And this is true to some extent, the world has been made in such Wisdom that we can observe patterns of life, and make general conclusions about its results. (i.e. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, Beggars can't be choosers, A friend in need is a friend indeed etc.) Yet we all know, that sometimes absence doesn't make the heart fonder, and sometimes beggars are choosers, and sometimes needy friends aren't friends at all...these are not rules, they are common observations by common sense to guide common life. This is God's gift to all humanity to grow with or without Him--it is the possibility of autonomous, non-relational growth (common grace).
The frustration happens when we take sow/reap structure into our relationship with Him. Humans take the proverbial structure and its expectations into their relationship with God. To oversimplify this issue, we expect to work for God and when we do, we expect God to produce what He said!
Seems logical enough...
This work, or God's gift of fortitude, the capacity to embrace a difficulty for the sake of the good, has led to the Sanctification Gap in Christian Spiritual Formation.
It looks something like this:
The Gap is experience when one encounters
a) the REAL "Where I am now"
with
b) the IDEAL "You have Died with Christ...been reconciled to God...in-dwelt with the Holy Spirit...now you can love God...and love others...and pray!"
As Christians, we hear this ideal and have a digressional reaction:
1) EXCITED
-One is excited about the gap
-a few react with NUMBNESS, which is unresponsive, but this is less common for sincere believers.
2) SINCERE AND SERIOUS WORK
-One feels good, "We're actually doing something...I can see some movement!"
3) WORK, WITH UNCONSCIOUS BURDEN
-One begins to feel the shame, guilt, fear and failure are causing frustration in the work
4) WORK, WITH CONSCIOUS BURDEN
-frustration builds, a low level buggedness, that leads to avoiding feelings of shame, guilt, fear and failure
5) BEGINNING TO WONDER
-Work is put into question, and it feels like the car is on idle..."Am I moving?"
-One is filled with more questions than answers, "will the Christian life work?", "What is wrong with me?", "Should I be filled with more?"
-One begins to let go of work-rhythms and shame, guilt, fear and failure drive the heart to distractions and avoidance.
6) BEGINNING TO DESPAIR
-One gives up on the ideal altogether, "I'm not sure God's going to come...there's no point"
-Often, the only time Christian devotions are practiced (going to church, studying scripture, praying etc) is to make the shame, guilt, fear and failure go away!
-This is the toxic faith, and when fortitude, the capacity to embrace a difficulty for the sake of the good takes over.
TERMS: These four terms combine to equal the burden that builds in pursuing the IDEAL.
SHAME- is feeling that one is bad, corrupt, or worthless and the desire to cover one's self
"The eyes of both of them were open,
and they knew that they were naked; and
they sowed fig leaves together and made
themselves loin coverings."
-Genesis 3:7
GUILT- is feeling that one has broken, or violated someone's standard of conduct and the desire to hide
"And they heard the sound of the Lord God
walking in the cool of the day,
and the man and his wife hid themselves
from the presence of the Lord God among the trees in the garden."
-Genesis 3:8
FEAR- is the combination one feels of guilt and shame
"And he said, 'I heard the sound of You
in the garden and I was afraid
because I was naked; so I hid myself.'"
-Genesis 3:10
FAILURE- is the feeling that "I should be further along" or "I thought I was further than I was"When one BEGINS TO DESPAIR...there are THREE TEMPTATIONS
a) DESPAIR-"a spirituality of dry bones"
b) ACTING OUT IMMORALLY-"the progression of repression in 1-6 leads to acting out"
c) THE MORAL TEMPTATION- "the attempt to use work as the final answer to shame, guilt, fear and failure"--goal: to relieve a burden that only Jesus can relieve.
There is no amount of fortitude, effort or work that relieve or sustain the Sanctification Gap. If we bring the expectations of impersonal relationship to our relationship with God, we will always be disappointed and frustrated as we encounter our shame, guilt, fear and failure. SOMETHING NEW NEEDS TO BE REALIZED AND PERSONALIZED.
1) NO AMOUNT OF EFFORT CAN RELIEVE THE BURDEN OF SHAME, GUILT, FEAR AND FAILURE
- nothing one can do can bring oneself back to God
2)THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS NOT FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT BEING MORAL OR BEING A "GOOD BOY OR GIRL"
a) one is actually saved from moralism, or a moral life of "work"
b) it is actually about denouncing the moralistic life
c) it is actually about Christ
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS ACTUALLY ABOUT CHRIST!
The Christian life IS NOT ABOUT IMITATION, IT IS ABOUT PARTICIPATION.
The Christian life IS ABOUT HOW TO OPEN TO WHAT HE HAS DONE.
The Christian life IS LITERALLY ABOUT OPENING TO ANOTHER PERSON.
"it is not active,
it is not passive,
it is interactive"
-Dallas Willard
GOD IS INSIDE OF YOU DEVELOPING YOU
and
YOU ARE INSIDE OF HIM, OPENING TO HIS PURPOSE AND LIFE
"You cannot form yourself
into Christ, Christ can only
form Himself into you..."
-John Coe
1) Trust in the Cross to deal with shame, guilt, fear, and failure
2) Trust in the Spirit and His life work transformation (i.e. you cannot close the Gap)
For those who ask "How?", step one is to open to God's Spirit by examining your own expectations of God and of yourself, and to see where you are being motivated out of shame, guilt, fear and failure instead of out of the Spirit of God.
Then, instead of self-depricating, or self-denying, or even self-analyzing...just sit in that reality, and see what God brings to your heart. If nothing, talk to a good friend about it.
God is already in all the places that He asks us to go--He wants to share His truth with us there.
I love the illustrations to go along with the thoughts :) Cool to hear what you are learning and to be reminded that "I am saved from a moralistic life"
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