse because they never get to the essence of the matter. Jesus cut through all that with the simple formula: love God and love your neighbor. As for the details, “Whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God.” (Rom 24:22)
And if you think this is all too facile, try doing it. There's nothing easy about it. It's easy to like God when things are going well, but that's shallow. Can you love God when things are going badly? It's easy to like people when they treat you well. But can you forgive them when they do you wrong? The Pharisees took an easier road than this. But that road led nowhere.
There are two categories of sin that block and frustrate us: our own sins, and the sins of others who wrong us. Obviously, we can't do much about the sins of others. But do you think you can do something about your own sins? Repentance is hard. We cannot overcome sin by our own effort. We can't will ourselves to sincerely love God or our neighbor. Only God's grace can save us.
Too many churches preach that we must repent our sins - in the sense of stopping them - and receive forgiveness from God for past sins and for various petty involuntary sins. What we need to realize is that we CAN'T really stop sinning, not even almost. "Repent and sin no more" is not actionable if you take it literally.
Now of course we should show our gratitude toward God by not sinning gratuitously (Rom 6.) But that's not what modern Christendom focuses on. There is an idolatry of righteousness in certain churches. They actually think they can lead - for the most part - righteous lives, with only little peccadilloes here and there. But like the Pharisees, they simply don't see their big sins. They are unloving, un-empathetic, cliquish, selfish, backstabbing and neurotic (to be precise, afflicted with moral narcissism.) Nobody likes them and they have no idea why because they just can't see how unpleasant they are. They smugly tell themselves: "Oh, the world is just shamed at seeing us live such righteous lives." No, that's not it. The world is disgusted at the rank hypocrisy. "We will win them over with our love." That's not love; that's condescension. And it's not going to win many people over.
Of course, they talk a good game. They confess petty sins and say it's Satan trying to lead them astray, and congratulate themselves of having resisted successfully. Their grand sins they don't see, because they're so self-satisfied with the gnats they've strained out. And they actually think Satan can be bothered to tempt them personally! Satan has better things to do. He might perhaps send a very minor demon after such as these if he thought them in the least worthwhile. But that demon would likely get distracted hunting down his red Swingline stapler.
No, not everyone in this type of church is like that. But most of them are. And the worst of them rise to positions of influence. That's the culture. Their spirituality is smugness; their confession is humblebragging, and their real sins are obvious to all but themselves.
I was once attracted to such churches, because the lukewarmness of other churches disgusted me. But now I see they're just the same, only in deeper denial. When I saw this, I felt betrayed. I had hoped they would show me how to be a better person. They showed me anything but. They wasted a few precious years of my life, but I fear for their souls.
This is the paradox of righteousness. The only way you can be righteous before God is if God forgives you. And the only way God can forgive you is if you face the fact that righteousness is unattainable by your efforts. Yes, the legalist churches give mouth service to this, but then they deny the consequent. They tell you to have faith in order to be saved, then afterwards it's back to righteousness by works.
My priorities have changed. I no longer focus as much on conventional notions of morality. Even where the Bible endorses them, the Bible makes it clear that other things matter more. Now I look for kind and gentle souls, in the hopes that I can learn from them how to be kind and gentle. Because I'm not, and I want to be. I have decided that I will try anything to be more loving and less bitter, even if it involves not trying so hard on lesser matters. (All other matters are lesser matters.) I must trust God's grace to cover me on the rest, because I can't be completely sinless. It's not in me. It's not in you, either. It's not in anyone on earth. People who think they can even approximate complete sinlessness are dangerously deluded. Face the truth about yourself, and you can cut others some slack.
For example, I have discovered that after two beers, I find it much easier to wish others well. Alcohol supposedly brings out one's true nature. Is there a capacity for compassion in me, buried deep under the scars of all the wrongs I've suffered? Even then, I don't love everyone. But I can love most people. And I never do more than three beers, because that's the point of diminishing returns for me. Once you're past legalism, and trust to grace, you can start to rationally calculate the tradeoffs. This isn't licentiousness; it's humility. Minimize sin, that grace may abound.
And what about dating? Purity is a wonderful ideal. Just remember that's it's only an ideal, or else you'll tie yourself in knots trying to achieve an unachievable perfection. Much has been said against the purity culture, and with good reason. It flat out doesn't work as advertised, and it makes people neurotic. You don't restrain sensual indulgence that way (Col 2:23.) Here's a better idea: just don't go out of your way to be impure (Rom 6.) Trust God's grace to cover the difference.
Addicted to cigarettes? Make a good faith effort to quit, or at least cut down. If you fail, don't beat yourself up over it. Results aren't your job; faith is your job. And if you feel you need to hide your failing or get defensive about it, then you are letting men judge you. Only God has authority to judge you, and you can't hide from Him, nor do you need to. He makes allowances for your weaknesses.
But wait a minute! Won't the world accuse us of hypocrisy if we don't live lives of exemplary righteousness? Yes, they will. But that's a foregone conclusion, because you can't live a life of perfect righteousness. It simply can't be done. No, you can't live a life of almost perfect righteousness either. You will sin, they will see it, and they will call you a hypocrite. Just accept it.
How then can we be a light to the world? Here's an idea: humility. Let your humility before God shine as a beacon to the world. No, not humility before men - let no man judge you. Humility before God. Model that. Oh, and gentleness. I find gentleness less difficult when I've accepted God's forgiveness for my own shortcomings. If no man can judge me, I need judge no man.
As you forgive others, so God will forgive you. This is the error of legalism: a focus on results poisoned by perfectionism and anaesthetized by a lack of self-awareness. In this world, results are the bottom line. They obviously matter, and we think we can measure them. But in God's eyes, from an eternal perspective, our helpless need for grace is the bottom line. The cleansing from sin guilt is God's job. Let Him deal with it, because only He is competent. All you have to do is cooperate.
I Corinthians 13:
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.
To which I would add: if you fall short in all those other things, but have charity, that's an improvement. This is what I'm trying for now. When I can love God and love my neighbor, then I will rest secure in my salvation. After that, I'll work on the other things. Not to be saved, but to show gratitude toward God, and to put love into practice.
But I must make a clean break with the houses of spiritual narcissism. They're a bad influence. I want to learn how to love and they can teach nothing about love. They lost their first love long ago, and they have no future. Given time, I can - and must - forgive them for how they misled me. But I can't save them. Therefore I shall save myself from that corrupt and wicked generation. Having done so, I may then become able to lead others to salvation.
I will make mistakes. They will be my mistakes, and I will learn from them. I will close the feedback loop, by cutting the blind guides out of that loop. I will never again look to any church organization to enlighten or encourage me, although I may attend church again after I have found sufficient enlightenment and encouragement elsewhere that my participation may accomplish something. I know what the Bible says about the Body of Christ, but that was the First Century. That church no longer exists. (I'll outline what's wrong with restorationism in some future article.)
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. - Phil 3:14
