the ramblings of a child of the King….
October 15, 2007 at 10:07 pm
· Filed under journalish
So it’s been many days and weeks since I first started this conversation about my attempts to live out the gospel. I’ve had much to mull over.
The conclusion I have come to is this:
I am called to show God’s love to the world. I am called to bring glory to God. These two things are not incompatible. I am called to bring glory to God, and one way to do that is to show God’s love to the world. Also, I am called to show God’s love to the world, and the way in which I do that MUST bring glory to God.
I was not set free in Christ so that I might do semi-ungodly things so that the ungodly might know God. There is no logic in that. The example I set must be one which causes people to notice the difference between me and them. Too often, the example I set is one which causes people to notice how similar we are, but that I have this whole God thing going on.
I know that Christ went to where the sinner was and if he were incarnate today, maybe he would be going to bars and playing poker and going to parties and clubs-becase that is where the sinner is.
But you know? There’s one big difference between Christ and me. Christ never sinned. NEVER. Not once. Not even a tiny bit. He was tempted, but never sinned, for he was the perfect son of God. While that perfection has been imputed to me, I am still a sinner, battling against my flesh daily. So I can say that it is practically impossible (without the enabling of the Spirit) for me to go to all the bars and clubs and parties that I want and not sin. Heck, it’s practically impossible for me to wake up and go to class without sin. The sin may take on numerous forms, but I am quite sure that it will take on some form. And you know what? I don’t think the gospel needs my sin in order for it to be powerful. It doesn’t need me to be cool or hip or popular. It needs truth and authenticity and love.
I titled this series “walk the line” because that’s what we (or I) try to do. We ask how close we can get to the line. We should instead be aiming to be as far away from the line as possible.
Is drinking wrong? Is smoking a cigar wrong? Is gambling wrong? Should I only see PG movies? Should I only listen to “Christian” music? You tell me. I’m not legalistic, really I’m not at all. I don’t believe there is a list of wrongs and rights when it comes to this stuff. I fully and firmly believe that we are free in Christ. I know that Paul said that he became all things to all people. I know that all things are allowed, but not all things are profitable. I also know that too many of us use our freedom in Christ as a veil for sin.
So tell me this. In whatever you choose to do, are you, 100% of the time, not sinning? Are you, 100% of the time, bringing glory to God? Are you, 100% of the time, pointing people to Christ? Or are you, maybe 5% of the time, letting down your discernment and allowing part of the world to creep in?
So I say, err on the side of caution, or the side of righteousness. If you THINK you might be tempted, don’t do it. If you THINK you might not be pointing to Christ, don’t do it.
As for me and my job and my interactions with non-believers, all I can do (and the greatest thing I can do) is to pray for wisdom and for the Spirit to guide my words and actions. I pray that Jesus Christ might be made known and that God might be made great and that I might be more sanctified through this whole process
So you might disagree with my conclusions. We can best love the world by loving Christ the most. And for me to love Christ the most, I can’t allow the things of this world to have a prominent place in my life. For I am a sinner, who, at the slightest of urgings, can become indistinguishable from the fallen world.
Permalink
[...] came across this post - walk the line, part 4 - and thought it was worth sharing. I hope you find it interesting too and take the time to read [...]
Jenn,
Have you read N.T. Wright yet? Huh? Huh?
What Saint Paul Really Said is excellent, but today I just finished reading The Challenge of Jesus for the second time…phenomenal! The last two chapters of the book deal with what you’ve been posting about… yesterday, as I read in Subway during my lunch break, I was brought to tears by his application. It’s too in depth for me to even do it justice in this short reply, so, you need to read it. Tomorrow. No. Tonight. OK, buy it tonight and read it tomorrow. 
Oh, here’s my 2 cents in regards to your post.
I understand your frustration with “walking the line.” I don’t necessarily disagree with anything you said, but here’s a different perspective. When you talk about being distinguishable from the world, I think its more important to think in terms of the church, rather than individually. I think the church is to be distinguished from the world because of her worship of God. This isn’t as simple as it sounds when our worship services resemble pop culture. I think this is the biggest reason why the church is impotent today. The church used to influence culture. It was beautiful. It told a remarkable story. It was symbolic.
Here’s another thing I thought about: When the church was young, historical records didn’t distinguish them because they didn’t cuss, or didn’t drink, etc. They were distinguished because they rescued children when the Roman elite discarded them. They ate meals together - as a family - rather than the typical class/sex/age distinctions in Rome. They valued human life and served the community, rather than self and status.
Oh, and the answers to your questions are no, no, no, no, and no
JJ wrote @ October 18, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Jenn,
I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.
We’re going through Galatians as a local church and much of what you said has been touched on in the messages– I love that the LORD repeats Himself to me. =) I so need it.
I, unfortunately, struggle with legalism to a significant degree. What the faithful leaders of Metro are helping me to see, is that no, I cannot add to my salvation, or “smuggle in” my good works; nor can I claim to be FREE in Christ and still desire things of this world! (I think I struggle so much with legalism because I’m terrified of being lisencious. )Benny Phillips repeated over an over in one of his messages that TRUE freedom is the LIBERTY to SERVE in love while fighting self indulgence. Why argue that we’re “free” to do things of this world when CLEARLY our freedom was purchased so we could be released to serve others while denying ourselves! We’ve been freed from self! Hallelujah!
So how different would my life look if I LIVED like I believed that?
Jenn wrote @ October 23, 2007 at 11:58 am
JBrian,
I regret to inform you that I have not yet read anything by Wright. HOWEVER, I plan on using a gift certificate to a local bookstore this Friday and a Wright book is at the top of my list.
Thank you for the encouragement to view things from a corporate view instead of as an individual. I find what you said interesting and can’t recall hearing it said before that the CHURCH is supposed to be indistinguishable from the world, not just an individual. That’s something I plan to study more. Obviously then, in order for the universal church to be indistinguishable from the world it must be made up of individuals who are indistinguishable from the world.
The point you make about how the young church was separate from the world is good-they were set up apart from the world in which they lived. But the world in which I live, a college town in Gainesville, is a obviously a different world from the Romans, and even a different world from yours. College students are defined by debauchery and lewdness. When I’m 30 or 50 or 70, my world of peers will be different perhaps. But I think, in order to be set apart from the world at the age of 21, there are things which I am allowed to do…under grace and under the law which would not be profitable-for either the corporate church nor the sinner to whom I am witnessing.
I don’t think we’re disagreeing. I think I’m just trying to explain a little more where I’m coming from. I also agree that the answers to all of those questions are resounding “no’s.” But for me, for now, for this world, for this city, some of the answers are yes, because of so many different factors.
Seriously though, thank you for your thoughts and encouragement. It is very humbling to know that people I so greatly respect and admire are reading what I write and coming alongside to offer wisdom and thoughts.
I will get an NT Wright book this weekend and let you know what I think. And I’m praying for you and Denise and the girls (especially Lucy!)
PS Make sure Nick and the tide kill LSU for me.
Jenn wrote @ October 23, 2007 at 12:01 pm
JJ,
Such a blessing from the Lord to see you this weekend. I pray that you are living out the things we talked about, and I know that our God is pleased with your desire to obey in faith.
“TRUE freedom is the LIBERTY to SERVE in love while fighting self indulgence.” What an outstanding live. I miss Benny’s preaching. What a gift from the Lord. I’ll have to go back and listen to some of those messages.
Love,
jenn
HTML-Tags:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
