Let’s talk about faith DIY
【Cultural Observatory】
▲God values every soul, and He wants to save every one of those one hundred sheep!
He values the repentance of every sinner; therefore, the one hundred sheep are not the whole hundred, but each individual one among the hundred.
The so-called DIY is the current buzzword "Do It Yourself". It is strange to say that in the early days when machinery was first invented, people hoped that everything would be made by machines. Handmade products are time-consuming and labor-intensive, and their product specifications are often substandard. They are far less sophisticated, fast, trouble-free and cost-effective than machine-made products. They are outdated commodities and have been gradually abandoned and eliminated.
But after a large number of machine products filled the world, people discovered that various sequelae of mass production by machines continued to emerge. Today, people can no longer escape from the mechanical world, but they do feel bored and tired of it. As a result, people have regained their attachment to the advantages and pleasures of handmade products.
Today's handmade products, unless specifically marked as "handmade", are much more expensive than those made by machine manufacturers. People began to miss and cherish the benefits of hand-made products again, and their hands once again regained their functions that had been ignored for a long time. Of course, "handmade" mostly requires some simple tools, not just two hands.
But people have taken back the dominance of machinery. Hands are no longer just used to turn on the switch of the machine or tap the keyboard with fingers. Then all automated production is done by machines, only waiting to receive the products at the end of the machine. Instead, the whole process is done by human power and Manual skills replace mechanical operations. In the end, each product made by hands may be more or less different, becoming a unique creation, each with its own personality and characteristics, making it even more precious and even regarded as a "work of art". Those who make it will have a high sense of accomplishment, which is the irreplaceable charm of DIY.
Self-righteousness vs justification by faith
Is DIY related to spiritual beliefs? Yes, and it is very important. When it comes to spiritual beliefs, there are generally two extremes. The first is to rely on complete "self-righteousness", that is, to save yourself by DIY. You must practice, cultivate yourself, do charity, accumulate virtue, give alms, and even sacrifice your body to be burned (refer to 1 Corinthians 13:3). Use the good deeds accumulated by your own good deeds to save yourself and build a ladder for yourself to reach heaven. .
The other extreme is "justification by faith", which relies entirely on salvation and does not need to do anything because everything is included in the salvation of Christ. As long as you hitch a ride on salvation, you can reach heaven safely. This situation developed into the twentieth century and gave rise to the so-called "cheap grace" belief.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian who was martyred in the Nazi concentration camp, pointed out that the church misunderstood the doctrine of "justification by faith" and misused God's grace, devaluing it into cheap salvation. Baptism without repentance and Holy Communion without confession have seriously corroded the Church of God, causing the European church that used to send missionaries to preach around the world to enter today's so-called "post-church era." Those large chapels that were beautiful, magnificent, and had prosperous congregations in the early days now have very few believers and the churches are empty. Dark clouds have quietly enveloped the kingdom of God, and the mainstream churches in Europe are facing an unprecedented crisis.
On the other hand, some evangelical churches have resurrected themselves in legalism. In addition to the teachings of the Bible, many churches have their own internal rules that interpret God's law from another perspective. This is the DIY that is popular today, "salvation comes by itself." People add many additional conditions to God’s salvation: as big as speaking in tongues as the standard mode of salvation, or that you must be re-immersed (baptized) to join the church; as small as various details of life, there are strict regulations . On the contrary, if you are "not spiritual", you cannot be "saved."
Take the initiative to accept and build yourself in love
"Self-righteousness" and "justification by faith" are two extreme spiritual orientations, each with its own deviations.Because "justification by faith" is not completely passive, with people doing nothing on their own; on the contrary, people must actively accept the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, completely surrender to the cross of Christ, confess their sins and repent, in order to receive the Lord's salvation and receive God's grace. , can be justified.Moreover, after a person is saved, he must rely on divine grace to strive to reach the level and realm of sanctification; to gradually grow his spiritual body and build himself up in love (refer to Ephesians 4:11-16).
In the process of sanctification, we have to bear the cross for the Lord and even pay the price with our lives. Bonhoeffer even emphasized that to bear the cross is to die for the Lord. Therefore, "justification by faith" does not mean holding a ticket to salvation and doing nothing, just waiting to catch the direct train of salvation and then go to heaven.
▲Modern people are once again attached to the various pleasures of handmade products. However, the "spiritual DIY" mentality can easily fall into the blind spot of self-righteousness, so don't be careful! (Photo source: Bloglai Online Bookstore).
God values every soul
"Justification by faith" is not a mass production machine for salvation. The precious blood of Christ has paid the price once and can produce countless "salvation products". Under the call of "justification by faith", a family, A whole group of people and a whole country can be saved and go to heaven."Justification by faith" is everyone's business, and what God wants to save is every individual soul.Therefore, the Lord specifically used the “Parable of the Lost Sheep” (see Luke 15:1-7) as an example to emphasize that the one God seeks to save is the lost one among a hundred sheep.He values the repentance of every sinner; therefore, the one hundred sheep are not the whole hundred, but each individual one among the hundred.
In the extreme of DIY, people’s mentality of cherishing God’s precious grace is worthy of recognition and admiration. However, due to excessive caution, it replaced the Lord’s salvation and set up many conditions (obstacles) to limit and raise the threshold of salvation. In addition to the grace of "justification by faith", many instructions and potential rules are added, which makes God's salvation invisibly return to the control of the law, and sets many individual experience patterns for salvation. An additional tax will be levied on the originally free admission ticket, and the additional tax must be paid in advance before entering the venue. Especially for those who have advanced, it has even evolved into a situation where the additional coupons are more important than the original coupons, and unknowingly they have returned to the stereotype of legalism.
Although this kind of spiritual DIY can give people a sense of accomplishment, it tarnishes the Lord’s salvation and invalidates the ticket to salvation. Paul said it well:"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith; and that not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)This is a blind spot that every Christian may need to reflect on, so don’t be careless!
Author profile
Pastor Yin Ying is a literary worker who loves literature, nature and praising the Creator. He is also an editor, publisher and communication worker. He once served as corporate editor and president of church news weekly, producer and administrative director of radio and television programs, and pastored the church for more than 20 years. He is the author of many works such as "Return to the Pastoral", "The Bitter Cup and Feast of the Soul", "The Temptation of Stones", "The Footprints of Jesus", "Meditations under the Cross", etc.