Crux sola est nostra theologia -- OOOO! Latin! --- The Cross Alone is Our Theology! Post #2 Introductory Matters...Almost
Permit me to make one more comment from the Preface: Forde asks: "Has the thirst for glory finally issued in the despair Luther foresaw? This treatise is written with the suspicion that the malaise of the theology of glory is the ultimate source of contemporary despair, not the theology of the cross." xiv
Everywhere I look I see people despairing because they don't believe there's any real hope left. Don't we see that in the multiplied addictions that flood our streets? From eating to gambling to drugs and alcohol, to cutting and internet porn...people are simply drowning themselves in despair and well...stuff. More and more stuff. The world's quite an easy target, frankly. Anesthetize the soul with today's drug de jour. Wear a Mickey hat. Ride a new coaster. Eat a cream-cheese filled pretzel. Forget. Enjoy. Spend. Eat, drink, be merry. Tomorrow we'll do it all over again. On-and-on, there's really nothing more and everything we've tried has failed. So much for the allurements of cheesy Vanity Fair. What about an intellectual Vanity Fair? Or a Vanity Fair for progressives? Or a visit to the Moralist?
Christians should recognize the folly of trying to quiet the despair we've experienced by multiplying idols, but we bow down anyway. We try to silence the despair and fill the vacancy with all sorts of moral glory stories. Stories that we add to the story of the cross. Stories of "reforming the culture" with our politics; saving our children by homeschooling them; celebrating recycling; saving gender roles; saving our bodies by eating organically; celebrating modesty; celebrating Christian sex; saving the planet by being vegan; saving whales; saving the unborn; doing yoga; celebrating recovery; preserving good doctrine; celebrating beer; saving Willow Palin; saving our Christian nation; saving the KJV; celebrating morality; saving abused dogs.
Please don't misunderstand. I'm not saying that any of these things are idolatrous in themselves. I'm thankful for many of them! I'm simply wondering if at the end of the day we don't put our trust in them. I wonder if we're trying to pour these good things (works, if you will) into our heart's vacuity because Jesus Christ and the story of the cross has been pushed out to the periphery.
I wonder if we don't say, "Aren't I good? I saved a .... today!" "Aren't I good? I'm not like those people out there. I'm conservative, I homeschool, I recycle, I'm feminine (sorry, guys, masculine), I eat only sea salt that I grind myself, I never show any cleavage (again, sorry guys), I enjoy sex in it's proper place (notice how avante guarde and non-puritanical I am!), I don't eat animals, I love whales, I march for life, I attend a meeting every night, I study Luther and the Puritans, I brew my own beer, I'll never watch Letterman again!, I didn't vote for the-one-who-cannot-be-named, I only read the red letters, I don't go to R rated movies, I adopted my dogs from rescue instead of buying. Yes, I'm good. Jesus? Oh, yes. There's Jesus, of course. But I've got to have a cause and...frankly...the only one that really captivates my heart is me and my own self-righteousness. Yummy. Oh, yes. Jesus is nice for that imputed righteousness stuff. But I've got to get to the end of the day and say that I've got hope that I'm better or at least good enough...and there's where my real trust is."
Now...let's get to the Introductory Matters. Just a thought: Forde writes, "The cross is in the first instance God's attack on human sin...As an attack it reveals that the real seat of sin is not in the flesh but in our spiritual aspirations, in our theology of glory." (1)..."Therefore the theology of the cross is an offensive theology. The offense consists in the fact that unlike other theologies it attacks what we usually consider the best in our religion" (italics added, p. 2).
Have at it. I can finally feel better about myself now because I've blogged for you. Aren't I good?
Everywhere I look I see people despairing because they don't believe there's any real hope left. Don't we see that in the multiplied addictions that flood our streets? From eating to gambling to drugs and alcohol, to cutting and internet porn...people are simply drowning themselves in despair and well...stuff. More and more stuff. The world's quite an easy target, frankly. Anesthetize the soul with today's drug de jour. Wear a Mickey hat. Ride a new coaster. Eat a cream-cheese filled pretzel. Forget. Enjoy. Spend. Eat, drink, be merry. Tomorrow we'll do it all over again. On-and-on, there's really nothing more and everything we've tried has failed. So much for the allurements of cheesy Vanity Fair. What about an intellectual Vanity Fair? Or a Vanity Fair for progressives? Or a visit to the Moralist?
Christians should recognize the folly of trying to quiet the despair we've experienced by multiplying idols, but we bow down anyway. We try to silence the despair and fill the vacancy with all sorts of moral glory stories. Stories that we add to the story of the cross. Stories of "reforming the culture" with our politics; saving our children by homeschooling them; celebrating recycling; saving gender roles; saving our bodies by eating organically; celebrating modesty; celebrating Christian sex; saving the planet by being vegan; saving whales; saving the unborn; doing yoga; celebrating recovery; preserving good doctrine; celebrating beer; saving Willow Palin; saving our Christian nation; saving the KJV; celebrating morality; saving abused dogs.
Please don't misunderstand. I'm not saying that any of these things are idolatrous in themselves. I'm thankful for many of them! I'm simply wondering if at the end of the day we don't put our trust in them. I wonder if we're trying to pour these good things (works, if you will) into our heart's vacuity because Jesus Christ and the story of the cross has been pushed out to the periphery.
I wonder if we don't say, "Aren't I good? I saved a .... today!" "Aren't I good? I'm not like those people out there. I'm conservative, I homeschool, I recycle, I'm feminine (sorry, guys, masculine), I eat only sea salt that I grind myself, I never show any cleavage (again, sorry guys), I enjoy sex in it's proper place (notice how avante guarde and non-puritanical I am!), I don't eat animals, I love whales, I march for life, I attend a meeting every night, I study Luther and the Puritans, I brew my own beer, I'll never watch Letterman again!, I didn't vote for the-one-who-cannot-be-named, I only read the red letters, I don't go to R rated movies, I adopted my dogs from rescue instead of buying. Yes, I'm good. Jesus? Oh, yes. There's Jesus, of course. But I've got to have a cause and...frankly...the only one that really captivates my heart is me and my own self-righteousness. Yummy. Oh, yes. Jesus is nice for that imputed righteousness stuff. But I've got to get to the end of the day and say that I've got hope that I'm better or at least good enough...and there's where my real trust is."
Now...let's get to the Introductory Matters. Just a thought: Forde writes, "The cross is in the first instance God's attack on human sin...As an attack it reveals that the real seat of sin is not in the flesh but in our spiritual aspirations, in our theology of glory." (1)..."Therefore the theology of the cross is an offensive theology. The offense consists in the fact that unlike other theologies it attacks what we usually consider the best in our religion" (italics added, p. 2).
Have at it. I can finally feel better about myself now because I've blogged for you. Aren't I good?
How does one know when they are trusting in these things? Is it only when these things are taken away that we see our true motives? I am trying to get my mind around this in examining myself and my own heart. Like you mentioned, many of these things are "good things" but how do I guard my heart from making them idols and trusting in them?
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What a great set of questions, Kristen! I've got some thoughts but I'd like to hear what some of the other women might say.
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Yes, that is a great question. A quick answer is that I won't always know it immediately or completely, because I don't have to in order for God to work. I can ask the Lord to reveal my motives and idolatrous tendencies. The Spirit will then spotlight some specific part of it, and then give me the grace to respond to his conviction with repentance. So it's all about him, once again, not about my being clever enough to figure it out.
A longer answer starts with a horse...you know the one we keep falling off of, to one side or the other, trying to "get it right." For the sake of this analogy, I'm going to say that the sins of the flesh are on the left, the sins of spiritual pride (the theology of glory) are on the right.
All of this talk about the theology of glory has confused me a bit. That's because my primary sin of the flesh is vainglory, which is different. Give me a small compliment and I'm off into full blown megalomania in half a second. This involves a leftward fall off the proverbial horse (though an inflated ego usually floats instead of falling, ascending into the stratosphere until it cannot sustain its loft, then deflating and plummeting to the mud below.) Once on the ground, I crawl toward the horse in repentance, for one brief moment lie across it resting in Jesus, and then slide, belly down, head first to the hard ground on the right. Here I punish myself for pride by crawling into a cave because "I am not fit for human company." I have tumbled into self-salvation. It may look humble and good, but it is anti-gospel and anti-Christ. I am punishing myself, and my focus is inward.
So, bottom line, when I am being a theologian of the cross I am preoccupied with Christ. When I am indulging in a theology of glory, I am focused on myself, not my sinful self, but the self I think is good.
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Thank you, Rondi, for your reply, I found it very helpful.
I was wondering though, if you find that you don't have a completely pure motive in doing some "good work", should you abandon that work because of your false heart? I am thinking no, and that I should be repenting of wrong motives and asking the Lord to cleanse my heart from these, and ask that He give me a heart to serve Him out of love and thankfulness for what He has done for me. That I shouldn't abandon a good work because I might have a false motive, but pray that He would use me in spite of myself and pray that the glory would go to Him and not me.
This kind of thinking is new to me. I am so used to just doing "stuff" as far as service to the church body goes...working in the nursery, hosting home Bible study group, making meals for those in need, etc...I have felt though, for a long time that I am doing these things out of obligation, habit, pride,guilt-thinking I am ok spiritually(and wanting everyone else to think I am ok) because look at all the boxes I can check off. At the same time, in my heart, I know it's not the case and I am fighting for joy and a real love of our Savior. I think I have been one of those people who have been on the christian self help cycle for my own sanctification, looking for the next "thing" to help me when He's been right here in front of my face the whole time. I am thankful for Elyse's books, "Idols of the Heart" and "Because He loves Me" for helping me to understand this..I know I still have a ways to go but the Lord mercifully led me to read these books and I am so grateful!
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Here's a thought or two from me: I never have completely pure motives that's because I don't love God with my whole heart, soul, mind and strength. So, if I waited for personal purity before I did anything, I'd do nothing. You're right, Kristen. We repent and fight for pure motives and then we thank Jesus that he purifies everything we offer as worship to the Father and makes it pleasing to him.
Nice post.
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Absolutely. And I would add to Elyse's reply, if you wait until your motives are absolutely pure, you will become paralyzed and inwardly focused. This is a ploy of the enemy, not the Father.
How exciting that God is at work in you in a new way! You now see motives and idols at work in your heart where you didn't see them before. He has seen them all along, but has waited until now to show them to you. Now you are ready for more of Christ and his finished work.
If you want to integrate this back into the horse analogy, don't picture yourself trying to climb back up, swinging one leg over and finding your balance in the stirrups. Instead see the One sitting astride the steed like Braveheart, grabbing the hand you stretched out in dismay and swinging you up behind him. He will rescue you as quickly as you call out to him. Slip your arms around his waist and cling to him. It is his perfect life that you need. Then ride away with him and do the next thing he calls you to do.
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Thank you, Kristin, for your vulnerability. Your words reflected my heart as well as spoke to it.
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Here's a comment from Michele, Kristen:
THIS IS A RESPONSE TO KRISTEN'S QUESTION REGARDING "THE HEART AND IDOLS". (I'm still learning how to do this "posting thing", and I'm not sure if I should post to the day she asked the questions, or this latest posting from Elyse...can someone help me with that question.)
Kristen, I have been pondering your question over the weekend, and although I'm not going to share anything "new under the sun" with you (because you are a godly woman and know this verse well), it's more of a sister coming to a sister and reminding her of God's providential care. Elyse is so right when she reminds us that we do not have pure motives, so we can't truly know our hearts...even after much prayer. Yet, we have a Lord that is trust-worthy and never lies, so we know we can trust His word. I believe it is really important to petition God to give us understanding in the area of "idols", yet I know after He has given us the grace to understand one of them...there are others lined up behind "it" waiting their turn.
So, this is how I see it, this is how I see God's word anyway...we pray but even if we don't, He will be faithful to Himself and His glory, which includes our enjoyment of Him and our recognition of His grace in our sin (over and over again). I trust that He will show me what I "bowed down to" in His time. So, I can rest knowing that this is true. I know that resting in Him, glorifies Him, as I acknowledge Him being sovereign in my life...this glorifies Him. Yet, I'm confident, not dependent on me, that He will do this: "And we all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image 'from one degree of glory to another'" (2 Cor. 3:18). This is His great work in us. And the Spirit will cause this great work to happen in us...for us to desire this work...for us to pray for this work...for us to rest in the knowledge that this work is being done..."For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18 - last sentence of the verse). Love you and hope that remembering this truth brings encouragement and rest to your soul!
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Yet, because we know the theology, we know we are not good. But does that knowledge play out in our lives? Don't we still try to be good? Don’t we still act as if we are good? If you were to ask me if I was good, I would know what to say and I would believe it. . .but then I would turn around and scoff at the sin of another, thinking how "I would never do that." I would receive a compliment and walk around puffed up for a good long while. . .I would float along in the satisfaction of knowing I did something kind. . .or well. . .or sacrificial. . . oh, that we could play out in our lives what we know in our hearts. . .oh, that we could tame the pride. . .oh, that we would walk humbly before each other, speaking and acting under the overwhelming knowledge of our Lord’s grace. . .undeserved, but lavished on us in the same breath. . .but, it is not about my ability to do all of this, is it? It is about how God can work in us and through us despite our “goodness”. . .how His Goodness will overshadow my “goodness”. . .
It is hard to wrap my mind around not trying to be good, yet aiming to obey. . .not idolizing, or even receiving, any glory I may attain for any good work done, yet aiming to do all as unto the Lord, with the gifts God has given. . .how to live by the “it’s all about God” truth, yet speak and act in my own skin, battling every moment against it not being about me. . .hoping the Holy Spirit will use His word, this book, and you ladies to help shed light on this hard stuff. . .thanks to all of our for sharing!
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I'm reading Gandhi's autobiography, THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH. Gandhi couldn't accept a belief in Jesus as Saviour because he (FALSELY) felt it was possible to attain one's own righteousness through self-realization. Thus, he abstained (in later years) from sex, followed a strict diet (Vegetarian,no salt, meat, dairy, spices)(he believed that one should eat not in order to please the palate, but just to keep the body going) and made other personal sacrifices, such as a vow to poverty, etc. The pride in his own ability to conquer all of these "lusts" is evident through his many conclusions,such as: "let me make it clear that those who desire to observe brahmacharya(control of the senses in thought, word and deed) with a view to realizing God need not despair, provided their faith in God is equal to their confidence in their own effort."
Gandhi had numerous Christian friends and aquaintances. One of the Plymouth Brethren told Gandhi that "As we believe in the atonement of Jesus, our own sins do not bind us. It is impossible to live in this world sinless. And therefore Jesus suffered and atoned for all the sins of mankind." Gandi writes,"If this be the Christianity acknowledged by all Christians, I cannot accept it. I do not seek redemption from the consequences of my sin. I seek to be redeemed from sin itself, or rather from the very thought of sin."
Then, Gandhi writes futher about this Plymouth Brother, "And the Brother proved as good as his word. He knowingly committed transgressions, and showed me that he was undisturbed by the thought of them." (Jo Anne inserts: What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!) Other Christian believers he met believed differently - Gandhi writes, "Mr. Coates (a Quaker friend) himself walked in the fear of God. His heart was pure, and he believed in the possibility of self-purification."
Soooooo...when Forde writes, ""The cross is in the first instance God's attack on human sin...As an attack it reveals that the real seat of sin is not in the flesh but in our spiritual aspirations, in our theology of glory..." I see that this definitely was a confrontation to Gandhi's idea of achieving his own righteousness to the glory of (his idea of) God. As well as to the thinking of self-purification of his Quaker friend. But the Plymouth Brother didn't have it quite right either. In the song, "I Have Decided" I've always thought the following verses were interesting: I have decided - I'm going to live like a believer, turn my back on the deceiver, I'm going to live what I believe (and then) I have decided, I just can't cause I'm not able, being good is just a fable, I'm going to leave it to the Lord.
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It seems so easy to see what Ghandi did and say, "Wow, he was trying to earn his own salvation." I wonder how these types of thoughts creep into my life daily.
The cross obliterates our attempts at goodness, our attempts at self-salvation. The cross says, you trying to be a good person caused the pain the Savior is experiencing. That is such an affront to me. I want to be good enough, I want to be better than others, but truth be told I am not. And my very attempts at being a "better person" do nothing but reveal my sinfulness. I say that I am a desperately wicked person, but then I am shocked that anybody would question my motives or my actions. Not only am I shocked, I can get angry pretty quickly when I think that someone believes me to be wrong. In my most honest moments I can say I want my own glory, I want to earn it. But then I can look on that cross, and I can plead the blood of Jesus that cleanses me. I can remember that I don't need my own glory, there is something so much bigger and better. Something amazingly beyond anything else, the "glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6 He has called us out of the darkness, He has made us see the light of His glory. How beautiful is this light, how brilliant is His glory. I pray that as we go through this book we will be enthralled and captivated by the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, and we will see our "glory story" as the sorry refuse that it truly is.
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I would like to join in the discussion. Looks like an awesome book. I can't wait to get my copy. I think it is just the sort of material I would love to dig my teeth into! I am so glad my friend told me about this!
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Hi ladies, I came across this as I was reading Luther's commentary on Galatians and I thought of this string of posts. It was so encouraging when I read it, here it is...
"The true Christ does not call you to a reckoning for your sins, nor does he tell you to trust in your own good works. True knowledge of Christ, or faith, does not argue about whether you have done good deeds for righteousness or evil deeds for condemnation but simply concludes that if you have done good deeds, you are not justified by them; or if you have done evil deeds, you are not condemned for them. I neither take from good works their praise, nor commend evil works; but in the matter of justification, I say, we must see how we may hold Christ lest, if we seek to be justified bu the law, we make him of no value to us. It is Christ alone who justifies me, both against my evil deeds and without my good deeds. If I have this certainty of Christ, I lay hold of the true Christ." So either way, good deeds done with wrong motives, good deeds done with "pure" motives none of it means anything. We are hidden with Christ in God. He alone justifies us.
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I enter this book with much trepidation. My husband laughed along with me at the fact that I was delving into theology. Theology has always been his thing not mine.
My whole Christian life has been about how can I be good? How can I make myself holy? I've read every book out there on how to be a better Christian. My impression was home school your children, bake your own bread, don't use birth control, never speak up, only wear dresses and build your own house. I had been "should on" big time.
It took a while but God was kind to begin stripping off the layers of pride and self righteousness that I had clothed myself with. He is doing a great work in my life. As painful as it is I am thankful to be losing so much because I know it only means that I will be gaining Him. Sometimes I can't see it and I search for that self approving outfit to put on but when I do it doesn't fit. It's itchy and tight and God strips it off leaving me naked and cold only to run to him to cover me in HIS righteousness. For that I am thankful.
Up until this week I have felt a huge burden of guilt over being "offended" by the gospel. I couldn't understand how I am offended by it but still be one of His. It was such a relief to open this book and read "...the theology of the cross is an offensive theology." What a comfort to me to know that I am not alone. I look forward to becoming a student of this book and reading all of the very insightful comments that will come.
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Welcome aboard, Kimm.
I think that many women feel the same way you do about theology -- and when I say that I mean theology "proper." Many women are afraid, bored, confused -- or any combination of the three -- by the study of theology. Of coruse, the truth is that we're all theologians. When you were home schooling, baking, giving birth, building your own house, etc, you were responding to your theology. So...my prayer is that your theology will grow deeper and deeper and that you'll love learning and studying about who God says he is and oh, so importantly, what He's already done. The wonderful doctrines of grace will free your soul and clothe you will righteousness that has a pajama factor of 10.
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I like the pajama factor
Am I wrong in saying that one can be offended by the gospel yet still be in Him? I just got to thinking about that comment and wondered if I had misunderstood what he was saying.
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Kimm, I am both offended and comforted by the gospel everyday. I want to have my own righteousness and I hate submitting to the righteousness of God (See Romans 10:1-4). But I also love having his righteousness and submitting to the righteousness of God. We're living in the "already" and "not yet." Or, as my grand daughter once said when asked why she disobeyed, "I'm still alive! I still sin!"
So I deal with the reality that my love is weak and imperfect and I rest in the reality that his love is strong and perfect and he takes my falting steps and devotion to him and turns them into what he would produce and offers them to the Father.
Be at peace, Kimm. You wouldn't care if you loved him properly if you weren't his.
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