Obligatory New Year's Post*

 
For the first time ever I rang in the new year sitting in bed reading a book.  I didn't turn on the TV to watch the ball drop, see fireworks, or even make any phone calls to tell anyone Happy New Year the minute the clock stuck twelve.  In fact, I don't even think I realized it the moment it happened.  And guess what...it didn't bother me one bit!

As a teenager, I took pride in refusing to do everything society dictated proper and appropriate.  This was different.  It was not an act of pride, but an act of freedom.  I think it took me too long to begin learning this lesson, but I'm starting to experience the joy in NOT needing to do everything "by the book."  We have rules, regulations, and customs for all kinds of things, and for the things that matter, I certainly believe in observing them.  But for those that don't, I am learning I have the freedom to respectfully live differently, even if it seems strange or unorthodox by others' standards.

I'm not advocating an "if it feels good, do it" kind of attitude.  But something deeper that is not based on feeling, as much as it is freedom.  I've often thought of the concept of "freedom in Christ" (Gal. 5:1) as what I GET from being a Christian (eternal life, a relationship with God, communion with other believers, etc), but this alone is a shallow view of freedom.  The context of Gal. 5 talks about being free FROM sin.  I've always connected this with obvious things I know Christians are not supposed to do.

That's part of it.  But being free from sin is more than just being moral and not doing the stuff that sinners do.  In fact, when you put it that way, it doesn't sound very freeing at all.  You probably do not think of going to a party out of obligation, staying up later than you really want to out of custom, or even forcing yourself to choke down black-eyed peas because your grannie says their good luck as "sin."  BUT, things like this CAN be done out of a sinful spirit that is helplessly resigned to the ways of our world, instead of living in the freedom one can have in Christ.

If doing things like that are fun to you, then no, it's not a sin.  I also realize that we sometimes have to do things we do not want to do in the name of service and humility.  More than changing a specific action this next year, I hope to narrow the broad range of things (customs, advertisements, impulses, feelings, other people, etc) that sometimes dictate my behavior down to Christ and Christ alone.  It will only be then that I will be living out of genuine freedom, regardless of whether or not my actions are considered "by the book" by society at large.

How about you?  What are your hopes for this new year?

*Did you catch the irony in the title?

Depravity

What can be said about depravity that hasn't been admitted to before? I'm afraid not much. Yet, for some reason, people still like to talk, write, and even sing about how this affects the human condition. My favorite contemporary statement on the topic is in a song called Crooked Deep Down by singer/songwriter Derek Webb. In the first verse he proclaims:

My life looks good I do confess, you can ask anyone
Just don't ask my real good friends
Because they will lie to you
Or worse, they'll tell the truth

What is the truth? The truth is that every single person in this world is messed up. Church history has tried to express this in many different ways. The traditional mode of thought called "total depravity" holds to the idea that all people are born into sin, as a result of our ancestors that committed the first sin. Others have tried to argue that this is not the case, and that we are not born guilty of the original sin that Adam and Eve committed.

Regardless of where you fall on this continuum, you have to at least admit that people are born with a tendency to sin. A tendency, that throughout the ages, has not been able to be denied (Romans 3:23). Most people get this simply by reflecting on their own experience. The song I quoted earlier goes on to say

...there are things you would not believe
That travel into my mind
I swear I try and capture them
But I always set them free
It seems bad things comfort me

What if you could hear people's thoughts that you would otherwise not believe? I bet that would be enough to convince just about anyone of our depravity. At first you would gasp with surprise every time you heard a corrupt idea from someone you thought was a saint. Then, as time wore on, you would learn to expect the worst out of people. Even if he wasn't thinking it, you would know that he preacher shaking hands as people filed out of the church is more concerned with his stomach rumbling than being your friend. You would know that your boss doesn't really give a flip about your family or your hobbies, but just wants you to give him a good review at the end of the year so he can get a raise and maybe even move on to a better position. You would even be aware that some members of your family visit and call you out of obligation, instead of their self-proclaimed love and adoration.

This would be enough drive even the most optimistic person into a deep and dark depression. Sometimes, when a person I respect and admire does something that I just can't believe, I experience a little bit of this. Then I come back to reality and remember that "Everyone is Crooked Deep Down." We are just like Jesus' disciples in Mark's Gospel, that freaked out and got scared every time Jesus performed a miracle or talked about his death and resurrection. As bad as sin is, it is comfortable. It is scary to live the redeemed life Jesus calls his followers to. We'd rather cling to the familiar patterns of "messed upness" we've established through the years.

Don't think you fall into this category? Try and record every single thought you have for a day. If that's too long, try half a day, or even 1/3 of the day. You'll be convinced. And being convinced is the first step toward being forgiven.