Bible Study « WellSprings and WineSkins

Pseudo-Repentance: The Pandemic of Superficiality

L. Dwight Turner

Over the past few days the Spirit has graciously led me to see that it all begins with “repentance.” The theme starts early in scripture, is emphasized in Psalms and the Prophets, and the New Testament is loaded with that word – repentance.

John the Baptist screamed it and Jesus’ first mission words recorded included it: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven draws near. Can we deny in any way that repentance is the key to the door of the Christian way? I think not.

In its most simple yet accurate definition, repentance is saying yes to Christ. The official definition is something like “to turn, or change direction” and it specifically implies “a change of the mind.” These are basic truths no doubt, but what is it that motivates and causes this process to begin? One thing:

Saying yes to Christ and really meaning it.

When we truly repent, we involve ourselves in the process of “consecration.” We consecrate our minds, hearts, wills, and bodies to God. From what I can gather, true repentance, the kind of repentance that makes a difference in a persons life – the kind of repentance that results in conversion and leads to transformation – is an event that is initiated by God and completed by us. We come to understand what is being offered, what is required, and we either accept the proposal or we reject it.

Yet things are rarely that cut and dry. Like most things involving humans, we tend to cloud even the most crystal clear situations and complicate things needlessly.

As I look at my own history with the faith, coupled with what I see going on in the Body of Christ as a whole, and what I see is something that is a bit puzzling and even more disturbing. Based on my own behavior and that of many others, it would seem that either we never really understood what repentance was all about and made an ill-informed decision, or, worse still, maybe we never really repented.

I can only answer this issue where I am concerned. I think, after honestly looking at my own history with Christianity, that I never truly repented. I never really intended to make the “complete turn” that true repentance calls for. It is hard for me to acknowledge this, but the facts lay bare the reality and truth of what I am saying. My initial repentance was not much more than skin deep and it never, ever, reached the level of my deeper mind and certainly never penetrated my heart. The result was that after a few years of youthful exuberance and activity, things leveled off into a lukewarm routine of going through the motions.

By the grace of God I finally woke up to all of this, but I discovered that it was so easy to repeat the same mistake. When ever I needed to truly repent, I would often think that I had when in actuality, all I had accomplished was to push a particular issue to the back burner for a time, rather than really deal with it.

I think I am not alone in this tendency toward “pseudo-repentance.”

I have also come to believe that part of the problem in all of this is the fact that the church does a generally poor job of letting believers know what repentance is really all about. We become so concerned about getting people “saved” or getting them through the church doors and into a pew that we fail to let new believers in on a central fact of the faith. Although God’s grace is freely given, much is required if you are to become a true disciple.

New and/or prospective converts need to hear the fundamental truth that Christianity is not about getting you into heaven; its about getting heaven into you.

Peter Vardy wrote a great little book entitled, And if it’s True? I am not sure it is even in print anymore. I found my copy of it years ago at a used book store, yet I can safely say it was a book that literally stopped my in my tracks. Vardy speaks clearly about what one has to consider when it comes to taking on this thing called Christianity and coming under the mastership of this being called Jesus Christ. Getting right to the meat of the matter, Vardy says:

Christianity calls each of us to believe and trust in God, a belief and trust based on love. This is not simply a matter of intellectual assent….It is a matter of the truth of Christianity becoming ‘true for you’, as an individual. Only when Christianity becomes true for you so that you are willing to stake your whole life on it, does it really become true in your own case.

Belief that God exists does not come near to what Christianity is about. It is only when the factual truth of Christianity becomes ‘true for us’ so that it becomes the center of our lives around which our whole existence revolves that we, as individuals, can see what Christianity involves….it means each of us coming to understand what it is for Christianity to become ‘true for me’, what Christianity is going to involve when it is taken on board and lived. Once we see and understand this, we then each of us have to decide whether or not we wish to try to live it – but that is our free choice. Until we have understood what is involved, however, we cannot even make the decision.

Christianity requires passion and total commitment – a commitment to a lived love relationship with God. The relationship has practical consequences and these can, to an extent, be foreseen.

‘What does it mean to be a Christian?’ ….The important way of looking at this question, however, is to see it as asking each of us, ‘What does it mean for me to be a Christian?’ This is much, much more uncomfortable and challenging. There is no single right answer – each of us needs to think the answer through for ourselves.

If you find that your walk of faith has not been what you feel it should be, then I would suggest that you spend a bit of time really studying what Vardy has said in this short passage. You may even try to get your hands on a copy of the book as I am sure it can be found somewhere. But be prepared to take an honest, hard appraisal of your walk of faith and also be prepared to practice a bit of brutal honesty with yourself. It may not be the most pleasant exercise you have ever undertaken, but I can say with assurance, for many of you, it will be far from a waste of time.

In fact, it may be life changing in ways you would have never imagined.

Recognizing the Universal Christ

L. Dwight Turner

If we read scripture with both diligence and an open mind, we come to see that we humans were created with a purpose and a holy mission from the Father of Lights. We were to be his representatives here on this earth, to have dominion, and to be the spirit-beings through which God’s kingdom principles were translated from heaven to earth. Just because of the Fall and its effects, nothing has really changed. How can I say that? It is simple, actually.

I can safely say that our mandate has not changed because of the work accomplished by Christ, when according to his calling and his mission, he abandoned his Heavenly Home and took up residence here on this world. Through the successful work of Jesus Christ, God reclaimed all that was lost when humankind was exiled from the Garden and sent “East of Eden.” I have little doubt about the fact that we humans, with our finite understanding, have but a faint – a very faint – awareness of the mysteries involved in Christ’s mission to this world in general, and his work on the cross, his death, and subsequent resurrection and ascension. In the words of the Apostle, we see through a glass darkly. We do know and can take assurance of this cogent reality: What was once lost has now been reclaimed by God and part of that reclamation is the re-establishment of humankind’s dominion rights and authority.

Scripture also reveals to us another reality as a result of Christ’s successful mission to earth. Christ is now not limited by a physical human body, nor is he in any way limited by special dimensions as we understand them. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4: 10 that:

And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

We learn here that Christ exists above all things and within all things. His being is pure love and unbridled compassion and in some very real way in which none of us fully comprehend, his being is like a magnetic force, drawing all things toward himself. I am not saying here that everyone and all things will be saved, but what I am saying is all will be drawn to a point of awareness where they will have a clear choice whether or not to accept Christ’s offer. In essence, Christ is now cosmic and universal in scope and in that universal identity has established an ongoing presence and a continual victory.

This biblical teaching is one of the reason why I don’t respond in a negative fashion when any of my friends who are followers of New Age ideas claim “the universe did this” or “the universe presented me with that.” The biblical teaching is quite clear: Christ is the universe and his presence pervades all that exists.

Christ sacrificed much so that we might once again live in freedom and in intimate fellowship with God. Now Satan is forced to operate underground, or in more subtle ways. One of his strategies, as we have seen, is to convince us that rather than joint heirs with Christ and God’s children of the Light, we are nothing more than sinful worms, with no power or status under God. It is a lie from the pit of Hell.

Your choice, my choice – the choice before every believer is whether or not we will live according to Satan’s lie or Christ’s empowerment. As for me, I choose the latter. I will take possession of my status as God’s representative here on earth.

What say you?

Full Service Christianity: A Prophetic Call

Posted On August 19, 2009

Filed under Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Worldview, Change Your Life, Christian Kindness, Christian Living, Christian Mission and Calling, Church Renewal, Compassion, Discipleship, Emerging Christianity, Enthusiasm, Evangelism, Fruit of the Spirit, God's Kingdom, God's Story, Gospel, Grace, Holy Spirit, Identity In Christ, Incarnation, Jesus, Jesus' Teaching, Kingdom of God, Mission and Calling, Missions, Morality and Values, Obedience, Personal Renewal, Positive Faith, Positive Living, Prophecy, Purpose, Revival, Service, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation
Tags: Christian Living, Christianity, Discipleship, Incarnational Christianity, Kingdom of God, Mission, Service, Service to Others

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L. Dwight Turner

Imagine for a moment that you are one of Jesus’ twelve disciples and you, your band of rag tag friends, and the Master arrive at the Upper Room after a long, tedious, dusty day going about your business. You sit for a moment to catch your breath and unwind a few moments before you go wash up for the evening meal. You close your eyes for a few minutes, only to feel something or someone taking off your sandals. And to your utter disbelief, kneeling in front of you is the Master Jesus with a basin and a towel.

Never a supporter of lukewarm spirituality, Jesus taught his disciples a clear and concise example of the essence of spirituality: selfless service with a heart of humility. If only more of us, especially those who claim to be followers of Jesus, would take this lesson to heart, our world would have much less pain.

Incarnational Christianity is a faith with a heart of compassion and eyes of discernment, which are able to empathize with those in distress and see a vital need where others see nothing. It is an incarnational Christianity that Jesus described in the 25^th chapter of Matthew, in that moving section where he describes the judgment seat and the separation of the sheep and the goats. As followers of the Master, we should always keep these words inscribed on the tablets of our hearts:

Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me. (Matthew 25: 40)

I mention all of this because last night I saw an example of a Christian woman going about the business of being the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus. Her name is Margaret and she is now in her 80’s. Last night, one of the local news programs had a short feature on Margaret and the work she is doing. Unheralded and unknown, this octogenarian is an example of what incarnational faith is all about and is surely what the Apostle Paul called a “living epistle.”

Each Friday and Saturday Margaret does what quite a few folks in this part of the country do: she gets up at the crack of dawn and drives around the area visiting yard sales. Here in the South, yard sales, garage sales, and the like are very common and great bargains can be found, if you know where to look and how to negotiate. Margaret spends about four hours each Friday and Saturday shopping for the best bargains she can find.

The items Margaret buys, however, are not for her.

Instead, this spry lady in her 80’s shops for school supplies, backpacks, and clothing for underprivileged children in the local community. She has been doing this for over 40 years and says she has no intention of stopping. Her efforts are even more remarkable, considering the last two years have not been kind to Margaret. She has watched her husband and two children die slow, agonizing deaths from terminal illnesses.

Margaret’s efforts on behalf of the poor children in her community have gone largely unnoticed, except for the families that receive her help. According to her pastor, even most members of the congregation where she attends church are unaware of her activities.

Margaret is an example of what Christ was talking about when he gave that teaching about “doing it to the least of these.” This elderly lady is an inspiration and a blessing to those honored to know her and she is what incarnational Christianity is all about.

Incarnational Christianity is what James was talking about when he defined religion that was pure and undefiled. What did he say? Something about visiting widows and orphans, I think. Incarnational Christianity is what the prophet Isaiah, centuries before Jesus walked with us in the flesh, describes when he said:

Is this not the fast which I chose,

To loosen the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the bands of the yoke,

And let the oppressed go free

And break every yoke?

Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry,

And bring the homeless poor in the house;

When you see the naked, to cover him;

And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?

Then your light will break out like the dawn,

And your recovery will speedily spring forth;

And your righteousness will go before you;

The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

You will cry, and he will say, “Here I am.”

If you remove the yoke from your midst,

The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

And if you give yourself to the hungry,

And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,

Then your light will rise in the darkness

And your gloom will become like mid-day.

And the Lord will continually guide you,

And satisfy your desire in scorched places,

And give strength to your bones;

And you will be like a watered garden,

And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

And those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;

You will raise up the age-old foundations;

And you will be called the repairer of the breach,

The restorer of streets in which to dwell.

(Isa. 58: 6-12 NAS)

As I look around the globe these days, whether it be a few blocks from my home here in Tennessee or halfway around the world in China, where my wife is from, I see one glaring similarity. We need more people like Margaret – people with a heart of compassion and eyes of discernment. We need more people with a proactive commitment to live the teachings of Jesus, rather than pay lip service to the faith by warming a pew with their overly ample rear ends once a week. We need a genuine faith of service and compassion, a faith that is, in the final analysis, obedient to the call of Jesus. Our world and our churches can no longer afford a counterfeit Christianity that blows a lot of hot air about social, hot-button issues while two kids down the street go without breakfast and sleep with rats the size of Dachshunds. At the end of the day, my friends, we need a faith that is authentic. Larry Crabb, in his foreword to Siang-Yang Tan’s excellent book Full Service, makes the following cogent remarks about Christian servanthood:

True servanthood, the opposite of self-serve Christianity, grows out of a human spirit filled with God’s Spirit…..Self-serve Christianity, our pervasive perversion of the real thing, not only accommodates the flesh, it attempts to socialize it with external goodness and then pass it off as spiritual maturity. Beneath so much of what looks like good Christian living is the stubborn attitude that thinks God really exists to serve us. His pleasure isn’t the point. Ours is. And we think there’s a more direct and immediate way to secure our well-being than to live for his glory. Our felt desires now fill the spotlight. Our needs have assumed greater priority than his pleasure.

As I look around the world, including the church, and look into people’s hearts, including mine, I see no worse evil than self-obsession. It’s the root of every other expression of evil…And I see no greater battle in the regenerate human soul than the too often hidden conflict between self-obsession and God-obsession. It shows up in every relationship, every conversation, every sentence. And I believe that the only path to real victory in this fierce battle is to become true servants.

Crabb’s words are perhaps hard to take, but they are true and they are prophetic. And it is this very kind of prophetic voice we in the Body of Christ need now, more than ever. We need to be called back to the important business of the church. We need to be called back to Christian servanthood in the manner and model of the Savior himself. In essence, we need today’s prophetic voices to consistently call us back to our kingdom mission. And what is that mission? The answer is simple, really, and there is no need to complicate it with theological nitpicking or rhetorical cleverness. Why don’t we, following the example of the Master we profess to serve, state our mission just as he did?

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

Because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

And the opening of the prison to those who are bound.

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord,

And the day of vengeance of our God;

To comfort all who mourn,

To console those who mourn in Zion,

To give them beauty for ashes,

The oil of joy for mourning,

The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;

(Isa. 61: 1-3 NKJV)

One of the most encouraging signs of life in the church is the large number of younger Christians that are embracing a wider social agenda. Whereas issues like family values and pro-life issues remain highly important, these energetic believers have a less myopic view of our society and the long-standing problems that just won’t go away. What we are witnessing, and again it is very encouraging and vivifying for the Church as a whole, is nothing less that a rekindling of the social consciousness of a faith tradition that was born out of the compassion that God felt for his fallen and rebellious creation. I use the word “rekindling” because this tradition of selfless service is nothing new to Christianity. It is, as Michael Gerson said in an article in Newsweek way back in November, 2006:

A politically progressive evangelicalism is not an innovation, it is a revival; not a fresh track in the snow, but a rutted path of American history.

I pray daily for those front-line workers who are on the streets and in the fields, everywhere giving flesh to the compassionate grace that this faith calls them to. May they be blessed in every way as they, like their Master, carry forward the tradition of the towel and the basin.

Spiritual Disciplines: New Wineskins for Ancient Wellsprings

Posted On July 14, 2009

Filed under Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Worldview, Change Your Life, Christian Mission and Calling, Christian Mysticism, Christianity, Church, Church Renewal, Church and Culture, Compassion, Contemplation, Contemplative Spirituality, Cosmic Christ, Creation Centered Spirituality, Discipleship, Emerging Christianity, Global Church, God's Kingdom, Interspirituality, Issues in Transformation, Jesus, Jesus' Teaching, Kingdom of God, Meditation, Metaphysical Christianity, Mind of Christ, Paul's Teachings, Personal Discipline, Personal Growth, Personal Renewal, Positive Faith, Positive Living, Renewal of the Mind, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Practices
Tags: Bible, Christian Living, Christianity, Church Renewal, Discipleship, Faith, Jesus, Jesus' Teaching, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation

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L Dwight Turner

Solomon wisely tells us in the Book of Proverbs:

Keep watch over your heart, for therein lie the wellsprings of life

The question that often comes as one reflects on these words of wisdom is simply this: How am I to go about keeping watch over my heart?”

Throughout the history of the faith, one of the primary ways that sincere followers of the Master have gone about keeping watch over the heart, the deepest part of ourselves, is through the practice of spiritual disciplines. Meditation, prayer, sacred study, self-examination, confession, service, worship – all of this classical spiritual traditions have a role to play in helping us become more aware of ourselves and our behavior and, as a result, have withstood the test of time as quality ways in which we can deepen our walk of faith.

As Christians, scripture tells us that we are to increasingly grow into the character of Christ – in other words – become more Christ-like. Left to our own devices, this would be an impossible demand. Tainted by sin and mostly dominated by our lower nature, who among us could generate even a sliver of hope of emulating Jesus in thought, word, and deed?

Fortunately, scripture tells us that we have an omnipotent ally in this process of spiritual formation. The Holy Spirit walks along side of us, giving us strength to offset our weakness, wisdom to overcome our ignorance, and divine love to gradually eradicate our extreme self-centeredness. It is this promise of the Holy Spirit that gives us a reason to proceed down the road of spiritual formation and further, provides us with a legitimate assurance of success.

Still, we cannot fold our arms, lean back, and wait for the Holy Spirit to magically turn us into exact replicas of Christ. Over the centuries countless numbers of Christians have tried this approach with predictable results. Scripture is clear in stating that we have a part to play in the attainment of what we here at LifeBrook call “Sacred Character.” Sacred Character is based on the character and integrity exhibited by Christ during his mission here on earth. By studying the character of Christ, we can gain valuable insight into what it means to live our own lives from the sure foundation of Sacred Character.

As Jesus walked this earth, he revealed the character of God. “He who has seen me has seen the Father,” said Christ and in this statement he revealed a profound truth. Christ was so intimate with the Father that his character and his behavior were perfect reflections of his heavenly parent. Our goal, with the help of the Holy Spirit, is to live in the same intimacy with Christ as he lived with the Father. If you want to gain a deep and abiding perspective on this kind of intimate relationship, I suggest that you prayerfully read through the 17^th Chapter of the Gospel of John.

In order to grow into this type of intimacy with Christ and increasingly manifest Sacred Character in our daily lives, we must engage in certain activities that foster spiritual development in a positive and proven direction. These activities have a long and valuable history in the Christian tradition. Here I am speaking of the classic Christian spiritual disciplines.

In some quarters, sincere believers become edgy just at the mention of spiritual disciplines. Steeped in the theology of God’s unmerited and unlimited grace, these well-meaning Christians believe that pursuing the practice of the classical spiritual disciplines is somehow “salvation through works.” This kind of thinking is both incorrect and unfortunate. It is incorrect in the sense that the spiritual disciplines are not related to salvation or the final destination of one’s soul. Pursuing spiritual disciplines is more concerned with placing ourselves in a position of receptivity to the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is about allowing the Holy Spirit to form us into the image of Christ. Although this spiritual formation is ultimately a work of the Spirit, we are told to do all that we can to assist in the process. As the great Quaker writer Rufus Jones once said,

“The grace of God is like the wind blowing across the Sea of Galilee; if you want to get to the other side, you have to raise your sail.”

The notion that practicing the disciplines is “works” is also highly unfortunate in that this misguided belief has prevented countless Christians from availing themselves of the very thing they need in order to foster the deeper, more effective walk of faith. I am of the belief that the great “faith/works” controversy of the 16^th Century, although beneficial in many ways, gave birth to a trend in Protestant Christianity that resulted in pews filled with believers that were both powerless and confused. This tragic trend continues even today.

As the Body of Christ moves forward in this challenging age, establishing ministries focusing on vibrant, dynamic discipleship is of paramount importance. Unless the church develops consistent ways to grow its members deeper in the faith, it runs the danger of becoming, at best, irrelevant to the contemporary culture, or at worst, dead.

To begin, I think it is critical that we come to understand just what a disciple is. From all evidence, it would seem the church at large has lost touch with a crucial element of its mission – disciple-making. Just prior to his ascension, Christ did not tell his inner circle to “go and make converts.” No, he told them to go and make disciples. It is obvious that constructing a workable definition of a disciple is a high priority. Margaret Campbell gives us a great jump-start:

A disciple of Jesus is a person who has decided to live in attentiveness to Jesus. We live in attentiveness in order to become like Jesus on the inside and, thereby, able to do what Jesus would do on the outside. As maturing disciples we progressively learn to live in attentiveness, adoration, surrender, obedience, and thankfulness to God, and all of this, without ceasing. Through the hidden work of transformation, God writes his good way on our minds and hearts and this is very good. By his grace, our hearts are divinely changed. We are progressively conformed to be like Jesus in mind and will and soul and word and deed. What we say and what we do more consistently reflect the glory and goodness of God.

If that isn’t clear enough, let’s listen to George Barna:

True discipleship is about a lifestyle, not simply about stored up Bible knowledge. Often, churches assume that if people are reading the Bible and attending a small group, then real discipleship is happening. Unfortunately, we found that’s often not the case. Discipleship is about being and reproducing zealots for Christ. Discipleship, in other words, is about passionately pursuing the lifestyle and mission of Jesus Christ.

From these two definitions it should be clear that real discipleship, the kind of Jesus-following that makes a difference in a person’s life and the life of others, involves more than wearing a “What would Jesus Do?” bracelet.

It is apparent, however, that the church lost its focus on the practice of spiritual disciplines over the years. As mentioned in Part One, I think this is one of the unfortunate side effects of the historical “faith/works” controversy. The result has been a general sense of confusion on the part of the Christian community in terms of the spiritual technology available to those who desire a deeper walk of faith.

One of the primary reason today’s church is becoming less of a force in society and even in the lives of those professing to be Christian is the fact that for many years the Body of Christ as a whole had lost the real meaning of the word “disciple.” Dallas Willard speaks directly to this tragedy:

For at least several decades the churches of the Western world have not made discipleship a condition of being a Christian. One is not required to be, or to intend to be, a disciple in order to become a Christian, and one may remain a Christian without any signs of progress toward or in discipleship. Contemporary American churches in particular do not require following Christ in his example, spirit, and teachings as a condition of membership – either of entering into or continuing in fellowship of a denomination or local church. I would be glad to learn of any exception to this claim, but it would only serve to highlight its general validity and make the general rule more glaring. So far as the visible Christian institutions of our day are concerned, discipleship is clearly optional.

This lack of emphasis on discipleship in the contemporary church has led to many unfortunate circumstances, not the least of which is that so many Christians are walking around feeling as wounded, depressed, and hopeless as those outside the faith. That this is so, however, should not be surprising. Christ did not call us to a “country club” religion. In fact, he didn’t call us to religion at all. He called us to relationship and mission. To participate in this life-giving relationship and to fulfill our mission as Christ-followers, we must indeed become just that – Christ-followers. Tragically, few realize that this involves far more than belief in a few arcane doctrines, tossing off an occasional prayer, and being a tithing member of a local congregation. And perhaps nothing is more essential in this challenging age than having an army of true Christ-followers. Willard understands this necessity:

Nothing less than life in the steps of Christ is adequate to the human soul or the needs of our world. Any other offer fails to do justice to the drama of human redemption, deprives the hearer of life’s greatest opportunity, and abandons this present life to the evil powers of this age. The correct perspective is to see following Christ not only as the necessity it is, but as the fulfillment of the highest human possibilities and as life on the highest plane.

The notion that deep discipleship was optional was not a part of the early church. Willard continues:

…there is absolutely nothing in what Jesus himself or his early followers taught that suggest that you can decide just to enjoy forgiveness at Jesus’ expense and have nothing more to do with him.

In Paul’s remarkable prayer to the Ephesians (3:19) he petitions the Lord that “you may be filled with the fullness of God.” Have you ever really reflected on the magnitude of what the Apostle is saying in these few words? Basically, what Paul is asking God is that the believers in Ephesus become like Jesus. Any close examination of scripture reveals that the goal of our development as disciples of Christ is to become Christ-like; in essence, we are to cultivate Sacred Character.

Later on in Ephesians (4:15) Paul goes on to say, “Speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” This statement by Paul should not surprise us. Two verses earlier he flatly that in achieving maturity, we are to attain “the measure of the full stature of Christ.” I don’t know about you, but when I read this statement two things immediately occur within me. First, I am strongly convicted about how far I am from manifesting this kind of maturity in my daily life but, secondly, I am filled with hope that it is at least remotely possible. Paul would have never put it this way, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, unless it was indeed true.

In addition to the church’s general lack of focus on the spiritual disciplines and their strategic necessity in the life of the believer, two other problems seem to complicate the issue and result in either lackluster commitment to practicing the disciplines or, even worse, a general paralysis on the part of Christians when they attempt to make the disciplines a vital part of their walk of faith.

First, even though many churches are now speaking directly to the importance of the spiritual disciplines, it seems that this renewed focus spawns a loud and most often irrational outcry from fundamentalist believers who feel practicing the classical spiritual disciplines is somehow either a “New Age infiltration of the church,” or worse still, “the work of Satan.” This resistance is usually based on the general lack of understanding of what advocates of the spiritual disciplines are trying to accomplish. Writers such as Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Brian McLaren, and countless others are branded “arch-heretics,” “apostates,” and even “dupes of the enemy.” This is highly unfortunate because nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of leading people away from the truth of the gospel, these authors are, instead, making a compassionate attempt to direct people toward experiencing the very heart of the gospel.

The blather and fear-based banter of these self-appointed doctrinal “watchmen” only serves to confuse sincere Christians even more and many times prevents them from finding the true heart of the gospel message. Even worse, keeps them bound in the chains of a narrow, rigid world view which is devoid of spirituality and arid when it comes to Christian love.

A second problem stems from the fact that the classic spiritual traditions were formulated centuries ago and are often wrapped in language and tone that is quite alien from our 21^st Century world. I know from personal experience that studying the Christian mystics of the Middle Ages is a very fruitful endeavor, but can be quite a challenge due to the archaic language used in the texts. What is needed is a reformulation of the disciplines that is both understandable and engaging to the modern reader.

With this thought in mind, here at LifeBrook we have developed a method of exploring the principles that are contained in the classical spiritual traditions that is hopefully more pertinent and practical when it comes to life in the 21^st Century. In brief, we teach workshops, seminars, training programs, and e-courses based on the following breakout of the disciplines:

Discipline of Consecration

Discipline of Connection

Discipline of Cognition

Discipline of Contribution

Discipline of Community

Discipline of Comprehension

Discipline of Calling

Discipline of Cultural Engagement

Discipline of Cultivation

Consecration includes: decision, determination, diligence, commitment, perseverance, patience, etc.

Connection includes: prayer, meditation, contemplation, solitude, nature

Cognition includes: taking thoughts captive; tearing down strongholds; mindfulness; positive thinking; sacred imagination.

Contribution includes: sacred service; spiritual gifts; mission; sacrifice, and most importantly, continuing incarnation.

Community includes: our family and friends; our church; our community; our nature; our world.

Comprehension includes: sacred study of Scripture and other inspirational writings; understanding of God’s Great Story; realization of where we fit into the “Big Picture,” including the role of the church in the coming years.

Calling includes: discovery of where we, as individuals, fit into God’s unfolding story in terms of our calling, our mission, and our vision of how to live out our God-ordained destiny.

Cultural Engagement includes: making ourselves ready to incarnate God’s plan within the context of post-modern, post-Christian culture in general and our own unique cultural setting in particular.

Cultivation includes: ongoing growth in Christ-character by internalizing a Christian value system and acting in accordance with it; and the development of a Christian worldview, along with the capacity to have our actions consistently flow from said worldview.

We fully recognize that this methodology does not represent the final word as far as contemporary expression of the spiritual disciplines is concerned. We have found, however, that looking at the spiritual technology of the Christian tradition in this way helps students and seekers understand the disciplines more clearly.

It is my profound hope that an increasing number of churches will come to understand the importance of equipping congregants with practical, time-tested methods for deepening the Christian walk of faith. In addition, we here at LifeBrook have helped establish non-denominational, faith-based small groups in several states that are studying and applying the spiritual disciplines as outlined above. These groups, called LifeBrook Fellowships, are providing an ongoing venue in which interested persons may come together and share the Christian journey in a positive, well-organized, and fruitful way.

If you would like information on how to start a LifeBrook Fellowship in your area, please feel free to contact me at:

lifebrook@gmail.com

Have You Never Heard?

Posted On May 27, 2009

Filed under Bible Study
Tags: Inspiration, Isaiah, Positive Living, Scripture

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Have You Never Heard?

Have you never heard?

Have you never understood?

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.

He never grows weak or weary.

No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

Even youths will become weak and tired,

And young men will fall in exhaustion.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not faint.

I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying,

“You are my servant. I have chosen you and will not throw you away.

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.

Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you.

I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

( Isaiah 40:28-31; 41:9-10 [NLT]

A Biblical Worldview: Don’t Leave Home Without It (Part Two)

Posted On April 22, 2009

Filed under Apostle Paul, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Worldview, Change Your Life, Christian Living, Christian Mission and Calling, Christianity, Church, Church and Culture, Culture, Discipleship, Emerging Christianity, Evangelism, Fruit of the Spirit, God's Kingdom, God's Story, Gospel, Grace, Holy Spirit, Issues in Transformation, Jesus, Jesus' Teaching, Kingdom of God, Mind of Christ, Mission and Calling, Morality and Values, Paul's Teachings, Personal Discipline, Personal Renewal, Personal Vision, Positive Living, Promises of God, Purpose, Renewal of the Mind, Repentance, Service, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Practices, Vision, Worldview
Tags: Biblical Worldview, Christian Living, Christianity, Discipleship, Moral Integrity, Personal Morality

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L. Dwight Turner

…continued from Part One

I am, as I said, a bit of a maverick (If McCain and Palin can use that term, so can I). I read widely and study many different schools of thought when it comes to the faith. That’s why you might see me refer to many odd bedfellows in my writings. I have learned a great deal from, say, a raging liberal like Marcus Borg and I have equally benefited from the writings of Chuck Colson. Politically and theologically, I am about as close to Colson as Tacoma is to Tierra del Fuego. Still, I find few writers who engage me as much as he does. Colson makes me think, just as Borg makes me think. So you see, if you are trying to find out a theological box to put me in, better get a shoe horn.

I’m a mutt!

With that said, let me share a bit about my views on several issues often discussed in Christian circles. I think you will see why I call myself a mongrel yet, hopefully, you will see that these positions are well thought out. None of my beliefs are of the knee-jerk variety and I am quite comfortable with what I believe. I see no reason to make any attempt to get others to view these things from my perspective. I say this not only because I believe each Christian has a fundamental right to establish and maintain a personal relationship with the Lord and his or her belief system is a big part of that relationship.

A second reason I do not seek to convert others to my way of thinking is the salient and inescapable fact that I could be wrong!

Just because I believe something to be true, doesn’t necessarily make it so. Our world in general, and the Christian faith in particular, are both far too complex for me to assume I have a complete understanding of anything. Second, even if you do disagree on certain point, I hope you will not cast me into the mold of an unrepentant apostate and put this blog on your Black List. I do believe, in the final analysis, we may all be surprised about a few of our cherished opinions when we get to heaven.

As to God, I have a firm belief in God as a creator and sustainer of the universe. I am not nearly knowledgeable enough to debate Creationism versus Evolution. It would not surprise me in the least if God used certain evolutionary principles in moving the universe forward. The closest thing I have discovered in terms of my beliefs in this area is Intelligent Design, but, as I said, I am not an expert here.

As for Jesus, I part company with the liberal theologians who deny his divinity. I believe in Christ as the Second Person of the Trinity; that he was a pre-existent being who came down into this world for a reason; and that the miracles really did happen. Further, I believe firmly in the Resurrection and that Christ indeed is still alive. In my view, the central theme of Christ’s mission was to announce and inaugurate the coming of God’s kingdom on earth.

In addition, Christ accomplished the reconciliation of God and humanity. How he did this is a mystery to me, but I don’t believe it had much to do with appeasing the wrath of a despotic God who demanded justice. As I will explain later, I am not a strong advocate of the notion of the substitutionary atonement. I think this doctrine was ill conceived and belittles God. Perhaps Christ, through his death, resurrection, and ascension, introduced a new, sacred presence or energy into creation which allows each of us to once again walk in unity with God, his plan, and his purpose. To me, this makes more sense than the substitution explanation. If this part of my world view makes me a heretic, then so be it.

Along these lines, I think that the implications inherent in the wonderful prayer of Jesus recorded in the 17^th Chapter of John’s Gospel offer a far more cogent explanation of the results of Christ’s mission here on earth. Christ’s description of his unity with the Father and our unity with Him, is more understandable than any vicarious atonement explanation. Granted, the whole issue of dying on the cross as the perfect sacrifice would have made sense to a First Century Jew, steeped in Hebrew tradition. It is the same with the book of Hebrews in the New Testament. I am sure a Jew living in Palestine could easily make sense of what was being said in those pages. For the Gentiles of the day as well as the 21^st Century non-Christian, these ideas are as alien as visitor from Neptune.

I also believe in the power and person of the Holy Spirit. I have never had the experience of speaking in tongues, but I do not question its validity. I am far from the view that the mighty gifts of the Spirit ceased with the Apostles. I think to hold the view that the gifts ceased with the advent of Scripture is a bit of a reach. I cannot fathom any reason God would choose to communicate his absolute truth through a book, or collection of books, when the vast majority of the world’s population was illiterate and further, there existed no means of mass producing the book. It just defies rational thought completely.

I know that God’s ways are higher than my ways, but that doesn’t mean God would do something that by any measure was just plain ignorant.

If I stopped right here, it would be reasonable to assume that I am a conservative or fundamentalist, but that would be a big mistake. Where I part company with my fundamentalist brothers and sisters probably start with the Bible. I do not see the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. I do not hold to a literal interpretation of Scripture, but instead tend to view it mostly as history and metaphor, revealing the grand story of God and the world.

The Bible is more about God than man and reveals his drama of creation, redemption, and restoration. I think the unique aspect of the Christian faith lies in the fact that it is the only religion where God chases humanity rather than humanity trying to work their way to God. As far as the “Jesus is the only way,” debate, I have my doubts. To believe this just on the basis of scripture alone (and only a few references at that) is an affront to both reason and common sense. Just because the Bible said something is so, don’t make it so. Scripture is of human origin, not divine, and subject to human fallibility.

For me, God is a being of grace and divine love who seeks our best. As far as original sin and the notion of atonement for sin, I find this to be a bit of a mystery. As mentioned earlier, I cannot fathom why God would require such an act. My reaction to Mel Gibson’s film “The Passion” was not like most. I walked out of the theater wondering, “What kind of God would require such a hideous thing?” My conclusion was: God wouldn’t.

So, as you can see, I don’t fit squarely in either camp.

Please keep in mind that I didn’t post this to initiate argument or debate. No, my only purpose is doing so is to stress the importance of clarifying our worldviews and share a bit about my experience in doing so. Also, I ask that readers understand that what I have stated here is just my personal belief system as it stands today. With this in mind, I offer two caveats, which I think a very important to this discussion. First, just because this is how I see things doesn’t make what I have said true. I could be wrong on some of these things. Further, I have no intention of trying to persuade you to see things the same way I do. I only posted this because several readers asked that I do so.

The second caveat is this: These are my views today. I have discovered that my views tend to evolve over time. That doesn’t mean that, like political candidates, I am often flip-flopping on the issues. Instead, it means that I do have an open mind and I am committed to growth and the discovery of truth. This necessarily means that God can, and often does, open my eyes to new realities that I failed to see before. Emerson once said that “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” By this he meant that often times people do not change their minds on issues, even when evidence clearly indicates that they should, because they believe to do so would be inconsistent.

This post, taken together with Part One, hopefully communicates the importance of clarifying one’s worldview, especially in the culture we find ourselves living in. These days, with the shifting sands of post-modern culture and the general acceptance of moral relativity, deciding what one firmly holds to be true is more essential than ever before. For these reason, I encourage anyone reading this to set aside some time for prayer and reflection on this issue.

It will be time well spent.

A Biblical Worldview: Don’t Leave Home Without It (Part One)

Posted On April 17, 2009

Filed under Apostle Paul, Bible, Bible Study, Biblical Worldview, Christian Living, Christian Mission and Calling, Christianity, Church and Culture, Culture, Discipleship, God's Kingdom, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Inner Light, Issues in Transformation, Jesus, Jesus' Teaching, Kingdom of God, Mind of Christ, Mission and Calling, Morality and Values, Obedience, Optimism, Paul's Teachings, Personal Discipline, Personal Renewal, Renewal of the Mind, Sacred Center, Sacred Mind, Sacred Study, Scripture, Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Practices, World View, Worldview
Tags: Bible, Biblical Worldview, Christianity, Christianity and Culture, Discipleship, Jesus' Teaching, Paul's Teachings

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L. Dwight Turner

* This article is an expanded and update version of a similar post I put up on the LifeBrook site last year.

I have come to the conclusion that few endeavors in the life of a Christian are as important as the process of “worldview development.” The fact is, many Christians have never given thought to the significance of one’s worldview and, of the few that have taken up the subject, most quickly put it aside in favor of more tangible and practical pursuits.

The reality is, however, there a few items in the life of a Christian that are more tangible and practical than the development and implementation of a biblical worldview. Granted, putting together a workable worldview involves dealing with intellectual abstractions, but even these cognitive pursuits have their base in every day living. For it is our worldview that gives our lives meaning, purpose, and direction. Further, it is our worldview that forms the basis for our decision making process. Few things are more “down to earth” than these issues.

The fact is, we all have a worldview whether we realize it or not. And it is therein the problem arises. Chances are, if we are unaware of the dominant worldview we operate from, then it is a good bet that we are also unaware of how our worldview was formed. Once you realize how vitally important a worldview is, hopefully you will come to see that you can no longer leave this process to chance or random development.

Christian researcher George Barna makes the following observations regarding worldviews:

*Everyone has a worldview. Relatively few have a coherent worldview or are able to articulate it clearly.

*Most people don’t consider their worldview to be a central, defining element of their life, although it is.

*People spend surprisingly little time intentionally considering and developing their worldview. More often than not, their worldview development process is one of unconscious evolution and acceptance. They allow it to evolve and sum it up this way: “Whatever.”

The fact that Christians often give such little time and effort to developing, clarifying, and internalizing a biblical worldview is a serious shortcoming. This is especially true in America at the present time, considering the cultural context in which we live. Our nation is for all practical purposes post-modern and, despite claiming the opposite, also post-Christian. Let’s face facts – the church no longer holds the central, morally-defining position that it once held in American society. Increasingly, our culture views Christianity in general and Christians in particular in a less than favorable way.

I firmly believe that having a clear, concise, and internalized biblical worldview is essential to experiencing an effective walk of faith in this day and time. Further, having such a scriptural perspective on life is an essential part of our calling as disciples of Christ. Although scripture does not directly tell us to possess such a perspective on life, the fact that we need this vital type of worldview is implied throughout both the Old and New Testaments. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,” says the Psalmist and Paul tells us that we possess the “mind of Christ.” Having a biblical worldview provides us with a baseline that we can reference our behavior against. A biblical worldview acts as a moral compass which can, if we allow it, guide our actions in all of life’s varied arenas. Using the metaphor of gravity, Elisabeth Elliot speaks to the importance of our calling to discipleship:

In space, astronauts experience the misery of having no reference point, no force that draws them to the center. The effort of performing ordinary activities without the help of that pull is often vastly greater than it would be under normal conditions (try pouring a glass of water, eating a sunny-side-up egg, or turning a screwdriver – water will not fall, the egg will not stay on your fork, the screwdriver will not revolve; you will). Where there is no “moral gravity” – that is, no force that draws us to the center – there is spiritual weightlessness. We float on feelings that will carry us where we never meant to go; we bubble with emotional experiences that we often take for spiritual ones; and we are puffed up with pride. Instead of seriousness, there is foolishness. Instead of gravity, flippancy. Sentimentality takes the place of theology. Our reference point will never serve to keep our feet on solid rock, for our reference point, until we answer God’s call, is merely ourselves. We cannot possibly tell which end is up. Paul calls them fools who “…measure themselves by themselves, to find in themselves their own standard of comparison.”

On several occasions I have received either comments or emails from readers of this site, stating in one way or another that they cannot “figure me out.” Most of these readers are cordial and genuine in writing to me, but for some reason or another, I don’t seem to fit well into whatever box they might be trying to squeeze my thought into. My advice to these friends is this: “Better get a shoe horn.”

The fact is, I guess, I am just a bit of a theological maverick. I have found over the years that labels are, at least for the most part, meaningless. Some folks consider themselves to be conservative believers, while others take pride in being called liberal. Others are fundamentalists and yet others are emergent. I suspect that some of my readers’ confusion stems from the fact that I have beliefs that bridge these many Christian camps and, as I said, I can’t be pigeon holed. And guess what? I think that’s a positive thing.

Let me explain.

Emerson once said that “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” One of the things I think he meant by this statement was that, if you allow an external source to define your beliefs, you are often forced compromise the integrity of your mind in order to remain consistent with whatever the school of thought you might be identified with. For example, if you consider yourself to be a fundamentalist you readily understand that fundamentalists believe in the Virgin Birth. As a self-identified fundamentalist, you realize that you, too, should believe in the Virgin Birth. This state of affairs is no real problem unless you find that you don’t really believe in the Virgin Birth. Now you have a dilemma on you hands. The way many folks solve this conundrum is to either say that they do, in fact, believe in the Virgin Birth when they really don’t or they convince themselves they believe in it, even if they don’t. The result is the person in question has compromised the integrity of his or her mind. In order to be consistent with a pre-defined worldview, the person claims to or pretends to believe in something he or she does not believe in.

The other end of the theological perspective has equal problems. Let’s say you are a very liberal Christian. You have read Spong, Borg, Crossan, Tillich, and all the right authors. Of course, liberals don’t believe in the deity of Jesus, at least most of them don’t. But what happens if you discover that you do believe in the deity of Jesus. Well, now you have the same problem as the fundamentalist discussed in the previous paragraph. In order to be consistent with what a liberal is supposed to believe, you compromise and even convince yourself that Jesus was just another “great moral teacher” and your problem is solved. Unfortunately, now you have a bigger problem. Your integrity is gone.

I can speak of these issues with a certain amount of certainty and at least a modicum of clarity because I have, as they say, been there – done that. By the grace of God, there came a time when I got fed up with having others determine the content of my worldview and went on a quest to figure out just what it was that I really did believe. I won’t bore you with the details of my search except to say that as things progressed, I felt more at ease because I understood what I actually thought was true, rather than trying to force myself into a pair of theological shoes that were designed for someone else.

Before traveling any farther down this road, let me say a few words on why I believe the development of a biblical worldview is essential. Further, once we have formulated such a worldview, it is even more effective to apply it to our daily living. A biblical worldview is vital for the effective Christian life. As believers, our worldview is to serve the foundational purpose of providing a matrix through which we can filter our life experiences and, perhaps even more important, provide a framework for our decision making. Just from these few facts it is obvious that a biblical worldview is to be much more than a pile of theological clutter that we stuff into the corner of the mind and forget about. On the contrary, a biblical worldview gives meaning and purpose to the events of our lives.

I have come to look at the simplest yet most complete definition of a worldview as follows: A biblical worldview is one in which we think like Jesus. Having a biblical worldview, in a sense, makes life easier and harder at the same time. Easier because we have sound scriptural guidelines that help us make everyday decisions; harder in that we often resist putting what we know to be correct into action. Further, I firmly believe that in order to implement a biblical worldview we have to not only think like Jesus, but act like Jesus as well. In order to do this, we have to engage in the types of practices that he engaged in. Namely, we have to make a consecrated effort to practice spiritual disciplines, especially prayer, on a regular basis. If Jesus needed to do this, we certainly do. George Barna describes his decision to discern and formulate his worldview:

For years I was scared off by the term “biblical worldview.” It had connotations of breadth and depth that were overwhelming. But the more I realized that my own Christian life was a haphazard series of disjointed choices only marginally and inconsistently influenced by my faith, the more determined I became to get serious about worldview development.

I concur with what Barna is saying here. In my own case, I came to realize that my daily thoughts, actions, and decisions were only marginally influenced by my faith. I also sensed that this is true for the vast majority of professing Christians and this may be one of the main reasons the modern church is so weak in the demonstration of its faith. Ultimately, this lack of worldview development and a concurrent walk of faith that is consistent with that worldview take us into the realm of personal integrity and evangelism. If we do not walk in a manner consistent with our faith, then we are not being true to who we really are. We lack personal integrity. Second, when others see us walking in ways contrary to what we profess to believe, it gives Christianity a bad name. It is even easier for non-Christians to use the time worn excuse of “not wanting to associate with hypocrites.”

Most non-Christian expect a lot more from us than God does. It is quite easy for those outside the faith to point to our failures, our scandals, and our myriad shortcomings. What many of these folks fail to understand is that Christians are still all too human.

As stated at the beginning of this essay, many readers find themselves asking, “Where is this guy coming from?” “Is he a liberal or is he a conservative?” The fact is, I am neither and both. I am just who I am and, like Popeye, that’s who I am.

I would also say that it is important to know that I full well understand that I am really quite limited in the scope of my knowledge. William Barclay, the great biblical scholar, once said he had, at best, a “second-rate mind.” I have read extensively in Barclay’s works and can say without reservation that if his mind is second-rate, then mine is surely way on down the scale in double-digits. I have come to understand that I can, in fact, be wrong. That is one reason why I don’t involve myself in theological arguments or nitpick over the finer points of doctrine. What do I know? Further, for me to strongly insist that someone else has a view that is erroneous smells of arrogance when you get right down to it.

Some Christians feel they have been called to be “Watchmen on the Walls,” beating the bushes in search of heretics and other misfits and nomads within the Body of Christ. Perhaps this is, indeed, a genuine calling and, if it is, I pray they live according to that lofty purpose. I am not one of them, however. I don’t think I have ever labeled anyone a heretic and doubt that I ever will. Why not, you ask? The fact is, when you get down to the honest truth of the matter, I don’t have enough knowledge to make that judgment. I am not giving you a false humility here. I am speaking from my heart. I, like many others, see through a glass darkly and have far too many doctrinal logs in my eye to start picking at the theological specks in someone else’s.

One other thing needs to be mentioned as well. Doctrinal and religious debates, as I mentioned in another article posted a few months back, tend to get a bit testy. Rarely have I seen one of these discussions go on for long before folks start launching verbal grenades that have little to do with the point they were originally trying to make.

I avoid these discussions and debates like poison ivy for the following reasons. First, as already mentioned, my knowledge is too small for me to be the final arbiter of any doctrinal dispute. Secondly, these kinds of conflicts promote discord rather than unity, and it is unity we are called to, not discord. Finally, I stay away from doctrinal fights because these sorts of disputes often put people in the position of having a choice to be “right” or to be “kind.” I’ll opt for kindness every time.

End of Part One – to be continued.

Not I, But Christ (Part Two)

Mick Turner

Walking in Our True Identity: Issues and Obstacles

Sometimes, when I sit down and reflect on the many gifts we, as Christians, have been given by the Creator I am literally overwhelmed. As the Old Testament scripture tells us, we can expect “showers of blessing.” When I really think about it, few of these magnificent outflows of God’s grace are as precious as our new identity “in Christ.”

Paul tells us clearly that the new has come and that the old has been swept away. The slate has been wiped clean, the old person was crucified with Christ right there on the cross and in a very real sense, sins’ power over us is gone. I think few of us believers fully comprehend the power of Paul’s teaching here.

The problem is so few of us, especially this Christ-follower, seem to walk in our new identity as if sins’ domination over us has been defeated. I often wonder why this is. Why do so few of us reach out with open hands to accept this undeserved gift from heaven? I think the answer(s) to this problem is complex. In the paragraphs below, I want to discuss just a few possibilities and, in subsequent posts, perhaps a few more.

In its most fundamental sense, the process of fully appropriating your new identity in Christ is the greatest gift you can give to the world. Operating under you old identity, you were spiritually dead, cut off from the source of your true life. You were under the control of your lower nature, what Paul referred to as “the flesh.” Furthermore, you were held under the sway of both the world and the enemy. Living under the burdensome limitations of your old self, there was no way you could possibly approach the dynamic creativity and productivity of your God-given potential.

Now, however, by taking possession of who and what you are “in Christ,” you can discover your divine potential, find your spiritual calling, develop you personal vision, and grow into the best version of yourself. In Christ, you are reborn – you are spiritually alive and capable of making your own unique contribution to the world. When you become the best version of yourself, when you walk in your glory, you are in reality a gift of God to a hurting world.

It kind of takes your breath away, doesn’t it?

As Christians, we cannot underestimate the value of what God has done for us in this regard. Also, we cannot underestimate the value to God’s kingdom of having a cadre of committed believers that full well understand and accept exactly who and what they now are. We must realize, however, that there will be obstacles thrown in the path of our full appropriation of this new God-given and God-honoring identity.

In terms of the enemy and the world, these two forces often act in concert to minimize our awareness of what we have been granted in Christ. After all, the popular views of our culture are often in opposition to what God would have us do, whether it is in terms of our actual behavior or, at an even more subtle level, how we think and how we view the world. Let’s take a brief look at how these two forces, Satan and the world, might be a formidable obstacle when it comes to understanding our true blessings “in Christ.”

In today’s spiritual marketplace, the church is often assailed by the enemy in ways both manifest and subtle. One of Satan’s main strategies is to put forth teachings that contain a grain of scriptural truth and, at least on the surface, sound good, especially from a worldly perspective. For example, many contemporary Bible teachers focus on material wealth and prosperity. Don’t get me wrong – there is nothing wrong with wealth and having possessions, so long as we are not controlled by them. However, these teachers often go to scripture to support their contentions and, in so doing, often miss the point of the particular verse or portion of scripture they cite. Most of the current prosperity gospel advocates justify their teaching by quoting Jesus in John 10:10:

I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

According to the prosperity teachers, Jesus was speaking of material abundance when he uttered these words. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Given the situation they were in, I doubt the early Christians were overly concerned with gaining material wealth. In the early days of the church, the prime focus was on solidifying the local church, spreading the gospel, and staying alive.

When Christ spoke of abundance in John 10:10, he was speaking of the fullness of life. Here Jesus is talking about the fact that through his mission, believers will now have the capacity to have the fullness of life that was lost due to the fall. In essence, He was referring to a restored humanity, now in proper relationship with God and ready to bear fruit.

The theological minutia surrounding the discussions of justification and sanctification can be both confusing and distracting. Although gaining an understanding of these concepts is important, for our present conversation going into depth about such matters would be an unnecessary distraction. For now, let’s just suffice to say that understanding and accepting who we are in Christ is central to the process of spiritual formation. Further, it is important that we see that our adoption into God’s family is an act of grace. Neil Anderson tells us:

Only as we see ourselves as sons and daughters of God can we really grow in holiness (see Romans 8:15). Only as we are free from the task of trying to gain a relationship with God by our own righteousness or cleanness will we be free to appropriate His righteousness and holiness for our growth.

Without Christ, his work on the cross and in rising from the tomb, we could not even begin to progress in terms of spiritual formation. In order to grow in spirit, we have to be connected to God. Just as a fish cannot thrive unless it is in water, we cannot thrive outside of our natural environment, which is proper connection with God. Christ’s mission accomplished this reconnection with our Maker and made all spiritual formation possible. Without the regeneration provided by the mission of Christ, we would remain in a state of separation from God. Listen to Neil Anderson as he so accurately elaborates this theme:

Spiritual growth in the Christian life requires a relationship with God, who is the fountain of spiritual life. Only through this relationship can we bear new seed or tap into the root of life. As in nature, unless there is some seed or root of life within an organism, no growth can take place. So unless there is a root of life within the believer – that is, some core of spiritual life – growth is impossible. There is nothing to grow.

The thrust of what is being said in this article is centered on the fact that we need to seize our proper identity in Christ, but in doing so, we must also understand the work of Christ on the cross and through his resurrection and ascension. Underlying this vital comprehension is that fact that we cannot be who and what we were intended to be without being in proper, intimate relationship with God. In order for that to be possible, our relationship must be restored. That’s where the Blood of Christ comes into play. Through his death, in some mysterious way Christ paid the debt for our sin and made reunion with the Father possible.

Beyond that, through his dying to self and rising in new life, we, too, may also die to our old way of being and rise in newness of life. But the story doesn’t end there. Christ, through his ascension into heaven, made possible the coming of the Holy Spirit. As Christ himself said, “Unless I leave, the Spirit won’t come.” As stated, Christ’s departure and his seat at the right hand of the Father make possible the Spirit’s presence in our lives. Now, just as the Father walked in the garden with the first couple, the Spirit walks along side of us. Even more important, he has also taken up residence within us.

It is not enough to die and rise again. We must also live in a new manner and it is the Spirit that makes this new way of thinking, feeling, behaving and relating possible. Grasp that, and you are well on your way of appropriating your new identity in Christ.

If we desire to keep the process of spiritual renewal moving forward – if we want to continue the process of replacing the old with the new – if we desire to get to the goal Paul described so well as living not as I but as Christ, then we have to engage the dynamic process of renewing our minds.

The Renewal of the Mind

Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 that the key to personal and spiritual transformation is to renew the mind. The Apostle we must remember was a very learned man who studied with some of the greatest Rabbis of his era. It is therefore not surprising that Paul had deep insight into what made the human being tick, especially on a mental level.

Where we run into difficulty these days is with the psycho-spiritual technology necessary to follow Paul’s sage advice and effect a renewing of the mind. The most frequently heard strategy mentioned both in pulpit and pop Christian psychology is to immerse yourself in scripture. Certainly, this is a sound strategy and it can do no harm. Any time we spend in intimate relationship with scripture is time well spent. However, I have found that in order to fully appropriate the tools God has so graciously given us for transforming our minds, we need to develop at least a rudimentary understanding of the terrain of our minds and, armed with that knowledge, use scripture to its full advantage in the process of cognitive transformation.

(to be continued….)

The Substitutionary Atonement: Is It An Insult To God?

Posted On February 5, 2009

Filed under Apologetics, Apostle Paul, Bible Study, Christianity, Conversion, Discipleship, God's Love, God's Story, Gospel, Grace, Holy Spirit, Issues in Transformation, Jesus, Jesus' Teaching, Metaphysical Christianity, Promises of God, Prophecy, Repentance, Sin, Spirituality, Trusting God, Worldview
Tags: Apologetics, Atonement, Christ's Death, Christianity, Doctrine, Forgiveness, God, Jesus' Teachings, Sin, The Cross, Theology

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Mick Turner

What I am about to say may alarm some people, disgust others, and even enrage a few. In spite of these potential negative consequences, I feel I must at least mention an issue that rarely is discussed in civilized company. Getting right to the point, I am not talking about drugs, sex, or rock and roll.

Instead, I want to talk about a doctrine that has been a part of the church for many centuries and is rarely called into question by those who ardently state that they are “true believers.” I want to talk a bit about one of the church’s most sacred cows: the doctrine of the “Substitutionary Atonement.”

The reason I have decided to go ahead and post this article relates to something I felt compelled to do this afternoon. I left a comment on another blog, where an article was posted talking about the centrality of the Cross and the atonement for sins in the Christian gospel. Lest one think I was disrespectful, I will include my comment immediately below. Chances are if the comment makes you apoplectic and causes frothy spittle to start gathering at the corner of your mouth, you might not want to read any farther. My comment was:

I have always had a major issue with the substitutionary atonement because I think it paints a picture of God that is highly inconsistent with the teachings of Jesus. Unlike many, when I saw Mel Gibson’s “The Passion,” I didn’t respond with a deeper sense of what Jesus had done, but instead, found myself wondering, “What kind of God would require such a thing? Surely not one I would wish to follow.”

It seems to me that when you really look at it, God is asking us to do something that He could not do. Jesus taught us to love with a selfless “agape” love, that requires no selfish return for ourselves. Further, he taught us to forgive without price, which is the essence of grace….to do this even 70 x 7 if necessary. I think this is part of the heart of Jesus’ teaching and I feel it is also at the heart of Christianity.

Yet if you look at the big picture, if you believe Jesus was God, and I do, it would seem that God the Father is not capable of doing what God the Son says we should do. We are to forgive and love without requiring anything from the object of our love and forgiveness. We are commanded to love our enemies, turn the other cheek, etc. These are wonderful, though difficult, teachings.

Yet God either would not or could not do this. In order for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be acceptable in his sight, something had to die. Blood had to be shed. And in this case, his own Son had to die. Now this is not the love nor the forgiveness that Jesus said is required of us. Instead, it is love and forgiveness that is dependent upon two things ….something or someone has to die and we have to believe and confess that Jesus in fact did this on our behalf, which again, is not the kind of love and forgiveness we are told to exhibit in our lives. In essence, we are required to do something that God the Father either could not or would not do.

It is for this reason that I find the “Christ died for our sins” to be untenable as the center of our faith. I believe the issue of Christ’s resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit is more central and less inconsistent. The whole atonement for sin theme comes primarily, although not exclusively, from Hebrews. Perhaps a First Century Jew would grasp its significance, but to the Gentiles, it would be a folly. Paul said as much, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a folly.

I concluded with a paragraph that basically stated that I truly meant no disrespect by my comment and that I only wanted to get the author’s perspective on the whole atonement issue in hopes of finding some palatable way of getting my mind and heart around the issue.

I firmly believe that it is our duty as thinking, rational Christians to examine and explore all things related to our world view, whether or not the particular subject is considered too sacred to question. If we fail to look at any aspect of our faith with a discerning eye, we open ourselves up to the possibility of error. If this sort of thing happens, and particularly if the mistaken issue impacts a large number of people, significant problems can emerge. Large numbers of otherwise nice, intelligent people can wind up spending a significant portion of their lives orbiting around a lie.

More than a few years ago, dark humorist author Kurt Vonnegut published a great little book entitled, Wampeters, Foma, and Grand Falloons. These three phenomena, to briefly and only roughly paraphrase Vonnegut, basically constituted a typology of falsehoods in which people often believed. Vonnegut explains the title in the introduction:

Dear Reader: The title of this book is composed of three words from my novel Cat’s Cradle. A “wampeter” is an object around which the lives of many otherwise unrelated people may revolve. The Holy Grail would be a case in point. “Foma” are harmless untruths, intended to comfort simple souls. An example: “Prosperity is just around the corner.” A “granfalloon” is a proud and meaningless association of human beings. Taken together, the words form as good an umbrella as any for this collection of some of the reviews and essays I’ve written, a few of the speeches I made.

Given this definition, is it indeed possible that the doctrine of the Substitutionary Atonement is, at best, a foma and at worst an abstraction resulting in a grand falloon?

Let’s take a look and see what we discover.

I have mentioned before on this site that I have major problems coming to terms with the whole “he died for our sins” theory. Granted, the Bible states this on several occasions, but then, the inerrancy of scripture and the infallibility of the Bible is another sacred cow I do not hold with. The whole idea of God sending Jesus down here to get arrested, flogged, scourged, taunted, ridiculed, and nailed to a cross is beyond the scope of even a paper-thin capacity to reason.

On other sites, I have also described my reaction to the Mel Gibson film detailing “The Passion.” As I said before, I found this movie the most visually disturbing film I have ever seen. The scenes of the crucifixion were both graphic and horrid and, to Gibson’s credit, lent realism to the Easter story rarely witnessed. Still, as I walked out of the theater I found that my response to the film was a bit different than most folks. I overheard many people saying that the movie made them realize the true depth of the sacrifice Jesus had made for their sins. All others could do was mourn through tears, “Poor Jesus. He suffered so much for me.”

As for me, I came away asking myself and the universe, “What kind of God would require something like this in order to make his own creation acceptable to him?” I say this with profound respect: “I would never want to worship such a God.”

Gibson’s film, which I saw shortly after returning from my five-plus year stay in China, created somewhat of a spiritual crisis in my life and forced me to ask some very pertinent questions regarding the content of my world view in general and my understanding of God in particular.

My eventual solution to this quandary came in an unexpected direction. I came to believe deep in my heart that God would not require such a hideous thing and further, to insist that he did was an insult to his character. Over the next year I came to even deeper clarity on the issue.

When one really thinks the whole Substitutionary Atonement through to its logical conclusion one makes an interesting and paradoxical discovery: there is no logical conclusion because the entire thing is illogical!

Think about it. If a person holds to the doctrine of the Substitutionary Atonement, he or she is basically saying that God is not only unfair, but that he is also not omnipotent and, in addition, he is a blood thirsty child abuser.

Look at it like this. Jesus repeatedly talked about how important it was for us to forgive others. Teachings such as turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, forgiving our enemies and loving our enemies, and overlooking the wrongs done to us seventy times seven, all point to how if we are to be forgiven, we have to forgive as God forgives.

But wait! We are not asked to forgive as God forgives. You see, God evidently requires a price be paid before he forgives. In this case, before he was willing to forgive us, his Son had to be killed. The scripture tells us he (Christ) paid a ransom for many. Before God would forgive us and accept us, blood had to be spilt. No matter how fancy your theological footwork, you can’t get around this. The entire Substitutionary Atonement doctrine is saying that God, through Jesus, is asking us to forgive others in a manner that even God cannot do. Jesus doesn’t tell us someone has to die before we can forgive them. Yet for God, according to this doctrine, somebody has to ante up.

When discussing this with a good friend, she pointed out that Jesus’ death on the cross ended the need for sacrifice, so God no longer requires someone to die. Well, that sounds great, but it is a theological bucket full of leaks.

In response, I asked my friend the following,

“So, what if Jesus did not die on the cross? Suppose he wasn’t even crucified. Would I still be forgiven, living some 2,000 years later?”

“No, you wouldn’t be forgiven,” she answered.

So, according to the doctrine, even though Christ died way before I ever sinned, his death was still required to cover my sins now and any one else’s sin until the end time. So you see, someone still has to pay the piper. God still requires that one final sacrifice, and now it happens every time someone professes their faith in him.

Confronted with all this, I faced several decisions. I could jettison my faith, say it was absurd, and become a heathen, pagan, whatever. Or I could put all this on the theological back burner and “pray for insight.” That’s what I did at first. And guess what? The insight eventually came that I was correct in this thinking. The whole Atonement for Sin doctrine was, indeed, a Grand Falloon of the worst kind. Even more so, it is an even higher insult to God than the whole notion that he required Christ’s death in the first place. What this misguided doctrine is saying is that we Christians are to do something (forgive others) in a way that God Himself cannot do (forgive without a ransom being paid).

Now I know some fundamentalist or staunch evangelical readers, if they are still reading by now, are frothing at the mouth and Catholics are busy making the sign of the Cross. I can’t say as I blame them. If someone played around with one of my sacred cows, I would probably become a bit rabid myself.

I don’t write all this just to upset people. I have written these things because they describe the path I took to get to my beliefs. I feel that as Christians we are to take many things by faith. However, I also feel we are called to examine all things and, if we find something that is highly suspect and especially if we discover something that is insulting to God, then we are to settle it in our own mind and let others know what we have found.

One final note here…I hope as a reader you don’t just write me off as some liberal believer who has just gone too far down the pike. I am the first to admit that I am not a fundamentalist or conservative. However, unlike most liberals, I do believe in the deity of Christ, and I believe in his resurrection as well. I also firmly believe that we, as Christians, are called by Christ to spread his teachings to the corners of the earth. I don’t, however, believe in the whole infallible Bible lunacy, or in the Substitutionary Atonement. I suspect that should be clear by now.

Three Thirds of the Gospel

Mick Turner

For a long time, I wondered why it was that so many Christians, myself included, had such difficulty living out the realities of our faith. After all, when we accepted Christ into our lives, the old had supposedly passed away and the new had assuredly come; at least that is what Paul told us.

I suspect that just about all of us struggle with this issue at one time or another. I think most Christians want to have a deeper walk of faith and each has his or her own persistent demons that whisper in the ear in the dead on night and sometimes even shouts in the bright light of day. Without going into this issue too far, I think it is safe to say that this is, and has long been, a problem for those in the sheepfold of Christ. Paul even lamented the same issue when he told us he often did what he didn’t want to do and didn’t do what he wanted to do.

Sound familiar?

Personally, I had my first epiphany regarding this problem many years ago when reading The Normal Christian Life by the Chinese evangelist and teacher, Watchman Nee. In this fine book Nee discusses the fact that there are two halves to the gospel. The first half, involving the blood of Christ, dealt with our individual sins. These sins of the past, as well as all future sins, are covered by the blood of Christ and we are forgiven and justified. It is this half of the gospel that the church, especially the Protestant church, has focused on almost exclusively. Christ died a “Substitutionary” death for each of us, paying our sin debt to God.

Preachers extol this theme from pulpits far and wide and our traditional hymns are filled with references to the “precious blood.” Now don’t get me wrong. There is nothing amiss with the doctrine of the Substitutionary Atonement, although I’ll be the first to admit that this is something I accept solely on faith, because I sure can’t grasp why it is necessary. That, however, is another subject for another time.

What I discovered, first reading Nee, and later in other writers, was that the gospel had a second half, namely “the cross.” Christ’s blood covered our sins and his death on the cross and subsequent resurrection gave us new life. Not only did it give us new life, it gave us the power to walk in that newness of life as new creations. The problem, at least in part, was the fact that this half of the gospel was not talked about nearly as much as the first half. It seems the church had become obsessed with sin and forgiveness and ignorant of the power and identity imparted by the resurrection. This new understanding helped me put my own powerlessness into perspective and that was a good thing. However, it did not solve my dilemma completely. Although armed with this new wisdom, I still did not full understand or grasp, much less accept, my new identity “in Christ.”

I eventually came to see that the acceptance of my new identity in Christ was not so much a matter of understanding as it was an issue of faith. Just as I appropriated my forgiveness and salvation by faith, so I must appropriate my new life by faith. I further came to see that God, by his infinite grace and from his heart of mercy, had done two other things which I found mind-boggling. First, according to Paul, he placed inside me (and you) the same power that raised Christ from the dead. Stop right now and think about that for a minute. What the Apostle is telling me is that I have within me a power that is stronger than death, a power that can accomplish miracles beyond comprehension.

The second thing I came to see was equally miraculous, at least to my small mind. Peter tells us that God has graciously provided all that we need to be the kind of people we are called to be. In 2 Peter 1:3-4 we read:

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

Peter reminds us that grace and peace in our lives comes through knowledge of God and Christ. Then he makes an amazing statement. He tells us that Christ, through his divine power, has granted us everything pertaining to life and godliness. He has already given us all we need. All we have to do is, with empty hands and an open heart, reach out and receive it. Further, Peter goes on to tell us that through believing and appropriating the promises made by Christ, we may become partakers of the divine nature. Do you really realize what this means? Do you see the profound reality that Peter is putting right before our eyes? We, even as limited, fallen, and broken humans, can partake of the nature of God Himself. When I truly reflect on this statement, I tremble in awe.

Without waxing overly loquacious here, let me just say that this passage of scripture literally overwhelms me. We have been given:

Everything we need to live a godly life

Great and precious promises

The ability to share God’s divine nature

A pathway of escape from the world’s corruption

So these two revelations, that the same power that raised Christ from the deal lives in me and that God has already provided everything I need to live a godly life, helped me to at least get an intellectual grasp on the second half of the gospel. I spent much time in prayer, asking God for the faith to accept all of this, just as I had accepted, by faith, his offer of salvation and cleansing.

Although I found my Christian walk deepened by this, I still found areas of my old life that were problematic and the enemy certainly called to me with a persistent voice. Also, I continued to notice that many brothers and sisters, once equipped with this knowledge, generally had a deeper walk of faith, but still struggled as I did.

Since that time, I have come to see that as long as we live in a fallen world, we can expect struggle. I also now understand that scripture repeats that the provisions of these blessings of God are in the “spiritual realm” or in “heavenly places.” Our part in this process is to place ourselves in a position of receptivity that will allow these “precious promises” to be brought from the heavenly realms down into my daily living.

With all that said, not too long ago I had another of these revelations take shape in my mind over a period of several months. I will attempt to put some of these notions into words with the caveat that even for a person who makes his living with his pen, this is often difficult.

We have seen that many thinking, intelligent, and insightful Christians have now come to the awareness that the gospel has two halves, forgiveness and empowerment; justification and new life; death of the old and the coming of the new. Although I think this an accurate map of the “good news,” what I would like to do is offer another map of the gospel terrain. Instead of two halves, let’s consider that there may, in fact, be three thirds. More significantly, perhaps it is the third “third” that needs clarification and personal application in this day and age.

If the blood symbolizes the forgiveness of sin and our justification before a Holy God, and the cross and Jesus’ subsequent resurrection and the birth of new life, what might this other third I am referring to be? In a word, it is the Ascension.

After appearing to his disciples after the resurrection, Jesus finally instructs them to go into all the world and make disciples. He tells them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Before that time, they are to hold up in the Upper Room. I suspect they did more up there than just hang out, waiting. I can imagine them discussing their future tasks and going over the fine points of the teachings that Jesus had given them. I am sure that the few lessons we have in scripture are a small fragment of all the truths Jesus uttered to his inner circle over the course of three years.

Eventually, the Spirit did indeed come with a loud wind and tongues of fire and the disciples were empowered to go out and do what they were mandated to accomplish. We only need look at the immediate transformation of Peter to see just how empowered and changed these people were. The same man that denied Jesus three times on the night of his arrest spoke with clarity, courage, and conviction. Yes, the Holy Spirit brought the disciples the power they needed. But did you ever stop and ask yourself the question: “What made the Holy Spirit’s arrival possible?”

Was it some mysterious timetable God had planned? No. Was it some degree of spiritual attainment on the part of the disciples that made it possible for the Spirit to finally appear in power? I doubt it. If not these things, then what?

All we have to do is examine scripture for the answer. Christ made it very clear what had to happen before the Spirit could descend to earth. Let’s look at John 16:7.

But in fact, it is best for you that I go away; because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. (NLT)

Jesus had to ascend back to heaven before the Advocate could descend to earth and more importantly, take up residence in our hearts. In Acts 1:8 Jesus gives the disciples his final instructions:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere, in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (NLT)

After this, Jesus was “taken up in a cloud while they were watching.” We are told in other sections of scripture that Jesus is seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father and he is there, interceding in our behalf and carrying out his role as the head of the Church, his Body. Shortly after this, the Holy Spirit comes upon the disciples in the Upper Room and the rest, as the cliché goes, is history.

My point in all this is simply to point out that the act of the Ascension makes the coming of the Holy Spirit possible and, as we all know, without the Holy Spirit we could accomplish nothing, zilch, nada. Just as the blood of Christ brought about our salvation, forgiveness, and justification; and the death and resurrection of Jesus brought about the defeat of sin and the birth of a new creation; the Ascension brought about our empowerment, our ability to go and do the things Christ mandated us to do, and equally significant, be the kind of people he mandated us to be.

In my mind I now look at the gospel as being divided into thirds rather than halves. Perhaps it seems insignificant, mere hair splitting, and maybe it is. However, I have come to believe that it is more than that. I have found that when I describe the “Sacred Story” of God’s plan of redemption, restoration, and renewal, most people understand the division into thirds and further, telling the great story this way seems to impart a degree of hope to those looking for just that, something that will give them the promise of positive life change and a better way of living. By including the Ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit, potential converts a given an account of not only the possibility of new life, but of empowerment to make that life a reality.

To be continued…..

WellSprings and WineSkins

Pseudo-Repentance: The Pandemic of Superficiality

Recognizing the Universal Christ

Full Service Christianity: A Prophetic Call

Spiritual Disciplines: New Wineskins for Ancient Wellsprings

Have You Never Heard?

A Biblical Worldview: Don’t Leave Home Without It (Part Two)

A Biblical Worldview: Don’t Leave Home Without It (Part One)

Not I, But Christ (Part Two)

The Substitutionary Atonement: Is It An Insult To God?

Three Thirds of the Gospel

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