Day Twenty-Eight - It Takes Time
With this chapter Mr. Warren brings to a close his discussion of what he considers to be the third purpose of human life, to become like Christ. Over the prior six chapters Mr. Warren painted a picture in which human life is engulfed in a process of becoming. Rather than the truth that we originally were created perfect and Christ-like, Mr. Warren suggested that God’s original purpose was for us to become Christ-like. This view accounts for our failure by suggesting that we have quite a lot of becoming yet to do. In truth, our current state of failure is due to the loss of our original Christ-likeness because of sin. Thus misconstruing the nature of our problem, Mr. Warren inevitably also misconstrues the remedy. He speaks of the Incarnation of Christ as him simply “entering into our suffering.” (p. 199) He also suggests that the death of Christ simply was an “experience” that we should expect to replicate. (p. 197) In such terms, Christ can at best be a role model rather than a Redeemer. Therefore, Mr. Warren characterizes the mind of Christ as an “outlook” and a “perspective” that we are advised to adopt. (p. 182) Of course, Mr. Warren speaks of God as having superior power and wisdom, but also states that God waits for us to act first (p. 175), claiming that our action “releases” or “unlocks” God’s power in our lives. (p. 174) Thus, Mr. Warren characterizes God and Man as having synergistic collaboration in a process of becoming.
The emphasis of the current chapter is that this process of becoming requires a lot of time - that in fact it requires a lifetime. In keeping with the notion that this process of becoming is supposed to be one of five purposes of human life, Mr. Warren declares that God “will use your entire lifetime to prepare you for your role in eternity.” (p. 222) A scheme of things that reduces the death of Christ to an “experience” and reduces the authority of God to an “outlook” or a “perspective” can accommodate no truly biblical idea of sin or of Redemption. As a result, Mr. Warren fails to distinguish clearly between sin and immaturity. It is granted that maturation is a process that occurs over time. However, maturity is not the entire issue with the failure of human life to measure up to Christ. To confuse sin and immaturity serves only to muddle both concepts.
For example, Mr. Warren cites Lane Adams, who compares the process of spiritual growth to the Allied strategy in the Pacific Islands during World War II. Mr. Warren declares, “The moment you open yourself up to Christ, God gets a ‘beachhead’ in your life.” (p. 218) This is meant to liken God’s work in human life to the gradual conquest of a hostile island. The point intended is that conquest is gradual rather than instantaneous. Mr. Warren adds, “You can only give God as much of you as you understand at that moment. That’s okay.” (p. 218) This illustration implies that obedience is gradual. The idea of a “beachhead” clearly indicates that God has no access to our lives except as we allow him. Mr. Warren plainly states his view that Christ “takes over” our lives gradually, over the course of a long process of great struggle. Any part or aspect of life that is pursued independently of the Lordship of Christ thereby is pursued in sin. Confusing sin and immaturity, Mr. Warren suggests that it is “okay” for one to live in sin until he is ready to surrender more territory to God.
Of course, if asked to speak on the matter in these terms, Mr. Warren no doubt would attest that sin is inexcusable and that immediate obedience is required. In fact, he already has stated as much. The reader may recall that back in chapter nine Mr. Warren expounded upon obedience as one of the things that makes God “smile.” A review of his argument on that point will be instructive for the current discussion. On page 72 he said, “God doesn’t owe you an explanation or a reason for everything he asks you to do. Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t. Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. In fact, you will never understand some commands until you obey them first. Obedience unlocks understanding.” On page 218 Mr. Warren states that we need understanding before we can obey; on page 72 he said that we need to obey before we gain understanding. Obedience is a matter of sin and repentance; understanding is a matter of maturity. The variation of his teaching regarding obedience and understanding is the result of his continued failure to distinguish properly between sin and immaturity.
On page 219 he appeals to the history of Ancient Israel as an example of God shepherding His people through a long process of maturation. He cites Deuteronomy 7:22 as indication that God “prefers to work in incremental steps in our lives.” In this text God declares to Israel at the beginning of their conquest of the promised land that that He would not drive out their enemies all at once, but “little by little.” In reality this text has nothing whatever to do with the point Mr. Warren wishes to make. It is plainly indicated in the text that the reason for the gradual removal of the enemy was so that wild animals would not grow numerous in the land before Israel could grow to occupy it all. This has nothing at all to do with God working incrementally in our lives to develop maturity, and so is not remotely a supporting text for such a notion. Moreover, the history of Ancient Israel is not a story of the gradual development of their character. It is a story of sin, disobedience, and failure, punctuated by the lives of those kings and prophets who exhibited repentance and obedience. By appeal to Ancient Israel for a precedent for gradual development, Mr. Warren once again confuses sin and immaturity.
Sin is a matter of law, and therefore a matter of obedience. Immaturity is a matter of growth and the cultivation of attributes. For example, telling a lie is a matter of bearing false witness, which is a matter of the ninth Commandment, and therefore a matter of sin. The Commandment requires instant obedience. One is not excused from obligation until such time as he has understood himself sufficiently to give his witness-bearing over to God. However, witness-bearing that is in conformity to the law still involves a matter of maturity. Faithfulness to the Commandment does not entail that one at all times and in every circumstance ought to make full disclosure to everyone of everything he knows. Maturity is a matter of cultivating the sense of knowing what to say when and to whom. “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.” (Pr. 25:11) The proper response to conviction of sin in one’s life is repentance. Repentance means to turn around and to go back. One cannot go onward from sin and eventually arrive at righteousness; one does not “grow” out of sin into righteousness. In contrast to this, the proper response to conviction of immaturity in one’s life is growth. One matures as he cultivates the nucleus of righteousness. Maturity is to go on from a basic character of obedience to develop out of this a more refined expedience. (I Cor. 10:23) One does indeed grow out of immaturity into maturity. Such growth is joyful and glorious. Paul said that he pined not for what lay behind as eagerly he pressed on toward what lay ahead. (Phil. 3:13)
Mr. Warren has so misconstrued the distinction of sin vs. immaturity that he presents quite a contrary view of spiritual growth. “Growth,” he says, “is often painful and scary. There is no growth without change; there is no change without fear or loss; and there is no loss without pain.” (p. 220) This idea of growth is a further example of Mr. Warren’s Yin and Yang tension of “becoming.” In this view, “becoming” occurs on a continuum at some point between nothingness at one extreme and absolute Being on the other extreme. Accordingly, the idea holds that the process of becoming is influenced by both extremes. Thus, Mr. Warren says, for example, that we cannot know God except through suffering (p. 194), that we cannot claim to be good unless we have been tempted to do evil (p. 203), and now he tells us that we cannot grow except through fear or pain. Contrary to this notion, God tells us that perfect love casts out fear, and that fear involves punishment. (I Jn. 4:18) Also, we learn that our final state abolishes pain, for it is classed among those things, like death, that shall pass away. (Rv. 21:4) Fear and pain are not necessarily avenues of growth or precursors to maturity. They are symptoms of the fall. Growth occurs as sin is abolished. Surely, Paul indicated that he “counted all things as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil. 3:8) But the sort of loss he intends is the loss of refuse. He means the loss of the sort of “righteousness” deriving from fallen humanity, which amounts to “filthy rags.” (Is 64:6) The growth-change-loss scheme that Mr. Warren outlines may be true in a technical sense, however, one is not psychologically traumatized by the loss of rubbish. It is neither fear-inspiring nor painful to cast off that which hinders us from true devotion to God.
There is no doubt that maturity is acquired through a process of growth, and we readily can agree that in the typical case this growth occurs over a period of time. But saying this much is quite a different thing than saying that the whole of human life is a process of becoming that is preparatory to eternity. Much of what Mr. Warren says under the heading of maturity really belongs under the heading of sin, as he has not adequately distinguished between sin and immaturity. Thus, he ends up saying in effect that God is not in a hurry for our obedience and that real growth cannot occur except through sin. True biblical wisdom calls for immediate and unquestioned obedience to the law of God on the one hand, and on the other hand encourages cultivation of maturity. True biblical wisdom carefully distinguishes sin and immaturity, so that one is not encouraged to “confess” his temptations or to embrace fear and pain as partners in growth. When confronted with sin, we need to repent and go back; when confronted with immaturity, we need to press on and grow. Certainly, we all need to become like Christ. But, our premise in so striving is as sinners, having fallen in our first parents from an original perfection. Our motive in striving is the power of God in our lives as in His grace He bestows upon us the Redemption that is in Christ. So we always must in his Grace practice obedience and cultivate maturity. Mr. Warren’s discussions do not help us to understand these things or to practice them.
The emphasis of the current chapter is that this process of becoming requires a lot of time - that in fact it requires a lifetime. In keeping with the notion that this process of becoming is supposed to be one of five purposes of human life, Mr. Warren declares that God “will use your entire lifetime to prepare you for your role in eternity.” (p. 222) A scheme of things that reduces the death of Christ to an “experience” and reduces the authority of God to an “outlook” or a “perspective” can accommodate no truly biblical idea of sin or of Redemption. As a result, Mr. Warren fails to distinguish clearly between sin and immaturity. It is granted that maturation is a process that occurs over time. However, maturity is not the entire issue with the failure of human life to measure up to Christ. To confuse sin and immaturity serves only to muddle both concepts.
For example, Mr. Warren cites Lane Adams, who compares the process of spiritual growth to the Allied strategy in the Pacific Islands during World War II. Mr. Warren declares, “The moment you open yourself up to Christ, God gets a ‘beachhead’ in your life.” (p. 218) This is meant to liken God’s work in human life to the gradual conquest of a hostile island. The point intended is that conquest is gradual rather than instantaneous. Mr. Warren adds, “You can only give God as much of you as you understand at that moment. That’s okay.” (p. 218) This illustration implies that obedience is gradual. The idea of a “beachhead” clearly indicates that God has no access to our lives except as we allow him. Mr. Warren plainly states his view that Christ “takes over” our lives gradually, over the course of a long process of great struggle. Any part or aspect of life that is pursued independently of the Lordship of Christ thereby is pursued in sin. Confusing sin and immaturity, Mr. Warren suggests that it is “okay” for one to live in sin until he is ready to surrender more territory to God.
Of course, if asked to speak on the matter in these terms, Mr. Warren no doubt would attest that sin is inexcusable and that immediate obedience is required. In fact, he already has stated as much. The reader may recall that back in chapter nine Mr. Warren expounded upon obedience as one of the things that makes God “smile.” A review of his argument on that point will be instructive for the current discussion. On page 72 he said, “God doesn’t owe you an explanation or a reason for everything he asks you to do. Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t. Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. In fact, you will never understand some commands until you obey them first. Obedience unlocks understanding.” On page 218 Mr. Warren states that we need understanding before we can obey; on page 72 he said that we need to obey before we gain understanding. Obedience is a matter of sin and repentance; understanding is a matter of maturity. The variation of his teaching regarding obedience and understanding is the result of his continued failure to distinguish properly between sin and immaturity.
On page 219 he appeals to the history of Ancient Israel as an example of God shepherding His people through a long process of maturation. He cites Deuteronomy 7:22 as indication that God “prefers to work in incremental steps in our lives.” In this text God declares to Israel at the beginning of their conquest of the promised land that that He would not drive out their enemies all at once, but “little by little.” In reality this text has nothing whatever to do with the point Mr. Warren wishes to make. It is plainly indicated in the text that the reason for the gradual removal of the enemy was so that wild animals would not grow numerous in the land before Israel could grow to occupy it all. This has nothing at all to do with God working incrementally in our lives to develop maturity, and so is not remotely a supporting text for such a notion. Moreover, the history of Ancient Israel is not a story of the gradual development of their character. It is a story of sin, disobedience, and failure, punctuated by the lives of those kings and prophets who exhibited repentance and obedience. By appeal to Ancient Israel for a precedent for gradual development, Mr. Warren once again confuses sin and immaturity.
Sin is a matter of law, and therefore a matter of obedience. Immaturity is a matter of growth and the cultivation of attributes. For example, telling a lie is a matter of bearing false witness, which is a matter of the ninth Commandment, and therefore a matter of sin. The Commandment requires instant obedience. One is not excused from obligation until such time as he has understood himself sufficiently to give his witness-bearing over to God. However, witness-bearing that is in conformity to the law still involves a matter of maturity. Faithfulness to the Commandment does not entail that one at all times and in every circumstance ought to make full disclosure to everyone of everything he knows. Maturity is a matter of cultivating the sense of knowing what to say when and to whom. “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.” (Pr. 25:11) The proper response to conviction of sin in one’s life is repentance. Repentance means to turn around and to go back. One cannot go onward from sin and eventually arrive at righteousness; one does not “grow” out of sin into righteousness. In contrast to this, the proper response to conviction of immaturity in one’s life is growth. One matures as he cultivates the nucleus of righteousness. Maturity is to go on from a basic character of obedience to develop out of this a more refined expedience. (I Cor. 10:23) One does indeed grow out of immaturity into maturity. Such growth is joyful and glorious. Paul said that he pined not for what lay behind as eagerly he pressed on toward what lay ahead. (Phil. 3:13)
Mr. Warren has so misconstrued the distinction of sin vs. immaturity that he presents quite a contrary view of spiritual growth. “Growth,” he says, “is often painful and scary. There is no growth without change; there is no change without fear or loss; and there is no loss without pain.” (p. 220) This idea of growth is a further example of Mr. Warren’s Yin and Yang tension of “becoming.” In this view, “becoming” occurs on a continuum at some point between nothingness at one extreme and absolute Being on the other extreme. Accordingly, the idea holds that the process of becoming is influenced by both extremes. Thus, Mr. Warren says, for example, that we cannot know God except through suffering (p. 194), that we cannot claim to be good unless we have been tempted to do evil (p. 203), and now he tells us that we cannot grow except through fear or pain. Contrary to this notion, God tells us that perfect love casts out fear, and that fear involves punishment. (I Jn. 4:18) Also, we learn that our final state abolishes pain, for it is classed among those things, like death, that shall pass away. (Rv. 21:4) Fear and pain are not necessarily avenues of growth or precursors to maturity. They are symptoms of the fall. Growth occurs as sin is abolished. Surely, Paul indicated that he “counted all things as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil. 3:8) But the sort of loss he intends is the loss of refuse. He means the loss of the sort of “righteousness” deriving from fallen humanity, which amounts to “filthy rags.” (Is 64:6) The growth-change-loss scheme that Mr. Warren outlines may be true in a technical sense, however, one is not psychologically traumatized by the loss of rubbish. It is neither fear-inspiring nor painful to cast off that which hinders us from true devotion to God.
There is no doubt that maturity is acquired through a process of growth, and we readily can agree that in the typical case this growth occurs over a period of time. But saying this much is quite a different thing than saying that the whole of human life is a process of becoming that is preparatory to eternity. Much of what Mr. Warren says under the heading of maturity really belongs under the heading of sin, as he has not adequately distinguished between sin and immaturity. Thus, he ends up saying in effect that God is not in a hurry for our obedience and that real growth cannot occur except through sin. True biblical wisdom calls for immediate and unquestioned obedience to the law of God on the one hand, and on the other hand encourages cultivation of maturity. True biblical wisdom carefully distinguishes sin and immaturity, so that one is not encouraged to “confess” his temptations or to embrace fear and pain as partners in growth. When confronted with sin, we need to repent and go back; when confronted with immaturity, we need to press on and grow. Certainly, we all need to become like Christ. But, our premise in so striving is as sinners, having fallen in our first parents from an original perfection. Our motive in striving is the power of God in our lives as in His grace He bestows upon us the Redemption that is in Christ. So we always must in his Grace practice obedience and cultivate maturity. Mr. Warren’s discussions do not help us to understand these things or to practice them.
posted by S. C. Mooney at 11:29 PM
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