SELF-AWARENESS
IN THE PURSUIT OF TRUTH, BEAUTY, & WISDOM
Because
the concept of “love” had been so watered down and corrupted, Francis Schaeffer
often substituted the word “beauty.” I regret
that I have not kept a balanced emphasis and worked on all three of these areas
as a Christian. My emphasis has been
toward the conceptual, doctrinal, theological, philosophical truth, sadly to
the neglect of the wisdom and beauty in interpersonal relationships. So this is a plea to you to consciously focus
on all three – truth being the right
way to understand Scripture and reality; beauty
being that which we bring into the world through the Holy Spirit as we give
ourselves to God in obedience to His word; wisdom being that attention to the details of how to go about and
approach given situations.1 To
say it another way – truth focuses on the interpretation of what God
says and integrating that knowledge with what is [see
Boundary Conditions http://pop.eradman.com/]; beauty refers to
the expression of Christ’s character in us as we are transformed into His
likeness [spiritual character development]; wisdom
seeks the big picture and learns to walk according to the principles of life
and to be consciously corrected by the reproofs of life [see Cause and Effect http://pop.eradman.com/]. Each of these areas involves correct
reasoning and responses to God as the events & circumstances of life
unfold. Getting to Know God and His ways
imbues our lives with meaning, purpose, and significance which drive our
motivation to live and accomplish in this world for Him.
Just
as there are clear principles governing proper interpretation of
Scripture (ie, context governs the interpretation of passages within) and
examination of systems (ie, Covenant theology; dispensational theology)
purported to be derived from same, so the areas of godly character development
and wisdom may be discussed in terms of principles [see
What is a Principle? under Cause & Effect http://pop.eradman.com/]. Let’s begin by reviewing the Scriptural
teaching on pride and humility.
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1. Sometimes wisdom looks a lot like common sense, good
psychology, or sound reasoning. It always impresses us as resulting from deep
understanding.
BIBLICAL
INSTRUCTION
Any cursory review of the scriptural teaching of pride vs. humility reveals how God regards
[His attitude toward] and responds to [deals with] each. Essentially pride is self-exaltation where one thinks more highly of himself
than he ought [hence, self-deception] – the
self-importance, self-assertion, and self-sufficiency of one who lords it over
others. It is expressed in terms such
as: a heart that is lifted up, lofty, exalted; haughtiness, a haughty spirit;
arrogant, arrogance. He is a smug,
self-serving, autonomous person whom God will bring down and humble. In terms of the principles of
life [cause and effect], his path leads to
destruction (a fall) and humiliation.
Humility is the attitude of those who are aware of
their lowly estate – like little children, those who bow down, submit, and
become obedient as servants. It can be
seen in terms like: brokenness, a broken and contrite heart; poor in spirit;
meek or meekness. Such people are
blessed [highly favored] for God lifts their
head and exalts them.
READ
Lk.17:20-18:17
Jesus in answering the Pharisees
inquiry about “when the
The time is either the morning or
evening sacrifice at the temple and the scene was something like this: The
lamb’s throat has been slit and blood pumped out by its still-beating heart at
the base of the altar. While the priest
was burning incense out of sight in the inner courtyard, the circumcised Jewish
men in the outer courtyard stood and offered their prayers. Pharisees were highly respected as devout and
righteous men of God because of their rigorously disciplined lives,
separateness, and uncompromising adherence to tradition. The Pharisee in the parable was use to seeing
himself in this exalted light. He doesn’t
seem to have a clue what the sacrifice is about and approaches God as one pleased
with himself expecting that God would be also.
Tax collectors, on the other hand,
were seen as traitors to their own people because they collaborated with the
despised
THE
CHARACTER OF CHRIST IN US
27Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of
Christ…I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one
mind striving side by side [united in
disposition and purpose] for the
faith of the gospel, 28and not frightened in anything by your
opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your
salvation, and that from God. 29For it has been granted to you that
for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for
his sake, 30engaged in the same conflict [with those who oppose the Gospel] that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.
1So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from
love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2complete
my joy by being of the same mind, having
the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing
from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant
than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not
only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5Have
this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who,
though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be
grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a
servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in
human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is
above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now…work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling, 13for it is God who works in you, both to will and
to work for his good pleasure. 14Do all things without grumbling
or questioning, 15that you may be blameless and innocent, children
of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among
whom you shine as lights in the world, 16holding fast to the word of
life…Phil.1:27-2:16
Work
Out Your Own Salvation
In
Phil.2, Paul encourages a like-mindedness to Christ in looking to the interests
of others with the same dedication and vigor we have when looking to our
own. Christ’s humility and total obedience to His Father’s
will climaxed in His ignominious death and resulted in His exaltation above
every authority. Paul speaks of what
such an attitude meant for him in terms of his own humility and suffering
(3:3-8) as he poured out his life for these believers (1:12-26) and would
continue to do so (2:17). He speaks of our obedience to God as working out our
own salvation with fear and trembling (2:12; see 2 Cor.7:15b). “With fear and trembling” reminds us of the
prophets and other men of God before us that were called to different tasks and
carried them out faithfully (Heb.11). So
we are tasked to suffer in the midst of the crooked and twisted culture of our
day and to shine as lights in the world – to become true children of God by
clinging to the word of life. We are to
display a different spirit by doing [and suffering]
all things without grumbling or arguing than those people of God in the OT who
complained when tested (Dt.32:5; 1 Cor.10:10).
We
are being conformed to the image of Christ.
Through the things we suffer God is working in us that which was in
Christ – that bowing
to the Father’s will and working for His good pleasure. It is a push through to the end in which we
determine the principles that govern each situation and detail what it means to
consider others first. How do I love my
wife in each mood and circumstance? How
do I teach each of my sons as different as they are so as to motivate them and
not exasperate or discourage them?
Working out my salvation involves the particulars of how I suffer in
laying down my life. In other words,
this working out requires some thought, very much akin to the law for
Israelites in Dt.6:4-9.
You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
might. And these words that I command
you today shall be on your heart…(Dt.6:5-6)
Just
as loving God meant pondering His words as a continual means of understanding
and appreciating Him and His ways for the Israelites, so it does for each of us
in the working out of our salvation.
Humbling oneself translates into obey and means to bow, to kneel, to worship God in spirit and truth
by doing His will.
7In the
days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries
and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8Although he
was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. 9And
being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who
obey him, 10being designated by God a high priest after the
order of Melchizedek. Heb.5:
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Psalm 40: |
Hebrews 10: |
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1For since the law has but a shadow of the
good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can
never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make
perfect those who draw near. 2Otherwise, would they not have
ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed,
would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3But in these
sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4For it is
impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. |
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6In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, |
5Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, |
|
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8When he said above, "You have neither desired nor
taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin
offerings" (these are offered according to the law), 9then he
added, "Behold, I have come to do
your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the
second. 10And by that will we have been sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. |
1I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do
not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the will of God [why?], what is good
and acceptable and perfect. Rom.12:
One
of the areas I have not done well at is in allowing Scripture to instruct my
heart – to judge, reprove, and correct me.
I think my failure to take to heart and wrestle with the lessons of
God’s word is a consequence of my off-balance focus on the intellectual,
conceptual, philosophical side of things [On the
other hand, a great many Christians seem to be deficient in this area]. Neither have I given enough reflection to the
consequences of my words, actions, and attitudes or the reproofs that have
pelted me through the reactions of others and through the events and
circumstances of my life. In a
supernatural universe it makes little difference whether such corrective
discipline comes directly from God’s hand or results from the ordinary operation of principles He
ordained in the flow of cause and effect.
Coming
to Christ involves a change in our perception of reality so great that it is
described as “Once I was blind but now I see.”
Being converted
is like a spy who is turned to work for the one he formerly spied
upon. God makes us new creatures, regenerates us who were
once dead to live unto God. Our
perception, reasoning, knowledge, allegiance, belief, all of our world
undergoes a drastic rebirth
in which all things become new, and it must necessarily be so because we were
born at enmity with God – naturally at odds with Him. This means that once converted, we begin a
new life during which we grow up spiritually - mature as God’s people under His
tutelage. That growth takes place during
a learning-to-know-and-trust-God process of correcting our old ways and
dependencies through His methods of instruction, discipline, and reproof just
as it did for the saints of old (Abram, Isaac, Jacob,
Joseph, etc.). He uses all
situations and everyone in our lives to accomplish this.
In
order to train us, God must first break our will. The following Scriptural terms convey
different aspects relating to our learning to bow to His will as Jesus did: repentance (change of
heart); submission
(placing yourself under authority); subjection (lining up
under); obedience
(carrying out orders). I have not done
well at this either.
1Then Jesus was led up by
the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was
hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to him,
"If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of
bread." 4But he answered, "It is written,
"'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word
that comes from the mouth of God.'" Mt.4:
WORKING
OUT THE LOGICAL IMPLICATIONS
In
Mt.5-7, Jesus the new lawgiver describes the
21"You have heard that it was said to those of old,
'You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.' 22But
I say to you that everyone who is angry
with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the
hell of fire. 23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and
there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave
your gift there before the altar and go. First
be reconciled [aorist
tense, passive voice, imperative mood] to
your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms
quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest
your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be
put in prison. 26Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until
you have paid the last penny. Mt.5:
This
passage emphasizes the seriousness of our treatment of our fellow human beings
in attitude, words, and actions. It is
implicit in verse 22a that there is great benefit in getting rid of anger
soonest. The Law of Moses for the nation
of Israel had no penalty for anger, bitterness, or hatred, but the Law of the
kingdom of heaven under Christ does. In
v.22b, the angry heart reveals itself by spewing forth contemptuous and
demeaning words. Verses 23-25 open the
possibility of righting the wrong before God steps in to deliver justice as He
surely will. The situation is of such a
magnitude that acceptability of your dedication (worship, sacrifice, and
service) to God depends upon your setting right this matter between you and
another person, and that you do it right away.
You have turned a friend or potential friend into an enemy – the one
called brother in v.22-24 has become your adversary in v.25. The situation is dire because you are in
jeopardy of being irreversibly caught in the very sequence of consequences
you initiated by allowing anger to grow in your heart. That which started as a personal matter has
become a legally actionable and judicial matter in the kingdom under the
government of Jesus. “Come to terms” is
reminiscent of justice under the Old Covenant where in lesser offenses the damaged
party had a say in the recompense, and could even forgive the debt. Here, if the matter is not timely settled
between the parties, the grace period expires.
Punishment is then taken out of their hands and dealt with as if it were
a more serious crime where the penalty is prescribed by law [see chapt.4 But I Say to You].
Remembrance
that your brother has something against
you refers to the sense that something is wrong between you - the pricking
of your conscience.2
It’s up to you to identify what it is and move to reconcile3
it [to make
peace between two parties at odds with each other]. Reconciliation moves toward restoration
of a broken or strained relationship.
You caused the problem by your insensitive, thoughtless, unkind, or hurtful
words or actions, or compounded it by your reaction.4
In either case it is up to you to dress the wound you made [take responsibility for corrective steps, see lecture 3 in
Identity series by Dick Keyes, Dealing
with Anger].
To do this, you must confess to the wounded party your offense
irrespective of his part. But confession
merely confirms your culpability and admits to your sin – it does not reconcile
and may even serve as the basis for your accuser to justify his reaction to
you. You must also humble yourself, throwing
yourself upon the mercy of your accuser by asking his forgiveness. Such an action transfers to offended party
the burden to love by forgiving you. The
onus now shifts to him to complete the reconciling. Let us move on to the role of wisdom and reason at
this intersection of truth and life as pertaining to pride and humility in
achieving reconciliation.
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2. Eph.6 has a
discussion on gearing up for spiritual battle. Paul's words to Timothy
relate to that discussion. "I...sent
you out to battle for the right armed only with your faith and a clear conscience. Some, alas, have laid these simple
weapons contemptuously aside, and as far as their faith is concerned, have
run their ships on the rocks." (1 Tim.1:18-19, Phillips) 1
Pt.3:16 raises an instance where a clear conscience is used in our defense
and directly affects witnessing [which is the battle
as we invade the enemy’s territory with the Gospel]. "The ultimate aim of the Christian
ministry, after all, is to produce the love which springs from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a genuine faith" (1 Tim.1:5,
Phillips). Reconciliation cannot be accomplished without taking
responsibility for past wrongs. Every person sincerely desiring to follow
Christ must make sure his record is clear with those he is uncomfortable with –
everyone who exhibit coolness or animosity toward him. Be careful, it is a path fraught with pitfalls, not to be
embarked upon lightly, but with determined diligence in seeking wisdom in a
spirit of humility.
Paul recognized his ministry as God's work
in reconciling the world to Himself (2 Cor.5:18-19) and approached it as an
ambassador from the new creation to the old (v.20a) in a joint effort with God
(6:1). He resolved to "put no obstacle in anyone's way" so as
not to hinder that ministry (6:3). Paul speaks of what this entailed in
the next few verses, and mentions "with the weapons of righteousness"
in v.7. Phillips puts it this way, "Our
sole defense, our only weapon, is a life of integrity..."
This cannot mean we never sin or throw stumbling blocks in front of
people. It must mean that when we do and our conscience alerts us, we set
our hearts to be reconciled with and restored to those offended.
Consider Mt.7:1-5. A spirit that
condemns others reflects one's own inability to see himself clearly. You
may be right about them, but you judge yourself along with them because you are
in the same category. There is an equivalent problem in both
people. The splinter I see in my neighbor's eye is like a beam I
don't notice in mine. Discernment is not only necessary to
recognize and remove my splinter, but his as well. The order is
paramount. Without a clear conscience yourself, don't think you will be
able to discern the insights necessary for helping your children,
spouse, friends, etc. with their problems. "He that covers his sins shall not prosper, but whoso confesses
and forsakes them shall have mercy" (Prov.28:13). For anyone
desiring to teach others, developing sensitivity and discernment is a
matter of training (personal practice, Heb.5:11-14).
3. The principle expressed in Rom.12:18, If possible, so far as it
depends on you, live peaceably with all is understood here.
4. How does the following passage relate to this?
"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption. Let all
bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,
along with all malice. And be
kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving
each other, just as God
in Christ also has forgiven you" (Eph.4:30-32).
APPROACHING
THE PROBLEM WITH WISDOM AND ITS REASONING
Reconciliation
is no small matter - an amazing percentage of personal problems (including
physical and psychological ailments) cannot be dealt with or effectively
counseled without squarely confronting issues raised by one's conscience. An unkind word can overshadow all the good
that has preceded it, and no amount of good thereafter can make up for it. The longer one harbors anger, the more it
festers in the very heart of one’s being - the more intrusive its destructive
influence will insinuate itself into both parties and reach out to infect
others as well. Sin in one area of our
lives has a ripple effect and results in complications in other areas. Yielding to the temptation either ignore the promptings of our conscience or to react against
people rather than responding to them in love grants Satan a foothold5
in our lives – things just got a lot harder.
[see paragraph on the
temptation of Cain, Gen.4:7, under Temptation
at Bible Studies http://pop.eradman.com/]
Where
will you turn for counsel? To whom will
you go for help?
What
does the Bible say about applying yourself to the pursuit of wisdom?6
Wisdom working with Scripture, right-thinking, and an understanding of
the lessons of life teach us how to proceed.
What steps are prudent to take once it is apparent that something
is wrong in a relationship? My purpose here is not to lay
every step, all the details, associated reasons, cautions, and related
considerations, but to expand your perception of the necessity to know what you
should do and why, what is the wisest approach and why, and what to avoid and
why. Would making a list of their
faults and offenses be important? Yes, offenses often result from both action of one party and
the reaction of the other. You cannot be
prepared to seek their forgiveness until you have first fully forgiven them.7 Are there passages that
address this? Mt.18:21-35;
6:9-15. Do you know the
difference between faults and offenses8 or forgiving and
pardoning? Are you aware of what
it really means to forgive? If not, you
are not ready to proceed.
What
about listing your faults and offenses?
Have you learned to distinguish between immediate offenses and basic
offenses? They
are not always the same. How will
you answer the rationalizations your mind will bring up to prevent you from taking
action – like “Things have gotten better”?
With uncanny regularity, those who purpose to
make things right with one they are not getting along with will find the
situation improving before they ask forgiveness. Often this improvement is God’s way of
preparing the other person to forgive us – don’t mistake it as a reason for not
seeking forgiveness. What is the difference between a reason
and an excuse?
How
important is it to plan your confession?
Which of the following statements spoken in the right attitude reflects a heart of repentance devoid of all pride?
I
apologize for _______________;
I’m
sorry that _______________;
I
realize that I’ve been wrong in [basic offense], will you forgive me? [and wait for the answer]
I’ve
been wrong, please forgive me;
What
about naming shameful details, restitution, involving others in your
confession, etc.? Suppose they won’t
forgive you? Aren’t your good intentions
enough? I thought reconciliation was
urgent - I’ll never be ready at this rate.
When you truly repent and purpose to make
things right, God will give you the time to prepare to do it properly. As you can see, it’s not so easy to overcome
sin and repair the mess it leaves and there is the real possibility you could
make things worse, but by God’s grace substantial healing is possible. This is what it means to take our faith
seriously – to obey the Lord.
I recommend taking the Basic Seminar at the
Institute in Basic Life Principles http://iblp.org/iblp/
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5. 25Therefore,
having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his
neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26Be
angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and give no opportunity [chance]
to the devil. Eph.4: The word translated opportunity is literally place (KJV), referring to a region or
ground, like a foothold (NIV) or beachhead on our turf which our enemy can then
reinforce, establishing a fortified position (stronghold) as a base of
operations within our own territory from which to carry on attacks against
us. Although the context is referring to
those within the body of Christ, we are extracting the principle for a
wider application. [for a theological discussion on
this passage see Commands in Scrip.
at Cultural Mandate http://pop.eradman.com/]
6.
Our study has brought us to the place
where the absolute necessity of submitting to God by continually placing
ourselves under the counsel and authority of His word should be crystal clear.
1Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of
the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of
scoffers; 2but his delight
is in the law of the LORD and on his law he meditates day and night. 3He
is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season
and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives
away. 5Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor
sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the
wicked will perish. Ps.1:
The underlined terms in the
passages below go together and reflect different aspects of the help we need.
13Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets
understanding,
14for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her
profit better than gold.
15She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can
compare with her.
16Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and
honor.
17Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold
her fast are called blessed.
19The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding
he established the heavens;
20by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop
down the dew.
21My son, do not lose sight of these — keep sound wisdom
and discretion,
22and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck.
23Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not
stumble.
24If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep
will be sweet.
25Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked,
when it comes,
26for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from
being caught. Prov.3:
5Get wisdom; get insight; do not
forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
6Do not forsake her, and she will keep you; love
her, and she will guard you.
7The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.
8Prize her highly, and she will exalt you; she will
honor you if you embrace her.
9She will place on your head a graceful garland; she
will bestow on you a beautiful crown."
Prov.4:
7. How do the following passages relate to this?
For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your
Father will not forgive your transgressions (Mt.6:14-15).
And whenever you stand praying, forgive [remove the offense from
yourself], if you have anything against anyone, so that your
Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions (Mk.11:25).
8.
Pick out the appropriate responses to faults and to offenses
according to the following passage: [see
cassette on Col.3:13 by Glen Riexinger]
12Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and
beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint
against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you
also must forgive… Col3: [see last sentence
of footnote 5]