Tags
"false dilemma", "losing perspective", "Scott Peck", "spiritual growth", "The Road Less Traveled", balance, causation, mind, truth
In his sermon, the pastor referred to letting the gospel get deep into us. His statement triggered some reflection on my part. I asked myself, “Where does the gospel go when it goes ‘deep’ into us?
I assume that “deep” encapsulates our psychological states of mind, our set of first principles that we rationally accept, our goals and purposes, our expectations, fears, and dreams – “Deep” refers to all those causes that determine our specific actions.
These first principles, psychological states, spiritual loyalties, hopes and fears, could go back as far as very early in our life. They could go back to as recently as yesterday. They easily could be linked to specific socialization and acculturation processes we individually experienced. They could be linked to being insulted yesterday or abused the day before.
For the gospel to go deep in the way I have mentioned, we have to consciously visit this past, to the degree it is possible, and study the degree that those inherited items conform to the gospel.
It takes my mind back to when I read Scott Peck’s The Road Less Traveled, and I considered like never before how spiritual maturity and depth involves our righteously revisiting our past. We may not want to do that. We may want to let the sleeping dogs lie. But, can the gospel get deep into us without our consent??
This issue also takes me to the issue of sanctification. Some put their focus on sanctification being a process. Others focus on the need for a crisis experience when we consciously recognize how sinful we really are even as Christians. It is unfortunate that some people want it to be either crisis or process. It is that either-or reductionism that I have mentioned before in different contexts. But, letting the gospel “go deep” into us needs to be understood as both a crisis moment and a process of getting coming to grips with why we do what we do.
Any comments or reactions?? – Use the comment box. I will appreciate your feedback.