Monday, February 06, 2006
Abandonment Of Self
Last Thursday,over at Broken Messenger, I think somethng got Brad's goat, cause he put up one of the most insightful spirit-filled rants I have ever read. It's difficult to pull a money quote, I strongly urge you to read the whole thing, but I'll try.
This has me reflecting on "wholeness" ministries that were all the rage some years ago. What a limited vision "wholeness" is. Chrsit did not die to make us "whole." He was not resurrected so that we can be made "complete." NO! - these things happened so that we could be re-made.
We are not an unfinsihed house in need of a carpenter. We are a shack in need of demolition and redevelopment. Self-forgiveness just gives us permission to paint the shack, and with bad paint and poor prep to boot.
Only God's forgiveness can make us as we should be.
Related Tags: gospel, self-forgiveness, self-loathing, Broken Messenger, Christ, Christianity, grace
This invasion of doctrine concerning self-forgiveness, that comes in more flavors than a Baskin & Robbins, has been growing over the last century and is now taking its toll. It is the perfect example of the marriage between narcissism and faith. How am I feeling? How am I doing? Is this faith in Jesus really taking hold within me? Do I have the strength to obey? The mantra is I, I, I, not Christ, Christ, Christ, and it?s nothing less than a cover for self-exultation. Worse, we are asking advice from the very thing that is central to the problem at hand.If we forgive ourselves, what need have we for God at all? If the gospel is about grace, and we can grant ourselves grace, what need is there of the gospel?
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But isn?t there room for self-loathing of that part that is not of God? Hating that part of us that is intrinsically wired into our very consciences and hearts, is that not a good thing for us to do? Why would I want love that part, whose very nature is to deceive me into thinking that I am loving God, when I am really just screaming blasphemy at him via my own blindness - yet to my heart?s primal delight. There certainly isn?t much of that kind of talk (let alone action from it) going on around Christendom today. For the most part, we hang our doctrines not on the fruits of true repentance, but on doctrines that tolerate, allow or fully support self-love. But coming to hate wickedness while living for the promise of righteousness, in Christ and by faith, is the Gospel. At the very least, that is a significant element of faith and so please pardon me if I can?t bring myself to forgive myself.
Self-loathing is ever the companion of true repentance. The Lord will bring those whom he loveth, to adore him in self-abasement; while true grace will always lead them to confess their sins without self-justifying. -Matthew Henry, Commentary on Job 42
This has me reflecting on "wholeness" ministries that were all the rage some years ago. What a limited vision "wholeness" is. Chrsit did not die to make us "whole." He was not resurrected so that we can be made "complete." NO! - these things happened so that we could be re-made.
We are not an unfinsihed house in need of a carpenter. We are a shack in need of demolition and redevelopment. Self-forgiveness just gives us permission to paint the shack, and with bad paint and poor prep to boot.
Only God's forgiveness can make us as we should be.
Related Tags: gospel, self-forgiveness, self-loathing, Broken Messenger, Christ, Christianity, grace
