Jumping to Conclusions

[HKHaugan]

Jumping to Conclusions

 I was about to write an article about jumping to conclusions when I saw a letter to the editor in a local paper entitled “Millennials should be heard, not judged.” Instead of continuing, it struck me that that title was, in itself, a conclusion, a false conclusion, that there are such things as millennials. The writer was right in his ongoing statement about not judging before concluding, but the subtlety of the assumption, that there is a way to group people with a subheading, is the fallacy.

First, there are no millennials, nor was there a beat generation or the gen ‘x’ers’ or the lost generation, or the hippie generation.

Second, the word generation is derived from the Greek, genesis which means origin. Hence, the name of the first book in the Bible.

Third, the Bible has several ways to use the word. There is the physical, referring to the origin of heaven and earth (Gen.2:4) and human existence (Gen.1:26). There is the social use as in the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There is the historical, as in the age of the Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.). But also, there is the spiritual sense in which a generation can be rebellious and stubborn (Ps.78:8) like the generation of the Pharisees Jesus called wicked and adulterous (Mt.12:39).

What really influences us from one day to the next? The thing to see here about the word generation is its use describing the influence a person, a family history and the cultural mindset places on the individual. When we start talking about influence, we are no longer talking about seeing people succumbing to being physically identified because of when or where they live, their family or social standing, or how old they are. Rather, they are identified about what influences them which is an unseen atmosphere, a spiritual atmosphere. The Bible sees that we live in a sinful generation, a sin influenced culture, a secular mindset devoid of God.

If we apply the secular idea of generation say, young people, that is, we group people by age and dub them ‘millennials’, then their youth describes them to be seen as a category, a depersonalization of the individual for either acceptance, rejection, condemnation or to be dismissed condescendingly. That is judging by appearance, by physical behavior, by self-comparison, whereby I become their judge and social executioner. This is true of any generalization we place on others.

As disciples of Jesus, we know one thing for certain. It is spiritual reality that really defines generation. Go back to our personal genesis, our origin as an individual. We are created to be unique images of God with a mind, heart and spirit. Each of us is our own generation, an eternal generation, never to be repeated or copied. It is our personal response to the influences of family, culture and the internal sin with which we are born, that define us.  If our identity is defined by the Lord God, we are no longer operating based on how the external culture defines us but on how He defines us in His Word.

Yes, all of us are born sinners, but images of God saved by grace to be a brand-new generation; our heart and its attitudes being regenerated (renewed) in the midst of the fallen generations (individuals) in the fallen secular world, the world in which we personally experience life every day. We are a unique gift of God to the world around us. This is not about being proud and lording ourselves over others. No, just the opposite. It’s being humble before God in the midst of others, conscious of His presence and our desire to please Him as we move about in the world of relationships.

What all this means is that as we move about we approach all the generations (persons) we meet with humble concern for their welfare, knowing that they, like us, need a spiritual regeneration or are going through their own realization of who they really are. ‘Re’generation (emphasis on the ‘re’) is really a realizing, a realization of the basic identity with which we were born which can only come through Jesus Christ and sharing Him along the way. In one sense we are ‘re-upping’ for a new tour of duty with our Creator in our every next moment. In another sense there is this conclusion. We are avoiding jumping to conclusions as we move about in our relational world. We are being quick to listen and slow to speak (Prov.16:32, Mt.7:1, James 1:19). That’s allowing the Lord’s way to be conclusive, the Holy Spirit to be the means and the Father’s will to be honored.