Working out the Implications of the Logos.

If Christian maturity is working out the implications of our faith then we have a lot of ground to cover.

Many Christians wrongly beleive that a pastoral position is the only full time occupation for the Lord, that some how secular jobs are not as important as devoting oneself to "sacred" pursuits. God, for these beleivers, can only be seen in Church or the Bible. This view has led to a compartmentalized Christianity; Sacred day on Sunday, secular activity throughout the rest of the week. But Jesus as the Logos made flesh holds some profound devotional truth. Because Jesus is the Logos what we once deemed secular is in fact a worthy avenue of worship to our Lord.

John did not invent the term Logos (i.e. Word). It possess a history from before the incarnation. The Logos for the Jews was identified as Lady Wisdom (i.e. Sophia) of Jewish Wisdom Literature (Proverbs 1-8, Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom of Solomon etc.). She existed in the beginning as God's master craftsmen, taking delight in the world of men. She possessed the mind of God. She new his plans and the working of the world. If someone possessed her, he possessed life itself. For the Greeks the term Logos arrived with earliest of the philosophers (i.e. lovers or friends of sophia). The Logos for them was the purpose, the meaning, the rational explanation for all that is. To seek after the Logos was to seek after the ordering of the universe.

When John calls Jesus the Logos made flesh he is calling our attention back to both Jewish and Greek ideas. Jesus is the divine designer, the master craftsman, the point and purpose for all that is. This means that to seek after the rational ordering of the Universe is to seek after Jesus himself. "The creaton of declares the glory of the Lord." (Psalms 19). There is no distinction between sacred and secular because God created it all.

Paul in Colossians picks up on this application of the Logos (the Sophia of Proverbs). He calls Jesus, "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." This is expressly said of wisdom in the Wisdom literature. Paul continues, "For in him all things were created, both invisible, and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him." "All things have been created through Him and for Him." Paul finds that the application of this is that we are not bound to keep the Old Testament dicotomy of secular vs. sacred. "Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day." He goes on to say, "If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as 'Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!'" Because Christ fills all and all there is no distinction between secular and sacred. Jesus is the point of both sacred and secular persuits weather one knows it or not.

What is Christian Maturity?

What is Christian maturity and what is its goal?

Recently someone asked me if I thought Proverbs 3:5-6 represented the goal or vision statement of Christian maturity.

This is what I said...

I think Proverbs 3:5-6 is a wounderful verse. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all of your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your path." The verse is certainly foundational. "The fear of the Lord," or as the writer of proverbs says here "Trust in the Lord," is the beginning of Wisdom. Before we set out on the journey of life we must make trust in the Lord our resolve. Trust is the ever present foundation of Christian growth. Faith is the Matrix in which the Christian matures. All understanding is built upon faith.

However because trust is always needed in the Christian life, the verse may potential stifle Christian growth rather than encourage it. Instead of faith guiding someone to Christian maturity faith may become the end goal in and of itself. Someone could rightly reason, If trust equals Christian maturity and I trust in the Lord then what point is there in anything further? (This appears to me to be the reasoning of the "name-it-claim- it crowd) The book of James continues to rebuke this mentality even today.

While deeper trust is certainly a goal of Christian maturity it is not the goal entirely. In what sense is the trust of a new beleiver diffrent from the trust of a mature believer? The new beleiver while trusting in the Lord, holds misconceptions about what that trust entails. For instance a new believer may still beleive in a "woman's right to choose" or in naturalism or in his or her own ability to command the actions of God (i.e. the name-it-claim-it crowd). The mature beleiver on the other hand has worked out the implications of his faith through prayer, study, and meditation and continues to do so. Growth then is faith working itself out. It is making application of the trust we already possess. As St. Augustine said its "fath seeking understanding." The mature believer is one who continually works out the implications of his belief, who binds his thoughts to the scriptures and discovers how they apply to his or her life. In this sense a mature believer is one who ceases to be spoon fed. Like high school diploma which does not represent absolute knowledge but rather a students ability to think on there own, the goal of Christian education is not knowledge but rather an ability to wrestle with issues within a faith worldview.

In this sense Proverbs 3:5 and 6 is an appropriate verse for Christian maturity. If we start with trust then God will show us the application of this faith in every direction of our lives. Trust however is not the entire measurement of Chrstiain maturity. Christian maturity is measured by the depth to which Christians have reached in uncovering the implications of there faith. This is the path to which Proverbs 3:6 refers. In this sense the goal of Christian maturity is becoming more like Jesus rather than simply believing in Jesus.

Dedication

I dedicate this blog to the pursuit of Christ. He is the purpose and point for all that is.