Friday, December 29, 2006

Surrender

Back to the subject of a previous post that I did not finish. How to have a change of heart. The answer is not so easy because it involves death. I don't mean it's time to commit suicide, or maybe I do, spiritually, that is

I have been thinking about this post for quite a while and I have been intimidated by trying to describe what evangelicals would call salvation. That is what a Christian change of heart is afterall. The place that I have been coming back to over and over is Jesus' admonition to take up his yoke. Now I have read Velvet Elvis so I know that Rob Bell talks about this, but my copy is out on loan so I will have to remember. His point was, as I recall, that the yoke was the teachings of a particular rabbi. A lot more to it I know, but that is my starting point.

I have come to the conclusion that there is an awful lot more to the Christian life than just believing. I am not trying to say anything about who has or who has not experienced salvation. I am only trying to say that believing misses most of the boat. Jesus talked mostly about following and it was only with his closest followers that he discussed what they believed. When Jesus asked Peter if Peter loved him, Jesus made it clear that Peter's love for Jesus must result in an action of selflessness. Peter must feed Jesus' followers. Now the thing that seems odd about this to me is that Peter seems the one least likely to get this message from Jesus because Peter is the one who seems bent on competing with the others for Jesus' attention. Now he is going to have to go back and help them?

Following Jesus is an essential part of a change of heart because it will result in things that we would never do on our own, and that is exactly the point. Remember that yoke that Jesus talked about. It is such a beautiful illustration of following. If we are yoked to Him we will go where he goes and do what he does. Everything is cool until we realize that being yoked to Jesus and doing what He does and going where He goes means that we don't go where we want or do what we want to do. We have to sacrifice the selfish pursuits of our hearts to be yoked to the purposes and plans of Jesus.

Taking up that yoke is how we change our heart. Basically, we surrender.

Surrender.

2 comments:

Tim said...

Hhmmmm….

Do you think there might be a difference between salvation and actually living in obedience? Can the two be separated? Is there room to “work out one’s salvation” as Paul suggests? Are there different journey’s for each of us? Does God call some to abstain while others are not held to that call?

I struggle with this one so much because I’m beginning to believe, more and more, that God’s grace is much bigger than we understand and much bigger than we would be comfortable with were we to know it’s full extent. And it’s certainly much bigger than the church’s. On the other hand, I do think God calls us to live above reproach and, when we do, God blesses us with, if nothing else, peace. Sometimes more.

Trent said...

I do believe that grace is much bigger than I understand, but I also believe that there is an awful lot that Jesus said that suggests that the life He commends us to follow is not easy.

I do not know if just believing is enough for salvation. That is not my business, but I do know that just believing misses the contented life that Jesus wants us to have here, now, on earth.

I guess that I am tired of my own lie of saying I love and follow Jesus and walking past people who can't buy the prescription medicine they need to live comfortably. We as a church do things like that a lot.

I think the thing I struggle with most is that(remember I am in the Bible Belt) saying one is a Christian is easier than saying you are not. It reminds me of what you say, "don't tell me what you believe, show me."