Apart from it being historically proven that such utopianism in thinking tends to create tyrannical leadership gripped by a specific ideologue that they believe to be "THE TRUTH" which they fully understand [and few others do] and their "TRUTH" is used, all too often, to control the members of that particular group... no problem at all.
Except that the scriptures seem to indicate something totally different than that kind of idealism. You can't read passages like 1 Corinthians 12:22-27 and come away with a concept that the ideal spoken of by the above mentioned utopian thinkers will be found in reality in the Church today or was ever intended to be. It may very well be that the ability to lovingly, with grace, RELATE to those who ARE broken and flawed in some fashion and ARE far less than ANY ideal relating to humankind, is more what God is about in growing the Church today than many seem to understand.
The Church is NOT in the consummation stage at present. It's still in the construction stage and things tend to get dirty, broken, sweaty and painful often times in the construction of anything worthwhile. Besides, the people being redeemed and brought in by the Holy Spirit completely baptized [identified] by Him into the ever growing Body of Christ called the Church are people that ARE broken, dirty and in need of a whole lot.
Someone has said that we all are on a continuum of His construction in grace anyway. [Consisting of a sequence of variations] Think of a line starting with 0 and continuing to the end seen as 10. Some are just past the starting point 0, some are well past 0, some are very close to 8 or 9, but no one is at 10 and no one is at the same point as some or all others. But your point on the continuum does not measure your spirituality. It only measures your experience and understanding of the relational grace you live in with the God of Grace. The EVIDENCE you are AWARE of what true grace IS may very well be your ability and willingness to bestow grace rather than judgment upon people REGARDLESS of their place on the continuum.
As you can guess the last paragraph of this essay makes null and void any supposed legitimacy of the first paragraph of this essay.
I rest my case.
4 comments:
Paul,
Would I have persevered for more than sixty of my seventy-five years if I had understood that "5" is only a dream, but "10" is still ????
"....your point on the continuum does not measure your spirituality. It only measures your experience and understanding of the relational grace you live in with the God of Grace".
Yesterday,my wife and I were listening to André Rieu's orchestra playing 'Amazing Grace' as the hundreds who were the audience sang the words.
I commented, "If only they really understood what they are actually singing."
"The EVIDENCE you are AWARE of what true grace IS may very well be your ability and willingness to bestow grace rather than judgment upon people REGARDLESS of their place on the continuum."
You are so right!
I am thoroughly convinced that this is the problem with the intellectualized old covenant based ideals of "church" which surrounds us today.
Aussie J,
A very good response. Your insights and practical sayings are sheer delight to read. Thanks.
My goodness, I could write more in a response than I have room in my computer. But I'll say this:
Oswald Chambers said that the beatitudes aren't standards we're supposed to live up to, but rather road signs that tell us whether the Holy Spirit is having His way with us. And I believe that.
As I tell my Sunday School class, the things we're instructed in, within scripture, describe the abundant life if we will do as He says. I don't think God is mad at us when we neglect a particular thing, but rather disappointed that we may miss out on some point of abundance He had to offer in the situation. Such things as a soft answer turning away wrath which leads to a better friendship, or apoligizing for a wrong and finding a better friend in the process, hold out such hope for someone who just doesn't want to settle for anything less than what God has in mind.
It's been said that when you settle for less than what God makes available for you, you'll get even less than you settled for. I don't want to be on the wrong end of those decisions.
I don't think I explained it very well, but ....
Bob,
I think you've said it rather well. And, what I'm hearing you say is, "God isn't in the business of getting us to "DO" right as much as bringing us into "being" the kind of people who "relate" well. That's the Covenant [Old vrs New] difference in "doing" and "being."
Sometimes we even find our honesty about our own failure to "do" enhances our "being" humble, understanding, empathetic, forgiving and accepting.
Thanks.
Post a Comment