William Gurnall wrote:
Indeed there is no duty in the Christian's whole course of
walking with God, or acting for God but is lined with many difficulties, which
shoot like enemies through the hedges at him, while he is marching towards
heaven: so that he is put to dispute every inch of ground as he goes. Gurnall, William (2010-04-09). The Christian in Complete Armour (Complete
& Unabridged) - The Ultimate Book on Spiritual Warfare (Kindle Locations
125-127). . Kindle Edition.
This is how things looked to Gurnall – way back then. It seems it’s not so much the case today – is
it? Let me ask you (and myself), “What’s so tough
about being a Christian today? “
Now, if your thoughts fly to the political, social and
cultural – well, you have a point. But
what concerns me is that the political, social and cultural stuff is not the
point – nor the problem.
Consider:
Sin moves by drawing the mind away from God, enticing the
affections and twisting desires and paralyzing the will, thus stunting any real
Christian growth. One of the most frightening truths that Owen
wants the believer to recognize is that “Your enemy is not only upon you . . .
but is in you also.” Part of
understanding the battle against sin is seeing that the enemy, so to speak, is
not only external, but internal, which is why Christians often have conflicting
desires within them. Owen, John; Kelly M. Kapic; Justin
Taylor; John Piper (2006-10-16). Overcoming Sin and Temptation (p. 27). Good
News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.
This is a critical point we must grasp. Sanctification is about us, individually. Our battle starts within and though we remove
ourselves far from the world and the devil, sin goes where we go. Could it be that as the world (and the
church) church has compromised the truth and the duty of the believer we are
more inured to, more callous about and less sensitive to sin? Are we allowing a cloak of worldliness to
fall around our shoulders? Are we comfortable
with a certain amount of impurity mixed with the gold?
I really think we are.
I believe that we have grown shallow or we have remained so callow in
our faith that unless it’s grossly rejected by “most people,” we don’t see it
as much of a sin. I am reminded of a
lesson I heard on the 10 Commandments. When
the speaker got to the tenth he simply said that this included, “Not even
wanting to do the first nine.” The first
commandment is all about God the last is all about “me, mine, I.”
I believe that we have been become so calloused that sin has
little meaning. And yet sin – especially
covetousness permeates our culture. The “American
Dream” has morphed into a deadly and pernicious virus clouding our judgments
and hindering our sensitivity. We have succumbed
to the “more, bigger, better” lies as well as the “got to’s” of marketing. I know, I used to swim in it where now I
simply wade in it. We have been fooled
into accepting, however unconsciously, that what we have (or don’t have), where
we go (or don’t go) is a measure of our value and the all of our meaning.
We have ceased to be in and not of the world. Perhaps it’s time for an Exodus? But if we don’t see or feel the slavery we
live in why would we want to leave?
Unfortunately I fear that until we experience our Pharaoh who knows not
Joseph we will not want to leave.
This is not something new.
We can identify great men and women of faith in history but we find few “peoples”
of faith. We revel in reading of
Spurgeon and Owen and Gurnall but they are stellar singularities in the
Christian sky. We seem to think that
just “accepting Jesus” (an utterly unbiblical concept) puts us on the right
side of the fence. We are, of course,
wrong.
How sensitive are you to sin? How deeply does it pain you to discover
it? What are those sins that trouble
you? Are they biggies? Would you refuse to steal the car of your
dreams but not be bothered when you envy someone who owns one? Would you refuse to steal money to have more,
bigger, better but scowl at someone who had it?
How much tribulation, sorrow and hunger (spiritually or
physically) do we really suffer? How
much are we really persecuted or rejected?
When was the last time you really examined yourself? When was the last time you were moved to
repentance. Mine was just about five
minutes ago – but then writing this makes me more sensitive than I was an hour
ago.
We are indeed like the church of Laodicea. We are neither hot nor cold – BUT we are
comfortable – aren’t we. Tolerance, as
the world defines it is a sin. But
intolerance as demonstrated by the “church” may be just as big a sin. When my intolerance is focused more outwardly
than inwardly, I believe it is a sin. “The
Joneses” won’t have to answer to me; I won’t have to answer to “the Joneses but
we will both have to answer to God. So why
am I so consumed with what they are doing instead of what I am or am not doing?
Yeah – I’m back on the old “log and speck” thing. For me, the sins of another are as important
as specks. There is nothing I can do
about them and little they can do to me.
My “log’ on the other hand can kill me or get me killed. It obscures my vision, impairs my judgment and
hinders my right actions. It is very
important as it affects me and my walk with Him.
We are called to be holy.
We are called to learn and live righteousness. We are not called to do these things in
comparison to others but in comparison to God.
Yes, we are redeemed from our failure, our rebellion but the call to
holiness is not diminished, the expectation of our focus and efforts is not
weakened. We are to be growing in
righteousness not wallowing in comfort and complacency.
This “walk” we are called to, this growth in righteousness
can never be comfortable. Therefore I
have to wonder, if we are indeed comfortable, are we even walking the Way? If we are troubled by the sins of the world
are we troubles by our own? Which of the
two is our priority? We all know which
one should be. But no one wants to repent
of stuff that others find no problem with.
Huh?
OK, let’s take TV.
Let a mother and father come under a conviction that TV is more bad than
good and that what is offered as entertainment on it is not something they want
in their home and then let them share with others this conviction and they are immediately
seen as, well, weird. Let a group of
believers come under conviction that owning property and a building is not as
good stewardship as many think and they become, well, weird. Let someone decide that bowing to “fashion,”
or ‘convention,” in matters of dress and they are, well, weird.
Now a tough question.
Has not this complacency, this callousness concerning sin caused our
weaker brothers and sisters to stumble?
Where we are tolerant do we not teach a bad lesson? Where we are speck focused, are we not laying
trip-wires? Has our attitude of, “it’s
not a big sin,” not muddied all the waters?
Hasn’t our failure to teach biblical self-examination and the
mortification of sin left many many believers ill-equipped to live the live
they are called to?
Perhaps we need to be convicted of our insensitivity to
conviction. We want to be “better” Christians
when perhaps we ought to realize that it is only in Christ we are Christians at
all. What is an acceptable level of sin
to you? Yes, it is forgiven – but our
liberty cannot be a license for liberality.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and
contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Psa 51:17
When did we last cry out for God to break “our’ spirit and
make “our” heart broken and contrite?
How about this as a thrice daily prayer:
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
(24) And see if there be any
grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! Psa 139:23-24
I fear that
if we are not somehow turned to be consumed with our sin we will be consumed by
it. I fear that if we are not obsessed
with righteousness we will be continue to be obsessed with comfort and
complacency. I fear that until we are
willing to face the shame of our sin we will not fully appreciate the shame He
bore for our sin.
As obedient children, do not be
conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is
holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You
shall be holy, for I am holy." And
if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's
deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing
that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers,
not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood
of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 1Pe 1:14-19
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