Attempts at Honesty

Reflections on the interplay of the Bible and Culture

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Working to get what we already have

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Rest Area“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.” – Ephesians 1:4

I acknowledge that what I have heard and what I was taught may be two different things. But, for whatever reason, whether it is because I am a poor learner, or because it was never taught to me properly, I have misunderstood this verse during my entire Christian experience.

What I have always heard when I read this verse was an injunction to try harder. I always felt that I needed to work harder at being holy and blameless. I felt as if my sanctification is all up to me and my efforts at being holy.

The end result of this thinking is either unwarranted pride or total despair. If I live in denial of how messed up I really am and maintain a weak standard of holiness, I could end up being prideful of my religious rigor. Or, if I have a proper sense of the holiness of God and how far short I fall from it, even as a believer, then I would end up in paralyzing despair.

From 2 Corinthians 5:21 I know that it is not up to me to become holy. I have already been declared holy through the work of Jesus Christ. This knowledge does not give me liberty to violate Biblical principles, but it does give me hope that when I do violate the principles, God does not write me off as a failure.

The fact that it is not all up to me, allows me to be gracious to myself and others. Yes, I mess up, not because I want to or am careless, but because I am a mess. Jesus has much work to do in me, but I can see that he has brought me a long way from where he started with me.

The main point is that I don’t have to strive to achieve holiness; it is something that has already been granted to me. I don’t have to work to get holiness; I already have it by being in Christ. I had been working to get something that I already have.

So, can I rest now?

A much needed rest

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Work vs. Rest“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30, ESV)

The danger for those of us who have grown up in the church is that we can read these words without them sinking in. At least that has been my experience. I have heard them so many times and perhaps have never taken the time to ingest them to absorb the sustenance that they provide.

In so much of my experience of church over the years I have felt a push toward breathless activity, to do more and more. Perhaps I am susceptible to calls to service because I am wired to crave approval of others.

One of the idols that can so easily ensnare me is accomplishment. This idol finds worshippers in the church as easily as it does in the business world. What is dangerous about this idol’s work in the church is that I can convince others that I am doing it for God even though I am really doing it to feed the idol.

The biggest problem with this form of idolatry is that the energy required to keep it all going eventually runs out. Those who are seen as burned out have simply come to the end of their resources and have nothing else to give. They have also come to the realization that the idol gives nothing back to those who worship him.

Certainly, in any social organization, there are things that must be done to keep the organization going. The church is no different. For the church to function on a Sunday morning, there are things that need to be done. People need to serve the congregation for the ministry to run smoothly.

The question then arises, how do we balance rest and service? I think that the answer lies in relationship. If I am doing a work of service in response to a prompting from God then the following are true:

  • I am doing it for God’s glory and not my own
  • I am responsible to be obedient, but I am not responsible for the outcome
  • God’s grace will make up for the imperfection of my service

When these things are true, then I can serve or not serve as God prompts. When these things are true, my stress level goes down because I am not taking on something that is not mine to bear. When these things are true, I am serving in response to my relationship with God and I am not feeding the idol of accomplishment.

Jesus’ yoke is easy and the burden light. If the burden is not light, if service is difficult, then I need to consider that the yoke is not Jesus’ yoke.

Perhaps those who burn out in ministry have been pulling the wagon in the wrong direction.

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