What’s Your Stance? (Part 5)
Daily decision-making from a Christian perspective can be a complicated task! Granted, some decisions are easier than others. Many good and responsible choices become glaringly obvious over time. Things can become more complex, however, when we face a choice either between two good outcomes or two bad ones. We may also feel overwhelmed at times with the sheer weight of more than two outcomes when weighing a decision. A problem may even be so complicated that we become paralyzed or unable to move for fear that a step in any direction may lead to disaster.
This kind of complex situation is why an effective “stance” can be so helpful. We define a stance as a particular way that a Christian may practice or apply biblical teaching and doctrine. One of the more helpful stances is called Christian realism. This stance prompts us to understand the tension between idealism on the one hand and pessimism on the other. Realism illustrates how we may never attain a perfect or ideal outcome to our problems, but we also do not have to live in despair. It looks at life through the lens of a biblical “both/and,” the idea that there is always a tension between the ideal and the real, so we have a calling to discern and apply the Bible within such tension. T.B. Maston called it “consecrated common sense.”
But how does one begin to practice effective decision-making by taking a biblically-based, realistic posture? Let’s start by affirming some theological truths.
- God is both transcendent and immanent.
The transcendence of God refers to his power, or almightiness. God’s thoughts are not human thoughts, and God’s ways are not confined to human methodologies (Isaiah 55). Consequently, God is not dependent upon human beings and their desires. We are God’s creatures (Amos 9:6-7). Yet, at the same time, God is immanent or involved in our everyday lives. God has a will for us even though we often resist and disobey him. God is Personal.
What does this all mean then? Since God is both transcendent and immanent, we can be redeemed. Perhaps the most striking display of both God’s immanence was the incarnation of Christ, his atoning death on the cross, and his glorious resurrection. Because of Jesus Christ, we can repent, begin again, and experience forgiveness.
- Human beings are both created in the image of God and sinners.
To be created in the image of God means that we have both infinite and finite characteristics. We have personality, creativity, individuality, and free will. But at the same time, we are confined and limited by our bodies and nature. The tension between infinite and finite leads us to experience a type of restlessness. We desire the infinite but cannot escape the finite. At the same time, there is a resistance against God, a tendency towards self-interest and egotism. Satan manipulated Adam and Eve’s restlessness, for instance, by tempting them to take the forbidden fruit. After convincing them that God was holding out on them, they ate, sin subsequently corrupted the entire framework of human life.
What does this mean then? These theological axioms keep us grounded. We are accordingly saved from a sentimentality about ourselves (since we are sinners) while also evading cynicism since there is grace and redemption found in right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We can therefore face our complex problems by facing them head on. We do not have to be immobilized by fear. Yet, we also are tempered by knowing we do not have the final answers to all ultimate problems. We take a leap of faith, trusting God to guide and help us.
Let’s get more practical next week with some real world examples.