To begin with the question is loaded with implications of
guilt – i.e. “have you stopped sinning yet?”
If so, then perhaps you are deluding yourself with your “supposed”
perfection and are therefore doomed to discover your sins after it is too late
to do anything about them. If not, then
what the heck is wrong with you, don’t you know there will be no sinning in
heaven. Either way, no win.
Those Christians who are assured they will be saved by the
grace of Christ are free to answer a resounding yes … at least orally. But then a strange phenomenon sets in, they
realize that while “saved” they remain sinners who continue to sin – seems to
counteract the idea of readiness. Those
Christians who believe that the accumulation of all their good deeds proves
that they have faith, and therefore they deserve to go to heaven – experience
the same deep dark reality as the former group – they remain sinners who
continue to commit sins. Both groups may
ask for and get forgiveness, but that has not changed the pattern of sin in
their lives as yet.
The basic problem with Christians “getting ready” is that
the question makes NO sense when salvation is understood properly. It is like smelling the color green, or
tasting the number nine, it does not make sense. Salvation is a gift. How does one prepare for a gift (something
they do not deserve, but are given anyway)?
How do you prepare to be perfect, before you even enter the process of
making you perfect. It is like George
Carlin’s famous analysis of the silly term “Preboarding” in airline jargan –
“how do I get on, before I get on?”
What the question really is asking is … are you “ready” for
heaven, not salvation. And again how
could a mortal in this world ever really know the answer to that question? Ready may imply forgiven to some, but may
imply perfection to others. At some
point in the Christian experience forgiveness is not enough, what is really
desired is reform. A change in behaviors
that result from a true change in the heart and mind, as only Christ can
recreate within this pitiful form.
Rebirth is more than analogy, it is a statement of the death of the old,
the carnal, and the full of pain – to be reborn into joy, into intimacy, and
into love.
Understanding the nature of evil makes one want to avoid
it. No-one truly likes inflicting pain
on themselves and everyone who cares about them. Understanding further that you CANNOT end
evil in your own life, that only Christ can, means you need to daily surrender
your will, your perceived control, your very character into the loving hands of
He who can recreate you and eliminate the pain you have fostered all your
life. Experiencing this is life changing. It is personal, meaningful, and real. You cannot help but become someone new, and
someone better.
But even in the success of seeing Christ eliminate sin in
your life, comes the temptations the evil one has prepared for the few that
begin to find their way back to God in the here and now. Remember Peter, who during a storm on the sea
at night, while terrified they were seeing a ghost, called out to Jesus who was
walking on the water towards the boat at the time. He asked Him if it were truly Jesus, to call
himself out to meet him on the water as well.
Peter reasoned if this were truly Jesus he would have no problems. He probably also reasoned that this honor for
exercising his faith in his relationship would accord him more respect among
his peers. So out of the boat he went
walking on the water just like his Lord.
Peter had experienced interaction with the divine. He was living, breathing, and walking on
water just like Jesus. And immediately
human nature kicked in and he turned around to look at the guys still in the
boat. I’m sure he was thinking “look at
me”. Peter was proud of where divinity
had led him. He might have even thought
that this was some sort of gift or ability Jesus had granted him because of his
faith. But no matter. Immediately down he went. And his first thought became once again
centered back on Christ as he utters, Save me lord.
Jesus was still right there.
He called Peter out the first time.
He knew what would happen. And He
watched it all take place. He allowed
Peter the freedom to choose to center his thoughts back on himself, instead of
remain fixed on the source of the miracle.
Had he remained focused on his Lord, Peter would have remained above the
surface. Jesus does immediately pull him
up again, and brings him into the boat whereupon the storm disappears. Peter is both wet and amazed. But the lesson is for more than just
Peter. It is for us.
When we begin to experience the relief of long held sins in
our lives, when we finally get to experience the joy from the lack of pain; we
are tempted to turn inwards rather than remain focused on the source of our own
miracles. We are tempted to feel pride
over our victories even though we know we had nothing to do with them. Christ alone is the source of any victory in
our lives, but we tend to want to process the credit differently than it is
deserved.
We want to share some of the glory in our victories. As if we had something to do with it. Even if it is just to say because of our
great faith, we were able to surrender and overcome. Or perhaps because of our perseverance with
the Lord, praying for victory until He finally heard our prayers and took the
bad thing away. But faith is also a
gift, nothing we can credit in ourselves.
Perseverance too comes from the Lord, as do ALL good things. We originate nothing good. We are rotten trees growing rotten fruit, we
must be made new, before our fruit begins to be edible.
Just like Peter, we turn away from Jesus, and begin looking
at our brothers in the faith. Just like
Peter we take for granted the gift of freedom from sin we were granted, and
assume it may be some new ability Jesus gave us. And all too often as a result, just like
Peter, we sink right back into the same sinful waters we were just pulled up
out of. Lack of focus on Christ is a
recipe for seeing the bottom of the sin ocean.
Pride in victory and accomplishment we did not even have any part of, is
blasphemy, arrogance, and of course pride the mother of all sins and precursor
to a fall. What is required to avoid
this cycle is vigilant humility. And we
need not fall into dark waters and like Peter become publicly embarrassed to
achieve real humility.
There are some things about your relationship with God that
are allowed to be a secret between you and Him.
This is one of them. You do not
need to go around the church announcing your victories over your various sins
as you begin to experience them. You can
praise your God in secret for the work He is doing in you. It is best to remember that this work is
probably not complete just because 1,2, or 3 things are gone. We are all plagued with a massive level of
sin disease that infects us in many ways, some of which we do not even
consciously recognize. This work may
continue for some time, probably longer than you expected, and surely longer
than you would have wanted. Remaining
quiet and humble about it, will only make it easier for you over the long
run. The Lord rewards secret prayers,
and this is something deeply personal between you and Him.
Remain a humble sinner to your brothers in faith. And share only that the source of removing
pain is surrender to God’s will, giving up control, and trusting in His
mercy. Over time the changes will become
self evident, and your brothers will want to know why and how you could be so different. It is important when asked these questions
that you remain humble, take no credit, and direct them to the source of
light. Do not turn around for a second
to answer their questions, or to preach to them, or to teach them – instead
point them to the source while keeping your own eyes fixed on it. You have no power, but God has more than
enough for everyone who seeks Him.
At the end of this process is perfection in Christ, because
of Christ, through Christ. At the end of
this process is your life saved from evil, reconciled to intimacy with a loving
personal God, who performed a unique work, to save your unique life. A story you will never tire of repeating in
the city that lives forever. This is the
secret to the power of our shared beliefs.
It is not that we are given super human powers, or abilities, or even
victories over evil – but it is that we can be vessels for all these things as
we yield up our wills and allow God the control He seeks in our lives to make
them better. This is the power of a
Creator God. It is personal, available
and real. I cannot conceive why anyone
would choose to remain in pain, when there is such a clear and distinctly
better alternative at the ready…
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