Tuesday, June 21, 2005
When Does It Happen?
Allthings2all has a really wonderful post on the interface between intellect and spirit when it comes to Christian regeneration. One point she makes is that the Bible is not the gospel. That is just a dynamite point. The Bible is part of communicating the gospel, but, in the end, that is all it is -- a means of communication. It is the inspired word Of God, but it is not sanctified in the sense that people are, and it is not THE WORD.
I really like this passage from the post [emphasis added]
The intellectual ascent that is discussed in the post is an empowering process, not a breaking process -- but the final confrontation with Jesus breaks us, it comes not in learning about Jesus, but in learning how utterly unworthy and insignificant we are in His presence.
So as we spread the gospel, how do we help people see that? In a world where "feeling good about yourself" seems to be THE preemminent value, how do we help people see that the best feeling in the world comes from understanding your essential lack of worth?
I really like this passage from the post [emphasis added]
The effectiveness of the gospel, in which the death and resurrection of Jesus are central, is not in quantity of intellectual assenters but is evidenced by the quality of changed lives. Thus Christians convey the gospel for others to hear, and are "witnesses" or "testifiers" to the power of God to salvation from their own experience also.I read that, and certainly thought it before I read it, that "exposing our indebtedness" means the process Catez discusses ends in brokenness.
I would agree that there is often a process that leads up to the spiritual regeneration that occurs when a person becomes a Christian. The process ends with faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, spiritual rebirth and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The intellectual grappling, discussing, and growing conscience pains are leading to the same point - the gospel. The process is not about earning credits on the way to God - but rather continues to expose that we are indebted to God and disconnected from him.
The intellectual ascent that is discussed in the post is an empowering process, not a breaking process -- but the final confrontation with Jesus breaks us, it comes not in learning about Jesus, but in learning how utterly unworthy and insignificant we are in His presence.
So as we spread the gospel, how do we help people see that? In a world where "feeling good about yourself" seems to be THE preemminent value, how do we help people see that the best feeling in the world comes from understanding your essential lack of worth?
