Liberty The exercise of our liberty has become for most of us the default setting for our lives. However, this is not the common experience for most of history or even for many people alive today. The reality is that most humans have lived their entire existence without the privilege of what we might call libertarian freedom. I am assuming that most, if not everyone, reading this blog is an American who has primarily been privileged to enjoy the general freedom inherent in our constitutional rights. But again, this is not the common experience of most people. Many people have lived, and even today are living, in some type of bound state. The idea of Libertarian freedom is generally defined as freedom to act according to your own will so long as you are not harming anyone else. The assumption would also include that you are not being compelled, coerced, or manipulated in those choices. So as Christians we must ask the question, are we truly free? The Invisible Cage The reality is that we are all born into a state of bondage. We are born as a clean slate. At our physical birth we all are spiritually stillborn. We are dead (Colossians 2:13)! In this common state we are also all under bondage to sin (John 8:34). Our own sinful nature and our actual sinful actions have constructed an invisible prison. The nature of this deception is that we think that we are free. Everytime we sin we simultaneously experience the exercise of our own desire while the binding constraints become tighter and more firmly fixed. This causes us to spiral downward into a cycle of sinning to express our freedom while actually only becoming more imprisoned by the depth and depravity of our own wicked hearts. This is the common state of all mankind without the salvation found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As long as we believe that freedom is doing what we want, we will always be bound by our own desires to serve our base instincts. The Law of Freedom So often we think that rules and restrictions are the opposite of freedom. But could it be that what we have understood to be shackles and chains are actually guard rails and safety harnesses. The law of God is not an arbitrary list of do’s and don’ts but a reflection of His holiness and character. Since we were created in the image of God it only makes sense that the truest and freest way for us to live is a reflection of that same holiness and character. The law that I am referring to is not simply the old covenant commands but the law of Christ that is written on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10). This is a law that sets us free from the law of sin and death to live in the righteousness gained for us by Jesus Christ! A New Master So the secret to freedom is not absolute autonomy but actually a better benevolent master than the hard despot of our selfishness and sin. The Apostle Paul says that we need to move from being slaves to sin to being slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:15-23). As God’s image bearers we were not made to be autonomous, self sufficient creatures. But rather we were made to live in a relationship of perfect love, respect, and service with God forever!
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Shared Last week, we looked at how we should be connecting in community both inside and outside the church. This week, we need to go deeper to understand the true foundation able to support God’s design for community. Not only is it important that we find these relationships in our local community, but we must also find this kind of fellowship with like minded people. When I say “like-minded” I do not mean people of the same intellectual quotient or education level. I mean people with concurring worldviews. This does not mean that we will all agree on what to do or think in every circumstance, but it does mean that we are beginning from the same starting point. So much of the division in our country now is not because democrats and republicans are coming to different conclusions, but because we do not agree on the basic elements and facts. If we are going to build strong communities in our towns, and especially in our churches, then we must begin from a shared worldview. This also means a shared hope. We must be a people moving toward a common goal. Seeking to reach the same destination. Last week, I was at the Chuckwagon races in Clinton, Arkansas. When you are observing the way the teams of horses and mules work together to pull the wagon, you can see that the animals must be pulling in the same direction. Gridlock does not serve to advance either agenda. For our communities and churches to succeed it requires us to have a shared target. The Apostle Paul states that his aim is to know Christ and the power of His resurrection (Philippians 3:10). Pauls goes on to tell the Philippians about how he is straining forward and pressing on to the prize that we have in Christ Jesus. We must begin at the same place and we must be going to the same place. For us to truly have a shared worldview and a shared goal we must ultimately have a common faith. By common faith I do not mean that we must agree on every single point of theology, but we must at least agree on three important questions. Who is God? What is divine revelation? What is the gospel? Who is God? If we do not have a common concept about the nature and character of God then we cannot have a common faith. First and foremost this means that we must be monotheistic. This means that we must believe that there is one and only one true and living God. All other so-called ‘gods’ are impostors. They may be figments of someone's imagination, or masquerading demonic beings, or idols devised and fashioned by men but they are not truly divine. The one true God is one and only! This also means that for us to have a common faith we must acknowledge that the Father is God and the Son (Jesus Christ) is God and the Holy Spirit is God. They are not separate in essence or being but are distinct in personhood and role. They are not parts of God or temporal manifestations of God but rather coequal, coeternal persons sharing the being of God in such a way that the being of God is not divided and each person is the fullness of God, who is One. The Trinitarian nature of God is essential to who He is, how He has revealed Himself, and how He saves us. The one true God is Yahweh, who is self-existent and sovereign. He describes Himself in terms of being both merciful and righteous, gracious and just, abounding in covenant love, faithfulness and forgiving yet punishing wickedness for generations (Exodus 34:6-8). If we do not have this common understanding of God, then we cannot have a common faith. What is divine revelation? The essence of this question is where and how has God spoken? For us to have a common faith we must agree on a common source of revealed truth to which we are all accountable. The Biblical and historic answer to this question is that the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments contain fully and totally what God has revealed for His people and His church. What I mean by fully is that all of the contents of the original manuscripts of the 66 books are God’s word and we have in the textual evidence all of that content preserved. What I mean by totally is that God’s revelation in the Scriptures is perfect, complete and finished. Moses tells us that the secrets belong to the Lord, but the things that have been revealed belong to us and to our children forever (Deuteronomy 29:29). The Apostle Paul also warns us not to go beyond what is written (1 Corinthians 4:6). And Peter calls the Scriptures a fully confirmed word (2 Peter 1:16-21). This definition means that we do not need nor accept dreams, visions, or any other claims to divine revelation as valid or binding outside of the Bible rightly interpreted and obeyed. What is the gospel? Finally, at a minimum if we are going to define a common orthodox Christian faith we must make our central gospel message clear. The Gospel begins with the reality that all mankind is dead in sin, lost in iniquity and rebelling in transgression of God and His commands. But God, by His own grace, sends His son the Lord Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our transgressions and cleanse us of our iniquity with His perfect sacrificial blood. And through His death and resurrection He makes those who were dead in sin alive through faith alone in Jesus’ work finished on the cross and magnified in His resurrection on the third day! So that everyone who comes by God’s grace alone through repentant faith alone to the Lord Jesus Christ alone receives eternal life for the glory of God alone! People Humans are different from anything else in all of God’s creation. Our secular friends would have us believe that we are just more highly evolved primates, and as such a subset of the animal species that are so prolific on our planet. However, the eyewitness testimony to the beginning of all things is clear that our creation was special and unique. The Almighty God chose to interact with His process and material in a much more personal, tangible, and intimate way than how He made all the other creatures. One way that we express this difference is through our relationship qualities and capacities. While many animals do have close bonds with other animals we have the ability to connect at a deeper level because we have a soul. The soul is more than mere consciousness it is the reality that we are beings made for everlasting existence. This is true of every person. All people will exist forever whether in a state of eternal torment and destruction or in a state of eternal joy and life. But for the believer the capacity for community is even greater because we are also spiritually alive. This means that we can connect with one another on a spiritual level. Oftentimes unbelievers want to have spiritual experiences without God, but in these cases the ‘spirit’ must interact with the body and soul of the individual. This is often accomplished through meditation rituals focused on emptying the mind and being open to the ‘spiritual’ forces or through the use of substances (drugs) to bring about the connection. But for believers who are now alive through the new birth, we can connect with one another on the spiritual level where we are all alive. My point is that as God’s creatures that are uniquely made in His image we are created for community. It is not good for man to be alone.(Genesis 2:18) This also means that it matters with whom and how we find and establish community. Local The first thing that we need to understand is that we were created to establish relationships with people who are local to us. It is an amazing time in which we live when we can share and communicate with people all over the world instantly. As matter of fact even this post is on the internet where any one from anywhere could read it. This means that we have the ability to create virtual communities. We even use that language often when referring to groups that we may be a part of online. I do not want to discount the helpfulness or meaning that can at times accompany those interactions. However, we need real relationships with people who we know in the flesh. We need relationships with people who are local to us. We need physical contact handshakes, hugs, etc.) and we need people who are not interacting with our persona mediated through a device. This is especially true in the life of the church. We need to be connected in covenantly responsible and accountable relationships with other believers. These relationships cannot be all virtual because we were made to assemble and congregate, not only for worship, but for the practice of our spiritual gifts in edifying and encouraging one another in the faith. While it is true that Christ’s church consists of all believers throughout all time. It is through participation in the life and community of a local church that the larger universal body of Christ functions. Familial We need commitment. Our modern sense of relationship is so transient and temporary. In the current culture in the post-Christian west we are seeing an erosion of truth and with it comes a loss of being rooted with a people and in particular places. We need ties that bind. I do not mean that our blood relationships must be our closest relationships but it is a great place to start. Particularly with the people in our own households. In the qualifications that Paul gives for overseers in the church he references the discipline and discipleship that takes place in the home. It is essential that we are cultivating a culture of gospel saturation in our homes. This in turn produces the kind of connection and commitment needed between the family members. Family does not have to mean blood. It can be those related through marriage , or committed life long friendship. The point is that we need relationships that we can count on in the hard times and celebrate in the good times. Not only do we need these people in our lives but we need to be these people in other people’s lives. The most important familial relationships are with those in the family of God. These are blood relatives in that we have all been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and we share the common testimony of His amazing grace. Spiritual I shared earlier about how we ought to be connected in Christ on an even deeper level. We do this through our participation in the study and proclamation of God’s word, participating in witnessing the baptism of other believers, eating and drinking together the Lord’s supper and praying together for needs and in celebratory gratitude at God’s grace, mercy, and love. This is the kind of familial life that God intends for His people in His household. Next week we will dive deeper into this shared community. Changes Our lives are full of changes. Even each day is slightly longer or shorter than the day before. We see the seasons change, the weather change, and even the ebb and flow of morning, noon, and night. But in the midst of all this change we also adopt patterns and routines that make each new moment possess a kind of familiarity. We are mutable beings which means that we are subject to change. Sometimes we can lament the changes that come, maybe the frailty of the body or the loss of connection with friends with whom we were once very close. Some changes we love and celebrate such as the addition of children to a home and family or growth in grace and holiness among the saints in our local church. But both the ups and the downs are a part of the changes that will happen in all our lives. Needed Changes I believe that we need this kind of change while in our finite state. What I mean is that because we are limited to time and space and our own perception we need this kind of variation to help us in our worship and enjoyment of God. This week I have been off from my normal duties but in many ways I have been doing much more physically demanding tasks. This is a good change. Needed variation because of my limitation in seeing the wonder of God is doing in the day in day out activities that I am used to doing. Changes serve as reminders about what is really important and reflections about people and events from our past that are important. I know I complain a lot about how bad social media can be, but it reminds us about things that have happened that could help us to reflect on God's goodness and grace in our lives. Changes can also serve as opportunities for us to move forward in greater growth in holiness and joy in Christ. If all things were fixed and unchangeable then recovery, transformation, and hope would not be possible. Some people fear change because things might get worse but others (hopefully you) take a positive view of change as the path that God may use to make things better. Changeless But God does not change (James 1:17). He is wondrously able to perfectly enjoy all His goodness and glory and the wonder of all His creation all the time. G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.” God has an infinite ability to enjoy what we might consider mundane. God loves variety but sees variety often where we do not. So as believers let us be more like our Father and enjoy the amazing variation of the everyday while also taking the opportunity for the changes in our lives to lead us to greater joy in God! |
AuthorEddie Ragsdale Archives
May 2024
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