Walk in Newness of Life

I ended the most recent article with the promise to discuss what it means to walk in the Spirit. This idea was part of my argument that systems and structures will not keep pastors, leaders, and others in the Church or Christian Ministries from moral failure. I realized I wrote about this before, sharing practical ideas of walking in the Spirit (Walk in the Spirit). But I also know there is more to say. As I worked on this article over the past eight weeks, I wrestled with what to write. I researched the Bible for hours and wrote many drafts. I tried to use my regular analytical style, but the thoughts just wouldn’t gel. I prayed for guidance, and it seemed slow to come. So, I took a pause and tried to relax. When I let go, I must have been ready to listen to the Lord. I finally felt peace.

Here’s a quick note before I start. I don’t want to reiterate a lot of what I wrote before, so I may say something that refers back to my earlier posts. I’m not trying to give you more to do, but you may want to read my previous articles if you are new to this website. I hope this post stands on its own, but if you want more background, you will find it there.

I have been sad and angry at my former church for much of the last three years. I was despondent when the sin of Bill Hybels was revealed. I was angry when Bill just walked away and left the church to clean up the mess. But I became incensed over the ensuing years by the denial, deflection, lies, ignorance, and the refusal of truth by other leaders.  These saints perpetrated additional harm to the victims of abuse and to the whole body of Christ. I had trouble wrapping my head around their behavior.

I continue to be sad when I see the moral failure of leader after leader. And I continue to get angry when people seem to make excuses for the saints' ongoing sinful behavior. But then it dawned on me. I believe there is one thing all these people have in common, one word can describe the root of the problem. It is a word I used above – ignorance.

Ignorance simply means a lack of knowledge. We often use it pejoratively. If someone calls another person ignorant, they typically mean they are stupid or won’t face the facts. I mean it in the dictionary sense in that I believe many of the sins and reactions to them are caused by a lack of knowledge. Mainly, I think it is a failure to know who they are.

I thought about one of my favorite movie scenes. In Goodwill Hunting, Sean (Robin Williams), the psychiatrist treating Will (Matt Damon), explains his epiphany in understanding Will’s problem. If you haven’t seen the movie, I suggest you watch the whole thing. But here is a link to the scene (Good Will Hunting – “your move chief”). This interaction was emotional and the turning point in the movie’s plot (I’m sorry for the profanity). Sean’s peace captures how I felt when thinking about the church’s problems and what to write.

I also thought about the apostle Paul. He confessed to his protégé that he was a blasphemer and persecutor of the church, but God had mercy on him because he acted ignorantly in unbelief (1 Timothy 1).”

Finally, I thought about Jesus as He was being crucified, and He called to the Father, “forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34).”

I am sad because I can empathize with the moral failures, but I also know they don’t need to happen. I can empathize because I lived it. I wallowed in continual patterns of sin until the Lord showed me that I was ignorant. I didn’t know who I was in Christ. But God had mercy on me and showed me the true nature of the saints. Because God had mercy on me, I can have mercy. It may seem odd, but when I understood that it was okay to believe I was good, and that I actually could be good, it was like a huge load was lifted off my shoulders. I finally realized what Jesus meant that His burden was light.

I can empathize, and I can forgive, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be angry. I can and should be angry when people, especially the saints, hurt the church. We can be angry and not sin. Lack of knowledge is pardonable; ignoring the truth is inexcusable. This is partly the reason for Jesus’ dismay and anger at the Pharisees (Matthew 23, John 3). They should have known better. And we have the opportunity to know better.

I am at peace with my sadness and my anger. I also believe that my understanding of the problem has merit. Part of me wants to pour over the evidence, but I have done that already. I don’t want to be right; I want to help the church. I don’t want to prove my perspective of truth; I hope the saints will seek God’s truth. I desire for them to take Jesus’ light burden and easy yoke (Matthew 11).

I am not saying my understanding of the problem means I have peace with what happened or what continues to happen in the church. I know this is a complicated issue, and I realize there is much to do beyond knowledge to solve it. However, I also see that the truth is uncomplicated. I am passionate because I know what it is like to live in ignorance, but I also know what it is like to have my eyes opened. And I know what it is like to be good.

The bottom line is we can know better, and we can be better. Not because of systems and structures. Not because of trying harder. But because of the finished work of Jesus Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit. We don’t need to be afraid of being good. It is not arrogance; it is faith. It is the belief in what God has done in us. When the apostles talk about living righteously and avoiding sin, it is usually connected with our new nature (e.g., Romans 6, 1 Corinthians 6, Colossians 3, 1 Peter 1, 1 John 3). In other words, we can live holy and righteous lives because we have been made holy and righteous in Christ (1 Corinthians 6, 2 Corinthians 5).

We must first know this truth and then remember it. The spiritual forces of wickedness want us to doubt and forget. And there is a real sense of persistence in our salvation. Our daily living is in constant connection with Christ through faith. This is walking in the Spirit. This is walking in newness of life.

Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4, NRSV)

I hope this is helpful. I don’t believe it is a pipe dream that the saints can be good. Please don’t take my word for it. Explore God’s Word and ask Him to reveal His truth. I have listed some of the pertinent passages above. God bless you.

P.S. A word about sin. You may be tempted to think I’m writing about perfection, I’m not. I am not saying we can’t sin. Indeed, the Bible says we can. I am writing to show that ongoing breaches of morality are solved by first knowing who we are in Christ and then walking worthy of our calling. I am not just concerned about the leaders, but any who believe more that they have a sinful nature rather than a new nature in Christ.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21, NRSV)