first, let me just tell you im still having to convince myself im not God.
and before i forget, my apologies for being so lazy in my posts... honestly i hate computers and the less time i can spend on them the better and with school being the way it is right now in this beautiful spring... yeah... you get the picture.
anyway, back to me being or not being God, i was reading the other day about applying the Gospel to our lives (i know im such a wonderful Christian) and something really jumped out at me. the author commented on how our perception of God impacts our walk through the way we believe God interacts with us. i began thinking about how i viewed God along with whether or not i really agreed with the above statement. ultimately, i think i do agree with that statement and as i thought more about how i viewed God - the God of love, the God of wrath - i realized that there really are serious implications drawn from my perception of the Almighty. it also occurred to me that because we are all going to create our own God in our own mind to some extent, that there really isnt much room for me to be critical of someone else's interpretation of the Gospel. obvioulsy i can offer my opinion and obviously i can speak against heresy, but i need to be extremely careful in how i define heresy and what my motivations are in calling that person out. and even this - this confrontation, this "calling a person out" - will be carried out in a manner reflective of my own perception of God and how i believe He would handle the situation as Christ here on earth.
so basically im advocating a state of mind that is a little more open than to what i'm traditionally been accustomed. in no way am i saying that i believe every interpretation is accurate or even acceptable, but i am saying that if we look close enough there is probably going to be some truth in the interpretation - no matter who it comes from.
when thinking of an open-mind, naturally i think of a child as they are typically the most care-free, knowledge hungry people around. if we, as adults, as teenagers, as whatever we are, can somehow maintain this open-mindedness we will actually challenge what we believe; we will listen to others rather than jump to conclusions; we will no longer see demons in the interpretations of others; we will no longer be content to side with people simply because they agree with us. i believe this to be true because i believe that an open mind shifts the focus away from us and back to Him. i mean, who really cares if people agree with us and our own theology? we do. and a step further, can theology save us? _____ . you fill in the blank. in my mind these thoughts are selfish and stem from a perception of God that is at its core completely inaccurate. our God is a God of love. we all know that. but do we really believe it?
all of these thoughts have also changed my view of the church. when thinking of the church, i now think of a community of faith where people are joined together to worship one name - and here is the change - and hold one another accountable through and by their own faith in the enduring love of the Father. and as i read that it seems like there is a little too much emphasis on us, but what im trying to communicate is that through all of our different interpretations and different levels of faith, we are able to see God on a much larger scale than we ever would have alone. this is a change in thinking because ive always thought of the church as the body that comes together between walls and behind doors with everyone sharing the same biblical principles, ideas of God, understanding of Scripture, and knowledge of reformed doctrine. but this isnt the church. this isnt the church at all. God cannot be limited to one definition because He is the definition - He defines us! but when we look at Him alone, apart from our family, we inevitably limit Him as consequence of our own interpretation through our self guided eye. the church does not exist to create a mission; the church exists because there is a mission. our church extends far beyond the walls and doors of some agreed doctrine or theology. we are part of a community of faith that works together for a greater understanding and a greater image of God - one that we will never be able to fully comprehend which actually gives me such an overwhelming peace. i mean, what if we knew exactly the depth and density of our King? i really dont think we could handle it.
so as we everyday seek the Kingdom of God, (the protector, the lover, the just, the gracious, the merciful, the omnipotent, the whatever it is we see...) lets all take a second to examine our own interpretation of God. lets forget about ourselves and lets see how we believe He interacts with us. then, and this gets tricky, lets actually listen to those around us. i think we'll be humbled.
(which is of course always a good thing here.)
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1 comment:
Dane:
Great post.
God is bigger than the PCA and Reformed Theology and recognizing Christian brothers and sisters in differing traditions and honoring them as such takes Christian maturity. It is even more difficult when you understand that theology (orthodoxy)shapes how you walk and live(orthopraxy).
The hardest part comes when you are called to love those who are heretics and nonbelievers. There will come times when you have to distance yourselves from those who claim the knowledge of Christ but in reality profane the truths revealed in the Scriptures, in order to, in love, call them to the truths of the God revealed in the Scripture. You will have to call them out.
One of the biggest questions you will ask in your Christian walk is "Why?" You will come across those whose walk with Christ you admire, and who you would like to emulate. And the question of "why" will hit you. Why do I, or should I, believe one doctrine of the faith from this tradition over another?
The easy answer to that question, and the lazy answer, is "because it feels right to me" (emotional) or "works for him" (practical). The hard answer is to study and understand the doctrine (orthodoxy) AND its impact on how you live (orthopraxy) if you are faithful to it.
God bless.
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