SERIES
Sojourn: Toward an Enduring City
2017-01-15T11:00:00-06:00
9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul." 1 Peter 2:11
For the past three weeks, we have been meditating the verse above. It isn’t often that we linger on a single verse for so long, but the truths this verse relays are not easily acted upon. We may now understand how this verse describes our identity (“sojourners and exiles”), responsibility (“to abstain from the passions of the flesh”), and context (“war”). But this verse is not primarily focused on understanding, but action: to abstain from the passions of the flesh. Are we now ready and willing to respond to this verse in action?
Seventy-five years ago, C.S. Lewis published a satirical novel called, “The Screwtape Letters.” The novel is a collection of letters written from one demon to another, suggesting strategies for destroying the faith of Christians. Many of the strategies are surprisingly shrewd, and compel us to see spiritual vulnerabilities in our lives in a new way. In one section, the demon suggests that it is fine for faith to influence a Christian’s imaginations and affections, but it must not influence his actions. The demon writes, “Let him do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imaginations and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will…The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.” In other words, true and healthy faith doesn’t merely dwell in thoughts and emotions, but goes on to express itself in practical acts. And when feeling without acting becomes habit, faith atrophies and demons smile.
As this action-focused verse continues to echo in our hearts and minds this month, let us resolve to respond to it prayerfully and practically. Let us each pray for the Holy Spirit to let it run its full course: in our minds, through our hearts, and out our lives. And let us together make the demons shudder by our embodied faithfulness to God’s Word.