Roads, Relevancy, and Rules
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.[1]
As a sixth-generation Adventist, I had always taken pride in being an integral part of the Remnant Church, the church that would “finish the work” so that Jesus could come soon. I had chain-referenced my Bible in academy, and could quote multiple Scriptural passages to explain my beliefs. But now, I just couldn’t explain away or ignore the fact that the very foundation of my faith, the Word of God, had some truly troubling holes in it.
The facts were irrefutable: the reformers had changed the infallible and inspired Bible, modern corrections were being made that changed long-held doctrine (or at best made the tradition Biblically unsupportable), and Christianity couldn’t even get God’s own name right within the Scriptures! It didn’t make any sense. I finally had to face the fact that the doctrine of Biblical inerrancy was a bold-faced lie.
I cared very deeply about my faith and realized that in order to follow God in truth, I needed to know exactly where my doctrines had come from and why. I continuously and earnestly prayed to God that He would show me His Truth, no matter how hard it might be to face. There were so many times that I cried on my knees, struggling with God over what I had just discovered. Still, through the tears I kept repeating, “Show me Your truth, Father, please, show me Your truth!!!”
I felt like I was wandering in a vast desert of broken dreams and shattered beliefs. When I looked around, it seemed like this particular road was not only less traveled, but also overgrown with useless rituals, heathen practices, and various other skeletons of doctrinal detritus.
Then there was the issue of my rapidly sinking self-esteem. I had always judged my perceived value by what I could contribute to others. The songs I had written, the programs I had produced, and the music I had played that had brought people closer to God; all of these things defined my value, in my own eyes and, I felt, in the eyes of God. If I was not doing all of these things, what good was I, really? So I was discovering new Truths about God – how was I personally contributing to the good of His church? Furthermore, would expressing my concerns accomplish more harm than good if my words of doubt caused others to also question what they had been taught?
The times I had felt closest – and the most valuable – to God were those times when I was writing music. Now, I not only didn’t know what to write about, but many of the songs I had already written contained questionable doctrine. My spiritual self-esteem plummeted to sub-oceanic depths! I grieved for the loss of community as I found myself too uncomfortable to even go to church. And even worse, I grieved for my loss of spiritual self-worth, now that I wasn’t visibly contributing to the edification of God’s people.
I not only felt invisible to my fellow Christians; I felt invisible to God.
It was too late now to wish that I had never undertaken this journey to find out more about the history of my beliefs. I couldn’t close Pandora’s box, couldn’t un-ring the bell, and couldn’t go back and choose to take the road that actually had familiar people on it! But I sensed deep down that in spite of some intermittent turmoil and sadness, I needed to continue bravely down this new road, leaving no stone unturned and no fact unchecked. The difficulty and loneliness would all be worth it if I could really get to know the loving God that Jesus talked about.
Upon further scrutiny, it became apparent that Christianity itself seems to be changing. There seems to be an increasing trend to present only a “relevant, seeker-sensitive” pop Christianity that is heavy on the warm comfy feelings and light on one’s personal responsibility to obey God’s true law.
This troubling trend was aptly illustrated in an interesting sermon transcript/article in the Adventist Review online.[2] The article, “Crossing Over”, was all about inspiring believers to step out in faith, take a chance, and leap off the proverbial bridge of faith to reach one’s own personal Promised Land. The hip young speaker was very engaging, and he shared some interesting stories and motivational suggestions.
I’m all for stepping out in faith, following God’s leading, and taking chances, so I read the transcript with interest. My curiosity was particularly piqued as I read the following selection of the article. The speaker began quoting from Joshua chapter 1.
Wow, where were we? Back to Joshua. God says to the people, “Be the new generation. Be the people who God calls to cross. Go across. Don’t be the old people, the old generation that died in the wilderness. Don’t say it can’t be done. Don’t say that isn’t where God wants us.”
Verse 5. God says, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
If you are following along, verse 6, prepare to jump: “Be strong and courageous.”
Verse 7: “Be strong and very courageous.”
Verse 9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
I don’t know about you, but I find it curious if someone jumps OVER or skips all around a text while they are making their point. I had to see what was in verse 8. Was it insignificant? Irrelevant? Uninspiring? Unnecessary? Or was it merely superfluous to the point being made?
“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
FAR from being superfluous or irrelevant, the skipped text appears to be what the entire promise of the rest of the passage hinges on! Let’s compare it to a contract to buy a house.
“Go ahead. Buy it!”
“You’ll just need to sign on the dotted line.”
“It will be GREAT owning a house.”
(Skipping over the section that says my responsibility is to pay X amount of dollars per month for the next 30 years for the privilege of homeownership.)
“Wow, you just need to take this chance. Isn’t it awesome???!”
By avoiding Joshua 1:8, the speaker essentially promised all of the benefits with none of the responsibility.
Because of the independent and self-focused mindset of today’s “don’t fence me in” generation, and alsorealizing that “you need to obey God’s law” doesn’t play well with Gen-X Christians, many of today’s Christian leaders just gloss over or completely disregard the fact that our heavenly Father actually expects obedience from those who would claim His promises. The fault doesn’t lie only with the leadership; it also reflects on the rest of us who expect, NO, demand miracles while refusing to entertain the notion that some responsibility for obedience lies with us.
A few years ago I saw the advertisement for a “Just Claim It!” international SDA Youth Prayer Conference. I was stunned by the motto, which read something like this:
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray… then will I hear from heaven… and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14
What was in the ellipses?
The text of Scripture, unedited, goes like this.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Once again, our own personal responsibility to follow God’s law and turn away from our sin was left out in favor of “just claiming” all sorts of promises and blessings for ourselves.
How awesome it would be if God’s beloved children could see God’s true law not as a burden, but as a blessing! The Psalmist spoke so glowingly of the gift of God’s true law. What will it take for us to once again see our Father as the Boss over us, as someone that we need to obey BECAUSE He has authority over us? When will we submit ourselves, embrace our responsibility for obedience to our Maker and finally grow up as believers? Lastly, when will we see the Eternal One’s true law for what it is – a gift to make our lives better?
The writer of Psalm 119 had a beautiful view of God’s true law. Here is my own simple interpretation entitled, “His Law Is”.
God’s law lights our way; it directs us each day
And brings wisdom and strength when we need them
So blessed will be they who will walk in its way
for its statutes bring life-giving freedom
It’s holy and right; it’s a clear blazing light
that shines down on the land of each nation
Its justice excites us; its teaching invites us
to share it with all of creation
Sacred gift of love
Shining light from above
Eternal covenant of truth…
His law IS
My soul will awaken; I will not be shaken,
I’ve hidden His law deep within me
His Name is my treasure, His precepts, my pleasure,
His promises comfort and keep me
Sacred gift of love
Shining light from above
Eternal covenant of truth…
His law IS[3]