1 Corinthians 3:1-3 - “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly - mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?”
Jude 18-19 - “…there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires…men…who follow mere natural instincts…”
The scriptures include some harsh evaluations at times. They can prove difficult to take in. Yet, it is essential to pay close attention if we are to experience growth in our relationship with Christ. As for me, I find these passages a stark reminder of those natural tendencies within that resist obeying God.
Romans 8:5, 7 - “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires…the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law nor, can it do so.”
One of the most destructive notions I adopted as a young Christian was the idea that salvation meant the full eradication of sinful behavior. Consequently, when sinful tendencies arose within, I would cringe in horror, imagining that if I somehow suppressed them from conscious awareness, they would go away. I also imagined that the quicker I pushed them down, God would see how “dedicated” I was to him. In order to keep them out of sight, I fabricated a persona, a tapestry woven with materials of tradition and regulations. Inevitably, the external image collapsed under the weight of truth.
Colossians 2:21-23 - “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch! These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.”
The gospel is not a message about God coming to earth to demand moral integrity. That was the message God gave Moses through the law, a message which could demand obedience but not cause it. The gospel is about Christ acting in response to our condition, abolishing the law by nailing it once for all to a cross (see Col. 2:14 & 1 Peter 2:24). We have now been given, through God’s Spirit, the capacity to experience loving obedience to our Father (see Romans 8:3-4, 16 & Galatians 4:6, 5:16).
Nevertheless we must guard against naiveté. Our tendency is to follow natural inclinations. The Holy Spirit works to lead us into intimate relationship with Christ expressed through a spiritual awakening, followed by a process of producing Christ-like attitudes and behaviors. Love underscores such a life lived in harmony with God’s Spirit. Faith and hope fill the heart and mind with peace as wisdom, courage, temperance and justice animates the character. It all begins when we step into the reality of the first beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
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