Over at The Gate, Steve asks, What are some symptoms or indicators that we’ve started thinking the Christian life, and/or the Bible, is more about ourselves and what we do than it is about Jesus?
My contribution:
Ever heard “The Bible is God’s love letter to you”? There’s truth in that. Heck, on the face of it, it is true. God is love, and His word is revelation for the purpose of His being revealed to us. But somehow we take the revelation of His love for us and mistake that for us being especially lovable, when the really amazing thing about it is that He loves us unfailingly despite our being especially unlovable. It becomes about us, not Him.
I think one symptom or indicator that we’ve started thinking the Christian life is more about us than Jesus is when we actually start treating Scripture as insufficient. I do believe the Spirit speaks to us, but the primary way He does that is in illuminating written revelation to us. We all believe this, but most of us, myself included, conveniently forget it in daily life.
I’ve sat in Bible studies where person after person laments that “God isn’t speaking to me” and we all have Bibles open not six inches from our noses. I think that’s an indication we are not satisfied with all that God has given us to be complete for every good work; we still want something special, something just for us, something that validates our self-interest.
And as anybody who spends any time in the Bible should know, the Scriptures are pretty much the antidote for self-interest.
- C.S. Lewis
Trackback URL: http://thinklings.org/bloo.trackback.php/4478.
I suppose that with he qualification that the Bible is the antidote for everything which is evil or erroneous, then a generic 'scriptures are the antidote for self-interest' is accurate. It seems to me, however, that simply reading Song of Solomon or memorizing the 600+ dictums of the Laws of Moses is hardly sufficient to produce a humble heart or selflessness. It's only when we actually obey the commandments to love God and love our neighbors more than ourselves through selfless service that, it seems to me, that we are able to cast off our self-interest having been filled by the Love of God and of God's Love.
Joseph, what I'm saying is that the revelation of God is the antidote for idolatry. I don't believe the Word of God is a dry, lifeless, bare-bones arrangement of words just waiting for us to breathe fresh air into it.
I believe it changes us when we immerse ourselves in it, it fulfills us when we lose ourself in it, and the obedience you're talking about is the natural outflow of a selfless pursuit of the revelation of God.
I believe you are arguing against something I don't believe in the first place, which is that merely reading the Bible is "good enough."
Well said.
I didn't think you believe the Bible is 'good enough,' You're post made me seek a more focused understanding of the laws and the prophets as we've been given them in the Bible, not to imply that it was incomplete, as I have had, through your efforts, some interesting thoughts come to mind about free will and the effect and use of wisdom--which I don't have time to elaborate here; leaving my comment perhaps just as incomplete as your post, if not more so; a defect I freely admit.
I don't really understand fully how the scriptures are the antidote to self-interest. I am probably just as perplexed about it as C.S. Lewis or Augustine, perhaps only lacking their intellectual faculties; I cannot tell). I can only think of it's effect and wonder at the marvelous causality of faith and hope that the scriptures gave me reason to hope, but which required a gift of heart or will in addition to the immersion of the mind; speaking from experience and not philosophically per se. It is upon those ineffibles that even the Bible, along with the Laws and Prophets--it seems to me--not contradicting or dissenting from your original post--only seeking more explaination).
I didn't know where else to inject my comment to tell you guys that I LOVE your blog and how you think! It must be because we share the truth from God's gift of faith.
I first came across your blog by doing a search I noticed someone else did that struck me odd. or she) used the words, "king david aspergers."
I came to the post you have on Asperger's Syndrome dated October 7th, 2007. I especially loved reading the comments to that post.
or anyone else you know) would happen to have any questions to ask an I'm 53 years old) what life is like being an Aspergian, I would be happy to answer.
I'd also like to add, if Jared, Mark, Phil, and/or Bill have any comments and/or suggestions for me as far as helping me out in my Christian walk of faith, then please drop me a line anywhere at my blog spot:
http://sheilaschoonmaker.com
My blog is mostly related to Aspergers, but I try to incorporate Godly material into the posts periodically. I have to be careful to keep a satisfactory amount of Aspergian material to meet the standards for being able to be on the Autism Hub, but I thank God I can also include God there.
If I couldn't, then I'd rather remain off the Autism Hub . . . but it is my prayer that I'm able to be a blessing for others on the Autism Spectrum.
May I put a link to your blog on mine?
P.S. - I loved reading about C.S. Lewis' life and I admired his ability to meet with his friends regularly the way he did for their bouncing back and forth of ideas. I didn't remember him using the term 'Thinklings' at first when I came to your blog, but then I realized why that term seemed familiar to me.
"And as anybody who spends any time in the Bible should know, the Scriptures are pretty much the antidote for self-interest. " True dat. It's exactly what I'm working on right now... Trying to get my mind off of me and onto HIM through Scripture.