Biblical Tensions: The Simplicity And Complexity Of Our Christian Faith
Our Christian Faith is simple, yet complex
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Just as our God is so beyond us yet came down to us. He is too holy for humanity, yet became human to share in our weaknesses. Who can fathom the endless intricacies of God who sees all things, knows all things, is completely righteous and just, and chooses to make Himself available to and known by men and women who are tainted, broken, and damaged by sin in their own life and the world around them.
1 Corinthians 13:12 says,
For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.
Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.
While we can only know in part, I personally want to know, love, live, and experience the most “part” I can. While Jesus satisfies my soul, I never want to become complacent in my faith. I never want to get to the place where I say, “I’m good. I’ve got this faith thing figured out. Jesus loves me and I love Him. It’s a done deal and I will rest here.”
However, even in those words, I feel the tension of Jesus’ words.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:28
Isn’t rest in Christ one of the benefits of a relationship with Jesus?
Well, as a matter of fact it is. The Bible is filled with Scriptures that show us the value and need for rest. Think about Psalm 23 where the psalmist recognized the rest God gave him causing him to lie down in green pastures and refreshing his soul. And of course, we can’t forget that God set the standard for rest once completing Creation.
And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done,
and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
Genesis 2:2
Rest is good and godly. God commands rest, calls us to rest, and blesses us with rest. Yet, at the same time, Paul reminds us that our faith should be lived out as a competitive race. We see that in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.
Paul directs his reader to “run” as one competing to win a prize. Of himself, Paul said that not only did he run, but he also said, “I fight…I discipline my body…” The pendulum of Scripture swung from Jesus gives rest to the weary to a directive to run our race of faith as one competing for a prize.
I remember hearing Brother Bob Utley preach a message about running the race. He said that the picture the Bible painted was that when we get to the finish line we are completely spent, wiped out because we gave all we had. Two very opposite pictures.
Yet resting and racing are both an element of our Christian faith. Which brings us back to a question this biblical tension stirs within us, “So do we rest or do we race?” In the infamous words of Brother Bob, “ABSOLUTELY!”
Living Between Biblical Tensions
I believe we find our calling placed somewhere between resting and racing, yet never letting go of one or the other. And quite possibly even that may be like a sliding scale according to our season of life. Some seasons God may call us to rest while still running our race, and other seasons, God may call us to run our race as hard as we can while still resting in Him.
The biblical tension between resting in Jesus and running our faith race may in itself be a very good place to study biblical tensions, but that is not where we are going today. I simply wanted to get us in the mindset of recognizing biblical tensions.
Books I Am Reading
I am reading a book Brother Bob recommended that I read, Scripture Twisting by James W. Sire. Another book I am also reading is Between Two Truths: Living With Biblical Tensions by Klyne Snodgrass. Scripture Twisting addresses and emphasizes the misuse of Scripture, the dangers of getting off base, and that the misuse of Scripture is how most cults began. He named two men who started out as Sunday School teachers and ended up very off base. One of which was very personal to me, Edgar Cayce.
Many years ago, before Jesus changed my life, I was deeply immersed in new age. I believed in reincarnation, and engaged with things of the occult. It all started with curiosity and Edgar Cayce. Edgar Cayce, once a Sunday School teacher became a psychic. When I was introduced to Edgar Cayce, he was full fledge psychic and I was full fledge curious. That curiosity took me down a very dark and dangerous path. But praise God, He rescued me from the darkness of deception and the New Age Spirituality.
Many years ago, before Jesus changed my life, I was deeply immersed in new age. I believed in reincarnation, and engaged with things of the occult. It all started with curiosity and Edgar Cayce. Edgar Cayce, once a Sunday School teacher became a psychic. When I was introduced to Edgar Cayce, he was full fledge psychic and I was full fledge curious. That curiosity took me down a very dark and dangerous path. But praise God, He rescued me from the darkness of deception and the New Age Spirituality.
I pray that my story and Edgar Cayce’s story causes you to take notice of how we all can fall into error or believing lies rather than truth. But I also want you to know where I stand now.
The Bible is God’s Word
In our culture, day, and time more and more people speak about the Bible as it being a fairy tale, full of contradictions, partial truths according to their own biases and desires, and many say that the Bible is antiquated and not relevant today. I disagree.
I believe the Bible is the tangible, manifested Word of God given to us by God that we may know Him, be in relationship with Him, experience Him, and even learn and understand ourselves from a right perspective, God’s perspective. We get to choose whether we will embrace the Bible as God’s word. And in this day and time, many are not embracing the Bible as God’s Word, even in the Church.
If you have the slightest apprehension to believing that the Bible is God’s Word, read these two blog posts addressing the authority and foundation of God’s Word.
The Authority Of God’s Word Is The Reason For The Hope That Is In Me.
The Foundation Of God’s Word Will Carry Us Through Every Storm
We have a spiritual enemy who seeks to keep us from believing and spending time in God’s word. However, if he can’t get us side-tracked there, he still pursues ways he can get us off in extreme sides of God’s word, therefore deceiving us and getting us off course.
The reality is, the Bible is filled with tensions that go beyond those we addressed today of resting and racing. Grace and Law. Faith and Works. And so many more. I hope you will join me as on a journey to boldly lay them out and wrestle through our own preconceived understandings to submit to the authority of Scripture. We want to be women who abide and stand deeply rooted in the truth of God’s word.
Much Love And Blessings!
