The Progression of Spiritual Digression…part 2

In review: Woven into the fabric of a beautiful tapestry portraying the superiority of Jesus Christ, is a progression of spiritual digression which the writer of Hebrews needed to confront in chapters 1-6 —a slippery slope, if you will, of neglecting so great a salvation in Christ Jesus.

The first step in this process consists of drifting away through a lack of attention. “We must pay the most careful attention, therefore to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” (2:1) This appropriate counsel is for all believers at all times and not just for the Hebrews. Any digression in our spiritual lives usually begins almost imperceptiblly—not as the result of catastrophic change, but through a lack of intentionality.

The second step in this process consists of turning way because of an unbelieving heart. “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.” (3:12) The context of this section is the refusal of Israel to enter the promised land of Canaan because of their fear of the giants. Instead of trusting God and his promises, they rebelled, maligned his motives, and wanted to go back to Egypt. Thus, the writer of Hebrews applied this lesson from history to his contemporaries by warning them against failing to trust God and slipping back into Judaism in order to escape the “giant” of persecution. Failure to hold fast to their profession of faith in Jesus Christ would be tantamount to refusing to take the promised land.

Life is filled with giants. My dad used to tell me, “Every David has his Goliath.” So do you, even if your name isn’t David. And every giant comes with its own set of fears and threats and harassment. This pandemic has provided enough giants for a life-time of fear: the fear of catching the disease or of a loved one catching it; the fear of an uncertain future; the fear of economic ruin; the fear of God not caring; the fear of not seeing your kids or grandkids again…on and on we could go. Just remember, it is at the point where we are most afraid that often shows us the point at which we are not trusting God; the same point where we risk turning away from him because of an unbelieving heart.

What is the author’s antidote to turning away? “But encourage one another daily, as long as it called Today, so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (3:13) Just as drifting away is a process over time so is the hardening of heart because of the deceitfulness of sin. When we do not trust God because of a certain giant, it starts a hardening process in our hearts by deceiving us into believing lies about God—does he really love me, why did he let this happen, is he punishing me? When not dealt with properly, these lies make it easier to mistrust God for the next giant. If you look at that unfaithful generation that failed to enter the land, they didn’t become unfaithful overnight. They left a trail of unbelief all over the wilderness that culminated with the catastrophe at Kadesh Barnea.

Thus, the daily encouragement of one another to help us turn toward God is the antidote for the deceitfulness of sin and the sclerotic process of unbelief. John Piper has said, “God has appointed a means by which he will enable us to hold our confidence firm to the end….Develop the kind of Christian relationships in which you help each other hold fast to the promises of God.” Richard Phillips adds, “Like climbers roped together on a steep mountain, like soldiers teamed together on the battlefield, we must keep track of one another. We must work together if we are to reach our objective safely.” And so, the Body of Christ has been designed to protect, encourage, warn, and restore us on our spiritual journey, so that we do not becomes self-deceived and hardened by indwelling sin.

In one of the episodes in Pilgrim’s Progress, Christian and his friend Hopeful, on the way to the Heavenly City, passed through an area on the King’s Path called “Enchanted Ground.” The wicked prince had placed this there in order to make pilgrim’s sleepy and stop to rest so his soldiers would capture these sleeping pilgrims and take them all the way back to the City of Destruction. And so, Christian and Hopeful began to get very sleepy (yawn!). What did they do? They encouraged each other about God’s goodness in their lives and how he proved himself faithful to each of them in spite of their unfaithfulness. The more they talked the wider awake they became, and soon they were passed the Enchanted Ground. What an apt illustration for the power of encouragement.

Social distancing should not be a hindrance to Christian encouraging. A phone call, a text, an email; WhatsApp, FaceTime, Messenger; even snail mail cards and letters are all means of being/keeping in touch and encouraging one another while it is called Today! You may never know whether your encouragement kept one pilgrim from drifting away and other from turning away.

“Stinking Thinking”

I watched a program on the Animal Channel that I cannot get it out of my mind, so I’ll write about it. A group of five people were sailing on the ocean and their boat capsized by a storm. They ended up floating in a rubber raft for five days without food or water.

One of the women was injured and her wounds drew sharks- hundreds of them. Two of the men became so thirsty that they started to drink from the ocean. It did not take long for the effects of the salt water to produce a type of mental illness characterized by a state of altered consciousness and hallucination. One of the guys was convinced he saw a Seven-Eleven and stepped out of the raft to get some food. CHOMP! He became shark bait. The other guy saw his car parked just over yonder, stepped out of the raft and WHOMP! I

I think that following our own sinful desires is like drinking salt water. The more we drink the thirstier we become, and the thirstier we become the more we desire the things that do not satisfy. We begin to imagine the things that are not and ignore the reality of the things that are. It is like “the god of this world has blinded our minds” (2 Cor.4:4).

Alcoholics’ Anonymous has a phrase called “stinking thinking behind the drinking.” It is used to describe the fact that bad behavior begins in the mind; and when we start thinking wrong, we will start living wrong. I think Paul would agree because most of his letters are divided into two major parts: doctrinal and practical. Right thinking precedes right living.

We are all creatures of our culture, but we must be careful, brothers and sisters, not to drink the waters of this world and allow “stinking thinking” into our lives. (I’m thinking here not only of addiction, but also of the politics of hate that seem to accompany every cultural issue.) We have been made new creations in Christ and our conformity to his image rests in the renewal of our minds. (Rom. 12:2)

We are to no longer to think of others from a worldly point of view, but strive to be agents of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:16)  We are to drink in the pure water of God’s Word and to think like him; whatever is true, noble, right, pure and lovely. (Phil. 4:8)

If you are struggling with “stinking thinking,” do not go it alone; get some help from the community of faith. Send me a note and I’ll pray for you. Just a thought….