A recent conversation brought up the idea that Christians live with the tension between grace which they cannot provide and divine law over which they they have no control. Grace has no meaning without the presence of law to define right and wrong. Neither can law provide a perspective of hope without the presence of grace, the idea of a second chance. Christians must live with this tension because of the need to but who continue to fail to keep the demands of the law and must live with a dependency upon grace.
In the secular world there is a parallel concern between personal freedom and government control. A free society must be defined by the freedom exercised by its citizenry. Its freedom is maintained, however, by the control its government is able to provide. A free citizenry is under the constant tension of deciding how much control it can give its government to maintain the freedom demanded by its citizenry.
How much control will we as Christians give our Creator-God in determining the lifestyle we his creation will follow? How much freedom must we demand in order to be able to respond to our Creator-God as independent thinking individuals? Surely the answers to these questions bring in the awesome concerns of the sovereignty of God, the freedom of man, the consequences of actions, and the inherent power of anyone to decide them.
Though we may struggle with these questions for a lifetime, each day we must make decisions based upon our limited understanding of their interplay. We are limited by our inability to comprehend the infinity that describes the God we say we worship and to whom we are called to give obedience. We are limited by our own mortality and the sinfulness that we have placed upon it. We must make decisions each day based upon an inability to understand the "omni's" of the God we follow and our own limitations as imperfect creatures. It is in this tension that we are forced to deal with issues related to human freedom and divine sovereignty.
In our republic we make laws to protect our freedoms. We seek to play the role of both creator and creature. We seek to create that under which we will require ourselves to live. We govern ourselves. We control ourselves. We control the extent of our freedoms. We freely assert our self-control. In the process we try to determine what will be the guiding principle that determines the laws we make to control our freedoms.
We reject the idea of a theocracy. In doing so we join the ancient Israelites who said they would have a king as did all the other nations around them. They rejected a Divine ruler who spoke through his judges and prophets (I Samuel 8). In doing so we join the crowds led by the Jewish rulers who boldly told Pontius Pilate they had no king but Caesar (John 19) in the midst of their demand that Jesus be crucified.
Rejecting a theocracy, however, is not the same as rejecting a moral basis for law. The matter only focuses upon what moral system we will choose. In the political realm that system will be determined by our grasp of the tension between law and freedom. For the Christian seeking to live in a fallen world, it will be the understanding of the relationship between law and grace.
If our Creator declares laws based upon his nature, then those who claim servanthood before him are obligated to follow those laws. When failure comes, consequences follow and with that grace may also be found. When a nation passes laws based upon its understanding of an orderly and desirable society, then its citizenry are called upon to follow those laws or face the consequences and find at the same time that a second chance might be offered. In neither of these situations, however, is the law abrogated, but it may mediated.
Whether theocracy or otherwise, laws exist to guide a society. Those laws must be based upon an underlying system that defines right and wrong. Who determines that system will reveal who is the ruling body for that society. In our republic there are checks and balances. With God there are no checks and balances. There is only his nature and the consequences of our actions based upon obedience and disobedience - and also that thing called grace.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Four Big Words
A phrase that has come from days gone by is "the power behind the throne". The meaning is revealed as we consider that the one who sits on the throne may have the titular authority but does not or cannot exercise the power to accomplish his will. The king may be said to have the authority to run his kingdom, but if there is a second personality who makes the actual decisions and sees to it that they are carried out, then the true power is out of sight or "behind the throne.
Power and authority are not always in the same hands. Likewise responsibility and accountability at times are left to fend for themselves in the process of accomplishing tasks especially if they are separated from the first two concepts. We may all have experienced at one time the frustration that arises when we are given the responsibility to accomplish a task only to be denied the authority and power to guide it to completion.
Authority without power is a mockery. Power without authority often becomes self-centered and cruel. Power without accountability is synonymous to a dictatorship. Responsibility without power is frustration. Responsibility without accountability will often result in nothing accomplished.
Relationships and social designs are perhaps often, even always, defined by how these four words interplay. As soon as two individuals meet, these four words take on a role in the relationship. Cain asked if he was expected to be his brother's keeper. He had already exercised the power to kill him even though he had not been given the authority to do so. Now he was asking if he was responsible for his brother and would be expected to be accountable for whatever had happened to him.
The Model Prayer of Jesus leads one to see a recognition that power and authority belong first and foremost to the heavenly Father. The self-focused requests point to an acknowledgement that daily needs must be met by the hands of the Father. At the same time we are responsible for and will be held accountable for the way we are willing to forgive those who have sinned against us.
The individual's use of power must be controlled by the understanding that all power ultimately resides in the hands of God. He has that power by virtue of his nature, who he is, and with that power comes the authority to use it. The power and authority that individuals seek to exercise are by permission only and will come under the divine judgment as he holds us responsible for what he has placed in our hands and will hold us accountable for their use.
Our freedom as individuals in general and as Christians in particular must be seen in this light. We are free to act but our freedom both in the present and in eternity is limited by the nature of God and we will be held accountable for digression from that nature. We can use our freedom to live and make decisions being guided by that nature or we can use our freedom to live contrary to it. Having the power to do either does not remove the fact that we are responsible for our actions and will be held accountable.
Therefore it is of critical importance that we understand the nature of God, his own power and authority, and the grounds by which he will hold his creation responsible for its actions. We will be held accountable. Making up our own sets of rules will never change God and his plan for his creation. He will declare the last judgment.
Power and authority are not always in the same hands. Likewise responsibility and accountability at times are left to fend for themselves in the process of accomplishing tasks especially if they are separated from the first two concepts. We may all have experienced at one time the frustration that arises when we are given the responsibility to accomplish a task only to be denied the authority and power to guide it to completion.
Authority without power is a mockery. Power without authority often becomes self-centered and cruel. Power without accountability is synonymous to a dictatorship. Responsibility without power is frustration. Responsibility without accountability will often result in nothing accomplished.
Relationships and social designs are perhaps often, even always, defined by how these four words interplay. As soon as two individuals meet, these four words take on a role in the relationship. Cain asked if he was expected to be his brother's keeper. He had already exercised the power to kill him even though he had not been given the authority to do so. Now he was asking if he was responsible for his brother and would be expected to be accountable for whatever had happened to him.
The Model Prayer of Jesus leads one to see a recognition that power and authority belong first and foremost to the heavenly Father. The self-focused requests point to an acknowledgement that daily needs must be met by the hands of the Father. At the same time we are responsible for and will be held accountable for the way we are willing to forgive those who have sinned against us.
The individual's use of power must be controlled by the understanding that all power ultimately resides in the hands of God. He has that power by virtue of his nature, who he is, and with that power comes the authority to use it. The power and authority that individuals seek to exercise are by permission only and will come under the divine judgment as he holds us responsible for what he has placed in our hands and will hold us accountable for their use.
Our freedom as individuals in general and as Christians in particular must be seen in this light. We are free to act but our freedom both in the present and in eternity is limited by the nature of God and we will be held accountable for digression from that nature. We can use our freedom to live and make decisions being guided by that nature or we can use our freedom to live contrary to it. Having the power to do either does not remove the fact that we are responsible for our actions and will be held accountable.
Therefore it is of critical importance that we understand the nature of God, his own power and authority, and the grounds by which he will hold his creation responsible for its actions. We will be held accountable. Making up our own sets of rules will never change God and his plan for his creation. He will declare the last judgment.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Bigger Than You and Me
Every Christian, not just your church pastor and other leaders, needs to ask this question of themselves on a regular basis, How big is the Kingdom I'm serving. The answer will say something about a person's ministry vision, perspective on resources, ultimate goals, and the level of dependency upon God. We sometimes say that a person's world extends no further than their personal needs. I dream of a Christian's arena of service being a lot bigger than that.
As individuals, as churches, and as associations and conventions we are often tempted by the desire to be in control of our world. Such control brings safety, security, and an enhanced sense of personal worth. There is nothing wrong with such qualities in our lives or institutions. The problem is what we determine will be the source of those qualities.
Way back when, a couple of people stood in front of a tree and decided that the world would be no bigger than what they could control. God said if that's your choice, so be it. Your world is out there. Go make the best of it if you are determined to go it alone. We've been paying the price ever since.
God calls us to see our world as being a lot bigger than ourselves. Then he calls us to see that we still can find safety, security, and personal value even if we are not in charge. We find it not in ourselves but in him. Failing to do that causes us to wander in the world trying to provide all this for ourselves and failing every time.
How big is the world of a Christian? It must be as big as the Kingdom of God. Who's in charge of that Kingdom? It is not we, folks. Our struggle lies in the fact that we must find what we want while acknowledging that it is God who is in control. When we maintain a perspective that gives the Kingdom of God the priority in all things, then we put God and his priorities where they are supposed to be, front and center, the focus of everything.
Keeping the Kingdom of God in its proper priority position forces the individual to see himself/herself as a servant, a citizen, a child before God the Creator. As such the dominant qualities in the individual become love for God and others, humility, a willingness to sacrifice self, a willingness to show honor to others above self, a desire to exalt others, a desire to serve others and see them reach their full potential, and a life-controlling desire to give all glory and praise to God.
A church that maintains a Kingdom of God perspective will see itself as a community nurturing its members to become salt, light, and leaven in the world for the glory of God. Such a church will encourage its members to discover, develop, and use their spiritual gifts to grow more Christlike and impact their world for the glory of God. This Kingdom-focused community seeks to multiply itself beyond its fields by sending forth its members not as members of its own family but as members of the Kingdom of God. Such a local family of God will never hold for itself what it knows will serve the greater needs of the Kingdom of which it is only a part.
Associations and conventions are not mandated by scripture. They exist out of the recognized need to accomplish more than what one congregation can accomplish alone. As such they exist first for the Kingdom of God and then to assist their members in carrying out their calling as members of the Kingdom of God. Resources should be used to help their members be the greatest possible members and contributors of the Kingdom. Vision should be maintained as a focus upon the Kingdom of God. Growth must be focused upon the Kingdom and not upon the organization. Sacrifice is just as much a part of the life of an association and a convention as it is for the local church and the individual Christian.
The Kingdom of God is bigger than any convention, association, local church, pastor, or individual Christian. Each of these must order their existence with that in mind. God is in control and must be the focus of all actions and the recipient of all glory. Anything less puts us all back in front of that tree and making the wrong decision.
As individuals, as churches, and as associations and conventions we are often tempted by the desire to be in control of our world. Such control brings safety, security, and an enhanced sense of personal worth. There is nothing wrong with such qualities in our lives or institutions. The problem is what we determine will be the source of those qualities.
Way back when, a couple of people stood in front of a tree and decided that the world would be no bigger than what they could control. God said if that's your choice, so be it. Your world is out there. Go make the best of it if you are determined to go it alone. We've been paying the price ever since.
God calls us to see our world as being a lot bigger than ourselves. Then he calls us to see that we still can find safety, security, and personal value even if we are not in charge. We find it not in ourselves but in him. Failing to do that causes us to wander in the world trying to provide all this for ourselves and failing every time.
How big is the world of a Christian? It must be as big as the Kingdom of God. Who's in charge of that Kingdom? It is not we, folks. Our struggle lies in the fact that we must find what we want while acknowledging that it is God who is in control. When we maintain a perspective that gives the Kingdom of God the priority in all things, then we put God and his priorities where they are supposed to be, front and center, the focus of everything.
Keeping the Kingdom of God in its proper priority position forces the individual to see himself/herself as a servant, a citizen, a child before God the Creator. As such the dominant qualities in the individual become love for God and others, humility, a willingness to sacrifice self, a willingness to show honor to others above self, a desire to exalt others, a desire to serve others and see them reach their full potential, and a life-controlling desire to give all glory and praise to God.
A church that maintains a Kingdom of God perspective will see itself as a community nurturing its members to become salt, light, and leaven in the world for the glory of God. Such a church will encourage its members to discover, develop, and use their spiritual gifts to grow more Christlike and impact their world for the glory of God. This Kingdom-focused community seeks to multiply itself beyond its fields by sending forth its members not as members of its own family but as members of the Kingdom of God. Such a local family of God will never hold for itself what it knows will serve the greater needs of the Kingdom of which it is only a part.
Associations and conventions are not mandated by scripture. They exist out of the recognized need to accomplish more than what one congregation can accomplish alone. As such they exist first for the Kingdom of God and then to assist their members in carrying out their calling as members of the Kingdom of God. Resources should be used to help their members be the greatest possible members and contributors of the Kingdom. Vision should be maintained as a focus upon the Kingdom of God. Growth must be focused upon the Kingdom and not upon the organization. Sacrifice is just as much a part of the life of an association and a convention as it is for the local church and the individual Christian.
The Kingdom of God is bigger than any convention, association, local church, pastor, or individual Christian. Each of these must order their existence with that in mind. God is in control and must be the focus of all actions and the recipient of all glory. Anything less puts us all back in front of that tree and making the wrong decision.
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