The Weight of Glory

The Weight of Glory

(With sincere apologies to C.S. Lewis...)

As a Christian, I've spent most of my adult life attempting to understand what is meant by the word "glory." Now, there's a loaded sentence: "Christian" and "glory" mentioned in the same breath; two terms with which the most thoughtful struggle. Two words with a lot of cultural baggage. Today I won't try to tackle a definition of "Christian." Someday I might. A reading of my earlier thoughts will, I think, shed at least some light on the meaning I attach to the word. It is certainly more than something moral, legalistic, cultural, historical or pseudo-spiritual. Action follows belief... But I digress... Glory. I'll concentrate here on that singular and evasive word. And I'll start with scripture which should always be our primary source.

Just a few of the over 530 variations of the word "glory," used in most translations, are mentioned here:

Psalm 66:1-2 Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

And

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

So, then...

Is it something we can create, as in, "We give glory to your name"?

Is it something that God has and we do not, as in, "You are glorious"?

Is it something that isn't really characteristic of God but follows Him, as in, "Your glory fills the room"?

I've gone round this mulberry bush a number of times trying to wrap my head around this word. It's important. Our theology informs our philosophy. Our philosophy informs our beliefs. And our beliefs inform our actions. We don't get our actions right when our understanding is wrong.

Glory.

We read about it in the Bible.

We sing about it in our gatherings.

We pray that we would show it in our lives.

And we ask that it would appear in our fellowship.

But, really, what is it and why should we want or look for it anyway?

"Glory," according to the whole of scripture, I believe, is the evidence of the weightiness of God. There is our definition. Look at the verses yourself and see if you come to another conclusion. As a whole, however, scripture points to this idea: the glory of God is the evidence of His weightiness, of His importance.

It is the manifestation of the gravitas of God. Gravitas is a derivation of the Latin word meaning heaviness, solemnity, and weight. It is the same word from which we get our English word "gravity." We use it here in this sense: "the gravity of the situation" or "the gravity of what the judge has just ordered."

It is, in fact, the fingerprint left by our Father to let us know that He has been at work and is now working. It is the evidence of His importance.

If we insert this definition in place of the actual word, glory, we read as follows:

Hebrews 1:3 He is the radiance of the [evidence of the weightiness] of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high...

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the [evidence of the weightiness] of God the Father.

And

Exodus 40:34-35 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the [evidence of the weightiness] of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the [evidence of the weightiness] of the Lord filled the tabernacle.

God chose to make His glory known among us: first through Israel, then through His Son, and now through the church. Theologians, when speaking of the incarnation of Jesus Christ, often use the term "manifest glory". He makes his glory known in us so that He may make His glory known through us. Failure to know God's glory leads to a failure to show His glory. This is Ichabod.

Ichabod: the glory has departed. The evidence and fingerprint of God's weightiness and worth is no longer present when Ichabod is written over the doors to our hearts and minds, families, churches or societies. As James MacDonald writes in Vertical Church, "When the people of God are not told the works of God, they lose the wonder of God, and everyone does that which is right in his or her own eyes.”

"When people are taught that their ultimate purpose is reaching the lost or building a church or extending their hands to the poor, they derail during difficult times. Horizontal purposes, even ones that express God’s heart for the lost, are not adequate to sustain a lifetime of devotion to the gospel through the valleys people inevitably face. The true Church teaches its people to judge every circumstance and opportunity in terms of its potential to reveal 'the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.'"

The Westminster shorter Catechism states it this way in the first question it poses: "What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever."

Let us know and show the weight of His glory. Let the word Ichabod never be written above the door to our heart or to His church.

Years ago on Saturday Night Live, Mike Meyers created a hilarious character named Linda Richman. You may remember her as the stereotypical Jewish middle-aged woman. She spoke with an exaggerated New York accent; sported long, painted fake nails and big hair; and wore gold jewelry, gaudy sweaters, and large dark glasses. In the skit, she hosted the local cable show, "Coffee Talk." When the topic of conversation became emotionally overwelming, Linda would become "verklempt" and would need a private moment to recover her composure. Before attempting to calm herself, she would instruct her guest and the audience to "discuss among yourselves" and would often suggest a topic ("the holy Roman Empire was neither holy nor Roman, discuss..."). If you've not seen this sketch, do yourself a favor and look it up. Right now, however, given our earlier discussion of glory, I'm going to play the part of Linda Richman. If our definition of glory impacts our beliefs and our beliefs impact our actions, how does sin disturb the glory of God?

So, let's talk about sin. Not corporate sin or Wall Street sin. Not even the sins of the church as a whole. Let's talk about our very own, individual, you-and-I-commit-them sins and how the glory of God is disrupted in our own lives.

Discuss.


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Location:Burnett Ln,Vincennes,United States

Penultimately, It Is A Matter Of Prayer

Penultimately, it is a matter of prayer.

“Fear is legitimate for the vulnerable, and pain is a natural consequence of being mortal. But worry is a choice made in distrust.” Matt Chandler & Jared C. Wilson. “To Live Is Christ and To Die is Gain.“

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Phil. 4:4-9

An anxious Christian is bad advertisement for the God of peace.

The question I last posed was this: if I know that the ultimate belongs to the Father, how do I, in thought and action, keep my place, put down my God badge, and care for the penultimate only?

The answer is found in the introductory verses. As with most every question, the answer is found within the written revelation of the Word. While the Father often speaks to my heart, nothing I hear is contradictory to what was earlier revealed in the Bible. Each of the following points could be developed at length. However, in summary Paul's admonishment to the Philippians states and concludes:

Because God is near to us, it is reasonable to rejoice always (4-5);

Worry and anxiety are combatted by the discipline of supplication prayers ("God, help me” prayers) (6);

Supplication prayers born from an awareness of God's nearness result in a peace that keeps our emotions and our intellect (7);

A peaceful keeping of our hearts and minds is evidenced by a shift from self-centered to God-centered thinking (8); and

When we have taken the information and moved through imitation to innovation, we abide in Him, the God of peace.

Prayer, specific “help me” prayers, made by a heart thankful for a Father who hears and is not silent, combat the practiced unbelief of a worried mind. It is here, in consistent prayer, that I am able to care for only penultimate matters as I realize in belief that ultimate actions belong to the Lord. When I am able to say “help me” there is a finality to my discovery that I cannot be responsible for the real outcome. If I am unable to perfectly exercise my responsibilities, obedience or preparations without assistance, how would I rationalize that I could somehow be the man in charge of the determination?

“When we live with a lack of anxiety about the future, even in those tightrope kind of times, we communicate the truth that our God is indeed worthy of our trust. We don’t fret over the future because He holds it in His hands. We don’t wring our hands in worry because we know He’s charting the course. That sort of confidence invites others into it, those longing for something different from life without a net.“ Michael Kelley, Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal.

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Ultimately, It Is Not Up To Me...

Ultimately, it is not up to me.

“You want to kill me
And I want to die
We're a perfect match
You and I.” Mercy - U2

If anyone were ever to leaf through the pages of my journal, he would not soon misunderstand my love for and equal hatred of my profession. It is a roller coaster ride; a ship on alternately stormy and calm waters; life and death together under the same roof. Nonetheless, I am thankful and humbled that while I counsel others, the Lord continues to instruct me. I continue to learn that I do not in or of myself possess the skills, resources or prowess necessary to guard the light and keep the darkness at bay. I don't have it in me; it was only self delusion to think that I ever did. In order to attain any measure of real success as defined by scripture and not the world, I must, as John declares, decrease so that He may increase. More than a few verses immediately flood the basement of my brain:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus…” Phil 2:5

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Phil 4:13

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Col 3:2

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Cor. 2:14-16

I know, as the Lord has spoken, that the end of me is the true beginning of Jesus Christ in me. Not only do I not have the skill or ability to sustain my responsibilities, I do not have the authority to own what results from them. It is simply not up to me and it is foolhardy to act as though it does.

“The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, [so] shall it stand…” Isaiah 14:24

And

“For I am the LORD; I will speak the word that I will speak, and it will be performed…” Ezekiel 12:25a

The preparation, not the result, belongs to me. Obedience is mine; the outcome belongs to the Father.

As Bonhoeffer wrote, “[W]hen we speak of the things before the last, we must not speak of them as having any value of their own, but we must bring to light their relationship to the ultimate”. The things before the last, he declares, are the “penultimate,” those matters immediately prior to the happening itself. The penultimate belongs to us, to me, and we tend the soil of the garden in which the ultimate grows. The ultimate, however, belongs exclusively to the Father and He has not shared this jurisdiction with any other.

And, so, it is ultimately not up to me. "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” I Cor. 3:6. To think otherwise is to burden myself with crippling actions and thoughts and perfections that are not only beyond my abilities to fulfill but also a usurpation of that which belongs only to the Lord.

It is not up to me and, as a result of this revelation, it is incumbent that I act on what I believe. And so, the question then becomes: if I know that the ultimate belongs to the Father, how do I, in thought and action, keep my place, put down my God badge, and care for the penultimate only?

Film at eleven…

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Save me. I love your law.

Psa. 119:94 I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.

The 119th psalm, the longest chapter in scripture, is an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Moreover, the eight verses of each stanza begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It's construction is elaborate and its authorship is annonymous.

The book of Psalms contains 49 such anonymously written songs. Tradition often ascribes authorship of many of these unnamed works to Ezra. While many commentators presume the present psalm is a Davidic Psalm, it is also possible that Ezra was its author. It is easy to see why David's authorship is presumed in that God used him to write one half of the collected songs. Additionally, the content of this psalm finds parallel with David’s life.

Nonetheless, an argument can be made for its possible writing by Ezra.
After the Persians overthrew the Babylonians, Ezra was a priest and a scribe during the time of the Israelites' exile from and return to Jerusalem. He wrote the book of Ezra and possibly contributed to parts of Nehemiah.
In Nehemiah 8 we see Ezra reading from the Law, or Torah, challenging Israel to follow the Lord’s teachings. During the return from exile, it was his responsibility as a priest to reestablish God’s Word as the basis for living.

“Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:3, NKJV).

In verse 9 we read:

“And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law” (Nehemiah 8:9, NKJV).

We see in these verses that the word of the Lord has an immediate and visceral impact on the attitudes of those who hear it read. It caused them to openly weep. The tears, most likely, were those of conviction. The result of this repentance is detailed in Nehemiah 9:1-3:

“Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads. 2Then those of Israelite lineage separated themselves from all foreigners; and they stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. 3And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for one-fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and worshipped the LORD their God” (Nehemiah 9:1-3, NKJV).
So why do I think Ezra wrote Psalm 119?

Psalm 119 is filled with praise to God for the work and the impact His Word occasions in our lives. This spiritual collision is detailed well in Nehemiah. The environment in which Ezra is rooted also parallels that of the Psalmist. Additionally, in the foregoing, we see that it requires a high degree of literacy to write in the style of this particular Psalm. As Ezra was a scribe, he would have been well suited for God to use in this manner. It is certainly possible that he is the anonymous author of the 119th psalm.

Nonetheless, the psalm's authorship is not nearly as important as its content. The question of ascription serves only as an introduction to the heart of the matter: a love for the law of the Lord.

Psa. 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.

The beauty of this song (or perhaps more appropriately, one of the beauties of this magnificent psalm) is in the author's outpouring of affection for the instruction of the Lord. He employs a number of synonyms in his praise: law, instruction, precepts, rules, testimony, word, statutes, commandments and more! Yet his objective is singular; the word of God is life. In this affirmation of life in the law of the Lord, the psalm explodes with worship.

An internal and an external significance is declared of the Word. Praise is provided for not only its ability to guard our hearts but also to establish our way. The precepts of the Lord, it is shouted, keep us from enemies within and without.

The precepts and the instruction of the Father protect against the way that would seem right to us but rather leads to death. The psalmist sings:

Psa. 119:10 With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
Psa. 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

and

Psa. 119:35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
Psa. 119:36 Incline my heart to your testimonies,
and not to selfish gain!
Psa. 119:37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.

The law and the testimonies of the Father protect against those that would come against us. Regarding our cultural and spiritual assailants, the Spirit instructs:

Psa. 119:98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
Psa. 119:99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
Psa. 119:100 I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.

And

Psa. 119:110 The wicked have laid a snare for me,
but I do not stray from your precepts.
Psa. 119:114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.

What, then, does our anonymous author conclude? He rejoices that though he himself is insignificant, he loves the Word of the Lord. This heartfelt appreciation keeps him steady in times of oppression. In all matters, the instruction of the Father is a light to our path providing the illumination necessary to see the way clearly through obstacles constructed by our own hands and by those of our adversary.

In one verse, the whole testimony is contained and summarized:

Psa. 119:94 I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.

We recognize and rejoice (I am yours).

Psa. 119:141 I am small and despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.

Because the Word is hid in our hearts (Save me).

Psa. 119:121 I have done what is just and right;
do not leave me to my oppressors.

We will never be left in darkness (I have sought your precepts).

Psa. 119:105 Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.

Selah and Amen.

All Things Considered

All Things Considered

All things considered

And contained inside

Or seized to my chest

Given for a season

Or stolen for a moment

All things considered

Some to return

And certain to keep

As the Spirit moves deep

Like His face over the waters

Not one is mine

To ask to own

But all

Live

Move

And have being

In You

So that the letting go

And the holding fast

Are one and the same

Together

A Whole

Directed by You

Of your will

Held together

By the Permanence

Of who you are

May 5, 2011

Jonathan T. Feavel

Rob Bell Needs Some Love

Everyone has reviewed this book.  Everyone has a pretty strong opinion about it.  Love it.  Hate it.  He's wrong.  He's right.  So, for what it's worth, I'll add my voice to the world's largest book review chorus.

First things first.  I really don't care if Rob Bell is a universalist.  If in fact he is (and given the nature of his present musings I would suggest that he is some variation of the sort, his protestations notwithstanding) and if in fact he is right then there will be multitudes of very happy and very relieved folks.  And there is no reason I should be unhappy about such a result or such a fantastic redemption of all mankind.  If God is to be glorified as such then God is to be glorified indeed.  In Luke 20:1-16, the good master paid every man the same wage regardless of his time in the field.  If this principle were to apply to the salvation of all how is it that I should play the part of the ungrateful servant even though I have worked longer?  It is of no consequence to me -- under either scenario I would count myself among the redeemed.  And either way I rejoice.  Given Bell's theology I would simply rejoice with a much larger throng.

Nonetheless, I believe he has reached the wrong conclusion.  I am not a universalist.  Over the course of my study of the Scripture I have reached a substantially different result.  But I'd be more than happy to have a cup of Starbucks with Bell.  We could talk about what we have read, discuss our mediations and perhaps challenge each other to review our positions with a greater seriousness.  I could tell him that I think he looks like he should be playing guitar for Death Cab for Cutie and he could tell me that he always really wanted to be an attorney.  I think we could agree to disagree and then we would both confirm our joint belief that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ.

Regardless of Bell’s views on post-mortem redemption there are other potential pitfalls of poor theology presented in his pages.  Now, how’s that for alliteration?!  Perhaps these issues are as important as whether Bell is a universalist.  Perhaps they are even more imperative.

To be sure, this book was profoundly disturbing and at times infuriating.  But not as a result of the universalism issue.  He is; I'm not.  Let's move on...

I was bothered by his huge presuppositions which were not supported by either Scripture or any source other than his imagination (by way of illustration see his views on the nature of post-mortem choice and consequences, opportunity and further choice).

I was bothered that he valued etymology only when it supported his thesis and was wholly ignored when the original Greek meaning was contrary to his teachings or called them in to question (by way of illustration see his word study on "forever" but his ignorance of the word "wants" from 1 Timothy 2:4).

I was bothered by the insightful questions he asked (see the first two chapters).

And I was bothered most by his schizophrenic and undeveloped answers.  If they were answers at all.

The book is premature.  Bell is a wounded healer.  I'm venturing a guess that Bell wrote this book for others so that he could himself attempt to figure out the answers along the way.  I'm not sure he knows exactly what he believes.  But the questions are really good.  The questions he asks need to be asked.  And they need to be asked in the church.  Just because their is a refusal to address the questions within church does not mean that the questions do not dictate an answer.  The world has been asking questions about "Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived" for years.  The church has been providing softball answers if answers are provided at all.  We need to find a better way to articulate real information in response to the questions that Bell posses.  He's done us all a favor by starting the dialogue.  We need to return the favor and find what Bell left missing.  Or Bell needs to revisit and revise his book once he figures out what he really believes.  As it is, his motley patchwork of conclusions is self defeating, contradictory and at times borderline humanistic.

For instance, early on Bell posits that while society at large, the disciples and the religious illuminati were all in the dark about the true nature of Jesus Christ and His work on earth the demons, and only the demons, properly understood His identity and mission.  Later, however, Rob Bell essentially dismisses hell as an actual physical or spiritual place.  It is largely a creation of our own evil choices and the consequences are a denial of our humanity.  Lukewarm jello at best.  If a literal hell is to be dismissed then a literal Satan is also to be shunned.  In turn Bell hints that this may also be the case.  My questions, then, are that if neither hell nor Satan are present realities who do the demons serve, what is their function, from where did they come and what exactly are we to think of or do with them?  How can we give their testimony credence when we have negated all that would give them existence?

The book is riddled with such double speak and it is most often left unresolved.  The God of the Old Testament is wholly ignored and we are served a gospel buffet of cheap grace and easy streets where the primary focus is you and me as opposed to God and his glory.  While Bell includes an insightful chapter designed to argue that the gospel is indeed all about the atoning work of Christ he later undermines the same by repeatedly stating that Christianity is a, “Wide stream we’re swimming in,” or, “Not all Christians have believed this, and you don’t have to believe it to be a Christian.  The Christian faith is big enough, wide enough, and generous enough to handle that vast a range of perspectives.”  This in contrast to Matthew 7:13 where Christ himself states, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many."

By and large the result is that Bell's "good news" becomes a selfish gospel with a predisposition to us and our completeness with no emphasis on all things occurring for and to the Glory of God.  The emphasis is on the wrong syllable.  An anthropocentric God allows for heaven and hell and fate to be all about us and our social programs and our developments and tolerance and “humanness” as the ultimate goal.  We become the focal point of the gospel and God’s glorification becomes an afterthought if a thought at all.

Bell addresses rejection in terms of our rejecting our “God-given humanness” and not any real rejection of God.  As such, the resulting punishment or hell is defined only as the, “very real consequence we experience when we reject the good and true and beautiful life that God has for us.”  God exists, is appears, to serve us.  There is no apparent down side to rejecting God; only to rejecting the "humanity" he gave us.

Logic is defied.

More so, it appears to me that Scripture is defied.

And history is defied.

But the questions still need to be answered.

So...  In conclusion:

If Bell is a universalist then he is a universalist and any reader should be caveat lector (reader beware!)

If Bell is not a universalist then he is not a universalist and, still, any reader should be caveat lector!

Jonathan

Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven...

One of the primary areas of my law practice is bankruptcy.  As there are no Federal courthouses in Vincennes, I travel fairly often.  It is at least an hour's drive to either Terre Haute or Evansville, the nearest Bankruptcy courts.  As a result, I am afforded some free thought, music or prayer time.  On occasion this is the most enjoyable hour of the work day.


Today, while driving to Evansville and after returning client calls, I was listening to David Crowder's "Collision."  The disc begins with a scratchy, muted and effected cover of the gospel classic, "Everybody Wants to go to Heaven, but Nobody Wants to Die."  I'm not a fan of the song.  Never liked it.  Not even the Crowder version.  Nonetheless, I am compelled by some mild and benign form of obsessive compulsive disorder to listen to albums in full listing as the artist intended for them to be heard.  Track order is an art and I appreciate it.  Now then... I am aware that the wit and cleverness of this song lies in the irony of the title as sung by the artist.  That is, you can't get to heaven without dying, regardless of whether you have a pair of roller skates or a rocking chair, etc.  However, when I heard the song this morning, I heard it like this:


Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die (to self)... or,


Everybody wants the good stuff but nobody wants to work to ensure it... or,


Everybody wants something for having done nothing.


Everybody wants Something for Nothing...


Strange, I know.  But for some odd reason I heard, for the first time, the song in terms of wanting the rewards of Christ without having to be obedient; dying to self in order to live to him.  We want a spiritual something for nothing.  Now I know that salvation (and heaven as a result) is the "gift of God," and is not earned from works.  I'm not suggesting that you can earn redemption.  I also understand that we are saved by grace through faith (see Eph. 2:8).  However, and I'll paraphrase, there is also a scriptural truth that while good works do not produce salvation, salvation does indeed produce good works.  They are a necessary by-product of your new nature.  It is a spiritual law that has been effected by "nature's God."  (For more on "the law of nature and of nature's God" please read Blackstone's Commentaries on the English Law.)  James 2:20 is pretty straight forward about this principle.  Faith without attendant, resulting works is dead.  Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die...


I have a friend who was my former law school professor.  At the time I was under his tutelage I suspected he was a very smart guy.  Now I know he is brilliant.  His name is Michael Schutt and he wrote a book called, "Redeeming Law:  Christian Calling and the Legal Profession."  On page 43 of this important work he writes that this something for nothing attitude is in fact spiritual apathy:  "a sluggishness about the pursuit of the first things, about the pursuit of ultimate goodness, truth and beauty.  Medieval scholars used the Latin term acedia for this spiritual sloth."  He continues, "We are created to pursue the One who is good, who is the truth, and who is beauty.  Our chief end, according to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is to glorify him and enjoy him forever."  The something we want (salvation/heaven) should produce a counterpart something in us (obedience/good works).


The modern meaning of "sloth" is not what is meant by elder scholars when they use the word, although there is something of a relation between the two.  They do not mean mere laziness or sluggishness - the sort of thing that might bring to our minds the animals called sloths. The vice known as sloth "is sadness about one's spiritual good, on account of the attendant bodily labor.”  I won't put in the physical man work to see spiritual man growth.  Acedia.  So sloth isn't simple laziness - a vice in itself - but rather, it is a sorrow or sluggishness about doing good that prevents one from doing it.  But we still want to go to heaven.


Regarding acedia, Thomas Aquinas wrote, "The fact that a man considers an arduous good impossible to obtain, either by himself or by another, is due to his being downcast...[I]t seems to him that he will never be able to rise to any good.  And since acedia is a sadness that casts down the spirit, in this way despair is born of acedia."  Schutt summarizes, "In other words acedia arises when we look at some worthwhile good thing as impossible to achieve."  If a thief wants to quit stealing, but he thinks to himself that it would be too hard to give up his larcenous ways and get a real job to provide for his needs...that's sloth (acedia).  Something for nothing.  Or at least that's what we often want.  Heaven through sloth.  The rewards of obedience without the labors of conviction.  We both know it doesn't work like that...


You can't get to heaven unless you die and you can't have heaven on earth through sloth.  You don't get the blessings of obedience without walking it out. You don't get spiritual growth with a free pass on physical work (being compelled to action by the love of Christ immediately comes to mind) and you don't get something for nothing.  I think the fact that we often want something for nothing is strong evidence that we never really committed ourselves to the something.  It's simply not possible to commit to a something and want to offer nothing.  It is definitionally impossible.  Commitment means offering something to the Something.  As the Apostle Paul wrote in Phil. 2:12-16, "12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. 14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing."  That's commitment.  That's something.  Something for SOMETHING (Some-ONE).  I want to go to heaven...and I'm willing to die.


Amen.