Out and About 22 Clear Diagnosis, Clear Answer

[HKHaugan]

Scripture tells it like it is. You wonder why the Bible is so honest. Most of what you read outside the Bible called ‘religious’ scripture tends to make heroes out of its founders or their writings. Somehow they rise above the rest of the world because they appear more spiritual, more powerful or more intellectual by human standards. If you look carefully you will find they are constructed based on what our imperfections are, that is, you start with our imperfections and determine their perfect opposite and apply them. They are our standards, our understanding of perfection, what we think is complete and fulfilling. They are manufactured corrections in the attempt to solve our perceived imperfections.

Whether it’s the Koran, the Upanishads, the Kamisuttra, the Book of Mormon or any other set of writings---their characters are the heroic projection of human desire for inner peace and contentment, searching for what they don’t have. That search itself is a clear admission of imperfection. Even the great philosophers of the past and present have essentially created a belief system, a religion of the intellect, in their search for meaning and purpose hoping to answer the dilemma of imperfect human understanding. They ask us to believe in them based on the insights or visions founded in their intuition and leaving us to our own intuition both of which are flawed by sin to begin with. They all are dead and the ones who remain are dying which is evidence of their imperfection.

Revelation from outside is the only answer. Remember how the TV show ‘The X Files’ used as its weekly theme, ‘The truth is out there’? They got that right. God has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and His Word. The truth is no longer ‘out there.’ It’s in here, in the heart when we receive Jesus as Savior and Lord. It is God’s revelation to us in His Son who is eternally alive, a living revelation who comes to us in a living relationship. Everything else is dead religion, man’s attempt to reach ‘out there.’ What Jesus has done is to reach ‘in here’ in the heart. This is why what we have is a relationship not a religion.

With this in mind let’s get on with the diagnosis. We need a ‘truth’ diagnosis so we start with a question. Why is there such a quandary in the human mind and heart? It’s because we refuse to deal with the real problem, sin, and the way it drives us to be in control. Control is the real issue of sin and it is manifested in three ways.

First, sin gives us the illusion that we can be in control.
Second, sin keeps us in fear of not being in control.
Third, sin uses pride as the means of control.

How does the Bible (John 17:17 “Your Word is truth.”) describe these? Let’s look at Eph.4:17-24.

“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking (sin gives us the illusion we can be in control). They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts (sin keeps us in fear of not being in control). Having lost all sensitivity (sin uses pride as the means of control), they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed (vs.17-19).

“That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus (let His mind control my mind). You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self (let His heart control my heart) which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self (let His Spirit control my spirit) created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (vs.20-24).”

Jesus offers Himself to establish belief in His Word as the truth from Him controlling of our mind, trusting His presence in us for control of our heart and faith in Him for control of our spirit through His Holy Spirit.

Always keep your spiritual antennae on the alert. It is the mind that is the first receptor, the heart the second, and the spirit the third. But it is the reverse when responding---faith in Jesus for your spirit, trust in Jesus for your heart and belief in Jesus for your mind. Meditate on that and let me know what you think.