Two Foundations for human enlightenment:
1) There is a God.
2) You are not Him.
The two Foundations were indeed relevant to our campus culture, particularly Foundation One, as the prevailing philosophy on campus was that the earth and everything on it came into being by random chance, and that no God had anything to do with it. At that time, Foundation Two seemed almost so obviously true, in a literal sense, that it generated virtually no argument. The "no God" folks that I knew weren't going so far as to claim divinity, simply that they were their own authority, responsible to no higher being. So Foundation Two applied figuratively to our campus culture, but literally not so much.
From NO GOD to I'M GOD
Today, however, in a bizarre about-face, the philosophy rapidly rising in popularity in our culture is not one of "no God," but one of "everyone is God." Today, to say, "You are not Him," is to contradict one of the most popular streams of thought.
Practically everywhere you turn, somebody's reading--or selling--a book about everyone and everything being divine. Divine power in the rocks, in the trees, in spiders, in everyone. TV hosts and magazine writers, too, are talking about "descending into themselves" (By the way, I find "descending"--meaning going down to an inferior or shameful level--to be an uncannily accurate description) to find their "true divine selves." You can attend seminars that will teach you how to harness the ultimate source of goodness that supposedly already exists in everyone.
Incidentally, our family is currently in need of an internet domain name, and so far, almost every domain name we've come up with has already been claimed--and not just claimed, but claimed by someone disseminating the "you're divine; everything is one; everything is divine" message in one form or another. It's everywhere. Why?
An Open Door And A Scam
People are looking for solutions. They are not happy with the way things are. They know in their heart of hearts that they are not what they should be. They long to be better--better friends, better employees, better spouses, better parents. They are dissatisfied. They are disillusioned with material success, and longing for a simpler, more satisfying life. They want real joy.
The terrible tragedy of our day is that people are being told that the answer to their longing is inside themselves, when in reality, it is not. That's exploitation. That's dastardly unscrupulous. That's a scam, plain and simple. And it's not right. People are being offered a sham solution to their deepest needs and being milked for a myth. The real Enemy of the human soul knows people are empty and hurting and is offering them a lie.
The terrible tragedy of our day is that people are being told that the answer to their longing is inside themselves, when in reality, it is not. That's exploitation. That's dastardly unscrupulous. That's a scam, plain and simple. And it's not right. People are being offered a sham solution to their deepest needs and being milked for a myth. The real Enemy of the human soul knows people are empty and hurting and is offering them a lie.
Reality Check
The deeper we dig into ourselves, the more mess we find. If we are willing to be honest, we don't find innate goodness, like some are telling us. No, we find a frustrated self who, even in moments of wanting to do good, finds it impossible to perpetually sustain good intentions, let alone good behavior. The solution to the human dilemma is not in uncovering some hidden divine self, but in acknowledging our real, hopelessly flawed, desperately wicked self and being transformed by the renewing power of the God who is entirely independent from us. It's what the Bible calls being born again, and, incidentally, it's free. You can't buy it or earn it, but God will transform you if you ask Him to. It's what I wrote about in The Relentless Heart.
It's not a bad thing to admit that the human condition is hopeless on its own; it's actually an incredibly freeing relief to openly acknowledge what we already know from experience to be true. The solution, then, is in having the corrupt nature we're born with cleansed by the resurrected Jesus Christ. Then He works in us to remake us from the inside out.
Only the power of God can make us what we were meant to be, but we'll never find that power by looking inside our own selves. Jesus Christ was the only true God, and He came to earth in a human body in order to literally give His life to make our permanent cleansing and forgiveness possible. He proved He was God by coming back to life, and He is real and alive and willing to transform anyone who will ask and believe what He said.
It's not a bad thing to admit that the human condition is hopeless on its own; it's actually an incredibly freeing relief to openly acknowledge what we already know from experience to be true. The solution, then, is in having the corrupt nature we're born with cleansed by the resurrected Jesus Christ. Then He works in us to remake us from the inside out.
Only the power of God can make us what we were meant to be, but we'll never find that power by looking inside our own selves. Jesus Christ was the only true God, and He came to earth in a human body in order to literally give His life to make our permanent cleansing and forgiveness possible. He proved He was God by coming back to life, and He is real and alive and willing to transform anyone who will ask and believe what He said.
An Invitation To Real Life
Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." (Recorded in John 10:10, 11)
"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full."
--Jesus (recorded in John 15:11)
Don't settle for a sham of a life, when a real, joyful life is available from Jesus.
Things have come full circle...
When I recently found my original sign with the Two Foundations (I have no idea why I still had it around after 30 years), our daughter, who was packing for college, wanted to take it with her.
Things have come full circle...
When I recently found my original sign with the Two Foundations (I have no idea why I still had it around after 30 years), our daughter, who was packing for college, wanted to take it with her.
No comments:
Post a Comment