In this week's message, Joe challenged us to think. He called us to think specifically in three different ways. First, we were challenged to think forward to the blessed hope we have as Christians in the gospel. Second, we were challenged to think backwards upon our past and former life; with thankful hearts and minds for the work God has been doing in redeeming and restoring us to himself in Christ. And finally, we were challenged to think upwards towards the holy God who is.
In the ESV translation, this section of scripture falls under the heading, "Called to Be Holy." And yet, I love how Peter begins this call for holy living, first with a call to prepare our minds for action. Joe emphasized this point well in his sermon. So often the Christian faith and life is viewed as a purely spiritual and mystical reality that is devoid of any true engagement of the mind. We walk by faith and not by sight. After all, that's what the Apostle Paul writes in his second letter to the church at Corinth (2 Corinthians 5:7), isn't it? But what is lost when that verse is taken out of context and in isolation from the rest of Paul's writing and the witness of scripture is that Paul himself was a brilliant intellect; and as a former Pharisee, was well-trained and studied in the scriptures. Nowhere in the pages of scripture or in the annals of church history will you find any call to check your mind at the door upon entering into the faith. Quite the contrary, Christianity is a faith that deeply engages the mind.
So, how does what we think impact how we live and what we believe as Christians? How can properly orienting our minds lead us to holy living? I think Joe hit the nail square on the head when he issued us those three challenges listed above. But it isn't just that we think, how we think, or what we think about that is so critical. Rather, it is the interdependent relationship between the three, and the way they work in unison. Let me explain what I mean by way of illustration.
In his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer writes, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." C.S. Lewis, in his book, The Weight of Glory, writes, "how we think of [God] is of no importance except in so far as it is related to how He thinks of us." How can these two influential and well-respected, devoted followers of Christ so sharply contradict one another?
If you expand the viewing window on both quotes and look at the greater point they are making, you will likely find the apparent contradiction quickly fades away. In reality, the contradiction that appears is just a mirage, for both men are right. It is simply a matter of perspective.
Tozer is writing to encourage and instruct Christians on the importance of the role of the mind in impacting how we live. He views all of life as lived before God and therefore, everything in life is a matter of theology. In other words, what we think informs our beliefs, so if we think wrongly about God, we will believe things that are untrue of him. This will then drastically shape the way we live in light of who God is. I have often said that I believe it is inconsistent and impossible to worship and love a God you don't even know. That makes no sense at all!
Lewis, on the other hand, is writing to caution sinful men from crafting for themselves a false God of their own imagining. This is idolatry! What matters is not what we imagine about God, but rather who he has revealed himself to be through his word and through the incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. We can think whatever we like about God, but it doesn't change who he is in reality...no more than I can imagine myself to be Superman and yet still plummet to my death if I were to attempt to "leap a tall building in a single bound."
Both men are "skinning the same cat." What we think about God is infinitely important, because it will influence what we believe, and in turn, how we live in light of those beliefs. At the same time, it is crucial that what we think be informed by what is true and not simply the fantastical imaginings of our own sinfully depraved minds. This is why Peter's call to action, and Joe's related challenges, are so important to us, individually, but even more so as a whole.
First, we need to think forward upon the hope and assurance we have in the gospel. Despite my failings; despite my tendencies to make and shape God into a creation of my own liking, instead of rightly bowing to him as my Creator; despite my brokenness; Jesus has redeemed me and is, even now, restoring and remaking me in his image. In Christ, we have victory over sin and death. We have hope in a future glory in which all that seeks to distract us from our life's purpose, to worship and enjoy God forever, will be removed and destroyed, so that we can delight in eternal fellowship with him, as it was always meant to be.
This brings us to our second way of thinking, backwards upon our former life. In verse 14, Peter says, "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance..." Ignorance is a lack of knowledge. In other words, Peter is saying that formerly, we didn't know, but now we know better. The important distinction there is the distinction between information and knowledge. How many of us as children were warned by our parents to not do something because we could get hurt...don't touch a hot stove, perhaps? And yet, how many of us did the exact thing we had been warned not to do, only to experience the pain of our error for ourselves? The problem wasn't that we lacked information. We had been warned and given true information. The problem was that we didn't believe it. We lacked the belief that converts information to knowledge. When we look back at our former lives before Christ, we can see all of the ways in which we perhaps had plenty of information, but lacked the necessary knowledge. Now, in Christ, we have knowledge...and knowledge is power.
Finally, and most importantly, we must look upwards. The knowledge of Christ that fuels our affections for him and our hope in him is worthless unless it is rightly shaped by what is true of him. The life of Jesus had a drastic impact on our world. So much so, that almost everyone has had to "deal with him." Non-Christians all over the world and throughout history have been forced to think something about Jesus. You just can't sit the fence with him. To some he was a wise teacher. To others he was a good man and a humanitarian. To others still, he was a liar and a scam artist. Regardless of where they land, they have had to land somewhere on Jesus. The reality is, we can't all be right. If someone is right, then everyone else is by necessity wrong. Worship that is aimed at the wrong things is not really worship. How can it be? How can our worship be good if what we are saying and believing about the object of our worship is not true? If I were to say, "Michael Jordan is the greatest football player to ever live!," would my accolades be of any value? Probably not, since Jordan played basketball! Close isn't good enough when it comes to worship.
We need to take seriously Peter's call to action and Joe's challenges. We need to be thoughtful believers and followers of Christ. A life of obedience and holiness is impossible with a blind and ill-informed faith. That's not what God intends for his children. This is why he has given us his word...to reveal what is true about himself, so we can know and worship him in spirit AND truth.
In Grace,
Chris Morris
If you missed this week's sermon (or just want to listen again), follow the link below to listen. Or subscribe to our podcast in iTunes.
Part 2 - A Call To Think
Questions discussed in this sermon:
1. Why does Peter want us to prepare our minds for action?
2. How are we as Christians to be holy?
3. What has ransomed us?
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