I was struck the other day by a post of a friend. She had overheard her children bragging about who had memorized the most Scriptures. It brought a smile to my face as I know the family in question and I knew their desire is to raise godly children. No sooner than I had that thought when another entered my mind. Has Christianity been reduced to a matter of biblical knowledge and trivia?
As a pastor, one of my concerns is, "Am I equipping the saints so they can live transformed lives or am I merely encouraging them to agree with me" I believe in what I would call a "cooperative theology". Which is to ask the question, "Are we cooperating with God's purposes in our life or are we forging on towards some goal that may or may not have anything to do with God's will for us?" Some theologians see everything is in our striving to "do," while others see it as this free ride where we sit back and "watch" God work in our lives and around us. I subscribe to neither of those theologies. It's not all about us nor is it remaining completely passive trusting that God will work it out.
Obviously, God does have a plan, but we are his hands and feet. If we are not obedient to His will, all kinds of bad things can happen. In part, this is because God has already put moral consequences in place which result in consequences for poor or ungodly choices, just as there are rewards for cooperating with God and being obedient. They are similar to the consequences of the physical world - if we put our hand in the fire it will be burned; if we fail to eat and drink we will starve to death.
I believe there is a cycle of sorts that is at work where as we surrender to God, He calls us to do good works (which He created in advance for us to do) which if we are obedient to do, then there is blessing and if we fail to obey there are no blessings or possibly there are curses. Now maybe this may sound too Old Testament for you, but it is consistent throughout the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelations. It is "The Law of Sowing and Reaping." Whatever we sow in life (sin or righteousness) we will reap in due time.
Yet we also must realize that we can do nothing (nothing of worth in God's eyes) apart from Him. There are times that our obedience merely requires that we get out of the way so that God can do what He has been planning all along. This, in part, is what it means to walk in the Spirit; knowing when to act and knowing when to wait on God.
Many Christians just want some rules to keep so that they will know that they are walking in God's will. "Do this, but don't do that." "Go to church at least once a week", "Memorize Scriptures etc..." These are not bad things, but unfortunately, if they are done without a change in heart or a willingness to obey God and to seek Him, they just become dead works. I think things have got so bad that many Christians have come to the conclusion that their only responsibility is come, sit and listen, sing some songs and tithe.
On more than one occasion, I have been challenged with Bible Trivia questions, like how many wive's did David had, what is the name of the mountain where Abraham brought his son Issac to be sacrificed. These bits of Bible Trivia don't challenge any of us to live godly lives. Knowing the shortest and longest verses in the Bible or the names of the 12 Apostles is nice to know, but rarely does it lead to a life transforming condition.
The phrase "The proof is in the pudding" applies here. Jesus says, that we will be known by our love. James says that our works are proof of our faith. We are saved by faith and not by works, but yet once saved we are invited to do good works. Good works assure our rewards in heaven. Good works can be proof of God's Spirit at work in us.
We are further confused by some sort of self-delusion that seems to think that God wants what we want. His thoughts are not ours and his Ways are not ours either. The challenge for each of us is to transform our thinking as to conform to His. This is why we are told to work out our salvation with fear and trembling as God is at work in us to will and to do. His objective is that we would become more and more like Him. But in order for that to happen, we need to shed some of our ungodly thinking and behavior and embrace His ways and His thoughts. Jesus reminded us that He only said what He had heard the Father say and only did what the Father did.
Okay, all of this boils down to this. We are called to be obedient disciples of Christ. We are not called to be fans who memorize obscure passages and attend spiritual concerts and conferences (a.k.a. Sermons) to impress God and others. Jesus said if we love Him them we would obey Him. Love and obedience are hallmarks of the devout follower of Christ.
Memorizing Scripture verses and going to church are not bad things, but if we are not doing them with the intent to be conformed more and more into the image of Christ, then we are doing them for the wrong reasons. In this case, motives are everything. Our objective is not merely a good attendance record and extensive Bible knowledge, our objective is Christ and his Kingdom.
Know why you are doing what you are doing. Don't just do things because it seems right or because someone else told you to do it. Whatever you do, do it so that your life will demonstrate the reality of Christ's saving work in your life. But do it in cooperation with whom God has made you to be and how the Holy Spirit is moving in you.
I will add a caveat here. God loves you regardless of your good works. His love was there even when we were enemies of God. "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." So don't get confused about good works and God's love. Because of Christ's work on the cross, we are now accepted by God and empowered to do the good works that He has created in advance for us to do.
We don't have to impress God by coming to church or memorizing scriptures. Being part of the church is not like a game show. Our success is not merely based upon scripture knowledge and church attendance. Our success is measure in how we submit to God's will for our lives, by being obedient and humble servants who say, "Yes" to our Master's call and who love other's with the same abandon that Jesus has lavished upon us. But even still I long to hear the words "Well done good and faithful servant." at the end of this life on earth. I want to know that I have run the race and won the prize because I have persevered and followed Him, wherever his Holy Spirit has led me and have done everything as unto Him.
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