If Urbana 2009 brings you to my blog, visit http://fishontheotherside.org to learn more about FOTOS Ministries and Lead Them Home Radio. Blessings, Bill
December 15, 2009
September 30, 2008
The Mirror: Part 4
This series is related to my Kingdom Culture series: both seek to illumine and extend the voice of Christ beyond the walls of our churches by equipping Christians to represent Jesus, His Gospel, and His Kingdom in authentic and faithful ways. I hope you enjoy The Mirror.
As I close out this series, I know there are some thinking: "Wait! You have established a premise based on two people: Pharisee and Sinner. But there is a third person: Disciple."
Yes, that's true. But again, from my life experience, I have seen in myself and others that it IS the Disciple who oscillates between Pharisee and Sinner. The pendulum of every Disciple's heart tends to swing back and forth between these two extremes and yet it is true that we can - IF we abide in Christ - come back into the balance required of Disciple.
That is the opportunity; that is the call Christ has on our lives; and that, my friends, is why Pharisee and Sinner need one another. They both reflect some portion of the Gospel - they reflect polar opposite fragments of the Gospel. If we can humble ourselves, we can learn from one another.
So the real question is this: who is going to make the first move? Pharisee? Or Sinner?
That is a good question. May I suggest to you that if we accept that we ALL do these 'same' things; if we all oscillate back and forth between these roles; if there is no difference between us; then one way to make the first move and humble ourselves is simply to realize that when we see our enemy - that person 'on the other side' - we are really looking into The Mirror.
In our neighbors and even in our enemies: if we are really honest with ourselves, we see ourselves. We often see the mirror image opposite of ourselves. As stated earlier in this series, we are exactly identical but in exactly opposite ways. We are identical in the fact that we twist the Gospel out of balance: we are exact opposites in that we twist the Gospel in polar opposite directions. One of us twists it toward a mercy-bias; the other of us twists it toward a judgment-bias. Both of us are partly right - but both of us are also partly wrong.
We cannot always be right. Others cannot always be wrong. We are not as 'good' as we think. Others are not as 'bad' as we often conclude. We all have some insight, some wisdom, some truth, or some strength that we can serve those 'on the other side' with. As for those 'on the other side' - well, they too have some insight, wisdom, truth or strength that they can serve us with.
There is another myth that we have to recognize: some will think I am suggesting that we strip our spiritual gears to do what we were not made to do. Instead, what I am suggesting is that we are both flesh and spirit. What our flesh is not able to accomplish, our spirit - God's Spirit in us - is perfectly capable of accomplishing.
The myth is this: if I get too relationally, emotionally, and spiritually close to those 'on the other side', they might think I am changing my theology. Or worse, I might actually be tempted to do just that: to embrace a compassion that collapses into Biblical compromise.
This is a valid concern: if we are not grounded in who Jesus is - if we fail to abide in Christ - we could collapse into compromise. But the danger is NOT in how much love or compassion we show others; the real danger is failing to abide in Christ.
Friends, I don't have to change my theology to love and serve others boldly. In fact, my theology - just as it is - demands that I do nothing less! The same theology that points me to a certain moral position is the same theology that calls me to love and serve others boldly. This is no contradiction; this is the balanced and Biblical Gospel-empowered life of Disciple.
It is wise to remember the single limitation we are urged to abide by: love and serve others so long as you yourself are not tempted into their sin. Beyond this, we are called to radically go to those 'on the other side' and love them, serve them, care for them, and dwell with them as Christ works in and through us to touch their lives - for the sake of His Kingdom. Along the way, we should not be shocked to see God working through "their" lives to touch us - yes, for the sake of His Kingdom.
As I look in The Mirror and see others not as my enemies but as my neighbors, I see myself. I see my own biases when I see theirs. I see my own frailties when I see theirs. I see my own sin when I see theirs. I see my own hypocrisy when I see theirs. I see my own judgmentalism when I see theirs. We ALL do these SAME things...
In denying my flesh-tendency to elevate myself and look down upon those 'on the other side,' I discipline my mind into submission to God's Spirit within me. Slowly, God beats the sword that I use to cut others with into a plowshare that now serves others. In this place, I abide in Christ and represent the Gospel rightly.
As a peacemaker seeing others through the lens of a gentle spirit under the control of the fruit of God's Spirit, I make room for others to reflect the mirror image opposite of the Jesus I project. And the great news is that if the Jesus I project is really Jesus, then the mirror image opposite has the 'potential' to become just a mirror image.
What does this mean? It means that if I allow the Pharisee in me to soften and embrace more mercy, I eliminate the rebellious energy that others use to fuel an equally (and oppositely) imbalanced view of Jesus. I make room for Sinner to come closer to a true expression of Jesus by humbly embracing truth.
Sinner and Pharisee can serve one another. They can help one another become Disciple. IF they are both willing...
I am not all idealist; I am realistic enough to understand that self-will is involved. Not everyone will choose to come toward Jesus or embrace a more balanced - and Biblical - Gospel. But you know what? I am not called to twist the Gospel just because others imbalance it; my calling is simply to do my part; to represent Jesus, His Gospel and His Kingdom in authentic and faithful ways that please Christ.
And that, my friend, is what I see when I look into The Mirror. What do you see?
Thanks for reading my series,
Bill
As I close out this series, I know there are some thinking: "Wait! You have established a premise based on two people: Pharisee and Sinner. But there is a third person: Disciple."
Yes, that's true. But again, from my life experience, I have seen in myself and others that it IS the Disciple who oscillates between Pharisee and Sinner. The pendulum of every Disciple's heart tends to swing back and forth between these two extremes and yet it is true that we can - IF we abide in Christ - come back into the balance required of Disciple.
That is the opportunity; that is the call Christ has on our lives; and that, my friends, is why Pharisee and Sinner need one another. They both reflect some portion of the Gospel - they reflect polar opposite fragments of the Gospel. If we can humble ourselves, we can learn from one another.
So the real question is this: who is going to make the first move? Pharisee? Or Sinner?
That is a good question. May I suggest to you that if we accept that we ALL do these 'same' things; if we all oscillate back and forth between these roles; if there is no difference between us; then one way to make the first move and humble ourselves is simply to realize that when we see our enemy - that person 'on the other side' - we are really looking into The Mirror.
In our neighbors and even in our enemies: if we are really honest with ourselves, we see ourselves. We often see the mirror image opposite of ourselves. As stated earlier in this series, we are exactly identical but in exactly opposite ways. We are identical in the fact that we twist the Gospel out of balance: we are exact opposites in that we twist the Gospel in polar opposite directions. One of us twists it toward a mercy-bias; the other of us twists it toward a judgment-bias. Both of us are partly right - but both of us are also partly wrong.
We cannot always be right. Others cannot always be wrong. We are not as 'good' as we think. Others are not as 'bad' as we often conclude. We all have some insight, some wisdom, some truth, or some strength that we can serve those 'on the other side' with. As for those 'on the other side' - well, they too have some insight, wisdom, truth or strength that they can serve us with.
There is another myth that we have to recognize: some will think I am suggesting that we strip our spiritual gears to do what we were not made to do. Instead, what I am suggesting is that we are both flesh and spirit. What our flesh is not able to accomplish, our spirit - God's Spirit in us - is perfectly capable of accomplishing.
The myth is this: if I get too relationally, emotionally, and spiritually close to those 'on the other side', they might think I am changing my theology. Or worse, I might actually be tempted to do just that: to embrace a compassion that collapses into Biblical compromise.
This is a valid concern: if we are not grounded in who Jesus is - if we fail to abide in Christ - we could collapse into compromise. But the danger is NOT in how much love or compassion we show others; the real danger is failing to abide in Christ.
Friends, I don't have to change my theology to love and serve others boldly. In fact, my theology - just as it is - demands that I do nothing less! The same theology that points me to a certain moral position is the same theology that calls me to love and serve others boldly. This is no contradiction; this is the balanced and Biblical Gospel-empowered life of Disciple.
It is wise to remember the single limitation we are urged to abide by: love and serve others so long as you yourself are not tempted into their sin. Beyond this, we are called to radically go to those 'on the other side' and love them, serve them, care for them, and dwell with them as Christ works in and through us to touch their lives - for the sake of His Kingdom. Along the way, we should not be shocked to see God working through "their" lives to touch us - yes, for the sake of His Kingdom.
As I look in The Mirror and see others not as my enemies but as my neighbors, I see myself. I see my own biases when I see theirs. I see my own frailties when I see theirs. I see my own sin when I see theirs. I see my own hypocrisy when I see theirs. I see my own judgmentalism when I see theirs. We ALL do these SAME things...
In denying my flesh-tendency to elevate myself and look down upon those 'on the other side,' I discipline my mind into submission to God's Spirit within me. Slowly, God beats the sword that I use to cut others with into a plowshare that now serves others. In this place, I abide in Christ and represent the Gospel rightly.
As a peacemaker seeing others through the lens of a gentle spirit under the control of the fruit of God's Spirit, I make room for others to reflect the mirror image opposite of the Jesus I project. And the great news is that if the Jesus I project is really Jesus, then the mirror image opposite has the 'potential' to become just a mirror image.
What does this mean? It means that if I allow the Pharisee in me to soften and embrace more mercy, I eliminate the rebellious energy that others use to fuel an equally (and oppositely) imbalanced view of Jesus. I make room for Sinner to come closer to a true expression of Jesus by humbly embracing truth.
Sinner and Pharisee can serve one another. They can help one another become Disciple. IF they are both willing...
I am not all idealist; I am realistic enough to understand that self-will is involved. Not everyone will choose to come toward Jesus or embrace a more balanced - and Biblical - Gospel. But you know what? I am not called to twist the Gospel just because others imbalance it; my calling is simply to do my part; to represent Jesus, His Gospel and His Kingdom in authentic and faithful ways that please Christ.
And that, my friend, is what I see when I look into The Mirror. What do you see?
Thanks for reading my series,
Bill
September 25, 2008
The Mirror: Part 3
This series is related to my Kingdom Culture series: both seek to illumine and extend the voice of Christ beyond the walls of our churches by equipping Christians to represent Jesus, His Gospel, and His Kingdom in authentic and faithful ways. I hope you enjoy The Mirror.
I don't know about you but I would much rather be Sinner than Pharisee. In fact, when I do not abide in Christ, I really despise Pharisee. The thought that I might play the role of Pharisee mortifies me. Or at least, it used to.
Now I know that I am both of these characters. What is worse, the harder I try NOT to be Pharisee, the more I become who he is. This is downright troubling - if not for God's grace.
I closed the last entry by suggesting that Pharisee and Sinner - though they battle one another - actually work together for good. They BOTH work together for good. How on earth can this be?
If Pharisee is entrenched far into the territory of judgment and law, then Sinner calls Pharisee toward mercy and grace. And if Sinner is entrenched far into the territory of liberation and hedonism, then Pharisee calls Sinner toward restraint and reasonable boundaries.
To be sure, Pharisee ties the knot called restraint much tighter than any of us are comfortable. So please don't think you're alone in being suspicious of him! Trust me, I feel choked by Pharisee's tendency to obsess over the law. While he does have a gift to offer us - the problem is that he gives it way too often! (smile)
In an identical but exactly opposite manner, Sinner almost always ties the knot way too loose. Possibly like you, this does not seem to bother me as much! I kind of prefer loose structure and flexible forgiveness. (smile) But it bothers Pharisee! With his far-sighted vision, he sees how we gobble up grace. While we have the gift of grace to offer him - our problem is that we tend to use it all up on ourselves; we have little left to share with Pharisee. Or else we use so much for ourselves that Pharisee simply won't accept any grace. In his view, the world is already out of balance with way too much grace; so he refuses to take part in this imbalance.
Time Out: Oops! I just did it again. I aligned myself with Sinner! I am sure it is some Freudian attempt to deny that Pharisee is alive and well inside me. You'll have to forgive this blogger!
Do you see what's needed here? Yes, balance! We need to mix Pharisee and Sinner together in order to arrive at a more Biblical expression of grace and truth in our lives. We cannot worry about the other Sinners in our world; nor can we worry about the other Pharisees in our world. God's call is to you and me: to get the Gospel right; to represent Jesus right; to be honest with God; to be willing to repent ourselves; while being willing to offer grace and mercy to others.
We can either come "toward" this Biblical expression of the Gospel through an accumulation of life experience and a gathering of spiritual wisdom and human understanding. Or else we can obtain it through the tragedies of life. So often, that's exactly what happens.
To illustrate this, it is human nature that people settle into their routines and our routines are interrupted by few things. But tragedy almost always interrupts routine. I think of all the people I saw in church on September 12, 2001 for mid-day prayer over the lunch hour. I don't know about you, but I was in a church made for 2,000 people and I am sure there were 6,000 people packed in that place. Many people who had no spiritual interest suddenly developed an acute interest in Jesus following the tragedy of 911.
But what if we did not have to wait for the next tragedy to live out a more balanced, a more Biblical, a more accurate version of the Gospel? What if we could simply learn from one another?
God will not allow me to escape my own embarrassment by using other people as bad examples! With that said, I recently had lunch with a good friend who is a pastor. As I was sharing all my woes, he gently stared at me. He was giving me 'that' look. So I finally asked him, "Is there something you'd like to share?"
My friend looked me directly in the eyes and gently said, "You are longing for more meaningful connection with your wife and children." It turns out that I had been working way too many hours. I had numbed by soul sitting at the computer late into the nights. Isn't that what full-time ministry is all about? (no!)
"You are longing for more meaningful connection with your wife and children."
Ding-a-ling-a-ling!
With wake-up calls like this, I don't have to wait until tragedy strikes or until I walk my daughter down the aisle to be filled with regret. We don't have to wait to live rightly IF we are willing to learn from one another.
Thank God I have a friend who 'saw clearly' and 'helped me' to see more clearly. He may well not be spending enough time with his own family (who really knows, right?), but his far-sighted vision was able to spot my error. THANKFULLY so!
Of course I could have been offended. I could have responded defensively. I could have held stubbornly to my ministry, my calling, my rights and my self-importance. I could have said, "You don't get it! I am on a mission from God." (smile)
Yes, I could have done that. But to what gain? To keep working crazy hours missing my children grow up and missing intimacy with my wife? What a foolish man I can be...
Instead, I looked at my pastor friend shell-shocked. How did I miss it? How could he see so clearly and quickly what I seemed blinded to? And why?
I need to make one short clarification: please do NOT think I am calling my friend a Pharisee by referring to this concept of far-sightedness. My point is simply to say that when we abide in Christ and submit to one another's strength, we can better help one another to see more clearly and thus approach the abundant life we all desire.
But there is a condition: we have to be willing to learn from one another. And that's the problem: unlike my pastor friend and I who deeply love and respect one another, Sinner and Pharisee do NOT get along at all. Remember, they despise one another. So if they are to learn from one another's strength, both will have to humble themselves. It's as simple as that. They must humble themselves.
From this side: This is nonsense! Me? Learn from that wicked Sinner?
From the other side: This is nonsense! Me? Learn from that hatemonger Pharisee?
Nonsense? Maybe so. But it's absolutely necessary.
In Kingdom Culture, one of the myths we uncovered is this idea that we are always right. We are NOT always right; and those we deem to be our enemies are NOT always wrong. We learned that our enemy is never as bad as we think he is; nor are we ever as good as we think we are.
Nonsense? I don't think so.
We must humble ourselves and learn from one another. Pharisee from Sinner. Sinner from Pharisee.
I will have to conclude this series next time - I'm turning off the PC to go share life with my family!
Click here to easily navigate to the final entry, Part 4.
God bless,
Bill
I don't know about you but I would much rather be Sinner than Pharisee. In fact, when I do not abide in Christ, I really despise Pharisee. The thought that I might play the role of Pharisee mortifies me. Or at least, it used to.
Now I know that I am both of these characters. What is worse, the harder I try NOT to be Pharisee, the more I become who he is. This is downright troubling - if not for God's grace.
I closed the last entry by suggesting that Pharisee and Sinner - though they battle one another - actually work together for good. They BOTH work together for good. How on earth can this be?
If Pharisee is entrenched far into the territory of judgment and law, then Sinner calls Pharisee toward mercy and grace. And if Sinner is entrenched far into the territory of liberation and hedonism, then Pharisee calls Sinner toward restraint and reasonable boundaries.
To be sure, Pharisee ties the knot called restraint much tighter than any of us are comfortable. So please don't think you're alone in being suspicious of him! Trust me, I feel choked by Pharisee's tendency to obsess over the law. While he does have a gift to offer us - the problem is that he gives it way too often! (smile)
In an identical but exactly opposite manner, Sinner almost always ties the knot way too loose. Possibly like you, this does not seem to bother me as much! I kind of prefer loose structure and flexible forgiveness. (smile) But it bothers Pharisee! With his far-sighted vision, he sees how we gobble up grace. While we have the gift of grace to offer him - our problem is that we tend to use it all up on ourselves; we have little left to share with Pharisee. Or else we use so much for ourselves that Pharisee simply won't accept any grace. In his view, the world is already out of balance with way too much grace; so he refuses to take part in this imbalance.
Time Out: Oops! I just did it again. I aligned myself with Sinner! I am sure it is some Freudian attempt to deny that Pharisee is alive and well inside me. You'll have to forgive this blogger!
Do you see what's needed here? Yes, balance! We need to mix Pharisee and Sinner together in order to arrive at a more Biblical expression of grace and truth in our lives. We cannot worry about the other Sinners in our world; nor can we worry about the other Pharisees in our world. God's call is to you and me: to get the Gospel right; to represent Jesus right; to be honest with God; to be willing to repent ourselves; while being willing to offer grace and mercy to others.
We can either come "toward" this Biblical expression of the Gospel through an accumulation of life experience and a gathering of spiritual wisdom and human understanding. Or else we can obtain it through the tragedies of life. So often, that's exactly what happens.
To illustrate this, it is human nature that people settle into their routines and our routines are interrupted by few things. But tragedy almost always interrupts routine. I think of all the people I saw in church on September 12, 2001 for mid-day prayer over the lunch hour. I don't know about you, but I was in a church made for 2,000 people and I am sure there were 6,000 people packed in that place. Many people who had no spiritual interest suddenly developed an acute interest in Jesus following the tragedy of 911.
But what if we did not have to wait for the next tragedy to live out a more balanced, a more Biblical, a more accurate version of the Gospel? What if we could simply learn from one another?
God will not allow me to escape my own embarrassment by using other people as bad examples! With that said, I recently had lunch with a good friend who is a pastor. As I was sharing all my woes, he gently stared at me. He was giving me 'that' look. So I finally asked him, "Is there something you'd like to share?"
My friend looked me directly in the eyes and gently said, "You are longing for more meaningful connection with your wife and children." It turns out that I had been working way too many hours. I had numbed by soul sitting at the computer late into the nights. Isn't that what full-time ministry is all about? (no!)
"You are longing for more meaningful connection with your wife and children."
Ding-a-ling-a-ling!
With wake-up calls like this, I don't have to wait until tragedy strikes or until I walk my daughter down the aisle to be filled with regret. We don't have to wait to live rightly IF we are willing to learn from one another.
Thank God I have a friend who 'saw clearly' and 'helped me' to see more clearly. He may well not be spending enough time with his own family (who really knows, right?), but his far-sighted vision was able to spot my error. THANKFULLY so!
Of course I could have been offended. I could have responded defensively. I could have held stubbornly to my ministry, my calling, my rights and my self-importance. I could have said, "You don't get it! I am on a mission from God." (smile)
Yes, I could have done that. But to what gain? To keep working crazy hours missing my children grow up and missing intimacy with my wife? What a foolish man I can be...
Instead, I looked at my pastor friend shell-shocked. How did I miss it? How could he see so clearly and quickly what I seemed blinded to? And why?
I need to make one short clarification: please do NOT think I am calling my friend a Pharisee by referring to this concept of far-sightedness. My point is simply to say that when we abide in Christ and submit to one another's strength, we can better help one another to see more clearly and thus approach the abundant life we all desire.
But there is a condition: we have to be willing to learn from one another. And that's the problem: unlike my pastor friend and I who deeply love and respect one another, Sinner and Pharisee do NOT get along at all. Remember, they despise one another. So if they are to learn from one another's strength, both will have to humble themselves. It's as simple as that. They must humble themselves.
From this side: This is nonsense! Me? Learn from that wicked Sinner?
From the other side: This is nonsense! Me? Learn from that hatemonger Pharisee?
Nonsense? Maybe so. But it's absolutely necessary.
In Kingdom Culture, one of the myths we uncovered is this idea that we are always right. We are NOT always right; and those we deem to be our enemies are NOT always wrong. We learned that our enemy is never as bad as we think he is; nor are we ever as good as we think we are.
Nonsense? I don't think so.
We must humble ourselves and learn from one another. Pharisee from Sinner. Sinner from Pharisee.
I will have to conclude this series next time - I'm turning off the PC to go share life with my family!
Click here to easily navigate to the final entry, Part 4.
God bless,
Bill
September 20, 2008
The Mirror: Part 2
This series is related to my Kingdom Culture series: both seek to illumine and extend the voice of Christ beyond the walls of our churches by equipping Christians to represent Jesus, His Gospel, and His Kingdom in authentic and faithful ways. I hope you enjoy The Mirror.
Now that I understand that Pharisee is not so different from Sinner, it frees me up to see more clearly. I can see where I once was and where I am today. That I can see clearly does not mean that I am no longer a Sinner or a Pharisee: it simply means that, so long as I abide in Christ, I can see through HIS eyes.
"When" I stay in the place where I see through HIS eyes, I see more clearly why Pharisee and Sinner don't get along. One reason is that their 'planks' blind them: actually, it is probably more accurate to say that their 'planks' make them far-sighted. This means that Pharisee can so easily see the error of Sinner but misses his own error. And vice versa.
Think about it this way: Sinner tends to camp far into the territory of grace and liberation that accommodates his proclivity toward personal freedom. If he is far-sighted, then he cannot see right under his nose. He misses his hedonistic condition. But from Pharisee's perspective, who is also far-sighted, he sees all so clearly what Sinner is up to.
Pharisee tends to camp out 'on the other side'' - he dwells far into the territory of regulation and judgment that accommodates his proclivity toward self-righteousness. If he is far-sighted, then he cannot see right under his nose. He misses his pompous condition. But from Sinner's perspective, who is also far-sighted, he likewise sees all so clearly what Pharisee is up to.
No matter how Sinner and Pharisee arrived at this place, they both pull, tug and ultimately twist the true message of the Gospel. Sinner cannot get enough of grace. Pharisee cannot get enough of truth (and stacking the deck against Sinner). Sinner knows grace - or a biased version of it. Pharisee knows truth - yes, a biased version of it. Each one of them is missing 'the other half' of the Gospel. They miss 'the other side' of the Gospel because they are wedged so far into their own territory.
In light of this, I cannot dull the cutting edge of C. S. Lewis' quote in Mere Christianity, "One must leave his own culture if he is to really understand truth." (my paraphrase) There is much to think about in that quote - how do I 'leave' the cultures and subcultures that I am part of? And how does that reveal truth (and grace for that matter) in a more accurate light?
Once again, from my life experience, I can simply attest to this insight by saying that we cannot see what we look like (thus, what we are like) if all we ever do is dwell in our own world. Sometimes, we need the 'outside looking in' perspective to shed light on who we really are.
For instance, people who watch 16 hours of TV each week have a very different perspective of life than those who don't own TVs. For the record, we own 2 TVs so I am not trying to elevate myself here - but I do know godly people who don't own TVs. The difference between the worldview of these two groups of people is very wide. For those that watch 16 hours of TV each week, you might not know what life is like outside entertainment and news until you step outside of that world. This is just an example; not a judgment. I suppose we could have considered those who garden on Saturdays! (me)
Before I get in trouble, let's go back to Sinner and Pharisee: they really struggle to understand one another. They often despise one another. They really don't view one another as neighbors - instead, they tend to view one another as enemies. They tend to stay as far from one another as possible. When they do meet, it tends to blow up into a Culture War. In other words, there is much division and volatility between these two brothers - between these two neighbors.
Just as the polar opposites "waiting and action" or "mercy and law" or "empowerment and accountability" work together for good, I will close this entry by challenging you with the premise that Sinner and Pharisee - these two polar opposites who despise one another - also work together for good. They BOTH work together for good. How so?
Next time, we'll look at this.
Click here to easily navigate to Part 3.
God bless,
Bill
Now that I understand that Pharisee is not so different from Sinner, it frees me up to see more clearly. I can see where I once was and where I am today. That I can see clearly does not mean that I am no longer a Sinner or a Pharisee: it simply means that, so long as I abide in Christ, I can see through HIS eyes.
"When" I stay in the place where I see through HIS eyes, I see more clearly why Pharisee and Sinner don't get along. One reason is that their 'planks' blind them: actually, it is probably more accurate to say that their 'planks' make them far-sighted. This means that Pharisee can so easily see the error of Sinner but misses his own error. And vice versa.
Think about it this way: Sinner tends to camp far into the territory of grace and liberation that accommodates his proclivity toward personal freedom. If he is far-sighted, then he cannot see right under his nose. He misses his hedonistic condition. But from Pharisee's perspective, who is also far-sighted, he sees all so clearly what Sinner is up to.
Pharisee tends to camp out 'on the other side'' - he dwells far into the territory of regulation and judgment that accommodates his proclivity toward self-righteousness. If he is far-sighted, then he cannot see right under his nose. He misses his pompous condition. But from Sinner's perspective, who is also far-sighted, he likewise sees all so clearly what Pharisee is up to.
No matter how Sinner and Pharisee arrived at this place, they both pull, tug and ultimately twist the true message of the Gospel. Sinner cannot get enough of grace. Pharisee cannot get enough of truth (and stacking the deck against Sinner). Sinner knows grace - or a biased version of it. Pharisee knows truth - yes, a biased version of it. Each one of them is missing 'the other half' of the Gospel. They miss 'the other side' of the Gospel because they are wedged so far into their own territory.
In light of this, I cannot dull the cutting edge of C. S. Lewis' quote in Mere Christianity, "One must leave his own culture if he is to really understand truth." (my paraphrase) There is much to think about in that quote - how do I 'leave' the cultures and subcultures that I am part of? And how does that reveal truth (and grace for that matter) in a more accurate light?
Once again, from my life experience, I can simply attest to this insight by saying that we cannot see what we look like (thus, what we are like) if all we ever do is dwell in our own world. Sometimes, we need the 'outside looking in' perspective to shed light on who we really are.
For instance, people who watch 16 hours of TV each week have a very different perspective of life than those who don't own TVs. For the record, we own 2 TVs so I am not trying to elevate myself here - but I do know godly people who don't own TVs. The difference between the worldview of these two groups of people is very wide. For those that watch 16 hours of TV each week, you might not know what life is like outside entertainment and news until you step outside of that world. This is just an example; not a judgment. I suppose we could have considered those who garden on Saturdays! (me)
Before I get in trouble, let's go back to Sinner and Pharisee: they really struggle to understand one another. They often despise one another. They really don't view one another as neighbors - instead, they tend to view one another as enemies. They tend to stay as far from one another as possible. When they do meet, it tends to blow up into a Culture War. In other words, there is much division and volatility between these two brothers - between these two neighbors.
Just as the polar opposites "waiting and action" or "mercy and law" or "empowerment and accountability" work together for good, I will close this entry by challenging you with the premise that Sinner and Pharisee - these two polar opposites who despise one another - also work together for good. They BOTH work together for good. How so?
Next time, we'll look at this.
Click here to easily navigate to Part 3.
God bless,
Bill
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