More often than not, “partnering in missions,” means small churches give what little money they think they can afford to a larger church or a missions sending agency that will handle mobilization, screening, indoctrination, training, sending, and maintenance of missionaries on the field. This is not “partnering,” it’s outsourcing.

Read More

Half-Way Redemption

Posted July 2nd, 2009 by Ernest

If, during play, a child’s ball is punctured and begins to lose air, these are the steps to repairing it:

  • Find the puncture
  • Take any remaining air out of the ball
  • Remove the thorn, nail, claw, etc. that caused the puncture
  • Clean the damaged area
  • Patch the ball with glue and like material
  • Allow the patch to adhere
  • Fill the ball with air so it can be used again

Now, it wouldn’t make any sense to stop halfway through this list of steps, would it? Say you were to remove the thorn, but then leave the hole unpatched. The ballgame wouldn’t last long, would it? Likewise, it wouldn’t do to repair the hole, but then to leave the ball deflated. We can’t consider the ball to be repaired until it’s ready to be used for its intended purpose.

What about the human spiritual condition?

We talk about redemption. We talk about being made whole. Yet we’re content with salvation without restoration. If you have a problem with lust, stay away from women and pictures of women. If you’re a glutton, avoid donut shops and ice cream parlors at all costs. If you abuse alcohol, abstain completely.

Short-term solutions are held up as moral success- legalism points to them as indicators of holiness. But discipline is the beginning of redemption, not the end. It’s the quick-fix, not the long-term repair. Redemption means full-circle restoration back to right relationship. A redeemed person can be around women and not lust after them. He can eat healthfully and in moderation. He doesn’t abuse alcohol. He is restored to a right relationship with all things, according to God’s design.

Of course, you may never reach the redeemed state this side of heaven. The short-term fix might be as far as you get. You can’t indulge as a test to see if you’ve reached “redemption.” The alcohol abuser can’t drink to see whether or not he’s overcome his pattern of abuse. We go through the process blindly. We really never can know how much “progress” we’ve made. Toward Christ-likeness is good. Away from it is not. But there are no benchmarks. No, “Okay, got that one taken care of. Now I’ll move on to the next big sin.”

In the end, we’re all works in progress. But the true meaning of redemption means never boasting in the “successes” of our own piety. At best, not sinning is only halfway to where we need to be.

Related Posts:

  • No Related Posts
Filed under:Christianity

4 Responses to “Half-Way Redemption”

  • Arukiyomi Says:
    July 2nd, 2009 at 8:02 pm

    … this strikes me as a something of a glass=half-empty kind of view. It took me years of my addiction to p*rn to realise the beauty of being broken in the arms of our God. I don’t revel in it, but there’s an initimacy that comes from being helpless with Him that is far more valuable than any amount of discipline on my part. I can’t tell you how much this revelation of grace has changed my life and, importantly, my attitude to myself and others when they fail.

    There’s a reason why we’re not able to be sinless this side of heaven… and I praise God for it.

    Oh, BTW, I was intrigued by the phrase in your profile: “former missionary” Have you now stopped reaching others for Christ? ;-)

  • stepchild Says:
    July 3rd, 2009 at 7:29 am

    Arukiyomi,
    Thanks for sharing from your redemption experience. That’s exactly what I was trying to communicate in this post- that “not sinning” isn’t the end of the process. Praise God for your experience of grace!

    As you may have guessed, “former missionary” in my profile refers to my vocation. I’m not sure whether you’ve every read my blog before, but it chronicles the long story of my experience as a fully supported professional missionary.

    I still tell people about Jesus. Every chance I get. Sometimes, I’m even aggressive about it.

    Thanks for asking.

  • Rick Cruse Says:
    July 5th, 2009 at 11:19 pm

    In 1Jn 3:1-3 we find a wonderful (albeit brief) overview of the entire Christian life. In three short verses John answers three questions: who am I (God’s beloved child), where am I going (to become fully like Christ, whatever that might actually look like) and what am I to do in the meantime (to purifiy myself even as Jesus is pure).

    it might be real easy to read the final answer as “purification = stopping all the bad things.” The purity of Jesus did not mean simply that Jesus never did anything bad. Consider this: purified water is not water with everything removed. That kind of water is called “distilled” and it tastes…well, like nothing. Purified water not only has impurities removed, it also has all sorts of things that make water actually tasty: think clear mountain stream on a hot afternoon after a long hike.

    To purify ourselves (1Jn3:3) means, as we deal with those things that make us impure, we also make certain we have in our lives those things that make us “tasty,” things that Jesus had that made him attractive to others: joy, concern for the marginalized, liked a good party, touched the unclean without fear of contracting uncleanness, etc.

    Half-way redemption sounds like drinking distilled water, sorta like kissing your sister.

  • stepchild Says:
    July 7th, 2009 at 9:16 am

    Rick,
    That’s a great way to put it. Thanks.
    This is why we’re not to boast about what we do and don’t do. Instead, we only boast in Christ and what He did/does.

Leave a Reply