Diddly vs Substance

 Theology:  The study of God. 

It is probably safe to say that most people think of Christian theology as tedious and complicated.  And, in fact, it has become that.  But at first – it just wasn’t that complicated.

            However, the world has now been generationally victimized by many spiritually depleted theologians and religious teachers whose pursuit seems to have angled much more toward justifying their own existence than the exposition of authentic truth.  And, we all know, the more complicated you can make something, the more necessary and valuable the “expert” interpreter seems to become.

            And too, it is fairly evident that, in general, we tend to be somewhat mesmerized by those labels and letters which go before and after the names of those experts.  Nevertheless, the reality is that there are many teachers in our world, religious and otherwise, who are adorned with those letters, and yet, they actually know diddly. 

            But typically, these self-deluded fakers are really good at meaningless word salads, gobbledygook, and talking in gibberish-filled circles.  And just as typically, as if under some spell, cast by those lettered accolades, there are also those listeners who embrace the delusion. They, too, start to believe that there is actually some significant substance to be found somewhere in all of that gibberish – when really, there simply is not. 

            So, over the years, many subjects, including Christian theology, have been victimized by this pretense dynamic.  But the Christian theologians and teachers who practice this sort of thing, especially regarding the explanation of Christian redemption, all have a telltale identifier.  They all starkly demonstrate a complete lack of awareness of God’s authentic redemptive End Game – His ultimate redemptive goal. 

            Certainly, even in a simple board game, the idea is to first understand the ultimate purpose of the game, the real point of it all.  This is what gives the game its overall structure.  And, if you don’t understand that ultimate intention, how could one not run off the rails in a multitude of ways as he seeks to play the game? 

            But, in the reverse, once you do understand that ultimte idea, the game starts to become much more intuitive and logical regarding how it’s played, its rules, its strategies, etc.  And, so it is with God’s redemptive agenda. 

            So, here is God’s ultimate goal in Christian redemption.  Here is that final keystone idea which holds everything in place and makes it all work logically.  Indeed, this is the predominant intellectual element in Christian Redemption which those highly credentialed, but poorly informed, theological guys and gals have missed…   

            Christian Redemption is ultimately about putting back better, that intimate, mutually fulfilling friendship between God and man which was lost so long ago in the Garden of Eden. 

            Knowing this to be God’s ultimate aspiration in the redemptive work of both the Dying and the Living Christ makes everything else play out fairly obviously.  And, as a result, all of that superfluous theological tedium and complication, as well as the errors, lies, heresies, and treacheries are pretty much just blown away.

            So, God’s laser focus on the pursuit of this more intimate, durable, and mutually fulfilling friendship with believers plays out very logically like this.  Christ’s death on the Cross was to bring about forgiveness, but not just for the sake of forgiving.  It was God’s opening move in pursuit of this sturdier, new-and-improved, Christ-based God/ believer friendship. 

            But, beyond that tactic, there remained yet another problem which needed to be addressed and eliminated.   It was that still deeply ingrained motive of essential sin.         

          This is that ever-dominating heart motive of self-determination which Satan treacherously introduced into man’s subconscious in Eden – that motive which broke the original God/ man friendship in the first place.  This is that stubborn subconscious desire to, “do our own life in our own way.”  And, this treacherous desire actually still remains in play in our subconscious mind, even on the back side of the Cross – even after one consciously and humbly embraces the Lordship of Christ.

            In the Book of Romans, the Apostle, Paul, perfectly describes how this subconscious dilemma begins to frustrate the new convert to Christ.  He momentarily assumes the role of that new-comer to the faith and says this, “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good.

            But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.

            Now, if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me [in the subconscious mind]. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man [in the conscious mind]. But I see another law in my members [my subconscious], warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members [my subconscious].”   [Brackets Added]

            So, in order to achieve God’s ultimate redemptive goal of both a durable, and a mutually fulfilling friendship with believers, that sinful subconscious inclination for self-determination, and the attitudes and behavior it produces, have to go.  So, what is to be done to solve this problem? 

            In fact, the Dying Christ and His Cross were never intended by God to solve this problematic reality of man’s still stubbornly self-determined subconscious. Christ’s death on the Cross was only ever intended to furnish the forgiveness of that devastating punishment which attaches to that reality.

            But rest assured, to ever know this new, mutually gratifying friendship of which God dreams, this destructive reality must absolutely be resolved. If this ingrained subconscious selfishness were to go unaddressed, God would constantly be offended, not gratified, by that haughty, self-determined, “I prefer to do my own thing, my own way,” nature. 

            So, in spite of the Cross and its forgiveness, the relationship could never be a truly fulfilling one for God. He would ever be disappointed and rebuffed by what He would be forced to daily observe in man’s character and behavior.

            So, logically, to get to that mutually fulfilling friendship that God is actually aiming for in Christ, He must deal with this ingrained, self-centered character essence within man.  But how?  How, indeed?  Enter the Living Christ! 

            In fact, it is the Living Christ and the wonderful outflows of His Resurrection which are intended to remedy this stubborn and God alienating subconscious desire for self-determination. And, the completely unique remedy for this friendship-threatening subconscious sin motive plays out like this. 

            The Living Christ, in Spirit form, symbiotically merges His character essence with that of the truly devoted believer.  This distinct redemptive event is what the Church refers to as the “Spiritual Baptism.”  And the very logical purpose of this spiritual merger is to thoroughly renew the believer’s value system – which is, in fact, the very core of his or her character essence.

            This value system over-write by the Living Christ replaces the believer’s previous, self-tainted values with the pristine values of the Living Christ – beginning with the Faith Value. Immediately, by this character essence integration, that dominant sin value of self-determination is displaced in the believer’s subconscious. 

            And, just as immediately, it is replaced by a Living Christ-enriched Faith Value.  And, that new Christ-strengthened faith then becomes the new predominant governing value in the believer’s heart (character essence) on the subconscious level. 

            So now, the believer’s heart becomes undivided.  He or she is no longer being stressfully stretched between the dual motives of faith and self-determination as Paul described above.  The Faith value, which, in general terms, expresses itself as, “God’s will be done in my life,” is actually now chiefly governing on both levels of the believer's consciousness – bringing a durable peace and a Living Christ-enabled stability to the friendship.

            And, under the influence of this new Christ-empowered Faith (now governing both the believer's conscious and subconscious mind) new capacities emerge.  In this Christ-enriched faith, not only is there now the capacity to overpower the sin impulse. There is also the capacity to consistently produce a daily harvest of God-gratifying character-enhancements and God-directed good works – thus, fulfilling God’s most cherished hopes for this new God/ man relationship. (Ref: Galatians 5:22-25 // Ephesians 2:10)

            So now, again in the Book of Romans, Paul goes on to  describe the wondrous Living Christ-enabled newness taking place within the believer's character essence and lifestyle reality - and in this better friendship. He says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

            For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

            Indeed, this character integration with the Living Christ and the profound personal transformation which it brings is breathtaking in both its scope and effectiveness. This Christ-inhabited believer is truly that final keystone piece in God’s redemptive plan. This is the consummate reality of God's true redemptive aspiration.   

            And, it is all sustained by the vitality of the Living Christ as He symbiotically lives, in Spirit form – literally, within the believer’s character essence.  And, every single day, this God-designed and Living Christ-empowered friendship then pours out its relational blessings to both God and believer.

            So, in its authentic essence, Christian redemption really isn’t that complicated. And, in fact, this Christ empowered, better friendship has, indeed, in these New Testament times, become a wonderful reality for countless devout believers. 

            But still, it is strange.  How could so many lettered teachers over the generations have missed the beauty and efficacy of this authentic, God-designed redemptive strategy?  

            And, even now, in this late hour of redemptive history, many are still clearly identified by their glaring lack of awareness of these very primary things. Perhaps, it is because they are so full of themselves, they simply cannot see beyond the vastness of their own pretentious mass.

       But, in any case, truly devoted believers should simply continue on beyond that wondrous Cross and its forgiveness so lovingly afforded by the Dying Christ. The true divine encouragement is to go on to stalwartly pursue that oneness of heart, that spiritual character integration with the Living Christ.  And that,  in order to consummate this new, ever-enduring and always mutually fulfilling friendship with our loving, second-effort God. (Ref:  Luke 11: 5-13 // Romans 8: 12-14 // Matthew 7:13)