eye of the beholder

3 small ideas toward reformation + MJ

maybe you’re familiar with these ideas. I haven’t been (slow learner maybe?). they have been helpful for me, and I thought it would be worthwhile to share them here.

for whatever reason
(maybe it was my fault)
I came to believe that the fulfillment of my life as a human
came down to making a decision
to holding a belief
that Jesus died for me
for my sins
and that my faith in that sealed my spot in heaven

that's a general way of putting it
but you could boil it down to that:
believe and be saved

a transaction with God

the trouble was
that with that main assignment complete
what then was the Christian life?
just keep having faith
and compel/convince others to do the same
more or less
until you die, or Christ returns?

[please allow for the likelihood
that I misunderstood those who communicated the faith to me]

the problem with this view
is that it's a "sign-on-the-dotted-line" simplification
of the way the writers of the Bible
talk about a life of faith

this stems (I think) from at least 3 misunderstandings

1 | "have faith"
for whatever reason,
the practice of this concept of faith
is boiled down to agreeing with an idea—
once you think it, you've got a ticket to ride
on the train bound for glory

but this idea of faith
curtails a more biblically coherent concept of faith—
that is, to be faithful

2 | "get saved"
connected to this
is that, once we sign on the dotted line,
we are saved. 
nothing needs doing thereafter.
you were saved, and now you just get to enjoy
knowing you're, again, glory-bound

but this idea of salvation
brings focus on a rational decision
(or even an emotional one, so long as you make it)

I think, for most, this concept would be better held
by the biblical concept of repentance
there comes a day
or perhaps a window of time
when the implications of the message and life of Jesus
come into stark relief with your own life
and you recognize that in that distance between you and Christ
there is a wide opening
and your feet know they are made for running it
and your pride bows its head in surrender
and the distance is closed in a moment
for Christ is running too
towards you

this is repentance
salvation begins here (if not sooner)
and it continues for the rest of your life
we "work out our salvation with fear and trembling"

3 | theosis
this trajectory of God's grace
working on our lives to bring us to repentance
that we might be saved from our bondage to sin
finds its end, its goal, in the idea of theosis,
or the process of being transformed 
to be more like God

"getting saved" is something that happened once in the past
it has vague implications for how we are to act now

theosis carries the idea
that by faithfulness to Christ
we are transformed to become like him
and when we become like him
there will be an overflow in the ways
that we are able to love others
(because we are becoming like him)
"made in his image"
(made to "image" him)

when we place our focus and attention on Jesus
then by the mercy and work of the Holy Spirit
we are transformed (formed positively) by him

in beholding, we are transformed

we are transformed by what we behold

(think of our mind as a stomach—
we are changed and made healthy by what we eat)

Lover’s Eyes | c. 1840

I’ll leave it there for now. I hope the language comes through plainly. and if these thoughts are not particularly profound for you, I hope they are at least helpful for some (as they have been for me).

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thanks for being here. I write weekly sharing poetry, songs, musings, thoughts on creative life, and hopefully some encouragement… my first collection of poetry, Snowmelt to Roots, is available in my shop, (or on Amazon). and my music is available here.

peace,

Z