In Pursuit of Truth (2)

Yesterday we went to the Expo that usually precedes the Momentum 94.7km Cycle Race in Johannesburg, and WOW!! So many things to see, so little time to get to all of it. As we’re walking through the Expo, you can feel the excitement building up inside… the race is a mere day away!! We just can’t wait to get on those bikes and experience the city of Johannesburg from a completely new and different perspective, to share these moments with the most precious person in one’s life. God is good!

Today we will take the first steps of our journey in the pursuit of Truth. Today we venture to SEE what exactly the Father’s Gift entails…

Once upon a time, a father gave his son the most precious gift; it had been advertised all over and kids all over dreamed of this special gift. The son was excited beyond measure about the gift and thanked the father profusely! The child went outside to play with this special gift and the father watched with a tender heart how this gift brought boundless joy to his son. After a short while the son stormed into the house with tear streaked cheeks, begging the father to please tell him how much this gift had cost. The father’s reply was only a baffled stare. The child continued to cry without end and beg to know exactly what it is that he could do in order to receive this gift. To say the least, the father was dumb-struck. He tried to explain to his son that it was a GIFT, it was his free of charge and that no compensation was expected. The father tried to explain that he only wanted his son to be grateful and enjoy the gift. Yet, the boy still continued to cry and ask the father for ways in which he could EARN this gift…

This story is yours and mine. God gave us the most precious gift: His Son, yet we struggle to accept this gift. At first, after salvation, we bask in our new found Love and Life and then we are reminded of where we come from and exactly how undeserving we are of this precious gift… Then we start to beg of the Father for ways in which to please Him, just so that we can EARN this special gift He had already given us… What’s wrong with this picture?!!

After the ‘honeymoon’ phase in our Christian walk has waned, we are left so much to DO. We realise that we are supposed to act differently now and display the character of Christ. We read countless books on how to train ourselves into new behavioural patterns and try our best at being GOOD and doing GOOD. And off course there is always the fear of ending up in Hell to speed up the ‘transformation process’ in bringing forth good fruit. Does this sound familiar?

We say thank you for the great gift of Christ, then we shift Him completely out of the picture and attempt to do the impossible: do what only Christ can do. It is only in and through Christ that transformation takes place. Wasn’t the cross enough to save? Do we really think that human effort can add anything to what Christ had already accomplished? Then we go on to justify our way of thinking, quoting the one verse after the other with their dos and don’ts. We validate our efforts by citing Scriptures from the New Testament, spelling out ‘rules to live by’. UNFORTUNATELY, IN OUR EFFORT TO FOCUS ON CERTAIN PORTIONS, WE MISSED OUT ON THE WHOLE!!!

Let’s have a look at some practical examples from the book of Ephesians:

Ephesians 4:29 Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God's favor) to those who hear it.

When I read this with my usual morning devotions, I am reminded to keep myself in check. I remind myself that I am a new creation in Christ – therefore I should not use any foul language or gossip about others. Unfortunately my drive to the office starts out with a massive traffic jam… there goes all my good intentions! At first I’m furious at every idiot on the road and then I proceed to tell them how unfortunate their birth was to the rest of the world population. After a while I am reminded of this morning’s portion of Scripture and I cringe. I feel so guilty, because Paul continued to say the following in the just the next verse:

Ephesians 5:8 For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [lead the lives of those native-born to the Light].

Okay, I’m dead meat! I disappointed God and I’m staring out my office window, waiting for that bolt of lightning to hit. Then it suddenly dawns on me: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!! Because Paul went on to say:

Ephesians 6:12-13 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (13) Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.

My dear friends, if this is how we interpret Scripture, it is no wonder we are exhausted and over worked. We try and we try, yet to no avail. We never seem to reach that place where we are the righteousness of God. Where is that life of abundance (John 10:10)? Through our many failed efforts it is clear that we cannot save / change ourselves… How then does this work?

Soon we will continue in our pursuit of Truth and we will look at these portions of Scripture again, but from a place where our religious traditions of the past play no role. We won’t interpret Scripture from the perspective of a certain opinion or conviction. We will allow Scripture to interpret Scripture and we will ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the Truth to us…

May you be blessed this weekend. Please don’t miss out on the next post... There is a better way than our own, his name is Jesus!