This Saturday, I will teach a message that will incorporate a concept that is referred to frequently during teaching team discussions. It is a phrasing we borrow from Arthur Burk: "two-legged theology." My beloved Bible college professor simply called it "balance." And what it means is that we cannot normally take one idea from Scripture and run with it alone. We must run with two legs.
In light of that, and in light of the decisions that face us all most everyday in these uncertain times, let me explore for a bit the balance required between faith and wisdom. I planted that (?) in the title above because we can be tempted to pit these two thrusts against one another. The balance of Scripture, however, would not allow us to do that.
How gut-wrenching is this juxtaposition? Consider this. About 18 months ago, most Americans were still living under the assumption that all would be fine going forward. Spending is fine, because the flow of money will always be with us. Though many of these people were altogether irreligious, they were all expressing their faith in the future of finance. Today, many of these same people are looking back and wondering whatever happened to the wise choices they had made when they were younger. What, for example, led them to put all their eggs in the Bernie Madoff basket when they knew full well that holding your money in more than one place is nearly always the wisest course?
Somehow, then, faith and wisdom must reside together.
This may seem outside the lines of faith being "the conviction of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1b, ESV). And yet here is what we often forget about Hebrews 11: the writer went on to give us many examples of those who had faith. He was not trying to convince us blindly; he was giving concrete examples. In other words, the conviction for the tomorrow we cannot see comes partly from what we know God to have done in the past and what we know Him to be doing today (be it a season of fatness or leanness). Wisdom is the ability to see these works in their earthly context; faith is the willingness to step out in the assurance that God is not done working.
So why is it hard to reach a decision that satisfies "those of wisdom" and "those of faith"? Partly because the Spirit indwells people differently. He makes imbues the administrative gift (which requires much wisdom/prudence) in some and the faith gift in others. The best outworking of any fellowship, then, comes not when these people stand opposed in their thinking, but when they make room for one another in their thinking. Sometimes "those of wisdom" find "those of faith" to be too brazen in their ideas—but administrators need a dose of brazenness now and then. Likewise, "those of faith" sometimes find "those of wisdom" to be too cautious in their approach—but faith-carriers need a dose of caution now and then.
Henry Cloud, one of the co-authors of the book (How People Grow) that has fed those in attendance at the Kester home group for the past two years, has said this, "Integrity is the courage to face the demands of reality." Doubtless, this quote falls in an administrator's line of thinking (reality, baby!). But who would argue that integrity is a less godly trait than faith? If God were not wholly true and possessive of complete integrity, our faith in Him would be groundless.
You see, all decisions, be they personal or corporate, call for both wisdom and faith. We may get away with some choices when we employ only one leg, but not many. And while in hindsight we may say, "Oh, I should have had more wisdom," or "Oh, I should have had more faith," we must rely on God's mercy to carry us past the unbalanced decisions and use them to teach us to make balanced decisions in the future.
God Keeps Leading
11 years ago
10 comments:
If faith is what we are hoping for, at what point do we stop hoping if it has not come? For me the mental anguish has always been at what point do I give in to reality, and give up on my hoping,(faith never gives up), and my prayers; and by doing so walk away from that that I have been hoping for without giving up on Whom I hope in?
You know, you've raised a tough question here: what is the relationship between faith and hope? Might I hope for a friend to be healed but have faith that God will do what is best, even if it is not what I am hoping for? It's something of an unanswerable question, but I do believe that the idea may be to have hope for something, but faith in God. I think this is what we see demonstrated through the boys in the furnace, who told Nebuchadnezzar that even if God did not save them from the fire, they sure weren't about to bow down to that idol!
I think there's also a difference between hope and want.
Our one true hope is in salvation through Christ. That is the hope that keeps the church alive.
I may want things to happen in a certain way, but whether or not I get the things I want, neither my hope nor my faith are called into question.
My biggest fear about practicality and reality is it will kill my faith. Once I say in my head "Its not going to happen" about the supernatural intervention from God that I have been praying about, then I feel as if I am selling out. And if I say that too many times, then I might be conditioning myself to cease and desist in my prayer life for the miraculous interventions this life needs on a regular basis.
If indeed faith is "being sure of what we hope for" how many times can I back off of that, and stay sure of the next thing I shall hope for.
John chapters 14 and 15 have much to say about this.
That being said, I have been told before that I am heavy on the faith part, but sorely lacking on the wisdom...so since I appear to be lacking on the wisdom I keep asking for more...in faith.
We tend to make faith too complicated. Faith is ordering your actions according to what you believe to be true. If I believe something to be true, I do not necessarily need to see it to act upon it, hence my action (in faith) is the "evidence" of things not seen. We all act in faith. The world is simply too complex not to do so. The real issue is, faith in what?
Faith and hope are related, but manifestly different. If God has instructed me about something, or otherwise assured me about it, I can act in faith on that. If I have no such instruction, I am only hoping for a good outcome. Hoping for a good outcome is not a bad thing (can we survive without hope?) but I find as I get older that God’s idea of a good outcome and my idea of a good outcome may be profoundly different. I try to be somewhat guarded with hopes that aren’t directly based on God’s word (small “w”) and try to have my eyes open to God’s working in any situation (easier said than done). All things do work together for His good purpose—including the profound pain that I had really “hoped” to avoid.
I have become far more cautious than I once was with the verses that Anonymous alludes to in John 14 and 15. Those are hard chapters if you take them as a whole. The context is the last supper. Jesus is still trying to make the disciples understand that he IS going to die. He starts by chiding them because they still don’t get that he and Father are one (“Have I been with you so long and you still don’t know me, Philip?”). He then goes on to say something like, “Look, when you finally get that concept, you can ask in my name for anything that furthers my Father’s business, so that He will be glorified in me.”
The vine analogy in Ch 15 is particularly interesting. Yes, Jesus does say does say that we can ask for what we wish—but the condition is that “you abide in me and my word abides in you”, and the purpose is God’s glory—so that we would bear much fruit and so prove to be Jesus’ disciples. We tend to ignore the verse early in the chapter about being pruned so we can bear more fruit. And, if we prove to be his disciples, the balance of Ch 15 and on in to 16 tells us not be surprised if the world hates us and the various nasty things that might happen to us.
Jesus’ statements in these chapters about asking for what we want in his name are usually bracketed by statements like, “if you love me, you will obey my commands,” “greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends,” “this is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” [by the way guys, I just washed your feet and I’m headed to the cross]. And there’s this constant theme of Jesus’ complete obedience to the Father, not speaking his own words, not acting in his own authority . . .
Given the context, I tread lightly around these verses, in a “be careful what you ask for, you may get it” manner :)
According to your faith, let it be done unto you. Faith is more than ordering actions to what you believe, although I do agree with the definition, I think its much too limited of a definition. I have faith that a chair will hold me so I sit down....agreed that is a type of faith. If you choose to be cautious about outrageous claims Jesus made about faith I fully respect that, but I'm looking for a faith that moves far beyond that.... a faith that moves mountains. And I have faith that it exists, because Jesus said so.
I said nothing about Jesus making outrageous claims. I have no problems with a faith that moves mountains--if God has in fact said that the mountain should be removed. If He hasn't, I may be wasting my breath talking to it.
My point is that these chapters are about acting in accordance with the Father's will in a high level of submission and obedience. They presuppose that one's mind has been sufficiently transformed so that one can "test and approve" the Father's will (Rom. 12:2) to have legitimate basis for the requests being made. That is faith.
If I ask for something that I don't specifically know be God's will--regardless of how loving, compassionate, good, noble, etc.,it may otherwise be--I'm asking in hope. The faith that I am exercising lies in taking my hopes to my Father, knowing that His response will be loving and perfect. I can't legitimately have "faith" for a specific outcome, however, without God first speaking to the issue. I don't think John 14 and 15 apply in this situation.
You referred to mental anguish in your first post, Anonymous. You may be beating yourself up for a lack of faith in situations where faith simply isn't the issue. If you ask the Lord about it, I suspect He'd tell you that you have plenty of faith.
True, you never called them outrageous claims, I did. If they weren't outrageous, great theologians wouldn't have to spend all that time figuring out what Christ was really trying to say. But I do agree that one must be submitted, and obedient to Christ, and that is very important in a believers life.
Anon
Don't count yourself out of the ranks of theologians, it sounds to me like you do a lot of reflecting on who God is and who we should be in response. That's what it's all about.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks Amy..and Dave.
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