I've come recently to a conclusion, based on my own testimony and experience, along with observation, and it's this: We, as Christians, reject God at every chance we get and justify it without any hesitation.
Now, that might not seem like news to you, but it is to me... At least on the level I'm understanding it now. Conversely, this might make you angry because you try very hard to obey God or consider yourself a person of great faith. But, that's just the point. This goes deep and is blatant. It's true for the whole spectrum of Believers, from venerable John McArthur to the guy who just got saved in jail yesterday. The ways in which our rejection of God expresses itself are innumerable; through doctrine, through relationships, through real-time choices, it's a constant swirl of rebellion and rejection of the God we claim to love and trust.
We pat ourselves on the back for the miniscule obedience and trust we muster and have absolutely no problem dismissing the mountains of rejection and rebellion we evidence with each day that passes.
The reason I believe this is so significant in my understanding right now is two-fold. The first is that we aggressively, sometimes even vehemently, deny it. We are deceived about a severely poor spiritual condition. We have conditioned ourselves with doctrines and psychology to justify our flesh and its behaviors.
The second, is that if we could face the truth of the matter, I believe we could have a personal and corporate revival like never before. I cannot begin to tell you how many men, women, families and churches are daily being seriously robbed of abundant life because of this issue. God is not withholding from us; we are rejecting and refusing Him. It's that simple. If I could own it as the truth I might actually begin to make some progress in loving Him with my whole heart and my neighbor as myself.
It's important that you understand that I do have parameters that I'm confined to in my supposition. I'm not even trying to touch the issue of God being greater than what we can see, hear, or know in experience. I'm simply speaking to God as He's revealed Himself in scripture to us; every word, commandment and promise. Seriously, there's a glory available here that cannot be contained if any of us would simply begin to accept it and step into it through action and obedience.
The foundation of this condition seems clearly rooted in an ever-increasing absence of judgment. “Don’t judge me!,” We all demand, with our distorted interpretation of Jesus’ words on our lips:
“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” Matthew 7:1-5
This passage has two simple sides to it. First, judge (or discern) yourself before you judge someone else. And, second, after you’ve judged yourself and dealt with what you find by the work of Christ, judge your Brother, so you *can* cast the mote of our his eye! Both sides of this challenging exhortation have been sorely lost in today’s Church.
Permit me to explain the significance of this issue in light of my original theme.
In our ministry we are constantly ministering to people who are sliding back and forth between faith and failure, trust and tragedy. And they wonder, “Why doesn’t this change? Why am I constantly stressed, lonely, insecure, tempted, disobedient,” and so on? “I have faith,” they say, “I trust God!” But therein lies the whole issue. They are self-deceived about their faith. They are not being honest about the condition of their own hearts. And it begins because they are not judging the fruit they’re bearing. Consider these important words of Jesus in possibly a different light than you may have before:
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." - Matthew 7:15-20
There is a truth and depth in this passage found in this consideration: The false prophet begins in me, in my own heart and self-deceptions. It flows from high and false ambition, from seriously faulty judgments and discernment. It is the Old Man of Paul’s language striving to remain in power and frustrate the glorious sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. The hard truth is that in so many churches today, we are working aggressively to justify every subtle facet of the Old Man. Issues of fear, worry, depression, envy, jealousy, gossiping, despite for others, these are no longer being called out for what they are, which is SIN. Instead, they are justified. They are coddled. Even worse, they are labeled and medicated.
On the other side of the spectrum is our acceptance and love for the World. Here, again, we find every excuse to reject the Promises of God for provision, the call to contentment, and the giving of thanks for whatsoever state we find ourselves. Idolatry of every sort runs rampant in our churches. We worship our music and their makers, our cultures and our cliques; our book writers and their endless streams of necessary “ministry.” It is such complete arrogance and a denial of the words God spoke through Christ and the prophets to think that He accepts all this “stuff.” Heaven forbid we simply spend time in the Word of God and learn Christ for ourselves by the Holy Spirit.
So... Is this a rant? I suppose so. Is it warranted? I believe so. I am convinced that God has, and will continue, to raise up men and women who will speak to this foundational issue. It’s unbelief, plain and simple. The New Testament writer of Hebrews is the one who tells us that “they could not enter in because of their unbelief. (Hebrews 3:19)” He exhorts us to “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12-13)
The one thing I do know is that it begins with me. It always begins with me. It always end with me. So, I too will, forget those things that are behind and press towards the goal.