Externals, internals and the trap we can fall into.
Today’s chapter warns us of an external focus in our work of spiritual formation. Traditionally this problem is referred to as legalism. We fall into the trap of measuring our growth (and the growth of others that we seem to be monitoring) based on externals. In the New Testament these issues centered on Jewish laws and customs. In todays world it’s more like “real Christians don’t…” fill in the blank, the old line might have been, “don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew and don’t go out with girls that do.”
We put some “outside of the heart” qualifiers for faith that we can measure and even maybe comply with, but our heart can still be in a broken place and we can’t see it because we’re checking off all the boxes of “right” behavior. The verse that Jesus said about “you wash the outside of the cup and of the bowl, but inside you are full of greed and indulgence. Clean the inside of the cup and the outside will be clean as well” could easily be applied here.
It’s easy to try and make this about polishing the outside, but in the case of the pharisee in this verse, it’s the greed and indulgence that are the issue. We all have this emptiness inside of us. And where there is a void, things will rush in. The question for us as individuals is what are we using to try and fill that void that isn’t Christ.
Colossians 1:27 ” The riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” What does it mean for Christ to be my hope? To focus on this internal relationship with Jesus.
“God is most glorified in me, when I am most satisfied in Him.” -John Piper
Action-based-outcome/relationship-based-outcome? I was going to be done at the Piper quote, but I still feel like we can fall into the trap of working hard at action-based-outcomes, i.e. behavior modification for the sake of fixing myself.
What has more value is a relationship-based-outcome where my love for Christ means I’m choosing forgiveness because I want to bring Him honor and not just a duty or an “ought to.” Even the “ought to” can become legalism. So the thing I really need is grow in my love for Christ so that the choices that naturally flow out of me are rooted and established in a deep desire to honor my Lord.
If I say anymore, I’ll just be rambling!!
Truth, Grace, and Time 