[Part two of a four part series.]
Part One: Intro
Part Two: Justice
Part Three: Loving Mercy
Part Four: Walking Humbly with God
You ever watch the show Joan of Arcadia? Neither have I, but the hook of the show was that God would appear to a young high school girl, asking to do things and go places. Kind of a romantic notion isn’t it? God wanting someone to do things. Things that take them out of their private existence and pushes them into the world, doing the will of God. Sounds good. I think on one level, her experiences may be closer to what God wants from us than we believe.
Over at Steve’s blog people have already jumped the gun on this series, assuming I am dismissing personal devotions, or a personal relationship with Jesus, or that I am creating a conflict between what we do in the closet and what we do in the world. I am not, but the picture will not be complete until the end.
We have settled for a crapulent Christianity, a religion that promotes a private spiritual gluttonyMy point is that many Christians have settled for a spirituality that exists almost entirely during our devotional time, or is primarily directed to our own spiritual benefit. Many have come to the conclusion, even if they have never articulated it for anyone, that what God really wants from them, and is most important, is daily Bible study, prayer, fellowship and evangelism (if you can handle it). All of this amounts to a mutated form of spirituality that is more narcissistic than biblical. We have settled for a crapulent Christianity, a religion that promotes a private spiritual gluttony, and does not intentionally share, give, or bless others. This is seen in the conviction felt when we skip a day of “devotions,” and the absence of conviction after a year of doing little for others.
I am not suggesting that one’s “quiet time” is unimportant. In fact, I think such time alone with God is critical to walking with Jesus. How that relates to the whole will be discussed in the last post.
What does God want from us?
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8
What God wants from us is not private spirituality that ends with our own improvement, but a public spirituality that seeks the glory of God and the good of our neighbor.
What does God want from us? Justice. The idea is not that we would simply love justice, but that we would “do” it. Because the imago dei remains with us we all desire justice on some level, but doing it requires intentionality, labor, conflict, and even sacrifice. The work of justice is most often others-oriented, and is the necessary result of following the “second greatest commandment.” When his people champion justice God is revealed to the world. It demonstrates God’s values, it becomes God’s work, and it foreshadows God’s plan for the future.
Justice means we work to provide for those who are in need, while avoiding greed and gluttony. Justice is something the people of God should sing of, and be known for. Justice means we will care, with our own hands, for those who cannot care for themselves; that we speak on behalf of those who do not have an advocate. This is what God wants us to do (Deut. 24:17-22; Ps. 101:1; 103:6; 106:3; 146:7).
In Isaiah chapter one God calls for his people to repent of their sin. In returning to God they are called to,
learn to do good;
seek justice,
correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless,
plead the widow’s cause.
(Isaiah 1:17)
Matthew Henry said,
You, that have power in your hands, use it for the relief of those whom others do oppress, for that is your business. Avenge those that suffer wrong, in a special manner concerning yourselves for the fatherless and the widow, whom, because they are weak and helpless, proud men trample upon and abuse; do you appear for them at the bar, on the bench, as there is occasion. Speak for those that know not how to speak for themselves and that have not wherewithal to gratify you for your kindness.” Note, We are truly honouring God when we are doing good in the world; and acts of justice and charity are more pleasing to him than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices.
All of this work, what God wants from us, is aimed at both physical and spiritual realities. It includes providing both drinking water and living water. It demands that we are peacemakers between men as well as between man and God. It couples preaching the Gospel boldly with words and works.
God takes more delight and pleasure, either in showing mercy himself to poor miserable sinners; or in acts of mercy, compassion, and beneficence done by men, to fallen creatures in distress, whether for the good of their bodies, or more especially for the welfare of their souls, than he does even in sacrifices, and in any of the rituals of the ceremonial law, though of his own appointing.
John Gill
I know some are likely to take issue with this and argue that what God really wants from us is love, or a personal relationship. While I want to push that topic to the end, let me just say this at the half-way point of this series. God does want our hearts; love for and from us has always been his desire and plan. But what does he want loving, believing hearts to do? Where does he want our faith in him to take us? What will worshipping hearts that encounter the God of justice be moved to do? I think we have long cultivated the personal relationship aspect, but without an outward aim, and it is time to begin feeding and serving others. This is part of what God wants from us. He speaks to us daily, asking us to do things and go places; he calls us to “do justice” as a body of believers and as individual followers of Jesus.
I am the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship; husband to Jen; Dad to Katherine, Elias, Madeline, and Kilian. If you're in town you can probably find me in the local coffee house or running through the neighborhoods.
{ 5 comments }
I have two comments in support of your viewpoint here, neither of which are original to me:
First, a friend in seminary often said that too many Christians have an almost sacramental view of daily devotions or their quiet time with God. Have we not all heard people who say that their days just seem to go better when they are able to spend time with God. While that may be true, it is not necessarily the case. I’ve had some pretty difficult days and significant problems on days when I’ve had wonderful experiences of private devotions. A private time of Scripture reading and prayer is an important part of our relationship with the Lord – but it’s not an “aspirin a day” cure all which wards away difficulty or trouble.
Second, one of my church members has used the term “spiritual gluttony” to describe members who attend weekly Bible studies in addition to the studies offered at our church. Yet, from all outward appearances, there appears to be little change in their lives where spiritual maturity or fruit is concerned. All of these studies have not yielded an increase in service in the church nor in outreach to those without Christ.
From my own experience, I think that your post here is correct. We may be drinking living water, but we are acting as reservoirs instead of channels to offer that living water to the spritually thirsty. May God help us.
If all God had wanted was a bunch of distinct, individual personal relationships with his followers in order to love them and enrich them there would have been little need for most of the gospel and New Testament. I think the view most people seem to take of “love” is that it involves a feeling, a mental attitude, or a certain quality to a close relationship. While that can be a part of it, it is certainly not the extent. If it were, we would not have the second part of what Scot McKnight calls the Jesus Creed.
Love God with all we are. How? Acoording to Jesus and John and many of the rest of the NT authors, by obeying his commands. What are his commands? Follow his Son (in other words, do the sorts of things and live the sort of life he did) demonstrating love for God and love others. How do we love others? By trying to accomplish good for them. As Paul puts, offer ourselves a living sacrifice. As James puts, real worship is feeding the orphans and widows.
Although we tend to use different words for it today, I’m not sure I see any way love and justice can be split. Do you love someone? If so, you will seek justice on their behalf. Can those who have a faith solely of a personal relationship (on their terms, I guess) with God truly be said to be obeying his commands? And if not, what are the implications?
I’m fairly lousy at this myself. My wife is much, much better. She seems to intuitively sense the need others have and can respond out of the blue with what appears to have been needed to meet that need. But I don’t attempt to justify the reality that I need to do better.
The second half of the Pope’s recent encyclical on love was devoted to caritas, the love of others expressed in tangible expressions of justice and charity. That encyclical contained a lot that was extremely good and focused almost entirely on the two components of the Jesus Creed, though it did not call it by that name.
Excellent post. I have been encouraged to see a theology of justice begin to emerge in Church circles (see http://www.micahchallenge.org). What seperates true justice from simple acts of mercy (both being important), is that mercy serves an immediate need and justice seeks to deal appropriately with the systemic cause of said need. Now, I know this is an over-simplification, but it certainly gives us a picture.
So, while personal devotion and service is important, we need to see how God has moved through His people throughout history, especially where justice was concerned. The Old Testament prophets dealt largely with injustice by addressing systemic failures in governments and larger communities of faith.
All this to say, well done!
Peace,
Jamie
Joe, thanks for this. I’m teaching through 1 John and the apostle keeps coming back to this again and again. If you say you know Him and don’t walk as he walked, then you’re a liar.
Loving God is not some internalized feeling that we flex once or twice a week at church. Nor is walking with Christ holding hands in a lush garden, basking in the sunlight and smelling the roses. The walk is hard and requires following him over treacherous ground and sacrifice.
Bible reading and prayer are great ways to start a day and get your bearings, but like a breath, once you inhale, you need to exhale to keep breathing.
I can relate to Steve’s comment (#1) regarding good or bad days correlating with private devotions. I’ve noted before that when I have had an especially good time in the scriptures and/or prayer, it’s followed by a crummy day! Devotions are definately not a silver bullet for a “good”day. But God does require us to be “doers” – of justice, mercy, humility – rather than hearers only, regardless to what kind of day we have.
Joe, good thoughts. I once heard it said current trends in spirituality amount to little more than spiritual masturbation – we look for ways to intensify our feelings so we can feel better about ourselves. Once the feeling comes it lasts only momentarily and to the benefit of not one. We then go in search of our next tryst. We may need to push much further than “my own personal Jesus” and not worry about who objects or finds offense. Todd
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