Copyright by Shea Oakley
All rights reserved
Most if not all believers have at one time or another experienced an inner resistance to the pursuit of sanctification. This resistance is more pronounced in some Christians than in others and it is sometimes proportional to the degree of rejection they have known from human authority figures in their formative years. It can also be, at least partially, a function of the psychological and emotional “hard-wiring” of our imperfect human nature. For some of us an ingrained timidity or tentativeness inhibits risk-taking, which serves to further hamper our sanctification since such risk-taking is part and parcel of a deeper submission to the divine will. The life of the surrendered Christian is, at least from a worldly perspective, always one of potential danger. Christians, who remain “in the shallows” rarely become martyrs for their faith, either literally or figuratively.
It is one thing to fear being more fully surrendered to God and another to not want to be surrendered to Him at all. Barriers to deeper discipleship do not necessarily stem from a fundamentally rebellious heart; they can also result from weakness or yet unconquered sin. But those who truly do not want to journey any closer to the heart of God, and undergo the transformation inherent to that journey, are in another category. It is neither unreasonable nor judgmental to at least theoretically question if a person who calls herself a Christian, yet consciously keeps Christ at a distance, is what she claims to be. Part of true conversion is a heart desire to better know and obey God. If that desire is completely absent so too is true conversion.
I speak here not to this second category of individual but rather to those in the first category who may erroneously believe they belong to the second. One of the afflictions of timid believers is a gnawing fear that the reason they have not gone farther in the Christian life is because they are not really Christians at all. Many who attend our churches are tormented by the fear that if they have not yet achieved “super-spirituality” it must be because they do not really love God and desire to be closer to Him. These are often the ones in our congregations who more than occasionally question their own salvation. These troubled brothers and sisters in our midst (and the author, incidentally, can identify with such because he has, in the past, been there himself) confuse lack of progress with complete lack of desire. They equate performance with acceptance ─ doing with being ─ and have reaped self-torment as the fruit of this assumption.
Tragically these struggling souls are often further harmed by teaching and preaching that constantly, and sometimes stridently, urges us on to ever greater and more sacrificial deeds for Christ. These are the voices from pulpits, broadcasts and books that never encourage, but only exhort. There is often a subtly or openly scolding tone in such messages and they sometimes emanate from people who appear to “have it all together” spiritually. Such people give the impression that the struggles of the Christian life do not apply to them or, if they once did apply, were not that difficult to overcome. What is obviously lacking in such sermons is humility of spirit. The truly mature and discerning Christian learns to take these messages with a rather large grain of salt. Unfortunately the younger and/or weaker Christian may receive them at face value and end up becoming more fearful of the ramifications of a self-perceived lack of spiritual growth than ever.
Real spiritual growth is not a function of the fleshly effort engendered by these “do ever more” messages ─ they do far more harm than good to those who are struggling with real surrender to God. Only one thing can bring anyone deeper into the Christian life and that is progressively receiving the unconditional love of God in real time. Everyday grace is the only real source of sanctification and surrender. Yes, there is room for exhortation in bringing this to pass, but it is the kind of exhortation that comes from balanced teaching motivated by love and meekness in the heart of the teacher.
Fear of one kind or another is something that all children of God will experience at times in their walk through this world. However it is not something that need ultimately keep them from belonging fully to Christ and living only for Him. “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). It is divine love that will bring even the most fearfully reluctant pilgrim to his desired destination, even if it may take more time for him to get there than some.