The Louisiana Quaker eLetter

ISSN 1523-4924—Vol. 1, No. 1

"THE IMPOSSIBLE CHRISTIAN"

The impossible Christian is an anxious Christian. An anxious Christian is so worried about tomorrow, or the next day, that his faith becomes utterly destroyed in the process. An anxious Christian, through improper worry, is made so devoid of faith as not to be a believer in God's promises to us, including the promise of his son.

And yet it is not possible to stop planning for the future, whether for tomorrow, for next week, or for next year. It is a perfectly natural thing to do, as anyone with children can attest. The human fact is that we are placed in a world with past and future, a natural ability to make forecasts based upon past experience, and a raw uncertainty about those things that matter most to us. Hence religion: for what causes religion is uncertainty about our personal future, the unknowability of ourselves in tomorrow's world.

When we accept Christ within us, when we choose to walk in the light, as children of God, we do something that no other religion does—we do away with the very need for religion. To be a Christian is to be accepted into a community of believers, certainly, but more than this it is to enter into a relationship with God. There is perhaps no greater truth about our faith than this.

One of the features of a religion is the need on the part of the participant to use the god to effect some change in the world for the good of the participant. Thus the religion meets the believer's need through a manipulation of the divine. The god is useful to the believer; a god who cannot be used in this way is thus ineffectual—and unnecessary. For this reason, then, we should not consider the Christian faith to be a "religion." God does not move to our commands; he asks instead that we move to his.

As children of God, as persons in a special relationship with him, we can be assured of his promises to us, and these promises include his continuing love and protective guidance in our lives. That is one point, at least, of Matthew 6:25-34. God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field; so he will also feed and clothe us, who are more valuable to him. God knows our individual needs, and he will meet those needs. But we are also called to respond to his love for us through proper focus. For our part, we are to place God above any material thing, for it is not our right to focus our attention instead on God's gifts to us—our earthly treasures—for these are to be used today, not for accumulation as a hedge against tomorrow's deficits. We cannot serve both God and Money [Matt. 6:24]. When we start hoarding, we must take precautions and give special care and attention to whatever it is we are keeping, and in doing so we divide our allegiance and become idolaters. We also foolishly convince ourselves that we can care for ourselves adequately, self-sufficiently, through our own diligence and hard work. Hence anxiety: for we cannot control the preservation of our wealth or any contingency that will arrive tomorrow to diminish our treasures.

"Therefore I tell you," Jesus says, "do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear" [Matt. 6:25]. Instead focus on God as provider and subordinate yourself to his dominion in your life, and he will meet all of your needs [see Matt. 6:33]. So when Jesus says to us "do not worry about tomorrow" [Matt. 6:34], he is giving us gospel, not a statement about lifestyle or philosophy. Our Father will provide and protect—tomorrow, just as he has done today—and our faith should not waiver on this point.

—Merle Harton, Jr., The Louisiana Quaker

All biblical references are NIV unless otherwise noted.

BOOK for the month:

Eternal Impact: Investing in the Lives of Men.  By Phil Downer with Chip MacGregor. Harvest House Publishers, 1997. ISBN 1-56507-772-5. This is an outstanding discussion and guide for men on living the authentic Christian life, on becoming a spiritual reproducer, and making a difference in other men's lives. - MCH

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Copyright © 1999 by Merle Harton, Jr.