Oct. 14, 2010
Final Inspection before Departure
Alex Crain
Editor, Christianity.com
"I will make every effort so that after my departure
you may be able at any time to recall these things."
2 Peter 2:15 ESV
Our crowded 737 jet sat motionless at the gate as we baked inside the cabin under the July Texas sun. Passengers fidgeted and sighed impatiently as the last bits of cool air evaporated from the locked-down cabin. Several moments passed, then suddenly a voice crackled through the speakers...
"Um, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Unfortunately, we've discovered a malfunction with our navigational systems and we need to change planes…" The upshot of groans and murmurs drowned out the rest of the his words as the long process of transferring passengers, luggage and crew began.
Inconvenient, yes. Definitely not the greatest way to start a journey. But, looking back, everyone on that plane should have been relieved that the plane's problem was discovered on the ground rather than in the air. Thank goodness for a crew that took a routine inspection seriously.
And before we take the next leg of the journey through Francis Schaeffer's classic book, True Spirituality, we have a final inspection before departure as well.
At the close of chapter one, and with a degree of seriousness that's a bit unexpected, Schaeffer specifically calls his readers to either embrace the truths laid out in chapter one, or just stop reading the book altogether. There were four main truths to consider at the onset of our journey with him toward authentic joy in the Christian life. Apparently, these truths are as essential for us as wings, engines, charts and landing gear are to flight. Schaeffer says...
"There is no use even beginning to talk about experiential freedom from the bonds of sin or about an experiential reality of the Christian life, of true spirituality... if this is not in our minds, ...at least in some poor comprehension and at least in some poor aspiration.
"Anything else is trifling with God; and because it is trifling with God, it is sin."
Then he gives the recap of the four truths:
(1) True spirituality in the present life means more than being justified and knowing that I am going to heaven. It does not mean just that I have been born again.
(2) My desire must be for a deeper life, not a looser life. The Bible presents to me the Law of Love, not a list of taboos.
(3) True spirituality is not just outward, but it is inward—it is not to covet against God and men.
(4) But it is even more than this: it is positive—positive inward reality, and then positive in outward results. It is not just that we are dead to sin, but we are to be alive to God. We are to be in communion with Him, in this present moment in history.
"These four points are what the Bible says we should mean when we speak of the true Christian life, of freedom from the bonds of sin.
"Anything less than this is trifling with Him who created the world, and trifling also with Him who died on the cross."
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If you're seeking a genuine relationship of joy in God, are you missing, or in disagreement with, any of the four elements above?
If you are in agreement then prepare for take-off! We continue our journey through Schaeffer's True Spirituality on October 22, 2010.
Further Reading
Hebrews 12:28 says "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."
Also, revisit previous devotionals based on the book True Spirituality that have been run so far on Crosswalk the Devotional...
a stubborn intolerance for joyless christianity 10/6/10
your birthday: the most and least important day of your life, 9/28/10
Restoring Authentic Joy 9/20/10
Good without God? 9/10/10
"Liberty," Lists, or Love 8/25/10
Pop Quizzes 8/17/10
Romans 8:28 Does Not Mean Giving Thanks with a Plastic Smile 8/9/10