Wednesday, August 25, 2010

withstanding

Belatedly, I wondered if the tone of my post about repentance and Hebrews 10:26 may have been too unsympathetic to the plight of Christians who, like myself, 1) are already aware that we sin, 2) are therefore grieved by the knowledge that we fail to be holy in countless ways, and then 3) take steps to avert our sin in the future.

My reply is simple: if you're in that group, then you weren't my intended target. I aimed my message at Christians who don't bother with repentance, presumably out of the mistaken assumption that the purpose of grace is to sin without shame. They might claim that since they're "only human" and surrounded by temptation, they cannot be expected to withstand. For them, transformation (sanctification) is "extra credit" for overachieving saints. No reason to go "overboard" on righteousness and integrity.

However, it's worth reiterating that most of the time, withstanding is physically possible, feasible, beneficial, etc., so the barriers are mental. And Christianity is far from alone in drawing attention to this fact. Much of the "inspirational self-help industry" appears to be centered on reminding people that they can choose their behavior, break awful habits, stop being passive victims. Numerous, straightforward, proven strategies exist for more effective withstanding...
  • Practice. The more a person withstands, the easier it feels over time. Fasting, which I've mentioned many times before, can be good practice for withstanding (but if you're new to fasting then by all means be sure to look up sensible guidelines and ease into it). Practice is fundamental: the other strategies grow stronger with practice.
  • Pray. Pray for deliverance from evil. Redirect your perspective toward God. Recognize His sovereignty and presence in everyday life. Visualization may help, but be careful not to mistake your images for the true God.
  • Think twice. In the middle of the storm, when you're feeling propelled and tumbled, just take some time to let the "rising tide" fade and reconsider your actions as if you were an external observer.
  • Enumerate consequences. As much as you can, vividly recall what the long-term effects of this action have been in the past. Also, soberly weigh the impact this action could have on the "ledger" of your life, other people's lives, and your surroundings. Complex plans, predictions, and judgments are part of what separates us from brutes.
  • Enlist other believers. Sometimes the mere reassurance that you aren't alone is helpful. And by working with them on common goals, everyone's burden seems lighter. Meanwhile, social reinforcement fuels the motivation to be and do better.
  • Consume conducive ideas. For withstanding to be successful, peripheral habits and thought patterns probably should change in accordance with the goal. Again, it's certainly possible to withstand without replacing these unfavorable influences, but it's unnecessarily harder.
  • Make failure difficult. Adjust circumstances such that withstanding is the easier choice. Whether the adjustment acts more like a "fence", "guard", or just "inconvenience", it affirmatively biases you toward withstanding.
  • Decide beforehand. Select a "path" of withstanding, and when the situation arises, remain in that path. You've made a decision that's no longer "open for discussion". It will be, come what may. There's no need to ponder the temptation; ponder your prior verdict instead. You're a playwright who wrote what would happen, and now as the actor your responsibility is to enact the play.
  • Reward success. People who have died to self and become virtuous don't require external motivators. Nevertheless, if the payoff of withstanding is subtle and intangible, it doesn't hurt at first to assign yourself a small reward. Of course, the danger lies in mistaking your tiny representative reward for the true, deeper reward, thereby turning it into its own temptation! Thus, the reward's value should be a symbolic trifle that won't provoke dependency or even significant attachment.   
  • Flee. Stop "fighting". Don't place yourself where withstanding is necessary. Avoid and prevent it before it has a chance to "attack". Obviously, this strategy may not apply, yet it's indispensable when it does. 
The upshot is that the person who states that they're absolutely "powerless" to withstand sin is in all likelihood mistaken, lying, or lazy. Their real meaning might be that they either don't want to pay the cost of the above strategies for withstanding, or they don't want to withstand at all. In order to repent, you must want to repent, regardless of the cost. In order to want to repent regardless of the cost, you must hate your sin. In order to hate your sin, you must appreciate that your Lord hates it sufficiently to be willing to die to cover it. In order to appreciate your Lord's death, you must acknowledge His great love despite your sin. A Christian who doesn't wish to repent is still in error about what salvation really is.

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