Reflection:

In 1 John 5:1-5, John says that believers inherit from God three characteristics of new birth. These three characteristics identify us as his kids. But like my lecturer friend I mentioned yesterday, we need to actively develop them so that they don’t atrophy but grow.

The first birth characteristic is obedience. This is implicit in the decision of faith – Jesus has my trust, my heart, and my allegiance. I’ll live his way from now on.

The difficulty comes because we live in a Western culture in which people hate being told what to do. Modern Western culture was born in the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, which was a movement of rebellion against authority (and its associated commands). More recently, post-modernism has taught us to interpret everything through the lens of power dynamics, and to be deeply suspicious of power and those who hold it. While the Enlightenment and post-modernism have redeeming qualities, they negatively predispose us toward those who have power and authority. But we serve a God who has all power and authority.

Christian, know that in your life you are being torn in two different directions: God and the world. You’re going to have to settle the issue of which path to take.

Prayer:

Father, form and mould me, and those I do life with, so that we do not take on worldly values that are opposite to following Jesus. I commit to a life of obeying you, for you know best and are worthy of my obedience. Please grant me discernment, and those I do life with, to filter the messages we receive from our culture, chewing the meat and spitting out the bones.