The Preamble to What if You Believe You Don't Sin, Part III

Feel free to wish me a belated happy birthday. Yesterday, April 18th I was 46 years old in the Faith, in the Eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Do you know your spiritual birthday?

I was going to have Part III of What if You Don’t Believe You Sin when I realized at about the 3,800 word mark that I still had a ways to go to finish the WIYBYDS, Part III - which I thought would be the exciting conclusion. Ain’t gonna happen. I don’t know how many parts this is going to go but it’s gonna go.

So.

Let’s talk about my goal, what I want to communicate to you with this series, What if You Believe You Don’t Sin?

As you read…

I want you to think about repentance.

I view repentance first and foremost as repentance from your life before you confessed Christ and accepted Him as Lord AND Savior.

2 Corinthians 5:17 clearly says that if anyone is in Christ they are a new creation. What is a new creation if not something different than before?

The question then, in becoming new, what of your present life can you keep and what’s gotta go?

In Romans 12:2 Paul tells the Church in Rome to be transformed. This word in 12:2 is the Greek word from which we derive the English metamorphosis; a process we learned in middle school or high school to be the life cycle of a butterfly (and moths).

The butterfly starts as a caterpillar.

At some point in its life the caterpillar crawls off to a branch, hangs upside down from said branch and spins a cocoon around itself (the chrysalis) and then its body completely liquefies!

There is nothing solid, indeed recognizable of the caterpillar remaining once it has liquefied.

If you did not know the life cycle of a butterfly, found a chrysalis, broke it open you’d never know that it had either been a caterpillar or was destined to become a butterfly. You’d just find goo.

The butterfly is “built” from the apparently free floating genetic coding in the liquid inside the cocoon. The butterfly is different inside and out. It lives differently, eats differently, can fly, is beautiful, all the things the caterpillar is not, but with the same DNA. Furthermore, a butterfly cannot regress back into a caterpillar.

Paul says be transformed, metamorphoo. A process (as in not instantaneous, as in we have to work at it) to be something completely different, sacred, holy and dedicated to God. A disciple perhaps?

The New Testament contains its own an archetype for the lifecycle of the butterfly: baptism.

No, you are not “saved” by the work/act of baptism. But listen up if you are a Christian of the faith only variety. (Those who prayed for Jesus to come into their hearts and were told you did not need to be baptized.)

You must realize that both Jesus, prior to His ascension, in the Great Commission, and then the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost through Peter, commanded baptism. In our following Jesus’ command - the Great Commission - we are commanded to baptize the disciples we make (and that means YOU and ME). Matthew 28:16-20  

The Holy Spirit commanded repentance AND baptism. Acts 2:38  

So baptizing new Christians after their confession of Faith is a command of everyone who calls themselves by Christ’s name. And being baptized - if you have not been - is a simple thing done to show your submission and obedience to your Lord.

It is a show of simple obedience. Kind of like Jesus saying to you, “OK, you say you believe in Me and I am NOW your LORD, so prove it.”

Then...

In Romans 6:4 and Colossians 2:12 Paul explains that water baptism is symbolic of going through what Christ went through for us: He died, was buried and then was gloriously resurrected by God the Father.

We are therefore baptized not only to show our obedience to the command of Christ but so that we may experience and understand the process. (Which I confess I did not understand at my baptism.)

Since baptism then is also symbolic it should remain in us as a cherished memory, something to help us in our life process; your old self died (confession and acceptance), when you went under the water you were buried and coming up from your watergrave you were reborn. I didn’t really get that at my baptism either. I was only 10 but I had been indoctrinated in two things: the reality of Hell - which scared me - and the five finger exercise, a sort of mnemonic for salvation popular in my community of Faith.

Now, 46 years ago on this past April 18th (April 18, 1969), in meditating on baptism and my experience of it, I realize we should experience such a staggering, overwhelming emotion, to top any life event, that it should always be present in our minds and spirits! It is a symbol to help us in our lives in Christ!

Instead, the selfish ambition (which is sin) of men entrusted to teach Christ’s life and the mysteries of life in Him, cheapen the act of baptism. 

The “pro-baptism” party argues ad infinitum with those of the “faith only/anti-baptism party” as to whether baptism is or isn’t required for salvation.

Then we argue over whether Peter’s command means you have to be immersed or is sprinkling ok or is being dipped ok.

Then we argue about outrageous scenarios that most of us will likely never encounter in our lives. Here’s a typical scenario: Well, ok, what if, uh, somebody accepts Christ but doesn’t get baptized and they leave the church and get hit by a bus? Are they saved?

Oh, and another oldie but goodie: If a loved one, on their deathbed, confesses Christ, how can they be baptized? Would it be ok to sprinkle or dip them then?

The only thing that can ignite a foolish argument bigger than baptism among the wannabe theologians is to ask if the Apostle Paul was married? Dear Lord…

But, do you see? Don’t you think that the Prince and the powers of this life have spent the effort and done an extra fine job to destroy something so precious in our spiritual lives!

Do you remember what date you were baptized (if you were)? Do you remember what you felt? Do you ever think about it?

But I digress.

Think about all this as you ponder the process we all should be going through, the process of becoming new through repentance and baptism.

What about repenting of our sins? Because don’t we just have to repent of our sins? Glad you asked.

IF you are to be a new creation, something entirely different then repentance of sins would be something subordinate: As in you have repented of your life but we all stumble along the way, we all sin along the way.

So...you need to repent of that thought and the behavior it prompts. It’s like saying you’re sorry to a parent, spouse or other loved one then adding, “It will never happen again,” and meaning it. This is what I mean by repentance of sin is subordinate to repentance.

Clear as mud? Well, as they say in all those romantic comedies when two people are breaking up: It’s not you. It’s me.  

And I want you to think about the time involved. Wait. What?

I want you to think about how quickly and easily (often we don’t even have to think about it) you can commit a sin versus how much time in doing what you need to do to change.

How quickly you can blow up at the drive thru attendant because they screwed up in some way versus how much time, in your process, does it take to not be rude, angry, etc., even though Joe or Jenny Drive Thru royally screwed up your lunch or dinner and they deserve it!

The reason we can sin so quickly and effortlessly is that we were children and then we grew up and on the way up we picked up some bad thoughts, bad attitudes, bad habits. And you know how hard and long it takes to break certain habits (smoking, drinking, drugs, overeating, infidelity): months, years perhaps. And there are addictions that there are prescription medicines for too!

Now you’re a newborn in Christ or the Holy Spirit has prompted you to realize you never went through your spiritual growth as you should have (If you get baptized at my age, there’s a powerful thought that you aren’t a newborn Christian, you’re seasoned, mature, and you can help the Church do great things (Think again. Spiritually you are an infant).

Starting and staying in process is going to be slow and hard.

At first.

But then we start to mature in Christ, as His disciple. On this road, this process, this journey to be like Christ, our thoughts, our actions and our lives should be just as quick and as effortless as sinning in our old lives. 

We work to break the old habits and we pick up new thoughts, new attitudes, new habits.

People should see the Life of Christ in us rather than just see us - rather than the person who is virtually indistinguishable from your moral but non-believing coworkers and neighbors.

The first paragraph of David Brooks’ column The Moral Bucket List in this Sunday’s New York Times gives a clue of how we should be:

“ABOUT once a month I run across a person who radiates an inner light. These people can be in any walk of life. They seem deeply good. They listen well. They make you feel funny and valued. You often catch them looking after other people and as they do so their laugh is musical and their manner is infused with gratitude. They are not thinking about what wonderful work they are doing. They are not thinking about themselves at all.”

Maybe Brooks has run across a bunch of Taoists or Zen Buddhists but I’d like to think he had actually run into mature or mostly mature disciples of Jesus. His observation certainly gels with something I’ve known since being just out of high school: I can identify a disciple who walks into a room, without them saying or doing anything.

The number of those people since 1977 I’ve encountered I can count - and almost name - on the fingers of both hands. Either this is a sad commentary on my discernment, my disciple-dar on the fritz or a commentary on the state of the Church.

Further Brooks’ observation is similar to Henry Miller’s observation about clowns - which I immediately realized is Miller could also easily be describing the disciple. I will quote Miller in full after my signature. I urge you to take the time to read it.

I’ve often thought about doing a post about Christians being addicted to Life, our old lives in the world being addicted to the our old lives, desirous of the fruits of this life rather than our new lives in Christ.

In Part III we will start looking at I Corinthians 13:4, one of four Biblical, objective standards by which we can judge our lives in Christ.

Until then,

May the Peace of Christ be With You,

† Scott, V.D.M., ev

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Joy is like a river: it flows ceaselessly.

It seems to me that this is the message

which the clown is trying to convey to us,

that we should participate through

ceaseless flow and movement, that we

should not stop to reflect, compare,

analyze, possess, but flow on and through,

like music. This is the gift of surrender,

and the clown makes it symbolically.

It is for us to make it real.

At no time in the history of man has the

world been so full of pain and anguish.

Here and there, however, we meet with

individuals who are untouched, unsullied,

by the common grief. They are not

heartless individuals, far from it! They are

emancipated beings. For them, the world

is not what it seems to us. They see

with other eyes. We say of them that they

have died to the world. They live in the

moment, fully, and the radiance that

emanates from them is a perpetual

song of joy."

The Smile at the Foot of the Ladder

Henry Miller, 1959

P.S.: It deeply saddens me to read Facebook and Twitter posts by “friends” I know who claim the name of Christ or who claim, proudly, foolishly, in their posts or profiles that they are Christians. For these people are the definition of sullied by the common grief.

They are mostly heartless, not in any way to be seen by their actions. They seem to rush to share their thoughts, but their thoughts betray their hearts - and their lives. They love the world and their envy and jealousy, hatred and divisive nature is plain to read. 

But they will fight to deny their sins; that they are wrong, that they could even be wrong. They will fight with completely clear consciences and without a thought or care for those who believe differently.

They are WITHOUT LOVE. Faithless. By their actions they deny the very Jesus whom they claim as their Lord.

They are not emancipated beings! Perhaps they consider being citizens in the U.S. to be free. They don’t understand the freedom that Christ give us, His disciples, by His mercy and grace. They are more than content in their mediocre slavery to unrighteousness.

Contented like pigs in their wallow.

They see with the same eyes as the unbelievers.

They have not died to the world, nor to themselves.

Indeed, if I think too long about the men and women whom I attended Bible college with and whom have so clearly wandered from the Faith, if, indeed they ever really had it to start with, that I cry.

The uncounted thousands on Social Media whom claim they are Christian but their posts, largely on the state of America (no longer our country of citizenship), on getting the President out of office, or about liberals and their overall lack of understanding and being heathen. 

They think their posts are patriotic and politically relevant and witty, certainly sharp and insightful. Instead their posts brim with naked envy and jealousy, with their own ambitions - so much hubris that they proudly think their ambitions are GOD’s! I cry for them too.

There is no joy. There is only the bitterness of our times.

Like now.

Do you disagree?

Part III will be here soon. I’ll be going over I Corinthians 13:4 if you want to read it in advance.

Scott