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Jim's PERSPECTIVEJanuary 06, 2014Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure. Philippians 2:12-13 Trying to come to terms with “how much is of me” with “how much is of God” in any particular spiritual undertaking is difficult. Whether one is writing, preaching, playing in a praise and worship band, or working on a project—building, planning, or seeing a dream or vision come to fruition—it is hard to do so without the detracting influence of one’s own biases. I was told in seminary not to ask the question, “How much is of me/how much is of the Holy Spirit?” The instructor who made that statement said that the question itself was invalid (I was never sure why). I do not agree that it is invalid. Church people or Spirit-filled people ask that question all the time. Often in Pentecostal circles, the question is actually re-translated into “How much is one being led by the flesh (natural, unregenerate, egotistical, indulgent, prideful—the list of “self” issues goes on),” as opposed to “How much is one being led by the Spirit?” The problem is that it is impossible to lay aside completely one’s own ego. I should say “selfish” ego, but for the sake of argument I will just let “ego” and “selfishness” stand as synonymous terms. Everyone is susceptible to this dilemma, and no one is free from it. There is an influence, if not “taint,” of selfishness in almost every endeavor or opinion. I am not saying that it is impossible to do something totally selfless (I am thinking of those who have given their lives for others without considering their own self-preservation.); but most, if not all, so-called “self-less” acts contain an element of self-interest or self-indulgence. I will say that I am sure that it is unlikely that one will eliminate all traces of self in the doing of anything, even things noble and godly. One of my favorite quotes by Charles Wesley refers to the presence of self-interest or self-indulgence even in the midst of profound spiritual experience. He said, “Even the tears of repentance need cleansing.” I think many Christians believe that if an activity, experience, or witness claiming to be Spirit-led or Spirit-motivated contains any element of self-interest or selfish ego, then that activity, experience, or witness is often disregarded as sinful and ungodly. For such believers, if there is any hint of stain or blemish in it at all, the activity or the opinion or the experience is regarded as inauthentic and consequently dismissed (or at least strongly de-valued). That is why this kind of mind is insistent that the scriptures be wholly free of any human input. If there is any human taint found in the Bible, then the scriptures, in their opinion, cannot be relied upon. It does not seem to occur to them that God, by using an imperfect writer, could come up with a perfect book, not to mention that neither the bible nor Christian history support the assumption that something or someone has to be perfect in order to be used authentically by God. Paul acknowledges the problem of his own intrinsic human sinfulness in a number of places in the New Testament. In the KJV of Romans 8:18 he says, “I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing.” Earlier in the same book he says, “There is none righteous, no not one....there is none that does good, no, not one.” Paul may have had himself in mind when he quoted Isaiah 64: 6: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all of our righteousness is as filthy rags....” In the second letter to the Corinthian church, while he insists on being recognized as an authentic apostle, he also acknowledges his sense of unworthiness to them: “...I am the least of the apostles, that (I) am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (ch.15, v.9). His egoistic demand for respect and recognition is authentically Paul, and so is his confession of his own sinful self. Some may object that Paul’s “confessions” are “pre-Christian,” or simply hypothetical, and that after encountering Jesus, or “accepting” or “receiving” Jesus, one’s unrighteousness is done away with. I have seen this interpretation in a number of places by not a few persons who contend that Paul, in Romans 7 (“…the good I want to do, I don’t do; the evil I don’t want to do is what I do….”), was not talking about himself or his own nature or the nature other Christians. They would say that Paul is speaking generally of unrepentant, unredeemed human nature. I do not believe that his concern was entirely about “unsaved” others (as some would regard them) and I think that he was, in fact, including his own “saved” self in the discussion. I believe that the cross does actually remove the stain, stigma, and penalty of sin in humans. That is what justification is all about: the “forensic” or “legal” removal of the penalty of sin. In justification we are “considered” or “regarded” as righteous, even though we aren’t. Our sin is accounted for in the sacrifice that Jesus makes at Calvary. It is covered. It is not held against us. God treats us as if we are “without blemish and spot” because Jesus himself was and is. This is righteousness “imputed,” or, rather, ascribed to our side of the ledger book. Paul, as most would concede, was an opinionated man with an ego—not to mention the intellect—to substantiate his opinions. But biased and opinionated he certainly was. So was Peter. And so are we. When the scripture speaks about our righteousness as not counting for anything, I think that it means everyone, Christians included. I also believe that our actual unrighteousness is not automatically removed from us when we are either “born again, born from above” or filled with the Holy Spirit. Ego is still present. But as John Wesley points out, “Sin remains, but it does not reign.” The actual removal of unrighteousness and subsequent filling with righteousness and the power over sin is the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification. This is righteousness “imparted.” And it is a process that, to some degree, we have an influence over. We can assist the process by removing hindrances, obstacles, objections, resistance—in other words, by “self-denial” or, rather, by “emptying ourselves” to make room for the presence of Christ Jesus. Or we can impede the process by feeding our indulgences or filling our lives with whatever we think will complete or fulfill us. Having said all that, however, I believe that no matter what we do to eliminate self-interest and self-indulgence or to assist in the process, we do not have the capability of producing righteousness in ourselves. Righteousness is the work of the Holy Spirit of God. - Jim Radford |
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©2013 Jim Radford. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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