Today in honors, we briefly touched on what is actually possible to do in the Christian Faith, and what is impossible for us to do in this life, as we cannot gain perfection. We specifically talked about this in regards to praying constantly, and this is a tricky subject for me. After all, the Bible doesn't state this as a suggestion, it says to pray constantly. In the same way, it says, "Be perfect, as I am perfect." My human brain wants to obey the Lord; I want to be perfect, and I want to pray constantly. Is it unfair for the Lord to set us a standard that we can't follow? Or... can Christians actually be perfect? Can we actually pray constantly?
I suppose I started thinking about this when I realized how often I make excuses, saying that God will work in me "If it's His will to do it." I'm excusing my imperfections and inaction by giving myself the out of "God's will.". It is God's will for us to be perfect. As Christians, we have been freed from the bondage of sin, and can therefore, apparently, pray constantly and be perfect.
However, whether or not we can actually be perfect and pray constantly is extremely debatable. I'm just saying that because we've been freed from the bondage of sin, we have a choice. It might not be an impossibility. Jesus gave us commands, and these are tough. However, perhaps more than doing these exact things, these are the standards we're supposed to hold ourselves to, as they are the standards God holds us to. He expects us to be perfect, as He is perfect.
I know I'm rambling about this, but I hope y'all can follow my thought train. I guess the quote from Anne of Green Gables kind of sums it up: "Tomorrow is fresh, with no mistakes in it." It has potential for perfection, can we "Go, and do likewise?" At any rate, that's the standard we're being held to.
P.S. Commented on Rebekah Dye's :)
Josh Goldman's 50 questions.
ReplyDeleteDoes God want us to repent from our sins? yes. Does he expect us to be perfect? No. He knows that we are flawed creatures in a fallen world. That's what grace is for. Should we be relieved that if we sin and repent, then grace will be shown to us? yes. Should we in knowing God shows grace continue in our sinful ways. Absolutely not. Should we pray incessantly? yes. Is it possible? yes. However, I think there is confusion in what it means to pray incessantly. If we are supposed to spend all day with our "heads bowed and eyes closed", then if we engage in any kind of conversation with another person, we would be breaking our prayer focus. If we were supposed to live like that, then how would evangelism be possible? When Paul says to "pray without ceasing, he is not referring to non-stop talking, but rather an attitude of God-consciousness and God-surrender that we carry with us all the time. Every waking moment is to be lived in an awareness that God is with us and that He is actively involved and engaged in our thoughts and actions.
Well Jesus did come to fulfill the Law, and I would say he definitely set the standard up to a much higher level than before! (even though the original standard had already been proven to be impossible to live up to.) So yes, I do follow your thought train! The probability of being perfect is obviously zero, but it gives us something to work toward in life. In a way, the whole point of the Law was to provide a template for how to live a fruitful and pleasing life (according to God) and being in constant communion with Him is the only way to know if you are on the right track! Prayer is often misinterpreted as "bowing with eyes closed," and while this is one way to do it, I would venture to say that there are many ways to remain in constant communion with God throughout each and every day! I see "pray without ceasing" as a tough challenge to face, and it encourages me to strive harder to spend more time in communion with the Lord.
ReplyDeleteI've just got to say that I love this quote from Anne of Green Gables! :)
ReplyDeleteThe word for prayer in the New Testament (προσεύχομαι) has always been tough to define. For me personally, I struggle in believing Josh's interpretation of prayer in the context of Thessalonians being "Spiritual Consciousness." I find it interesting that in most, if not all cases in N.T. Scripture, the word associated with prayer in it's verb form is OFFERING. To offer prayer seems to imply more than Spiritual Consciousness. This theory flows with other Scripture's (Lk.18:1,Rom.12:1,Eph.6:18) and enforce's this idea of consistent, perpetual worship. It is no accident that the Mystics used this verse to glean wisdom concerning the nature of God. This is certainly fascinating stuff.
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