Over the last year, I have found myself questioning a great deal of what I have come to think about salvation, sanctification, and the role of the Christian in that process. I am coming to believe it is indeed a process and not just an act or event. Like many others before me, I have grown tired of feeling guilty for my sin, confessing it to God, praising Him for forgiveness, practicing thankfulness, trying REAL hard to do better, getting worn down by insignificant trials, losing zeal, plodding through the scriptures, feeling like an imposter around other believers, trying really hard to get back what is waning, living through dry spells where God seems far away, and then failing again. I must admit this cycle seems to repeat itself with mind-numbing regularity! Like a fool, I start over doing the same things the same way and somehow expecting a better outcome each time. .
The single most significant thing I feel is missing from my relationship with God is an accurate understanding of the relationship itself. I have recently come to learn that the this year marks the 400th anniversary of the King James translation of the Bible into English. Over four centuries the Word of God has been rendered into hundreds of variations of English translations; some of them better than others. However, the English translation of the greek word “dulos” occurs more than 130 times in the New Testament alone and it has historically been translated as “servant” (or some variant of servant). That is a tragic understatement.
As described in John MacArthur’s new book Slave, the word dulos is always and only used to refer to a slave. In the gospels, Christ uses a great deal of slavery language when he talks about his disciples and the kingdom of Heaven. In the epistles, Paul uses many, many more references to our position as slaves – Christian's are a wholly owned possession of God’s. Perhaps there was a conspiracy with the King James translators’ handling of the word…or perhaps it was “hidden” to serve a different time or purpose (“to those who have ears”) but the fact remains…and without reputable dispute I may add…if we are being saved by grace then we are the slaves of the One who is saving us and that has some very significant ramifications for a self-important Church.
We do live in an age of “easy-believism” whereby all Christians get "cheap grace". God's gift of salvation is NOT somthing we can earn or deserve, but because it costs us nothing, we often treat it as if it didn't cost anything to anyone at all. Each believer claims to have a personal relationship with God, but our lives are lived in a way that is contrary to His commands as communicated in the Bible.
- "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."~ John 13:35
- "You are my friends if you do what I command." ~ John 15:14
The reality is a "cheap-grace" kind of theology seems to allow us the margin to live our lives largely on our own terms. We feel entitled to come and go as we please. We feel entitled to a life filled with good things and mostly free of hardship - simply because we chose to accept Jesus as our savior. If our kids do not turn out right, or if our income does not cover our expeditures at the end of the month, or if a competitor gets something we wanted, then we feel like we are suffering or being asked to endure hardship. The more I search for what is Real in this life, the more I seem to be led back to this one question:
What role do I play in my own salvation? It isn’t very profound at first glance, but it often leads me to ask many more. Each time I chase another element down another rabbit trail.
- Would I still believe in God if it literally cost me everything?
- Could I spend nights in a homeless shelter or in a box behind a restaurant if God led me into poverty?
- What if I am ever asked to leave my wife and children?
- Is the death of a loved one too extreme of a sacrifice for a loving God? (The Old Testament prophets and patriarchs were ROUTINELY asked to give up family.) Why? How could that be "good"?
- Would I be willing to live with a ruined reputation for the sake of the “gospel”…especially if what was said and thought of me was untrue and hurtful to those I loved?
- Would I be willing to live with a painful or debilitating handicap?
- Could I find joy in my life if God never spoke to me or offered me any other assurances than what can be found in scripture?
- What if God remains silent forever?
Do I believe that I know my limits better than my Creator? Do I live that way?
I think it is quite reasonable to expect that I will never understand God. Not even a little bit. I try to understand the scriptures and the timelines and I like to explore the Hebrew and Greek words when there is a subtlety that our clumsy language is insensitive to. However, the more I try to understand Him the farther away I go from where he has invited me to sit.
What does it mean to have the Faith of a child? How does a child love? What does a Child know about the ones they love and trust? What is a child given by his father? What is a child’s responsibility?
Why did the world’s wisest man fail at the end of his life (pathetically) when – from his youth – God blessed him with wisdom and wealth like no one has ever known before or since?
The very things we think are wise choices and good investments or sound logic can all be diversions from a child-like faith. Family, home, hobbies, and retirement can all be good things, even blessings from God, but they are ALL secondary. I am still not at the point where I could just walk away from the life “I have built” and follow Jesus like Matthew did.
What does it look like to “seek first the Kingdom of God”?
The American Church has either ignored or been blinded to the truth. The Bible calls us slaves and so we should regard ourselves as slaves and then think and live accordingly.
How would your choices be different if you were convinced that you had been purchased – body and soul – into a life of slavery? Is THAT the true cost of Grace? Do we need to die to self?
What price was paid for our freedom?
What does Paul say we give in exchange for salvation?
I am several chapters into John MacArthur’s book and the slave concept seems to have crossed my path at a very curious time. My friend Luke calls the effect of God’s work in my life “dismantling”. I am really enjoying listening to his sermons lately.
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