Godliness: humility and endurance

As I prepare for Sunday, I read Philippians 2. Wow. "have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus." OK. I think "godliness" is aptly described by the phrase, "have this mind" of Christ. I find God, through Christ, acting in humility by 1) letting go of his rights, emptying himself, 2) serving those who should serve him, 3) and dying for those who should die.

So, this is humility: allowing others to have more rights than yourself, being last instead of first, and laying your life down. Sounds like Jesus' teachings from the beginning to the end of his ministry. And He lived it as well.

I am also amazed at God's endurance. James 1 says that endurance works through faith for maturity. However, it is God's endurance for us that saves and completes the work in us. If he did not wait on us, both as servant and Lord, then we would already be dead in our sins. See 2 Peter 3:15. His patience is our salvation!

In the end, his faithfulness to us is predicated on his patient endurance. He keeps his promises in truth and loyalty to his plan. He cannot contradict himself, nor does he trust another. He alone is God and sovereign. And he is worthy of our honesty and integrity.

In the end HE DOES NOT ASK US TO DO ANYTHING HE WOULD NOT DO HIMSELF!!!!

What is cultural relativism, and is it bad?

In a recent blog, I was called a cultural relativist. This got me to thinking. What the heck is a cultural relativist? Aren't we all culturally relative, depending on our culture? And how is absolute truth related to various cultures? Can absolute truth (i.e. Jesus dies on the cross) survive relative cultural expressions?

For further example: I have heard a mission story in which missionaries entered an unevangelized area where they raised and sacrificed pigs, but had no knowledge of sheep or goats. The missionaries described Jesus as the Lamb of God, but the people did not understand. After spending more time with the tribe, they understood that the people used pigs for their religious sacrifices. The missionaries began to describe Jesus as the "Pig" of God, come to fulfill all their ritual sacrifices that were intended to please the gods. The community understood why Jesus came and listened intently to the full presentation of the Good News about the Pig of God. Many were saved.

Now, this seems like cultural relativism to me, while still affirming and preserving absolute truth. The truth is Jesus came to fulfill sacrificial obligations, whether we describe it as lambs or pigs. I feel a little weird saying Pig of God because of all the other connotations that I have for the term "pig." However, that is my culture, and thus my own limitation, not the Gospel's limitations.

Any thoughts on this topic?

Categories of Godliness

As usual, the title is meant to make you look. But I am not sure the title is accurate. How can we categorize godliness? Oh, sure, the systematic theologian can categorize anything, but I much prefer an inductive approach to things. Yet, I can't escape the systems I live with; so I dive in and start putting things in boxes.

I started with the passages I listed the other day: Colossians 3:12-17, 1 Timothy 6:11, Galatians 5:22, Ephesians 5:8-9, 2 Peter 1:5-9, James 1:2-4. I find myself asking daily for the various characteristics to be more evident in my life. But the challenge is not just to acknowledge the transformed life. It is to LIVE the transformed life. Then I began to search general systematic categories that might encompass the characteristics listed in the verses above. God can be described in an endless amount of ways--and we would still never completely get our minds or our words around his character. So, I limited myself to 4 basic, and broad, categories.

The four categories are 1) God is light (1 John 1:5), 2) God is Love (1 John 4:8), 3) God is Faithful (1 John 1:9, 1 Cor. 10:13), and 4) God is Good (Psalm 73:1). Now, I realize that each of these categories includes a variety of characteristics of God, and they are not comprehensive. For me, they provide a starting point for developing a heart and mind for godliness.

So, I have broken down the listings above into the following categories.

God is Light:
Holiness
Righteousness
Self-control
Knowledge

God is Love:
Love
Patience
Gentleness
Kindness

God is Faithful:
Endurance
Faith/Faithfulness
Humility


God is Good:
Goodness
Contentment
Thankfulness
Joy
Peace

I am hopeful that I will be able to refine these categories further at some point, but this is my sermon direction for August 2008.

I hope to understand God better through this study. I also hope to find a solid foundation on which to make life changes--to be more like God and less like the world.

Back to blogging--on godliness/christ-likeness

It has been a couple of weeks since I have been blogging. A confluence of things derailed my progress here. The renovation of the church floors, the rennovation of my own floors at my house, a mini-vacation (to DFW with 100+ temperatures and Six Flags), and an on-line class with Wayland that got intense over the last couple of weeks (ask my students--they'll tell you all about it).

So, I hope to be back in the blogging saddle again. We have talked about tackling basic Baptist Doctrine. However, I am working through some biblical passages on Christ-like character right now that are extremely challenging to me. So, I think I may dwell further on these things through my blog for the time being. I hope to have your comments soon. The key passages that are calling me are Colossians 3:12-17, 1 Timothy 6:11, Galatians 5:22, Ephesians 5:8-9, 2 Peter 1:5-9, James 1:2-4. These lists are so broad that they seem to defy any categorization, other than a general heading of spirit-led life or Christ-like character. That doesn't mean I won't try to break it down further. The more I read these lists, though, the more I find that I am deficient in these areas--at least where I want to be. That is OK though. Humility is the beginning of godliness, because we must accept our need for God before we will be able to recieve the good things he has for us. So now I (we) must pursue that which is virtually unattainable--yet so valuable and beautiful that we must pursue it, wherever it leads us. Do I find this illogical and frustrating? No, because the pursuit of perfection is not for achievement, but for imitation. Ephesians 5: Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us . . . .

I can never BE the Father, but I want to be LIKE him. So, I pursue, becoming what I can until he transforms me into what he wants me to be.

Age and Attitude: Feeling young and old

So, I finally made it to 40 years old--Aug. 3, 1968-2008. I don't feel too different, although I wonder if I've felt 40 for some time now, or if it hasn't hit me yet.

Age is a funny thing, and it is somewhat relative--the more I'm around my kids, the older I feel (rim shot here). The more I am around my parents and siblings, the younger I feel.

I do admit that some people make me feel younger, and some make me feel older. I can't say that there is a clear line between the two. When I am with the youth, there are times when they include me in their activities and I feel apart of the group. And there are other times, like camp or physical activities, when I am reminded of my limitations. So, I don't think actual age has anything to do with it.

I am sure it is attitude. And I much prefer to be around people who make me feel younger for all the right reasons. That includes the Senior Citizens from the Shadow Hills Residence. When I have Bible study with them, or join in their activities, age becomes meaningless. They have a zest and energy in life that makes me want to participate with them. Now, we do things at a different pace, but that allows for time to savor the journey.

So, I ask myself today: Do people feel older or younger when they are around me? I hope my attitude will always make my age irrelevant.