Will & Grace II
We have one choice; the rest is only an illusion of power.
Way back when this topic began in <em><strong>Will & Grace</strong></em> it was clear that God has made relationship with Him possible. He provided the plan and carried it out. The letter to the Colossians spells it out in the first chapter. Jesus is the creator, author, and sustainer of all things (v15-17). He left Heaven to redeem us and make relationship possible (v13-14). His strength is provided to endure, be productive, please Him and do good works (v10-11). His idea, His plan, His sacrifice, His resurrection, His power to live a “worthy” life.
I’m a striver. I enjoy passages about fighting the good fight, dying daily, beating my body, running the race. Striver would be a great name for a religious Power Ranger. However, I am instructed to fight the good fight in the power that God provides, not my own action hero self.
The new possibility opened up when Jesus gave us undeserved favor and provided all we need to live this life in relationship with Him. He gave us whatever measure of faith we may to believe Him. In the context of that grace and faith we will be able to “participate in the divine nature and resist the corruption of this world caused by evil desires”. So, the believer has the new ability to be in relationship the God and the ability to resist temptation. But there is a trap here for strivers like me.
The trap is to interpret this as a handoff. God did his part to make it possible for me to respond in obedience. So, a striver will take it from there. We scan the bible making lists of action works like resist, prepare for action, stand firm, put on the full armor, and slap leather (ok, I made that one up). The trap is subtle but it is profound. When I see it as a God doing His part and my doing my part out of equipped and grateful obedience I use all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. This results in failure because I try to do it myself so God will be proud of me. The productivity, effectiveness, and the ability to resist temptation we are talking about here can only be achieved with His strength.
I believe the Bible to be true even when it calls me names like servant and slave. I’d prefer a title like “captain of his own destiny”; but painful truth is preferable to a comfortable lie. The truth is that I hold ultimate authority in this moment over the choice of whom I will serve. That’s the extent of my free will. It’s the spiritual Easy Button with a very wide range of outcomes and implications.
Joshua posed the question to his large group of fellow homeless people, “Choose today whom you will serve” (Jos 24:15). Paul descried the same choice in his letter to the Romans. He depicts the person who has not responded to the grace and faith Jesus provides as a slave to sin. Paul goes on to say that once we have accepted Jesus’ invitation and made the choice to serve Him we can become slaves to righteousness. So I lived in a cage, and then Jesus opened the cage door. The door is wide open and I still spend a good deal of time hanging out in the cage. Paul and Joshua agree that the only solution is in the choice of whom we serve.
When Jesus redeems us we receive a new nature, but until we shed our skin we will also carry our old nature. So my default set ting is still serving myself by seeking pleasure or avoiding pain. In this present moment I have the power to choose to serve God or to default to serving self. And the self, by nature serves the purposes of God’s enemy. Strivers and Humanists, would have us believe in our own power. The truth is that we have been granted only one choice.
Remember how this played out for Elijah? One moment he had defeated the 400 prophets of Baal while serving God in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the next moment one queen threatens his life and he runs a marathon to escape. Giving in to self he was exhausted, fearful, lonely, and full of self pity. Elijah, you, and I have been given the freedom to decide. Choose this moment whom you will serve, and in the next moment, and the next….