Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

Home Archives for repentance

Pour Contempt on all my Pride

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

I have a theory as to why there is so much written about the Pharisees’ running battle with Jesus in the Gospel narratives.

One thing that comes through loud and clear in the recorded stories is that the Pharisees were motivated by pride in their position and pride in what their supposed superior righteousness.

The problem with pride is that it is so easy to spot in others and so difficult to identify in ourselves. We read about the pharisees and can easily point to their pride and error. Yet, we can be unaware of how pride is affecting our own behavior.

The irony in this is that it should be the other way round. We should be quick to identify it in ourselves and slow to accuse others of possessing it. We should know ourselves better than we know anyone else and be aware of our tendency toward pride.

Jesus word picture about removing the log in my own eye before seeking to fix the speck in my neighbor’s eye should guide us here. We need to check our sense of superiority before we seek to “help” our neighbor see his problem.

Back to my theory, I think the reason why there is so much about the Pharisees in the gospels is that we all have a tendency to be blind to our own falsly elevated opinion of our own behavior. I would go so far as to say that if you think you have avoided this trap, that is proof that you have fallen into it.

When friends and loved ones criticise me, I find that I want to defend myself rather than look for what is true in the criticism. Sure, there are times when the criticism is too harsh and not given in a spirit of love and grace. But even when the critic crosses over into injustice, I should still be willing to acknowledge what part of the criticism is justified and requires repentance.

Instead of getting defensive or ignoring the criticism, I should follow the example of Jesus as recorded by Peter:

“When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23, ESV)

I should instead, entrust myself to God as the perfect judge in the knowledge that he will be both fair and gracious. This knowledge should put me in a position to be both honest about my own failing and gracious to my critic.

So, in a way, we should be grateful for the critics in our lives, even the ones that seem to be too quick to point out our faults. Because, like Paul’s thorn in the flesh, they will keep us from getting caught up in pride.

I am reminded of the first verse of Isaac Watts’ hymn, “When I survey the Wonderous Cross.”

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of Glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

Our critics point out our need to repent of our pride rather than defend it or strengthen it. Pride is a cancer that needs to be eliminated for our spiritual health. Our pride deserves our contempt, not our defense.

If you are encouraged by this post or would like to join in a conversation, please use the comment form below to offer your feedback. If you are reading this in an email and would like to comment, you can reply to the email or click on the “Read in browser” link below to go to the web page where you can enter a comment. I enjoy hearing from you.

No wicked scales

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

This morning I read this:

“Shall I acquit the man with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?”

Micah 6:11, ESV

What is significant in reading this is that my mind moved beyond the most obvious application that it is wrong to cheat in business.

The broader issue is that God hates double standards. When we hold someone else to a higher standard than we are willing to obey, then we are violating this principle. This is what Jesus was talking about in the opening verses of Matthew chapter 7.

In that chapter, Jesus uses the visual picture of the man with a log in his eye criticizing the man with the speck. This is a humorous, but effective picture.

The point is that at one time or another, we are all (except Jesus) the ones with the log in our eye. We all, at one time or another, break out the wicked scales to try to make ourselves look better than we really are. We all, at one time or another, break out the wicked scales to use someone else’s behavior as an excuse for our own sin.

The antidote to this is to be open and honest about our weaknesses. The gospel, when applied properly, frees us to do this. We don’t have to jockey for position when we all are on the same level, in utter dependence upon God.

The problem is that we have a tendency to blame others for our bad behavior as seen in Genesis 3 when Eve blamed the serpent and Adam blamed Eve (and indirectly God) for their failure to obey. It’s in our DNA to play this blame game.

We excuse our own sin because of the sin of another. But Jesus points out that before God, this excuse will be stripped away.

My bad behavior is no-one else’s fault. Period.

When we stop making excuses for our sin, then we are beginning to pursue true repentance.

Responding to the Dinesh D’Souza controversy – 4 things to keep in mind

Posted on Written by Leave a Comment

Dinesh D'SouzaI am not writing to condemn or defend Dinesh D’Souza. The facts in this case will eventually come out and I am not willing to invest the time to work through the details, nor do I trust all of the available sources of those details. I hope that as a Christian, Mr. D’Souza has someone to whom he is accountable and no matter what he did or did not do, he will grow as a result.

In response to the stories in the news, I offer some thoughts on a framework for developing a response:

  1. All human leaders fail. In small ways or big, all leaders will eventually fail. This is just as true for Christian leaders. There is danger in putting Christian leaders on a pedestal, expecting too much from them and being disappointed when they do not meet our expectations. We cannot expect perfection. So when a Christian leader falls, it should not rock our world to the point where we doubt the truth of Christianity.
  2. God chooses to use flawed men to accomplish his purpose for humanity.  Or more correctly, God chooses to use us in spite of our flaws. The failure of men, even men of high standing, cannot derail God’s plan.
  3. Christian leaders should be held to the standard of Scripture. The qualifications for Christian leadership are found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9. When the qualifications for leadership are not met, then it is appropriate to have that leadership role taken away. Christians should not knowingly sit under the leadership of anyone who does not meet the qualifications for leadership that the Apostle Paul outlines.
  4. Every leader has the opportunity for repentance and restoration. God uses broken people who have experienced failure. Peter denied his Lord. The Apostle Paul was a murderer. David was a philanderer and a murderer. Moses had anger issues. Abraham got caught lying to a king (twice). Yet, God used all of these men to play significant roles in the advancement of His agenda. We cannot write off any leader as a total failure.

We cannot use the excuse that everyone has flaws to give a leader a pass when he fails. The failure must be addressed. But, it must be addressed with the goal of repentance and restoration.

My prayers are with Mr. D’Souza, The King’s College and those men who can speak into Mr. D’Souza’s life. No matter what actually happened, the controversy has created a storm around the college and her former president. All involved will need wisdom and grace.

Categories

Archives

Blogger Grid
Follow me on Blogarama