Introduction
One of the blatant problems of contemporary Western Christianity is that we are far more self-centred than God/Christ-centred. This is generally recognised by all Christ-followers who are prayerful and serious about spiritual growth. No one doubts that we have been enduring a crisis of discipleship lasting many decades. unsurprisingly, right across the theological spectrum people are praying for revival. From the contextless popular Bible reading in your church (https://au.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-you-should-ditch-your-digital-bible/), to “I” centred choruses without the cross (look up Galatians chapter 6 verse 14), to prayers that focus on personal desires, to testimonies concentrating on life’s successes (contrast the “in” Romans chapter 8 verse 37), we have been stripped of the supremacy of the mind of Christ. A matter concerning which Paul exhorts us, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians chapter 2 verse 5). Thinking strategically, how can it be that the most numerically successful congregations are those who most glaringly embody these spiritual deficiencies? Answering theologically, we have failed to accept and appropriate the humanity of God.
The Humanity of God
Across the centuries, Church culture has swung between emphasising an almighty, omnipotent, transcendently great Creator, imaged by the huge cathedrals of the Middle Ages, to a divine being intensely experienced in the emotions of life in the now. Progressively we have been taken captive by the latter popular “spirit of the age” (Colossians chapter 2 verse 8). I believe we are suffering from that an anthropocentric (human-centred) worldview that fails to be grasped by the reality that the eternal Word through whom “all things were made” has permanently become “flesh” for our eternal salvation (John chapter 1 verses 1-14). The old translation, “we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones” (Ephesians chapter 5 verse 30 cf. Genesis chapter 2 verse 23) accentuates the total intimacy between Christ and the new humanity in him.In Christ, God presents himself as One who is totally for us in all his sovereign saving purposes. “for those who love God all things work together for good... 29 …predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…30 those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (Romans chapter 8 verses 28-30). Since all these verbs of salvation are in the past tense, the totality of our salvation is already complete in Jesus (John chapter 19 verse 30; 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 30).
Look to Jesus
We desperately need a new Christ-centred, view of the world. “To see the place of the Father in the life of Jesus helps us to see that our own greatest need is conversion from an obsession with our needs to an obedience-centred Christianity.” (Smail). We must stop coming to God through life’s needs and turn 180° to come to Jesus to glorify himself through all of our concerns, small or large. Paul expounds why such needs are ordained by the Lord, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 31). To do this, calls for a complete exchange, from self-sufficiency to Christ-sufficiency (2 Corinthians chapter 3 verse 5). There is only one state of life that is powerful enough to promote this life-transforming “wonderful exchange” (2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21; chapter 8 verse 9), intolerable suffering. Only a person considered by the world as “out of their mind” (2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 13) can enter into Paul’s all comprehensive vision for existence, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians chapter 1 verse 21). When we see that there is no other reason to be/exist than Jesus, then all alternatives fall away.
Conclusion
The offensiveness of the preaching of cross for the Church today (1 Corinthians 1:23; Galatians 5:11) is that it teaches if Jesus needed suffering to complete his humanity (Hebrews chapter 5 verse 9), so do we (Hebrews chapter 12 verses 5-11). The pinnacle and crown of humanity is not you or me but Jesus, and our role is to submit to his rule, a rule attained through humble sacrifice. Given this is our eternal destiny, to put off the inevitable is sheer folly.
The Rev. Dr John Yates is an Anglican minister in Perth and has 5 children and 7 grandchildren. He spends time in praying, mentoring and writing.John Yates’s previous articles may be viewed athttp://www.pressserviceinternational.org/john-yates.html