Month: October 2017

Slashing the Mona Lisa

… among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.  (Eph 2:3)

Father, I sin.  And I sin because my heart is sinful.  Have mercy on me.

Our family is in a hectic life stage. Most days we have five people who have to be in five different locations at the same time. We just got a third car to help with the craziness, but even so, we still have to have a family meeting most nights in order to sort out who gets which car and who drops off whom the next day. These meetings are an interesting dynamic to watch. I notice that my insides want a car for myself and sometimes I’m fighting for it.

I work out of the home, and sometimes my kids or wife come back to my office to discuss some issue or ask me to settle a dispute they have. I love my kids, but when I’m focused on my work, the last thing I want is to enter into a dispute between high school students over who gets the computer. Too often when they come, I put them off and quickly send them out. I have other things to do, you know.

I struggle with letting go of money and possessions. I too often want to argue just to show that I am right. I have been slow to stand for righteousness because I have been afraid of what others might think. I could go on.

I share these things about myself to illustrate my own heart. If I am going to talk about sin, I must begin with myself. That’s how God wants it. I’m willing to guess, however, that my petty, demanding attitudes, my greeds, my lusts, my fears — that none of this surprises you. If the truth be known, you know many people like me. In fact, if you’re honest with yourself, my description probably hits a little too close to home. Maybe your issues are different from mine, but you have your issues and I have mine.

Now, each of these issues is an example of what Scripture calls sin, and the heart I have described for you — my own heart — illustrates the central doctrine of depravity. As followers of Jesus, we know not only that we sin but also that, apart from Christ, we are slaves to sin. We sin by nature. We can’t overcome it. Our wiring has gone bad.

This teaching can be a tough pill to swallow, for I do not particularly enjoy thinking of myself as inherently evil, and yet, when I take an honest look at my heart, I must confess it is so. Apart from Christ, my heart is selfish. The doctrine of depravity describes me perfectly.

When I look at history, I find that the doctrine of depravity is illustrated a million times over. It begins with the earliest written records and continues without break right up to this morning’s news.

When I look at a baby, I see someone entirely focused on self. Feed me. Change me. Burp me. Me. Me. Me. I’m not sure we get any more innocent than a newborn, but I am certain that that “innocent” newborn is not so innocent as we think.

When I look at a small boy, I find that he does not naturally share his toys. The default words of choice for a two-year-old are “mine” and “no.” Human beings have a bent toward sin. As a pig runs to the mud so do we run to our selfish desires, and we are born that way. We do not have to learn it.

Men involved in pornography are enslaved to sin. Women who give more thought to their clothing than to their character are enslaved to sin. The man with a temper and the woman who manipulates are enslaved to sin. We do all these things and more without even thinking about them. They just come naturally.

Depravity is central to the Scriptural teaching about the human condition, but it is often misunderstood. Let’s try to clear up some misunderstandings.

First, depravity does not mean that everyone struggles with exactly the same sins. I am not you. Some sins certainly are rather common, like lust or greed, but other sins like excessive fear or anger, may be tied more to our personalities.

Second, depravity does not negate the influence of culture. Every culture encourages sin of some sort. My own culture rather blatantly promotes sexual sin and individualistic pride, among other things. Sometimes people use this fact to mitigate depravity. They say that the real culprit is not us but the society we live in. We sin because we were taught to sin, not because we were born that way.

This will not do. The presence of sinful influences in our cultures does not negate the presence of sin in our hearts. We are sinful people and we live in sinful cultures. Our cultures are nothing more than the collective values, beliefs and practices of a group of people. Cultures do not pop into existence willy nilly. People create them. And when people create them, they create them to fit their values, beliefs and practices. Sinful cultures exist because sinful people exist. The existence of sinful cultures does not mitigate depravity. If anything, it almost proves it.

Third, depravity does not absolve us of our responsibility. Sometimes people ask “Do we sin because we choose to sin? Or do we sin because we are wired to sin?” The answer is “yes.” When we sin, we have fully chosen it, and we have fully chosen it because it reflects our natural state. People make choices in accordance with their nature. Did you eat that fudge because you chose to? Or because you naturally like chocolate? Those aren’t mutually exclusive options.

Fourth, depravity does not legitimize sin. People are born with sin tendencies, but the sin is still sin. You can’t say, “I was born that way” and use it as an excuse. Let me illustrate. People born with higher levels of testosterone tend to be more violent, but their DNA doesn’t excuse their violence. Violence is sin, even if you were born that way. Alcoholism seems to have a biochemical base. People are born with a higher susceptibility to alcohol addiction, but their birth doesn’t excuse their alcoholism. Alcoholism is sin, even if you were born that way. A hot temper, gluttony, gambling, lust, and homosexuality appear to have physiological influences. But the influences do not excuse the sin. In fact, I would not be surprised if all sin had some sort of “I was born that way” element. We are so sinful that it is in our DNA. This is depravity.

Fifth, depravity does not mean that people never do nice things. People can still help their neighbors, give to the poor, and clean up their school. Parents still love their children and employers can try to be fair. We are still created in the image of God. That image entails many different things, but one of those things is that we often want to do what is right. The problem, however, is that the image is tainted. Often when we help our neighbors, we are looking for a favor in return. I’ll scratch your back, you scratch mine. Often when we give to the poor, we want to be noticed. “My, what a sweet girl Shanna is.” Sometimes we give to the church in order to ease our consciences. Kevin dishonors his parents, but if he gives some money, perhaps he can feel better about himself. Sometimes a man will volunteer to clean up the city park because a girl he likes is going to be there. And the girl may be there because her friends are there. And the friends may be there because it is required for a class. Often we do the right thing grudgingly. We obey laws because we’re afraid we’ll be caught. On we could go. I mention these examples not to deny real kindness, but to be realistic about life. In God’s sight, an action is more than an action. Much of what we would call kindness, He would call duplicity. Genuine kindness is much rarer than we think.

 

Now up to this point, I have tried to describe mostly what depravity is and is not. It is now time to talk about its spiritual consequences.

Depravity blinds us. Most people understand that alcoholics often suffer from denial. So do workaholics and men addicted to pornography. It is easier to see the selfishness in your neighbor than in yourself. When you try to tell a manipulative woman about her manipulation, nine times out of ten, she will have no idea what you are talking about. Arrogant people do not generally consider themselves arrogant, and bitter people are usually justified in their own minds. I remember talking to a man who had turned his job into his god. I might as well have been talking to a brick. No doubt, you have had similar experiences. People do not want to see their sin. Sometimes you and I see their sin quite plainly, but most of the time, they think we’re wacked out.

This fact should sober us, for what happens when the shoe is on the other foot? I wonder how often we behave just like these other people. We see their sin just fine, but when it comes to our own sin, are we any better than they? This is a crucial question because when we stand before God, He is not going to be interested in how well we spotted Sally’s snootiness. I’m afraid we’ll have our hands full with our own sin. The subject of sin must get personal. We are more sinful than we know. One of the symptoms of depravity is spiritual blindness. The closer we get to God, the more we see our sin.

My mentor was a man named Mr. Tok. He was ninety-seven when he died, and he and I would talk on the phone several times a year. At the end of his life, His mind was as sharp as it had ever been, and the love of God shone from him, and yet he still talked frequently about his own sinful nature, even after walking with God for more than 70 years. The closer he got to God, the clearer his own sin became. When we see people who genuinely confess their sin, we see humility and honesty. God likes that. He doesn’t care much for the crowds who think themselves decent enough. He sees through our guises straight to the heart.

Depravity makes us filthy before God and brings His anger. Our good deeds are dirty rags to God (Is 64:6). Jesus would not entrust himself to people, for He knew what was in their hearts. (Jn 2:24-5) Here is how He describes us. “What comes out of a man is what makes him unclean. For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.” (Mk 7: 20-23)

Depravity brings God’s anger. God does not laugh off our sin and say, “Oh well. Boys will be boys.” Our sin is quite offensive to Him, for we defile perhaps His most beautiful creation — ourselves.

We are a work of art that puts to shame the Sistine Chapel or the Mona Lisa. We are created to be sons and daughters of the Most High. When we sin, it is like spraying graffiti all over the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It is like taking a knife and slashing the Mona Lisa to shreds. It is like raping a daughter so that she can no longer relate properly to her father. We do these things to ourselves, and God is rightly offended by it. We have with our sin destroyed an unspeakably beautiful and valuable thing.

Anger and value go together. Suppose I intentionally step on your plastic toy car. You may be rightfully upset with me, but you’ll get over it. Now suppose I intentionally slash the tires of your Mercedes and pour sand in the radiator so that the engine burns up. You are now quite ticked with me. If I then beat your son until he is bound to a wheelchair, your anger knows no bounds.

The extent of your anger depends on how much you value what I destroy. God is unspeakably angry with us because we have destroyed something of unspeakable worth. The wrath of God is an expression of the great worth of a human soul. People who think that God displays no wrath imply that the defilement of a human soul is no big deal. “Why should God get all torqued out over that?” They may say that they have a high view of the human race, but they have a much lower view than God does.

The follower of Jesus sees the human soul as more valuable than any other earthly thing, but the follower of Jesus also sees the human soul as dirtier and more debased than any other earthly thing. We are the most valuable creation, but we are corrupted. This is why our sin is such a great tragedy. To be realistic, we must see both of these truths, not just one of them.

Our depravity rightly brings God’s wrath, but it also highlights God’s mercy. When jewelers show off diamonds, they often do so on a black velvet background. The darker the background, the more the diamond shines. Our depravity is the background that highlights God’s mercy. The darker we are, the greater He shines. The forgiveness of God is deeper than my sin. When I see how deeply broken I am, I marvel at how wonderfully merciful He is. Too many church people do not know how glorious God is because they do not see how weak and ugly they are. They deny their depravity, and in doing so, they miss the glory of God. They are too strong for that. Those who have been forgiven much, love much, but those who have been forgiven little, love little.

 

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Spiritual Laziness

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  (Ph 3:13-14)

Father, Please do not let me by so distracted by earthly pleasures that I fail to pursue you.  And please do not let me use your grace as an excuse to cease pursuing you.  I want you.  And I want you even if that means difficulty. 

Claude would not study. He would watch TV. He would stay up late at night and drink. He would sleep in during the day and skip class. But he would not do any work. For Claude, college life centered on having fun, and he did what he could to have his share of fun. I don’t even know what his major was, but I know this. He didn’t learn much about it. Claude lasted one year before he had to drop out.

When it comes to knowing God, this world is full of Claudes. We will spend all day studying chemistry and engineering or working a full time job. We will watch movies, surf social media, or listen to Spotify. We will go to basketball games, plays or concerts. But we will not work at knowing God.

Knowing God is hard work, and many people know little of God because they do not want to put in the commitment. You understand the principle. The athlete who never trains, never improves. No pain, no gain, we say. So it is with God.

Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying that our righteousness with God depends upon our work. Our righteousness is a matter of grace. Our effort does not earn us a place in heaven. Only our faith in the work of Christ can do that. But if we have real faith, we want to know God, and if we are to know God, we shall have to give Him our time and make Him a priority. It’s like a marriage. Imagine a husband and wife who lived separate lives and then complained that they didn’t really know one another. Kind of silly, isn’t it? You see, the business of marriage requires work. And commitment. And Scripture says that marriage is a picture of Christ and the church (Eph 5:32).

Listen. One of the biggest reasons why people do not know God is that they do not want to invest their life in knowing God. Our spiritual laziness limits what we can know. We do not want to work in the Scriptures, so we content ourselves with Scripture sound bites. We do not exert our souls in real prayer but content ourselves with the forms of prayer. We fall short of obedience because it can be strenuous.

If we are to learn of God we must commit to the Scriptures. The Bible is our primary source of information about God. If we ignore it, we will not know God. Many people who have never read the Bible think they know what it says. Or what it should say. And many who would call themselves Christians give the Bible just a cursory look. To learn from the Scriptures demands an open heart, diligence, discipline, persistence and a willingness to obey. As we work at understanding God’s truth, God rewards us; but if we take it easy in learning the Bible, God will take it easy in revealing Himself to us. Students of any book get out of it what they put into it. The Bible is no different. Many know little of God because they will not do the work of seeking Him in the Scriptures.

If we are to learn of God, we must pray with faith and urgency. Prayer is not a form letter. We must compose our communication fresh each time, even if we are praying for the same request for fifty years. Too many grind out form letters and think they are praying, but form letter praying does not teach us how to talk to God. Real prayer exerts great spiritual energy and is among the hardest work a soul can do. It requires the soul to focus and to do so sometimes amidst great spiritual opposition and distraction. Many never learn real prayer because form praying is so much easier. It gives all the packaging of prayer without the essence. We do not pray real prayers because often we are spiritually too lazy. We do not learn to listen to God because it takes work to be still. We do not learn to talk to God because we replace real talk with a list. We do not see the inner secrets and deep joys of God because we do not want to invest the energy to get close. Intimacy requires sacrifice.

If we are to learn of God, we must take obedience seriously. Obedience is not easy. When Jesus obeyed, He had nails driven through His hands and feet. God will ask you to do things you do not want to do. When He does, your response will take you in one of two directions on the path of knowing Him. You will go backward or forward. Many know little of God because they keep going backward when it is time to apply. They want to stay in the classroom and never go to the field. They want it easy, and because they want it easy, they limit what they can know.

God has given us abilities to know Him, but those abilities need to be used. If we choose not to pursue God, we will not know Him. If we choose to pursue Him half-heartedly, we will know Him half-heartedly. He who seeks finds. No one learns computer programming by watching football. What makes us think we will learn of God when we invest our time and efforts in other pursuits? Would you like to know God? Pursue Him. One of the great problems we have in knowing God is that we will not work at pursuing Him. We have these wonderful inherent capacities for discerning God but never use them for that end. It is like trying to pick up a radio station without turning on the radio. We are sometimes silly people.

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