A Battle of Wills (September 2012)

Last month we looked at how we can show God as a heartless judge, not because He is but because we sometimes overstep our bounds by putting words in His mouth, or very weakly understanding His purposes in this life. Now we'll turn the magnifying glass on ourselves and think about how our desire to be judges ourselves leads to less-than-impartial behavior.

Christening Culture

The will of God for humankind is not like the will we possess. Because of this, we also find that our human wills within the body of Christ are at war with the wills of others and God, and we strive to come out on top. This battle of wills can cause much damage within the world in general and within the body of Christ specifically.

Many times we push for our opinions or agendas -- our wills -- to be accepted and slap a proverbial "Jesus Sticker" on it. We christen our thoughts as "godly" which leaves those that disagree left with the rather unflattering alternative. We tell others that we're on the side of God, which (if even subconsciously) means that anyone else is, well... not. A popular Christian worship song could mistakenly give rise to this kind of attitude:

"And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us. And if our God is with is, then what could stand against?"

Now, I enjoy Chris Tomlin's music and believe God has used him to draw people to worship God. I also know that his lyrics come from scripture (this particular verse from Romans 8:31) and am thankful for that. But I also know how trickily false beliefs and destructive heresies can creep in when the people of God are away from the altar of God.

In context, Tomlin's song references the truth that our nature once in Christ is that of a conqueror in Christ, one that no power in heaven or on earth can pull us away from the Christ we choose to cling to. The victory is in Christ, the greatness is in almighty God, not in us! God is greater, God is stronger and higher, God is the healer, God is awesome in power -- the focus is there, and we cannot misplace this truth in our minds or hearts.

It is our relationship with Christ that allows us to say "God is for us," not something in and of ourselves. This passage in Romans, and Tomlin's song, is not a catch-all for anything that a follower of Jesus happens to claim, believe, or teach from the pulpit. We are not permitted to say what we will, claim our relationship with Christ gives us that authority, and ignore the scriptures' authority. Nothing can stand against the authority of the Word made flesh. Especially not us.

Sometimes the world rightly stands against the thinly-veiled hatred that we "sanctify" with Jesus' name. It's those times when God's voice sometimes speaks through unbelievers and tells us -- the ones who have endeavored to follow Jesus -- that maybe we're confusing God's will with our own. I'm not talking about the times when followers of Jesus and those who don't follow Him try to excuse sinful behavior and get away with it (though even there, it's not our job to convict until the end of that behavior or remove fellowship). We are to stand for the truth and faithfully proclaim what following Jesus looks like, but not to the extent that we no longer look like Jesus when we do it. Remember, Jesus hung out with the sinners and lambasted the religious elite.

A Will Submitted

What does your will look like? Is it a will submitted to the lordship of Jesus, or something you use to bully scripture and others into a useful form? Sometimes we appear to the watching world like rams angrily butting heads, locking horns and fighting for the preeminent position in the "herd." There is a survival of the fittest mentality that pushes many of us to find our worth and value in being right or stronger or better than someone else.

When the world sees us playing this "game," is it any wonder that they question why God is so confrontational, hateful, and the like? We're nearing the end of the year and I'm hoping that the main theme is starting to latch on now -- people will view God in the same way they view us. And truthfully, this is how it should be since we are called to be Christ's ambassadors! Read what Paul says when instructing us to wake from our sleep and act wisely in these evil times:

Ephesians 5:17-21

 ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²¹ Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

But the only way this will be good for us or for God is if we continue to practice wills that are submitted to Christ. When we are faithful to submit our personal wills to Christ, we will avoid these struggles for superiority that can be so destructive. We will then be able to submit to each other in love, be known for our love as Jesus instructed, and live lives of humility and reverence for Christ.