Interesting comments. I am intreaged by your recent posts regarding freedom of conscience. However, the older I get the more I realize that "freedom of conscience" is an illusion. When we are young, the phrase "freedom of conscience" is a convenient montra to allow us to be bound to an attitude of non-conforming. As you teach, we are all products of our culture. Is this not a binding? We are bound by guidance we respect. We can also be bound by non-guidance. We are all bound by the personalities God has given us. The conscience is not inately pure. The only way we can be sure we are completely free in our conscience is to transcend our own consciences and ourselves. This will never happen. When I was starting out to educate my childen, God put me into a situation in which I came to understand classical education. My conscience concluded that was the right thing to do for my children. But I would have never been "free," i.e bound, to make that decision absent God's gracious predetermining my circumstances. So as I engage with God through His Church, I invite His Church to instruct, yea, bind my conscience, and that includes the redemption of time in the church year. In this way my conscience will be "free."
This about the 10th time I've seen this linked to across the blogosphere, and up until now, I've restrained from commenting. I hope you don't mind if I offer up a challenge to Pastor Dever's approach.
On the one hand, I agree with the Pastor Dever that God does not typically give us his subjective will about every decision we must make.
On the other hand, I do believe that decisions around things like vocation and marriage are quite consequential and require a bit more than a Biblical litmus test (ie, does the Bible say it's wrong to do it or not do it?) and a bit more than our friends' opinions about the subject. True, there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors. But sometimes a mulitude of different opinions can be confusing or might justify a decision that is simply more convenient, but not necessarily God's best for our lives, which leads us to be more Christ-like.
I'm thinking that making life decisions that will be God's best for our lives or that will fulfill our call to serve in a way or ways obedient to the work He has prepared for us in advance to do seems much more complex than Pastor Dever's post reveals.
In addition, I'm wondering where "we need to prayerfully wait on the Lord, as in all areas of growth, being patient and not embittered." (ligon duncan, byfaith magazine, dec.2006) fits into this equation. I'm more of the mind that if the Lord hasn't made a decision at least somewhat clear, especially big, life decisions, it is best not to exercise the freedom of conscience immediately, but to rather wait on the Lord.
I'm just offering up some food for thought from a believer who has been there and prefers the outcome of waiting on the Lord over libery of choice based on past decisons. The waiting can certainly 'seem like' bondage, but the outcome is more of a blessing over time as we seek God's best (IMHO).
I am senior minister at The First Presbyterian Church, Hattiesburg, MS. Previously I taught for five years at Covenant Seminary. Married, father of four, and passionate St. Louis Cardinals fan.
4 comments:
LOL!
Sean,
Interesting comments. I am intreaged by your recent posts regarding freedom of conscience. However, the older I get the more I realize that "freedom of conscience" is an illusion. When we are young, the phrase "freedom of conscience" is a convenient montra to allow us to be bound to an attitude of non-conforming. As you teach, we are all products of our culture. Is this not a binding? We are bound by guidance we respect. We can also be bound by non-guidance. We are all bound by the personalities God has given us. The conscience is not inately pure. The only way we can be sure we are completely free in our conscience is to transcend our own consciences and ourselves. This will never happen. When I was starting out to educate my childen, God put me into a situation in which I came to understand classical education. My conscience concluded that was the right thing to do for my children. But I would have never been "free," i.e bound, to make that decision absent God's gracious predetermining my circumstances. So as I engage with God through His Church, I invite His Church to instruct, yea, bind my conscience, and that includes the redemption of time in the church year. In this way my conscience will be "free."
Dave Linton
This about the 10th time I've seen this linked to across the blogosphere, and up until now, I've restrained from commenting. I hope you don't mind if I offer up a challenge to Pastor Dever's approach.
On the one hand, I agree with the Pastor Dever that God does not typically give us his subjective will about every decision we must make.
On the other hand, I do believe that decisions around things like vocation and marriage are quite consequential and require a bit more than a Biblical litmus test (ie, does the Bible say it's wrong to do it or not do it?) and a bit more than our friends' opinions about the subject. True, there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors. But sometimes a mulitude of different opinions can be confusing or might justify a decision that is simply more convenient, but not necessarily God's best for our lives, which leads us to be more Christ-like.
I'm thinking that making life decisions that will be God's best for our lives or that will fulfill our call to serve in a way or ways obedient to the work He has prepared for us in advance to do seems much more complex than Pastor Dever's post reveals.
In addition, I'm wondering where "we need to prayerfully wait on the Lord, as in all areas of growth, being patient and not embittered." (ligon duncan, byfaith magazine, dec.2006) fits into this equation. I'm more of the mind that if the Lord hasn't made a decision at least somewhat clear, especially big, life decisions, it is best not to exercise the freedom of conscience immediately, but to rather wait on the Lord.
I'm just offering up some food for thought from a believer who has been there and prefers the outcome of waiting on the Lord over libery of choice based on past decisons. The waiting can certainly 'seem like' bondage, but the outcome is more of a blessing over time as we seek God's best (IMHO).
I'm a witness! It's Jesus!!! He used you to show this post to me!!!!!
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