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| The Story of God: Embracing the Life We've Been Given |
It is only after many seasons
of training that a person
can perform his or her skills
by second nature.
+ Getting in Shape,
Deep Down Faith
This winter, I get the joy of spending some time with young people connected to Emmaus City Church engaging the Scriptures alongside one of my favorite reflections on God called Deep Down Faith by Cornelius Plantinga Jr. I've read this book three times now and Plantinga, like C.S. Lewis in many ways, has a gift for discussing profound thoughts in whimsical, rich, and accessible ways for young and old alike. Some previous Deep Down Faith posts include:
Today's post will focus on getting in shape with the new life God has given us to live through Christ with others.
Catching Our Breath
with Justification and Sanctification
For while physical training
is of some value,
godliness is valuable in every way,
holding promise for both
the present life and
the life to come.
+ 1 Timothy 4:8
Q. What is the rising-to-life
of the new self?
A. Wholehearted joy in God
through Christ
and a love and delight to live
according to the will of God
by doing every kind of good work.
+ Catechism Q&A 90
Through observing life around us, as well as exploring our internal thoughts and motivations, guilt and corruption are humanity's oldest and deepest problems. Are we ready to consider Jesus' solutions to our problems?
Justification
is God's solution
to the problem of guilt.
(His forgiveness for our sin
and His righteousness in us.)
Sanctification
is God's solution
to the problem of corruption.
(His cleansing of our grime and
His holiness flowing through us.)
Corruption is the sleeping power of sin. Corruption is like an overflowing sewer that pollutes all we think, say, and do. Sanctification is the gradual process of getting unpolluted. In sanctification God goes to work with us to clean the grime off and to polish us up as God's images.
It begins when we are old enough to feel really sorry about our sin. Soon we gain enough experience of sin's destruction to hate it and to want to get away from it. Then, perhaps suddenly one summer, or gradually over a period of years, our faith in God's forgiving love sharpens and our joy in God Himself deepens. All of this is repentance, or conversion.
Sanctification
is the word we use
when we think of conversion
stretched out across a whole life.
After all, it takes a long time to
unlearn habits that are old and deep.
The righteousness for which Christians
hunger and thirst is not fast food.
It needs time to simmer into
something rich and savory.
Let's think of another comparison. An athlete trains. He or she will eat right, get to bed on time, and take on the daily discipline of practice. Certain muscle groups will be worked in thousands of repetitions till they have mass and flexibility. Certain moves will be practiced again and again till they become second nature: a one-on-one fake, for example, or an overhead smash, or a flip turn.
Each time the athlete trains,
he gets a little better.
Each time she works out,
some sloppy old habit dies a little
and some disciplined new one
begins to come to life.
That is, each training session
causes a tiny conversion.
But it is only after many seasons
of such training that a person
can perform his or her skills
by second nature.
The mini-conversions repeated
thousands of times
add up to the change of one's life.
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| Run the Race & Fix Your Eyes on Jesus |
The Christian life is almost
exactly like that.
We have to be trained
in godliness, or holiness,
till it becomes second nature.
Every time we pray,
every time we resist a temptation,
every time we bring a gift
to a lonesome person,
every time we make ourselves
think of the needs of others —
each time we do these things
our old self dies a little
and our new self comes
more to life.
Add up all these mini-conversions
across years of training and
you have a spiritual athlete.
A flabby and clumsy Christian
becomes a trim and graceful one.
A polluted person gets sanctified.
Sanctification is lifelong conversion.
Athletes know you need discipline
in order to be free.
Trained people have fun.
It takes hard work
to be able to play well.
We are not saved by doing it.
We are saved to do it.
For Reflection
"We have to be trained
in doing godliness, or holiness,
till it becomes second nature."
Where do you see such training
going on in your life?
Prayer Starter
God, coach me and train me
to do good.
Make me fit to serve You
and Your children.
May I find joy in You.
May I delight to do
every kind of good,
as You want me to do.
Amen.
+ New Life & Getting in Shape,
Deep Down Faith
Next post: Blondin & Trust Beyond Belief
May God's Kingdom come, His will be done.
Que le Royaume de Dieu vienne,
que sa volonté soit faite.
愿神的国降临，愿神的旨意成就。
Nguyện xin Nước Chúa đến, ý Ngài được nên.
Jesús nuestra Rey, venga Tu reino!
🙏💗🍞🍷👑🌅🌇
With anticipation and joy,
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