That's a good question, and one that's been kicked around in my head quite a bit recently.
There's a Douglas Adams quote from the HHGTTG that goes along the lines (from memory) of 'it being no good spending hours debating whether God exists if someone then gives you his bleedin' phone number'.
So no phone numbers then.
Entirely subjective, but the pre-Christian Toni was a complete Bastard, really - I know because I was there.
Why bring this up?
Because as I'd got closer to deciding God wasn't there, the inner bastard had been coming more to the fore. I've found myself being more like I used to be: less kind, less gentle, more sweary, more greedy, more depressed, more negative about others, more liberal in my thinking and less self-controlled. It's not much, but it was a solid reminder of who I am without Jesus. If salvation makes me more like Jesus then the opposite does the opposite.
Yes, I've been a Christian almost 40 years, but the flesh - the 'natural' attitudes - have never gone away in all that time, so much as being dealt with on a daily basis, sometimes coming to the fore, sometimes being held in control. Last weekend at the alpha day we had someone talking about how they had never sworn and their partner would never swear, even in court when asked to repeat something said by another person. I was reminded of who the natural Toni is, and how different I would be if left to my own devices.
Never mind pie in the sky when you die - salvation is for now.
Yes! Salvation is for now!
ReplyDeleteThe idea that the flesh has not gone away in that time... That reminds me of Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven." He's a former outlaw and killer, but throughout the film he keeps saying, "I ain't like that no more." For him it's mostly because "My wife...cured me of drink and wickedness." But his wife is dead and has been for some time. He's been suppressing his flesh, but as he goes out on a seemingly "just" vengeance mission to earn some money and make a better life for his kids, his old self slowly comes to the fore. The flesh hadn't gone away.
I'm not quite sure how or if that applies to what you've said here, but it's an interesting related illustration! :) The difference for the Christian of course is that it's a risen (still living) Christ who cures (and is curing) us of those things. But it's an already/not yet thing, which can be really annoying sometimes!
I'm not sure how that applies either, any more than the shack is a real-life story, but I can see why you'd make that connection.
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