Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

• Psalm 37:4

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

• 2 Corinthians 5:16-19

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.

• Galatians 6:14-16

“ ‘As in worldly things worldly affections are very much the spring of men’s motion and action; so in religious matters the spring of their actions is very much religious affections. He that has doctrinal knowledge and speculation only, without affection, never is engaged in the business of religion. Nothing is more manifest in fact than that the things of religion take hold of men’s souls no further than they affect them.  l am bold to assert that there never was any considerable change wrought in the mind or conversation of any person, by anything of a religious nature that ever he read, heard or saw, who had not his affections moved.  ln a word, there never was anything considerable brought to pass in the heart or life of any man living, by the things of religion, that had not his heart deeply affected by those things.’ (Religious Affections 1.2) ”

• Tony Lane, A Concise History of Christian Thought

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) was a fire and brimstone evangelist who turned into an influential American revivalist, philosopher, and theologian.  Once he saw that many of his early “converts” were not really converts, just reacting to his brimstone message, he softened his approach and turned more to a philosophical direction.  He is said to be the “stimulator” of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit called the “Great Awakening.”  And many historians tie the “Great Awakening” to the American Revolution that soon followed.

The book had two quotes.  The first was from his fire and brimstone technique showing a vengeful and wrathful God, hating us while He held us precariously over the fiery furnace, ready to drop us to our doom, while seeing nothing but the sin in our lives.  Not very biblically accurate considering God loves us, just not our sin.

This might have been a great technique to get someone to repent, for the moment, but once the preacher had moved to a new town, they might, and often did, go back to those sinful ways.

Thus, in the quote above, we see a more introspective revivalist.  The church needs a revival, but they need a revival that makes a permanent difference in people’s lives.  It seems Rev. Edwards is using the term “affection” in two different ways.  We should have love (affection) for God, but when we accept Jesus into our lives that moment should have a profound “affect” in our behavior and especially in our thoughts and desires.

We will never be perfect creations until we are with Jesus in heaven, but there must be a profound effect from our accepting Jesus as our Savior.

Yet, I am reminded of the analogy that C. S. Lewis used in his fourth book within the book Mere Christianity.  The man was an outstanding member of society who was always doing good for others.  The woman had been the worst of the worst.  After they both became Christians, the man looked very little different than before, but the woman made great strides in being a better person.  And yet, the woman still had so many bad habits, it became a lifelong struggle for anyone to see her “Christian” ways.

But as for me, I am imperfect.  But there was a great change in my life 50 plus years ago.  I have struggled along the way, but I never lost the effect God made within me nor my affection for God.  I probably got in the way far too often regarding my continued sanctification, but I desire nothing more than to be more like Jesus.

If you like these Tuesday morning essays about philosophy and other “heavy topics,” but you think you missed a few, you can use this LINK. I have set up a page off the home page for links to these Tuesday morning posts. I will continue to modify the page as I add more.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.