Haggai leveled an accusation against the people of God, that their priorities were out of order. They were more concerned about their own comfort and ease than they were about building the House of God. Several times, he called them to, “Give careful thought to your ways.”
Stop what you are doing and think about it, he demanded. Where is your life life headed? Are you on the right path?
I think we have lost, by and large, the concept of self-reflection and repentance in much of the modern church.
I had two conversations recently that brought this issue to my attention. First, I talked to a young man who is going through some serious marital problems. I listened as he shared the horrible things that his wife had said and done. When I tried to steer the conversation to whether he was loving his wife as Christ loved the church, he would admit his failings but turn the conversation back to his wife’s sins almost immediately. He wanted to focus on her, not on himself.
Then I got a call from someone who has had a lot of problems on multiple blogs. I asked him why he thought that so many different bloggers have felt it necessary to block him from their sites. He had a simple answer. We can’t handle the truth. It had nothing to do with his behavior. We were all persecuting him unjustly and he was suffering for righteousness sake.
Two conversations with one syndrome. “It’s not me, it’s them!” Neither of these folks was willing to remove the beams in their own eyes, but only wanted to take the slivers from the eyes of others. I wish it was a problem limited only to them!
I am old school in terms of grammar. I hate internet slang and shorthand (and yes, those wicked emoticons). You is spelled y-o-u, not “u.” It’s “before” not “b4.” I can find myself very critical of others’ grammar, spelling and syntax. But I have noticed something. If I type a document and print it, the mistakes just go right by me. But if you hand me a printed document that you prepared, my eye will almost immediately fall on any mistake that is there. I find it much easier to see your errors than my own – and of course that is as true in life as it is on paper.
This has always been a problem. That’s why Haggai said what he did. That’s why Jesus gave the parable of the beam and the splinter. It is a problem in the American church. Pastor, when is the last time you saw someone broken in repentance? Ought it not be a more common occurrence than it is? More importantly, when is the last time you were broken by your own sin? This has always been a problem, but I see this as a growing problem.
Why is this such a problem? I have several theories.
- The false teaching of self-esteem that swept the church in the 80s and 90s has produced a bitter fruit. In complete contrast to scripture, we were told that our problems were caused by our low self-esteem and that the solution was to think more highly of ourselves. The Bible calls us to humble ourselves and not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. But this self-exalting teaching has produced a church generation that comes to church seeking to be emotionally and spiritually built up without thinking about or dealing with their sin.
- As a result, churches have adopted the “positive and encouraging” ethic for church life. If a lost sinner is completely comfortable in a gathering of believers, is that a good thing? We ought to make them welcome and to feel wanted. But it is our job to call sinners to repentance, not to make them comfortable in their sin.
- The doctrine of God’s grace is always subject to abuse, as Paul warned in Romans 6 and 7. Does God love us just as we are? Absolutely. Does he say, “I love you as you are. Don’t ever change?” Absolutely not. Is it possible for us to become maudlin and even self-focused in our reflection and repentance? Of course. We are human beings and we tend to make everything about us instead of about God! But should we abandon self-reflection and repentance because it can be abused? Of course not. Yes, we are accepted in Christ and clothed in his righteousness. But that does not mean that we should not address, resist and fight against our own sin. That’s what the Spirit is for!
- The biblical sense that God is on my side can be abused to feed human pride. There is a lot of Elijah Syndrome around today. After Mt. Carmel, Elijah whined to God that he was the only one who was faithful and still held to the truth. God called him on his nonsense and told him that there were still thousands who had not bowed the knee to Baal. Yes, God is on my side, but that does not mean that I am his special servant of truth, the lone voice in the Christian wilderness.
- We have a tendency to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Avoiding the experientialism and emotionalism is mysticism is a worthy goal. But there is a baby in that dirty water that should be preserved.
The pendulum swings in the church. At times, emotionalism and morbid self-reflection become a problem. I do not think that is so today. The pendulum has swung the other way. My first duty is to look into my heart, with the Spirit of God as my guide, and to admit my sin, repent of it and let him take the beam out of my eye.
I am *so* tempted to go off on a I Cor 8:2 harangue on this.
If we can get people back to reflection, I’d suggest one tool for checking yourself out is to ask “Would it be a surprise to find that I’m wrong on something?” On a favorite point of minor theology, on an evaluation of another person, (and perhaps on whatever our favorite blogging topics are) on whatever things we evaluate and come to a conclusion on, would finding out that you’re wrong come as a surprise to you? I’d suggest that the more your response tends to be ‘yes’ on that question, the more likely it is that your evaluation of yourself is too high, and that you are lacking in humility. If being wrong comes as a surprise, then you don’t know yourself, you don’t know your own ability to err, misunderstand, and generally miss out on things (I’m getting back into I Cor 8:2 territory again).
This doesn’t mean you’re constantly afraid you’re wrong, or that you abandon *all* sense of confidence. It does mean that you really see you’re a fallen sinner and hence, in the words of the hymn, “prone to wander”. If you really acknowledge that, finding that you’ve wandered will not be a surprise. A cause for repentence, yes. A reason to evaluate how you got there, yes. But a surprise, no.
Good points, Ben.
As to the beam in my eye, I’d like to offer a joke that seems somehow relevant to the original post (see if you catch what I caught):
A drunk goes in a bar and asks for a shot of Jim Beam. The bartender pours it and the drunk pushes it aside and asks for another shot of Jim Beam. The bartender pours it and the drunk drinks it. The bartender says, “I watched what you did and I don’t understand why you pushed the first one away and drank the second one!” The drunk stated,” I’ve been going to those AA Meetings, and they said WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T TAKE THAT FIRST DRINK!!!”.
–Unattributed from random joke site
My application: what does it take to get us to say, “God take the beam out of my eye FIRST?”
And my answer, sadly, is “I don’t know what it takes.”
I’d say it takes acknowledging that taking the beam out of my own eye is more important, or takes priority, over taking the speck out of my brother’s eye. In other words, instead of seeing myself as the more righteous one whose superior spiritual vision has spotted a speck in my brother’s eye, I see myself as an unrighteous one who has a substantial blockage in my spiritual vision, and that dealing with that blockage is more important than my brother’s speck. After it’s dealt with, and I can actually see whether there was a speck in my brother’s eye in the first place, I’m in a place to actually help with the speck, approaching my brother not as a superior, but as a fellow brother who now has some experience dealing with spiritual vision problems.
“As a result, churches have adopted the “positive and encouraging” ethic for church life. If a lost sinner is completely comfortable in a gathering of believers, is that a good thing? We ought to make them welcome and to feel wanted. But it is our job to call sinners to repentance, not to make them comfortable in their sin.”
“As a result, churches have adopted the “positive and encouraging” ethic for church life.”
Is that a good thing or bad thing to have a “positive and encouraging” ethic for church life? “Positive and encouraging” is a tagline slogan for K-Love radio station.
“If a lost sinner is completely comfortable in a gathering of believers, is that a good thing?”
Good in some ways, bad in others.
“We ought to make them welcome and to feel wanted. But it is our job to call sinners to repentance, not to make them comfortable in their sin.”
Situation. A flock witnesses its pastor-shepherd refuse to call a lost-sinner to repentance on more than one occasion. The flock then emulates this particular behavior of its pastor.
Question: Was the pastor-shepherd negligent? Why?
I’d need more information on your scenario to give an opinion.
Members of the flock have never witnessed its pastor-shepherd call a lost sinner to repentance in either a semi-one-to-one situation or in a small gathering situation, even though the pastor-shepherd was well aware that he was conversing with a lost sinner.
Members of the flock then emulate their pastor-shepherd.
Question: Was the pastor-shepherd negligent? Why or why not?
Dave,
I don’t like self reflection, I like to see the reflection of other people.
Great Post, Thank you
“Our fallen human nature, that which tries to engulf the still small voice of faith within us, runs from the reality of our finite being, and searches the heavens and the earth for a false utopia in man-made immortality.
We run from suffering, inevitable suffering, seeking fleeting happiness in search of ultimate meaning in passing things.
Instead, we should stop, sit, and listen.
For only within our isolation and suffering will we taste of the joy of humility, and hear the faint cry of our innocence crying for the Lord of our salvation.”
(from a Lenten reflection
by Thomas Yanoti)
Thank you. We can affirm suffering in Christ since it expands our perspective and promotes our character. I’m reminded of something N. T. Wright had said: Life is purgatorial for the Christian, and therefore purgatory is the place we all know.
I’d just like to state for the record that the phone conversation with the problem blogger was not me.
Joe, Joe, Joe. You were the first person I thought of, then I thought “nah, he’s too fearless to blame other people.”
That’s the wonderful thing about hearing God’s law, at church, or anywhere.
It is actually DONE to us. And when heard, brings about repentance and a turning to Christ, out of our great need.
Thesis #1 (of the 95) was this;
“The entire life of the Christian is one of repentance.”
Thanks, very much.
Steve, are you a Lutheran?
You think?
I have an opinion but it’s just that…one perspective.
When I live in an actual community of people who love and and who engage me, I am much more humble and much more open to being corrected. When I am a lone ranger my accusatory conscience leaves me in self protect mode and I lash out to preserve my status.
When my root identity is in Christ and is reinforced by healthy protectors who are also pursuing Christ, I don’t just see the beam in your eye, or my wife’s or some blogger. Christianity is a team sport. When we are lone rangers we are easily picked off.
I like that.
Thanks.
The Lost Art of Self-Reflection and Repentance
Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers have self-reflected all season since last year, and their repentance this year will hopefully give the Ravens plenty of time in the 2013 off-season for self-reflection after a Super Bowl loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Go 49ers!!
To promote Safety, our company sent us to a lecture by a man who worked at Exxon. He exemplified the reluctant worker who ignored the fire retardant clothing and took shortcuts in his job duties. Sure enough, at the chemical company he worked at, there was a fire due to his negligence and he suffered from it. About 80% of his body was burned and he told the story of the immense pain of recovery and heartache. His story compelled us to reflect constantly on Safety.
I think as we reflect, sometimes we cannot feel the intensity of the sin, yet we repent because we are told to do so in scripture. I think that is good, too. But if we want to get people self-reflecting we could invite a repentant Christian who has committed adultery or murder. They have lost their identity as a Christian and self-reflection is never an option because it is always there. David said, “For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.” Ps. 51:3 There are suffering men and women out there who live self-reflecting lives. They live with a combination of being forgiven and regret simultaneously the rest of their lives.
Great and timely post, Dave. May we take heed and practice till we get it right.
The Lost Art of Self-Reflection and Repentance
The secular culture appreciates the self-reflection and repentance of this NFL Super Bowl player, Chris Culliver, who apologized for his homophobic remarks this past week.
Sportswriter Michael Rosenberg: “Culliver said he would not care to share the gridiron with any homosexual gentlemen, but thanks so much for the offer. I’m paraphrasing there. His actual words, in an interview with comedian Artie Lange, were: “I don’t do the gay guys, man. I don’t do that. Ain’t got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up outta here if they do. Can’t be with that sweet stuff.”
The country has changed. The culture has changed. After Culliver made his comments, many in the sports media decided to thoughtfully conduct a Gay Pride parade through Culliver’s skull, forcing him to backtrack and say his words were “ugly,” and he loves gay people, but wait, not like that, and well, um, uh, never mind, and hey, everybody, do you think Ray Lewis killed those two guys or not?
I don’t know if he changed his mind in a day. But like Hardaway, he can change his opinion over time. Hate is usually borne of ignorance, and on the subject of homosexuality, ignorance fades a little every day.
Chris Culliver might not like gay people. But I bet he likes playing in the NFL. And if his team employed a gay player, he would have to accept it if he wanted to keep playing.
Fans would be at least as hard on a gay-bashing teammate as they would be on a gay player. Public opinion has shifted. In 1996, a Democratic president signed the Defense of Marriage Act, designed to “define and protect the institution of marriage” — from gay people. The bill prevented the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.
Now we have a Democratic president who openly supports gay marriage after saying, for years, that his position was “evolving.” Whatever you think of this particular Democratic president — and again, I advise you to talk to at least one backup cornerback in this Super Bowl before forming an opinion — then understand: his position is mainstream. It is fast becoming the majority in this country.
It is so easy to hear what Culliver said and think “No way. Too many guys think like that.” But the reaction to his comments is far more relevant here. There was a swift public backlash and he had to retreat.”
Culliver self-reflected and repented, a lost art that the public helped him recover. Perhaps there are pastors out there who will learn from the public example of Culliver, and not find themselves on the receiving end of a public backlash for expressing words that aren’t supportive of homosexual activity.
And this guy went to high school with Scotty McCreery. Figures.
I”m not sure I’d characterize Culliver’s reaction (and, in another thread, the reaction of the Boy Scout organization) as reflection and repentence so much as captitulation to social extortion. Do you really think he’s changed his mind, or is he just saying what will get rid of the social pressure?
Thanks for the post. As a Christian, I of course consider homosexual activity to be sinful, but I’m glad to see the equally horrendous sin of verbal and physical abuse toward gays is waning.
Jon, I wonder what would happen if Tim Tebow (or any other Christian pastor) publicly echoed your sentiments:
“As a Christian, I of course consider homosexual activity to be sinful, but I’m glad to see the equally horrendous sin of verbal and physical abuse toward gays is waning.”
Um, he’d probably be subject to the same kind of social extortion as Chris Culliver and the Boy Scout organization?
soon comes the celebration of Mardi Gras, followed by Ash Wednesday and forty days of reflection, and fasting, and prayer, and repentance . . . but only for some Christian people
but the time before Easter celebration need not be just for them . . . many are now beginning to enter into the Lenten journey in ways meaningful to them as Christian people of deep faith
it doesn’t have to be ‘structured’ or ‘mandatory’, but it is good to wait an hour with Him during this time . . . some do this through spiritual reading and reflection (the Psalms are good for this), others choose ways of living differently in His honor by giving of their time for the sake of others in their community, some fast and find in it a spiritual freedom they had not anticipated, some find a place to be where it is quiet to spend time alone with their Lord . . .
others seek out those things which nourish their spirits and souls and sometimes find that those things are surprisingly ‘different’ from the expected ways of other Christians: perhaps listening to music, or reading, or taking time to write thoughts down as they make their own way through the Lenten journey
We still remember Our Lord’s sadness at Gethsemani . . .
this timeless question is also for us . . .
can we not spend an hour with Him?
If nothing ‘structured’ appeals, you might find to spend in a favorite book with an underlying Christian theme to ponder.
Last year during Lent, I came across this in Tolkien’s ‘Return of the King’, ‘The Land Of Shadow’, which I found to be meaningful:
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while.
The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
“… priorities were out of order.”
Great piece, Dave! There is no doubt that church priorities are out of order today … both individually and corporately. Repentance is the call of the hour, but church folks are tuned in with a deaf ear. I say that with one finger pointed your way and four pointed back at me.
As I reflect on recent SBC annual meetings and their “important” agendas, I’m reminded of the words of Vance Havner, in his sermon “Repentance as a Church Priority”:
“As I read report after report of great church congresses and conferences and conventions that spend all their time on peace, poverty, and pollution and leave the primary need, I long to read of one session where programs are thrown into the waste basket and the assembly goes to its knees. We have passed enough resolutions. God’s people must be called to repentance, and the repenting must begin with the delegates! Our Lord’s call to repentance in Revelation began with the angels of the churches, not the backsliders out on the fringe. To recruit a Gideon’s Band, we must begin with a Gideon.”
Lord, we (me) need a dose of that again!!
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