Author Archives: Byron Hannon

Unknown's avatar

About Byron Hannon

I am a discipler, teacher, coach (and ordained elder) passionate about helping people move beyond the “elementary teachings about Christ” (Hebrews 6:1) to maturity and the fullness of the abundant life promised by Jesus (John 10:10) in our postmodern, post-Christian, and post-truth world

Prevenient Grace in God’s Warnings

1 Reply

I am a proponent of God’s prevenient grace, grace initiated by God that seeks to draw us to Him and which enables us to respond to His call to turn from sin to righteousness.  It does not compel.  Rather, prevenient grace invites.  “Prevenient grace is grace that comes first.  It precedes all human decision and endeavor” (Editor’s emphasis) (Elwell, 520).  An illustration of how this grace works is found in 1 John 4:19, “We love Him because He first loved us.”     Even John 15:16 makes the point that God always initiates and invites in this teaching to His first disciples, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…”

I have come to believe that many in my tribe of Christianity (having a Wesley-Arminian theological bent) view prevenient grace in an unnecessarily limited way by attaching it only to God’s invitation to salvation through Jesus Christ and the subsequent experience of entire sanctification wrought by the Holy Spirit, the latter being the mark of Christian maturity.   It’s easy to see why this might be the case as our theology heavily emphasizes this salvific view as being appropriate to being holy (ref. Leviticus 11: 44, 45; 19:2; 20:7; 1 Peter 1:16).  Note: Salvific means having the power or intention to save or redeem.   

I agree with the teaching; I don’t agree with the limitation.  I believe God anticipates our needs and precedes us in action (the meaning of prevenient) in a variety of ways.  How many anecdotes have each of us heard about someone being diverted from a catastrophe because they were distracted in an unusual way or their car wouldn’t start or they were held up in traffic?  How often have we experienced a vibe or some inner urging to do something or not do something or to avoid a particular area and we found out later that, had we ignored the urging, something unfortunate would likely have happened to us?  I know of people being awakened in the middle of the night with a strong urge to pray for a person or a situation, only to find out later that God was working powerfully on behalf of that person or in that situation. I have had these experiences.  We certainly could attribute all of this as coincidences as I’m sure many do.  It is also possible that these were times when the grace of God, that goes before us, guided us and protected us or someone else. 

Unlike many, I am not a Deist who believes in an impersonal, distant God who does not involve Himself in the affairs of His creation.  I believe in a personal God who loves and cares deeply for every baby born and who seeks every man, woman, and child who draws breath that they would crave to be in relationship with Him in the same way He desires to be in relationship with them.  The reality of Jesus Christ and His redemptive sacrifice directly contradicts the claims of Deism. 

Because God loves and desires eternal fellowship with each of us, He warns us to avoid pathways that would endanger this possibility.  The entirety of the Bible might be viewed as an instruction guide on how to journey on the safe path, and as one component in that instruction, warnings are given.  Some are quite specific and even threatening, not in contradiction to His love but because He never stops being God, the One who has no equal and who dwells in the high and holy place, the One who’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours, even though we sometimes believe we know better and are better at self-guiding than He is at guiding us (ref. 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Chronicles 17:20; Isaiah 55:9; 57:15; Jeremiah 10:6,7).  I contend, therefore, that warnings from God are as much prevenient grace as is any other way He anticipates our needs and seeks to influence us.

All of the preceding was groundwork for something I feel compelled to share, a warning that has surfaced to my conscious thinking following a time of intensified seeking of God through prayer and fasting.  I’m not sure if what I believe I have received is narrowly confined or has broader implications, but I am confident that God has shared something of His heart with me and I am not to keep it to myself.  

God, I believe, is very concerned with a loss of fervor in His children, those who call themselves Christians and claim a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.  To the extent there is a lack of fervor in His called ones, there is a lack of fervor in His church, the body of Christ.    

What is fervor and what does it mean to be fervent?  Fervor is a noun referring to heat, more specifically boiling heat that impacts everything it touches.  The adjective form, fervent, is descriptive of people and activities (zealous is a common synonym).  A well-known scriptural use of this word is found in James 5:16, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”   A translation might be “Christ-centered prayer boiling over in its hunger for God and prayed by people consecrated to Him produces good spiritual fruit.”      

 Romans 12:10-12 happens to be the beginning of a teaching by Paul the Apostle on the marks of a true Christian.  In it, he says, “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer…”  (Underline is mine). 

This is not to say that there is no fervency within the body of Christ, however for many, parochial zeal has replaced zeal for the high holiness and goodness of God expressed perfectly in Christ Jesus and wrought in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.  Passion for and in self-interest, passion for things associated with our particular cultural attachments, passion for and pride in our church affiliation, and passion for our tribal institutions (be they social, cultural, and/or religious) become the loci of our loyalty and service, effectively replacing the call to the kingdom of God and the interests of this eternal kingdom.      

Commentator William Greathouse says, “Zeal [fervency] in all our Christian duties is the natural consequence of agape filling our hearts…When the love which moved Him dwells in us we will be fervent in spirit” (Author’s italics).  Dr. Greathouse goes on to remark, “The RSV [Revised Standard Version] translates Romans 12:11, ‘Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord’” (Greathouse, 245).  

If I am discerning the Spirit correctly, this is missing in Christ’s church enough that His attention is drawn to it and warns about it.

What are symptoms when fervor is lost?  I will name five possibles: 

  1. Jesus is a concept more than a person. We reach the point where we know of Him more than we actually know Him.  There is no strong relational bond to which we are attracted and so attached that His presence guides our values and our priorities and which positively influences our desires, as well as constraining them in accordance with His will.  While the concept of Jesus is to be studied and understood, the person of Jesus is to be loved (see John 14:15).         
  • Loss of the joy of salvation.  To enter the kingdom of God by having a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ, to a Christian, ought to be the greatest existential event in life.  In the NT, Jesus often used parables to illustrate this phenomenon: In Matthew 13 – the parable of the hidden treasure; the parable of the pearl of great price; In Luke 15 – the parable of the lost sheep; the parable of the lost coin; the parable of the prodigal son).  Giving priority to other interests and desires causes this joy to stagnate as David came to confess in Psalm 51.
  • Inattentiveness to a life of devotion.  Being a living sacrifice unto God is, according to Paul, our reasonable worship and ought to be demonstrated by a mental transformation and accompanying behaviors that acknowledge the preeminence of God in all things (as opposed to being conformed to worldly standards) (ref. Romans 12:1-2).  This suggests that approaches to life that veer away from this are unreasonable in the eyes of God and is an unreliable course of the spiritual formation God uses to conform us to the image of Christ, thereby glorifying Him and blessing others (Mulholland, 12).   This effectively makes for a testimony without teeth.  One example would be the delusion of being able to live a Christ-centered life without a regular prayer life.  
  • Independence of Self rather than Dependence on God.  To choose to be independent from God is a mark of spiritual pride and a rejection of His spiritual authority.   The humility that acknowledges one’s spiritual poverty leads to willing dependence on God and the blessedness of possessing the kingdom of heaven, but this humility is distasteful to the independent-minded (ref. Matthew 5:3; also see Isaiah 64:5 and Matthew 25:31-36 on Jesus’ sheep and goat metaphor).  Explanatory Note: Adam Clarke says that sheep are “emblems of mildness, simplicity, patience and usefulness [and] represent the true disciples of Christ.  Goats, which are naturally quarrelsome…were considered as the symbols of [spiritual impurity, representing] all who have lived and died in their sins” (Clarke, 822). 
  •  Lack of eschatological readiness. Remaining in the joy of our salvation, living a life of devotion, and submission to God’s authority are signs that the affairs of the Lord’s household are being carefully attended to by those He has left in service during His absence, all the while promising that He would return at an unexpected time.   A loss of fervor leads to inattention to His affairs and being unprepared for His return (ref. Luke 12:36-40).  

Does this feel harsh?  Warnings typically do, but when they are received as intended, there is usually an accompanying salvific effect.  They are a sign of love because their purpose is to avoid danger.  Natural children, whose parents discipline them alongside of giving affection and life instruction, know this instinctively.  That warning look or word from mother or father, if heeded, staves off negative consequences.  This is good news because warnings provide an opportunity to change direction, or in biblical language, repent.  This is the prevenient grace of our loving God.     

Works Cited

Clarke, Adam. Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible, abridged.  Ralph Earle (ed.).  

     Iowa Fall, IA: Word Bible Publishers, 1967.  

Elwell, Walter A.  Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker 

     Academic, 2001. 

Greathouse, William. “Romans,” Beacon Bible Commentaries, Volume III. Kansas City, MO: 

     Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1968.

Mulholland, M. Robert.  Invitation to a Journey, A Roadmap for Spiritual Formation.  

     Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993. 

© Byron L. Hannon, unless otherwise noted, 2025. 

A New Kind of Babel: A Perspective on Identity, Lordship, and Jesus

Leave a reply

The following essay is something I intend to include in a collection of writings I hope to publish sometime in the future, but I’m also sharing it here. It wasn’t my idea to do this, but I have sensed the presence and pressure of God’s finger in my back to not delay. It is longer than my previous postings, but I pray you will find reading it worthwhile. Blessings.

“History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.”   – Ecclesiastes 1:9, NLT

We have all, presumably, had experiences when something was said or done that remains with us as a historical marker of personal significance, although we may not be able recognize it at the time.  I vividly recall a conversation I had with another minister while visiting a country outside of the United States 30 years ago.  He was sharing about a disagreement he was having with a local minister over what he perceived as a conflict between a biblical principle and a particular cultural practice of the country we were in.  The point of conflict was over this local minister’s plan to participate in the aforementioned practice out of respect for his national culture.  When my friend challenged him on this, this man’s response, as reported to me, was, “I was a (stated his nationality) before I was a Christian.”  This was, to be blunt, an issue of what had preeminence in the matter. 

The truth is that we were all something else before we were ever Christian (for those of us who claim that spiritual mantle).  At the very least, we were all sinners by nature and practitioners of attitudes and acts, rooted in our commitment to self-will and self-satisfaction, and therefore, lived in ways contrary to the moral code and will of God.  We also all share one other trait, and I believe that is the search for significance going as far back as our childhood years.  We all seek to define and cement our identities and it is in this effort that our felt significance (or lack thereof) tends to be found.

Think back to those early years when reading groups were formed in first and second grade and differentiations were made in the classroom by teachers.  There was psychological significance to being in the first reading group just as there was in being assigned to the second or, worse, the third.  Recall the playground games of elementary school which contributed to the establishment of social pecking orders that may have lasted years after those games were forgotten.  Think about the little clubs that were formed and who was invited to be in them.  And despite maturing in chronological age, many of the identity labels given to us when we were very young or which we bought into remained with us, even perhaps into adulthood.

Entering adulthood, the pattern continued, some of which was involuntary.  We all are impacted by other peoples’ perceptions of us and we often internalize those perceptions, reflecting our self-image back as if we were a mirror, a concept popularized as the “looking glass self” (Cooley, 152).   

 Many of our identity preferences are voluntary.  Here are some examples, entered into voluntarily (for the most part), that help to shape our identities and distinguish us from others:

  • Military service
  • Schools, colleges, and universities attended and level of degrees held
  • The cities and towns and the sections within those cities and towns we live (lived) in 
  • Degree of activity and prominence in local civic affairs
  • Occupation and status within occupational ranks
  • Membership in fraternal organizations 
  • Where church membership is held
  • Racial and ethnic “attachments” (I use this word intentionally) 
  • Color of skin 
  • Cultural affinities and language
  • Nationality
  • Political affiliation 

This is not an exhaustive list, but I think it makes the point. 

The 11th chapter of Genesis tells the story of the Tower of Babel and God’s action to prohibit the people from coming together in the unity of their own conceit.  I’m not a Fundamentalist and accept the possibility that this story could be metaphorical as well as literal.  Ultimately, I believe the central point is not whether it is literal or metaphorical but, instead, is the core theme of the Bible: God’s saving action to prevent humanity’s tendency to self-destruct which we have been bent on from the beginning, it seems.  We must, however, acknowledge that a major symptom of this intervening saving act is the confusion that accompanied the differentiation in ethnicities, cultures, languages, religions and other attachments, particularly when concerted efforts are made to frame particular identifying characteristics as being superior to others.  Miroslav Volf has a lot to say about this last point in his book, Exclusion & Embrace, although it is certainly not light reading.  

A quick glance at human history serves as a reminder of how perceptions of identity can cause harm: Hebrew misinterpretations of being the chosen people of God, the brutality of the Assyrian and Babylonian rule, the effects of the hegemonic oppression of Roman rule, the immoral actions of the Church during the Crusades and western expansion, the genocidal impact of American Manifest Destiny, European subjugation of African nations and tribes and the slave trade, Turkish genocidal acts against Armenians, the institution of “Jim Crow” laws and legally enforced racial segregation in the U.S., the brutality of church-inspired/condoned South African apartheid, the Nazi’s holocaust against the Jews, Poles, and Roma (Gypsies) during WWII, and various “ethnic cleansings” instigated in Europe and Asia in the 20th and 21st centuries.

And now, here we are in the 3rd decade of the 21st century with the Ukrainian/Russian, the Israeli/Palestinian, and lesser discussed conflicts such as in Sudan and Myanmar (Burma).  Add to these the strong growth of anti-immigrant, far-right politics in western Europe and the U.S. (with the emblematic chaos of the current U.S. presidential administration), and we have a set of macro-dynamics that are reminiscent of the song Ball of Confusion, made popular by the Temptations in 1970 (Whitfield).  

A manifestation of this confusion is the cacophony of voices which serve as a contemporary Babel.  Issues of identity and ideology are prominent in this world of Babel and while they may have distinctive definitions in a vacuum, identity and ideology are inseparable in reality.  Our sense of identity fuels our ideologies, that is, the commonly held beliefs and doctrines held by different groups that are the basis for some type of system, e.g. political, economic, religious or other.  Similarly, our ideologies help to cement our sense of identity.  

A cursory scanning of American society reveals multiple identity types feeding various ideologies (and vice versa): 

  • Political (such as neo-conservatives, nationalists, internationalists, liberals, centrists, fascists); 
  • Economic (including capitalism, socialism, communism); 
  • Class (wealthy, upper, mid and lower middle class, working poor, dependent poor) 
  • Sexual identity (both traditional binary and non-traditional with the multiple components of LGBTQ+) 
  • Sexual politics (including feminist and hyper-masculinity movements)
  • Religious (including the different branches, denominations, and orientations of Christianity, and similar divisions in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism etc.)
  • Ethnic and Racial (emphasizing heritage, distinctiveness, and sometimes the elevation of some and the denigration of others) 
  • Color (a subset of racial identity in which human value is artificially assigned to individuals according to a caste-like system using skin tone as the value determinant.  An example of this kind of illusory truth is based on the Jim Crow structures of the 20th century U.S. South and is found in the song by Big Bill Broonzy: 

“If you is white, you’s alright, 
if you’s brown, stick around,
but if you’s black, hmm, hmm, brother, 
get back, get back, get back.” (Burnett)

Historian and philosopher Hannah Arendt says that an ideology is the “logic” behind an idea.  This so-called logic need not be logical in the form of absolute truth, only that it be expressed.  She goes on to say that “ideologies pretend to know…the secrets of the past, the intricacies of the present, and the uncertainties of the future, because of the [alleged] logic inherent in their respective ideas (Arendt, 469).  

Conflict arises when ideologies (with their attendant logic) and associated identity models clash.  We see that daily in our national discourse and the absence of unity is striking, much like we might imagine it was when humanity was separated by the different languages at the biblical tower event discussed in Genesis.  The irony lies in God’s expressed desire for ultimate unity found only in Him.  One need only read (or re-read) the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) and Jesus’ high priestly prayer (John 17) to grasp the importance the Divine places on unity.  

One of the reasons why identity matters is because it gives guidance to how people are to think and the things people do and don’t do: “Because I’m this, I should do that,” a dynamic referred to by Kwame Anthony Appiah as “normative significance.”  In other words, my identity has meaning for practical life (Appiah, 10).  But what happens when normative significance results in the exclusion and rejection of others in direct and indirect ways, in ways subtle and not-so-subtle.  This would call into question one’s commitment to or even interest in loving their neighbor as themselves because their neighbor doesn’t and perhaps can’t share their identity (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 19:19, 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:25-37; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8).  

There is meaning in this for the professing Christian whose strong attachment to a particular identity causes them to uphold an ideology that subverts their attachment to Christ.  Their ideology either competes with their Christian profession or results in their practical theology (i.e. faith practice) being secondary to their other proclaimed identity.  In simpler terms and to borrow an often-used phrase, their profession of Christ is not matched by their possession of Christ (or more aptly, His possession of them).  This is a simple matter of lordship; who or what has supremacy in one’s life.  

A popular teaching based in Buddhism is apropos, “What you think, you become, what you feel, you attract, and what you imagine, you create” (a paraphrase of The Dhammapada, Pairs 1-2).  This thought parallels the theme of Proverbs 23:7, “For as [a person] thinks in [their] heart, so [are they].”  If it is true that the things we think and talk about the most are actually the things we care about the most, then does the thoughts and speech of one who claims Christ as Lord refer to Him more than anything else or are other things including identity attachments more prominent?  If it is the latter, we must ask ourselves if these attachments have become idols, contemporary versions of the ancient golden calf and Asherah poles which reflected the diluted faith of Old Testament Israelites and which now hold our allegiance and attention in ways that Jesus Christ and His interests do not.

I am neither unsympathetic nor so objective on this issue that I fail to see and feel the attraction.  I acknowledge that the desire to legitimize a layer or two of identity on top of my Christian profession is near constant because doing so would seem to offer a cocoon of comfort by more closely joining myself (my allegiance, my time, and my energies) to those who look like me, who share a common historical and cultural experience with me, and have similar views as I.  This attraction offers a perceived emotional and psychological defense against a macro-environment that has been stressful and threatening and is increasingly chaotic.         

I think, however, doing so is a shell game in which I would con myself because this kind of search for sufficiency would deny the promise that God’s grace alone is sufficient for my needs (ref. 2 Corinthians 12:9).  In other words, this is an issue of faith.  Trusting exclusively in God’s grace is walking by faith.  Seeking and relying on other identity attachments to gain and maintain a strong sense of well-being is “walking by sight” (ref. 2 Corinthians 5:7), something incongruous with Christian faith.  Trying to hold on to both simultaneously strikes me as being akin to trying to serve two masters which Jesus said cannot be done; one will always be made secondary to the other (ref. Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13).  It would be an attempt to find another way in addition to or in place of Jesus who claims to be the way, the truth and the life (ref. John 14:6). 

A corollary to identity attachments serving as defense mechanisms is the use of them as a weapon against those who do not share those identities, using what we might call the tactics of exclusion, the aim of which is to make competing identities powerless.  Professor Volf suggests three ways exclusion has been practiced historically: assimilation in which particularly identities are “swallowed up” by others, domination by subjugating them and exploiting them using systems of power, and finally, abandonment where those same power systems are used to jettison unwanted identities (and their values and interests) from view and influence (Volf, 75)  The genocidal movements across the historical spectrum are examples of the latter.

The tactics of exclusion, however, are not limited to those with access to the resources of power.  Certainly, Jesus lived in a world subjugated by harsh Roman rule, but even the singular Garden of Gethsemane event in which Peter used a sword to slice off the ear of Malchus, the high priest’s servant, reveals the scorn he had for this servant of power and those he obeyed (ref. John 18:10).  This individualized act was one of exclusion just as much as that committed on an institutional level against a broad population.  We need not look far to see examples of exclusionary behavior, whether institutional, such as the practice of red-lining by financial institutions, or individual, like insisting that a medical provider be of a certain race or ethnicity.  These acts are frequently followed by a reactionary response that amounts to returning “evil for evil” (ref. Matt 4:44; Luke 6:27; Romans 12:17; 2 Thess. 5:15; 1 Peter 3:9).  In the words of Howard Thurman, commenting on the emphasis Jesus placed on the radical change needed in the inner attitude of people, “To revile because one has been reviled—this is the real evil because it is the evil of the soul itself” (Thurman, 11).   An identity attachment insisting on a socio-cultural homogeneity that subverts unity in and through Jesus Christ is a human construct and an evil.  It is darkness masquerading as light. 

Each of us can say that we were something else before we became a Christian, much like the example shared at the beginning of this essay.  The central question becomes whether we took on Christ such that a new creation was born (ref. 2 Corinthians 5:17), leaving the old behind or whether we took on the moniker of Christ without actually being in Christ in the way described in the New Testament.  I believe the answer to this question determines if our faith and its practice is orthodox or if it is pseudo-Christian.                                                             

We live in a world where Babel is very prominent and powerful.  Jesus said His followers are not of the world (John 17:16).  We have been given Jesus.  He has given all of Himself to us.  Have we given all of ourselves to Him?  Given these things, is there any good reason why you shouldn’t offer your life to Jesus?       

Works Cited

Appiah, Kwame Anthony.  The Lies That Bind, Rethinking Identity.  New York: Liveright Publishing Corporation, 2018.

Arendt, Hannah.  The Origins of Totalitarianism. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, 1968. 

Burnett, Bob. “If You’re Black, Get Back,” HuffPost. May 25, 2011.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/if-youre-black-get-back_b_21426

Cooley, Charles H. Human Nature and the Social Order. Charles Scribner’s Sons: New York, 1902. 

The Dhammapadda, The Buddha’s Path to Wisdom. Trans. Acharya Buddharakkhita. Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 30 November 2013,  

 http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.intro.budd.html .

Thurman, Howard. Jesus and the Disinherited. Boston: Beacon Press, 1976. 

Volf, Miroslav.  Exclusion & Embrace, A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and

      Reconciliation. Nashville: Abingdon Press.1996.

Whitfield, Norman and Barrett Strong. “Ball of Confusion” Lyrics. Gordy. 1970. 

© Byron L. Hannon, 2025.  All rights reserved.

Choose

2 Replies

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15, NIV

It seems old men often try to offer, what they hope is, some final wisdom before their time on earth is over.  At least, that’s a pattern in Scripture.  We saw it with Jacob just before his death as he gathered his sons around him.   We see it here again with the aged Joshua, much later with Paul in his admonition to his disciple Timothy, and even with an older apostle John in his three epistles to the church.  Of course, the context always relates to the hearers’ relationship and walk with God.  It is, admittedly, a paternal practice that I find appealing and worth emulating.

It was recently while praying that I was interrupted and gripped by Joshua’s words   They seized me so much that they became a constant thought throughout the day and ever since, as if they were some sort of talisman not to be ignored.  I suspect it was a Holy Spirit prompting because of the burden that came with the thoughts.  Writing this is my way of not ignoring it.  

I don’t believe those who know me well would describe me as an alarmist, but I do believe there are alarms being sounded in our midst.  Do I need to name them?  I don’t think I need to do that; any attentive person whose influences extend beyond TikTok, celebrity watching, and so-called reality TV should be able to make a pretty comprehensive list.  The world has become a ball of confusion and the regularly promoted panaceas don’t seem to carry much weight.  We can make like John Lennon and sing, “All You Need is Love”1 all we want.  That appeal hasn’t made much of a dent and certainly hasn’t silenced any alarms that I’m hearing.  At this stage, I doubt that it will.  If anything, the momentum is moving in the opposite direction.  The bottom line is that many, many people have made and are making choices that leave the God of the Bible on the sideline of their lives as if He were a scrub bench player not likely to see any real playing time.          

Many years ago, I heard someone say that it was easy to determine what captured people’s attention, what their passions and deepest interests were, and the ways in which they try to influence others: You just have to listen carefully to what they talk about the most, most of the time and the ways in which they talk about those things.  In these days, we would have to extend this beyond verbalizing but also include what people say on social media posts.  I’m going to be so bold as to say that whatever these are, they define what these people have chosen as the locus point of their lives.

In some circles, it is very popular to be a Christian and to proclaim Christianity as one’s faith.  What seems to be missing within those circles, to too a noticeable degree, is the commensurate popularity of deep-seated, Holy Spirit empowered, dedicated commitment to the cause of Christ and the consecration that such commitment calls for.   In other words, there seems to be a whole lot of talking and a whole lot less walking.  They are living under the tabernacle of “cheap grace”2 in which Christianity costs little and requires little.  

 I believe this is because many of those using the name of Christ have actually chosen “other gods” to whom their deepest allegiance is given.  That is what shallow faith does; it leaves room for competitors to move in, often without our notice, initially.  The example of the golden calf in the Exodus story makes this very point, and what is sad is that we still don’t get it because we don’t see ourselves in the story and are enamored by the fools’ gold of the gods we actually serve.                  

My maternal great grandmother was a Native American from the Cherokee nation which still populates the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina today.  I recall hearing the stories of her shared by my grandmother when I was a child as I stared at the picture of this stern looking woman dressed in tribal garb.  Because of my maternal bloodline, I would occasionally ponder pursuing tribal membership although I never did and don’t foresee that now at my age.  I have, however, from time to time, referenced this connection in conversation when it seemed germane to the discussion.  

What’s the relevance?  Not too long ago, I was sitting under the teaching of a friend and colleague who was using the oft-quoted exchange between God and Solomon found in 2 Chronicles 7.  God says, in verse 14, “If my people, who are called by name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face…”  This teacher stopped here to make the point that God was referring to His “tribe,” those who were called and set-apart to be a nation of priests.  He then said this, “There are some who are actual members of the tribe, and there are some who just like using the name.”  Sometimes it suits me to use the tribal name of my great grandmother, but the truth is that I am not a member of the tribe, just like there are, I fear, people who frequently use the name of Christ, but in reality, they are not members of the tribe.  Their membership lies elsewhere, places to which their choices have taken them.

Does my sharing this count as wisdom?  I leave it to the reader to judge.  I will say that I hold to this belief: Jesus is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24) and therefore, I must choose Him.   I have chosen Him.    

It’s not too late to choose the way of God which is Jesus Christ, but the alarms are sounding.                

  1.  “All You Need is Love” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Sony/ATV Music © 1967. 
  2. “Cheap grace” is a phrase made famous by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book, The Cost of Discipleship. SCM Press Ltd, 1959.  

© Byron L. Hannon, 2024.  All rights reserved unless otherwise noted.              

A Consuming Fire

Leave a reply

Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire! (Hebrews 12:28-29, The Message)

Christian writer, George MacDonald, made this fascinating comment about the nature of God:

“The fire of God, which is his essential being, his love, his creative power, is a fire

unlike its earthly symbol in this, that it is only at a distance it burns—that the 

farther from him, it burns the worse, and that when we turn and begin to 

approach him, the burning begins to change to comfort, which comfort will grow

to such bliss that the heart at length cries out with gladness no other gladness can 

reach.”

McDonald’s language is a little stilted for our time, but hopefully you get the point.  The more distant our souls are from God, becoming aware of His presence produces an uncomfortable heat.  The closer we are to God, the more comforting and enveloping is His warmth.  

It’s been seldom that I’ve heard much teaching or preaching about God’s fiery nature.  The love of God, yes, the light of God, yes, the holiness of God, yes, and other attributes, yes, but the fire of God, not so much.  We may have to go back to the preaching of people like Jonathan Edwards and others of the 19th century and first half of the 20th century to get a good taste of that thematic approach to Christian proclamation, what some called “fire and brimstone.”  It may be a part of the Bible we prefer to avoid, but it is biblical, nonetheless.  To underline the point about the importance of honoring God through obedience, the writer of Hebrews borrowed a line from Deuteronomy 4:24 which many Jews of his day would recognize: “Our God is a consuming fire.”           

I find brother MacDonald’s take on this to be fascinating, in part because this has been my personal experience and because I’ve observed much of the same in others.  People who are distant from God can become extremely uncomfortable when in the presence of the Holy Spirit.  I recall a man who was living a life so far outside of the will of God, I’ll just say that it was hard not to notice.   One Sunday, he decided to attend the church where I was a member.  This was many years ago.  I was in the choir and, at that time, the choir remained seated on the risers just behind the pulpit throughout the morning service.  The result was we all could observe what was going on in the congregation just as the pastor could.

All seemed fine all throughout the time of our gathering until the pastor got into the meat of his sermon.  I don’t recall what was being preached, and it doesn’t really matter much because the Spirit of the Lord was there.  This man became visibly shaken.  Sweat must have been forming on his head because he kept wiping his brow with his handkerchief…and it wasn’t a hot day.  His discomfort was palpable; I was surprised he didn’t bolt from the service.  He managed to get through it all, although he didn’t respond to the pastor’s invitation to experience the salvation of the Lord that day and he never returned to the church afterwards.  

When sin (willful disobedience to the known will of God) has a dominant place in our lives, God’s convicting presence shakes us and, rather than yield to God’s authority and invitation, we may respond to it like we do in other conflict situations: fight or flight.  I have found (and observed) that yielding results in a comforting peace.  There is no longer anything to prove (about being sovereign over myself), so there is nothing to lose.  And the deeper my intimacy with God, the more comforting His warmth becomes.  You might describe the difference in the experiences by comparing being dangerously close to an uncontrollable, raging fire as opposed to taking a nap while sitting in front of a cozy fire on a cold day.

Usually hell, which we don’t like talking about, is portrayed as a literal, physical place.  I wonder if it is, rather, the complete and irrevocable loss of opportunity for any fellowship with God such that the soul who chose to reject His absolute authority in life can, in death, now only experience the intensity of His consuming, fiery nature.  This seems to be a natural conclusion to what George MacDonald was pointing. 

If we place stock in the prophetic future where “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ,” the world which we know and are tethered to will no longer exist (Revelation 11:15).  The remaining, exclusive reality will be the kingdom of God, occupied by Jesus Christ and all whose lives are in Him along with the angelic host and where the virtues of faith, hope and love will abide forever (1 Corinthians 13:13).  These kingdom citizens are the ones who will experience the warm embrace of the Father for eternity.

The testimony of Scripture in general and that of Jesus in particular (Matt. 10:28; 23:33; Luke 10:15; 12:5) is that not everyone will experience this embrace.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  The good news is that it is all avoidable.  Jesus Christ has made a way for each of us to experience God’s eternal, comforting warmth.  It is up to us to choose to yield in repentance and faith so that we may walk in this way that has been provided by love.  

We don’t have to feel the burn; we can feel the warmth.  Why would we choose otherwise?  Only if we don’t believe.

* From “Christian in Christ” found in A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and Other Servants, p.37.

© Byron L. Hannon, 2023.  All rights reserved unless otherwise noted.  

A Lasting Bona Fides

1 Reply

“I don’t know what you are.”  This is a comment said to me a few years ago.  The gentleman was referring to my ethnicity.   I’m not sure why it mattered enough for him to make the comment, but apparently it did.  He seemed to want to categorize me and wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.  The fact that I have multiple ethnicities contributing to my DNA and my appearance caused him some consternation.  I didn’t seem to fit into his paradigm which, I suspect, was rooted in his own self-categorization.  

I sensed no animus in him, just a lack of clarity.  In all honesty, though, I was initially stunned by the comment because I’ve always viewed myself as…well, as me.  I imagine the brown-skinned British woman who was recently asked by an extended member of the royal family, “Where are you from?” felt something similar to what I experienced that day.

Many years ago, my dad and I would argue from time-to-time (nothing heated) about the value of identity categories and individual and group desires to self-categorize and to impose identity categories on others.  I saw significant value in staking out an identity whereas he was adamant that doing so was self-limiting and amounted to collusion, albeit unintentional, with those who insisted on maintaining separation by categorization.  Given the environment in which he was born and raised (the Jim Crow south), I had to respect his point-of-view; and, with increasing age, I have largely come around to his way of thinking, particularly when I am reminded that Christ broke down that wall of separation among Jew and Gentile, to name just two.      

I’ll leave it to you to imagine what some of those categories might have been when dad and I were having these discussions in the 70s and 80s.  Now that it is 2023, it seems to me that there has been an explosion of emphasis on identity categories: ethnic identity, racial identity, gender identity, political identity, religious identity, and irreligious identity along with various accompanying terms to further clarify or muddy, depending on your perspective (e.g. cis, non-binary, biracial, multi-racial, right-wing, far right-wing, left-wing, far left-wing, evangelical, mainline, conservative, liberal, libertarian and so on).  It’s increasingly difficult to know what people want you to think they are.  

These categories have become a component of many personal bona fides, a Latin term that refers to the evidence that legitimizes a person.  People have often used family connections, academic accomplishments, professional accomplishments, titles, memberships in prestigious organizations and societies; their zip code, and even the church they attend, along with some of the aforementioned identifiers to legitimize (justify) themselves, and sometimes that justification is in opposition to others.  Most of these categories are, generally, “nice-to-haves” and many people have worked hard to attain their honorifics…but like other forms of worldly wealth, they are temporary.  I say again, they are temporary and are to be appreciated and enjoyed but never idolized. 

Increasingly, I am drawn to the bona fides of Paul the Apostle in which he referred to himself as “a servant of Christ Jesus” (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1).  The fact that he began these letters with this phrase tells me that this is what he wanted people to see him as.  “What are you?  A servant of Christ Jesus.”  That’s it, Paul was a servant.  That is how he wanted to be known because his identity was bound to the One he served…and, lest we forget, Paul had a resumé!        

“You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.  The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him” (Philippians 3:4-9, The Message).

We all have yardsticks against which we (and perhaps others) measure our value, our claim to fame, so to speak.  We each have opportunities to shape what is real about us, what is seen in us, and what is shared by us.  And of those yardsticks, which are temporary and which are eternal?  What are you and what do you aspire to be?  

There will always be those who can’t quite figure out what we are.  Occasionally, that becomes an open door to make a statement, perhaps like the one made by Paul.  As for me, well, I like what Joshua said, 

“…As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15, NIV).  That’s it; nothing more needs to be added.  

  © Byron L. Hannon, 2023.  All rights reserved unless otherwise noted.  

A Nice Sentiment?

1 Reply

“He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive him.  Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God…” (John 1:11-13)

I’m a little surprised I haven’t seen it yet, although we only have a few more days before it’s Christmas.  Usually, by this time, I’ve seen at least one or two bumper stickers or signs somewhere proclaiming the need to “Keep Christ in Christmas.”  I’m certain I’ll see it at least once before the weekend is over.  

The idea of having a Christ-centered Christmas is logical to me, but I suspect it is, at best, a nice sentiment for most people who encounter such messages.  My hope is that sayings like this and others like it, e.g., “Wise men still seek Him”point some hungry souls to the good news of Jesus Christ.  Still, I suspect most people who see these signs will just go on about their business without further thought.  Why should we expect that people today are any different than they were on that night when He was born or when He walked the streets of Nazareth or Jerusalem or when He went to the cross?

It’s true; some shunned and persecuted Him, but most people were just tuned-out to Him.  He was neither positive nor negative for most folks; He was neutral and therefore of no significance.  Is it likely that only a few shepherds and three astronomers from a foreign land were the only ones who saw this blazing astronomical event in the cosmos announcing the birth of the Savior?  I’m not sure how they interpreted that, but the bottom-line is that He was not recognized as being meaningful to the lives of most people.  How is it different today?  

Many people will participate in the Christmas celebration, getting festive, blowing the electric bill by decorating their homes in many-colored lights, stretching the budget to purchase gifts for family members and others, and attending parties.  Still, the focus will not be on Him.  Some people will even make a pilgrimage to a church service on Christmas day, but perhaps more out of a sense of tradition than a desire to join others in worship.             

Am I sticking a pin in your bubble or raining on your parade?  That’s not my intent.  My intent is to suggest that those who are most likely to keep Christ in Christmas are those who keep Christ in their everyday lives and who don’t require an official holiday to do it.  It is they who will honor Him on Christmas day because they desire to do that every day.  Keeping Christ in Christmas is not a sentiment for them; it is congruent with the new life they have found in Him. 

If you really want Christ to be in Christmas, you can start by asking Him to be Christ in you…whether for the first time or in renewal of your faith. 

© Byron L. Hannon, 2022.  All rights reserved unless otherwise noted.  

Playing Fast and Loose with God

1 Reply

“Then the word of the Lord came to me [Jeremiah]…If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in My sight and does not obey Me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.”

(Jeremiah 18: 5, 7-10)

Immediately following the horrible devastation that took place in this country on September 11, 2001, the national mourning was coupled in some quarters with shout-outs of “God Bless America!”  Some of that, quite frankly, felt like jingoistic flag-waving and fist-shaking at perceived enemies.  Anger, sadness, and frustration aside, I have long felt that the U.S. has been one of the most blessed nations ever (EVER!) and like all blessings, it has been a result of God’s grace alone.  No nation has a right to God’s blessing.  No nation can claim that as its legacy gift.  

At best, asking God to bless our nation should be a sincere prayer, not some nationalistic mantra, and should always be preceded by a national stance that is God-honoring.  Right after 9-11-01, I saw quite a few signs at fire stations, municipal buildings, store locations and even churches that stated, “God Bless America.” I believed it was more appropriate for us to post “America, Bless God” on our church sign for the many people who drove by on that busy street each day, which is what we did.  

I still believe this is what the nation needs more than anything, that the nation blesses God, that we strive to please Him above pleasing ourselves, that we honor Him above honoring ourselves, and that we obey Him because…well, because He’s God.  

If you read the quote from the prophet Jeremiah above, which trendline do you see us being on?  In which direction are we headed? 

Now, I know it’s human nature to easily see the fault-lines falling at the feet of others (people and groups), but I think there is plenty of responsibility to go around, including with those of us who call ourselves by His name.  There are objective means to determine if our respective houses are in order.  Let’s look to them and use them.  

Just sayin’.          

“He makes nations great, and He destroys them;
He enlarges nations, and leads them away.”

(Job 12:23)                     

 © Byron L. Hannon, 2022.  All rights reserved unless otherwise noted. 

On Liberty and Independence

Leave a reply

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5:13)

Sometimes, moments of clarity come at the most unexpected times.  One came to me in early July.  It was in the middle of the day while standing in a parking lot at a church camp far from home and having a conversation with a ministry partner who had just driven up.  The reason we were both there was camp attendance, but he arrived during a lull in activity.  I happened to be outside and recognized him after he got out of his car.  I walked over to him and we began to talk.  

I can’t tell you anything about what we talked about other than it was of a spiritual nature (we are both wired to teach and so this wasn’t unusual for us).   The moment of clarity came when something he said triggered this thought:  We have liberty but not independence.  While I knew this intuitively, the simplicity of the statement was new.  

The fact that we had this conversation a few days before the Independence Day holiday made it a little ironic.  It was a perfect reflection of life in Christ.  I remember verbalizing the point, “We have liberty but not independence,” and he nodded in agreement.  This is an essential for the Church to grasp and live within.  It is a distinctive of Christian life and when not learned and internalized or when ignored, results in all kinds of unfortunate inconsistencies and hypocrisies.       

I find that many people have difficulty dealing with paradoxes (things that are seemingly, but not necessarily, contradictory).  A reliance on straight-line thinking and difficulty with ambiguity can make paradoxes, including spiritual paradoxes, challenging for them.  The teachings of Jesus and His Apostle Paul, however, are notable for the use of paradox.  I suggest looking at passages such as Mark 20:16; Luke 9:48; 13:30; 22:26-27 and John 11:25-26 for a sampling (go ahead and do it; it will only take a minute or two). 

A reader’s overwhelming preference for an either/or answer may be frustrating when the paradox suggests a both/andconclusion or when a norm is turned on its head in favor of something that seems illogical to our conditioning.  If this happens when trying to understand a biblical principle, it raises a question about how well that principle is internalized.  How much effort is expended to wrestle with the paradox to gain understanding?  Is the paradox just accepted at a surface level without understanding?  Is one side of the paradox ignored or rejected in favor of the other, preferred side? 

These are important questions, in general, for grasping scriptural teaching is a stewardship responsibility (see 2 Timothy 2:15).  They are also important because of our current socio-political climate in which words like liberty and independence are used interchangeably and, too often, thrown about without a sense of accountability beyond the self (which, in God’s kingdom, is no accountability at all).  

A New Testament understanding of spiritual liberty makes it clear that liberty is the result of God’s grace.  It is a freedom won by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit which offers freedom from our spiritual poverty.  It is freedom from the falsities of life that blind us to truth.  It is freedom from the experiences of life that hold us captive to a wrong view of ourselves and others.  It is freedom from those oppressing factors that impose themselves on us like chains that bind our souls.  It is freedom that declares God’s favor which He desperately wants to impart to each of us. This liberty is a gift of God; it is not and cannot be self-generated regardless of our good intentions or the inspirational speeches of seminar leaders and sellers of DIY books.          

Liberty, understood in this way, makes it obvious that independence is not a Christian concept for none of us is independent from God.  None of us are masters of our fates nor captains of our souls.1 The poetic line is nice and highly inspirational and appeals to our sense of self, but it’s not true.  Spiritual health requires that we come to grips with this and live in the paradox: we have been offered liberty and Jesus is Lord.    

Because our liberty is a gift and is not self-generated, how then can we rightly say we are not accountable for how we use it?  We are accountable to the One who gives the gift and therefore we accept the paradox and use our liberty to be servants of God (2 Peter 2:16).  It’s the best way because it was the way modeled by Jesus.  

1   From the poem Invictus by William Earnest Henley, published1888, in the public domain.    

© Byron L. Hannon, 2022.  All rights reserved unless otherwise noted.  

Christian Community in a Post(?)-Covid World

1 Reply

“Christian community is the final apologetic.” – Francis Schaeffer

The impact of the Covid pandemic has significantly impacted church functioning in the West and I, certain, in other parts of the world.  What was formerly assumed about the gathering and scattering of the local church has been changed.  The model under which the church was supposed to operate included regular and routine gatherings for celebration, spiritual uplift and growth, all within a communal setting.  This was always to be followed by the scattering of the church back to individual homes, local communities, jobs, schools, etc. which were the mission fields in which what was gained in the gathering could be lived out in deed and, as opportunity presented, shared by word. 

Covid has created a shift that affects this model.  A meaningful number of those (maybe 30% to 40% in the West, depending on age) of those who were previously gathering with the remaining 60% to 70% are no longer gathering in the same way as before the pandemic.  Many of those are taking advantage of digital connections (e.g., web-based access, live streaming, and YouTube® rebroadcasts) where they are available.  Some, on the other hand, have checked out altogether and are no longer participating in church life in any meaningful or measurable way.  

Many years ago, I worked in the health insurance field and one of the things I learned about a person who is unable to work because of a physical disability due to illness or injury is that there is roughly a six-month window to get them well enough to return to some level of productive work.  After about six months, that same person has begun to view themselves as being permanently disabled.  That mental shift makes it much more difficult to transition them back to the workforce.  I’ve wondered if a similar dynamic has impacted the church due to the long length of Covid restrictions and limitations: people who regularly participated in the community of faith with their physical presence experienced a mental shift that rewired their attitudes and behavior.  Being physically a part of the church gathered lost its place of priority. For some, being associated with the church in any way has lost its place of priority.  

This has become a major discussion topic for church leaders all over the country because of the very real implications.  Is this a major component of the restructuring of the church that happens roughly every 500 years?  If so, what are we supposed to do while we wait for things to shake out?  How do we teach and disciple people so that the functioning of the church continues unabated?  What kind of investment should we make in digital discipleship?  How do we help people stay connected to the mission and vision of the church if they don’t come to centralized gatherings?  What about the underutilized building space we now have?  And hey, what about this: should we interpret these events through an eschatological (end-times) lens?  Is this a manifestation of the “great falling away” alluded to in Scripture?  None of these are deer-in-the-headlights questions, but they are real nonetheless.

One issue I’m particularly concerned about is the impact of a loss community on individual piety.  Those who are regular recipients of my emails are familiar with the quote from Swiss theologian, Francis Schaeffer, that I use as a footer.  It’s his paraphrasing of something Jesus said, “By this, everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another”(John 13:35).  In other words, the community of love within the body of Christ is the proof of who we belong to and is the strongest argument we have about our faith commitment.  It is not talk; it is 100% walk.  How is this mutual love given to and received from the body of Christ if its members choose to remove themselves physically and emotionally?     

I was at a conference last weekend at which one of the speakers said something that caught my attention.  He said, “The Holy Spirit only moves in community.”  He then related his comment to the Trinity being the holy community of three persons in one into which all believers are called and which we are to model on earth in the unity of mutual love.  I know that is a mouthful, but it really just reflects the vertical and horizontal nature of the cross.  

Is he right?  And if he is, what does being in community really mean?  Is isolation from the body of Christ necessarily an impediment to healthy Christian spirituality?  If so, does that mean the desert fathers and mothers of the post-apostolic age and more contemporary people like Thomas Merton were in error?  I don’t think they were.  They may have been extreme examples of those who sought solitude for deep dives into their spiritual selves, but they always came back into the community of faith with something valuable to offer.  That’s a lot different from those who self-isolate because the church and its mission is no longer a priority for them.  It’s a lot different from those whose view of Christian faith is vertical only without regard to how their absence affects the body in terms of the removal of the gifts God gave them for the express purpose of kingdom building.  It’s a lot different from those who have checked-out because they’ve decided that they no longer need the church.  

I won’t say that the Holy Spirit can’t or won’t work in these lives; I believe He can and will.  His principal work, however, is to call and draw them back into the Christ-centered relationships that mark the church.  As in all things, it’s up to them to listen and respond.  Being in Christian community means being committed to the well-being (spiritual, emotional, and material) of those who form the body of Christ.   

There’s no question, as far as I’m concerned, that the church needs to creatively respond to the changed environment, something it has always managed to do.  Time and circumstances have a way of rendering well-accepted models obsolete.  There was a time when blacksmiths had to learn to be auto mechanics or perish.  Perhaps in a few years electric charging stations will fully replace gas stations.  In both examples, wheeled transportation morphed in response to the changing environment and adaptation that was or will be needed.  What is not obsolete is God,  the good news of Jesus Christ, and the call on the church to demonstrate godliness in the world He so loves.     

Whether the answer is renting flexible space rather than building large facilities which must be maintained at significant financial expense, a greater emphasis on house gatherings, or having a strong digital presence for worship, instruction and discipleship or some combination of these and other options, the church must adapt.  Nothing is accomplished by being rigid and inflexible.  But “the church” is not the building and it is not the leadership.  The church is the whole body of Christ and when members of the body start removing themselves as if they didn’t need the rest of the body and the rest of the body doesn’t need them (1 Corinthians 12:1-27), they are moving away from solid spiritual ground onto sinking sand.  Theirs is anti-biblical thinking and ultimately anti-Christian because it is inconsistent with the teachings of Christ.                      

© Byron L. Hannon, 2022.  All rights reserved unless otherwise noted.

Paul’s Paradox

Leave a reply

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21)

From the beginning, I’ve called this blog Just1Voice because my words (and actions) speak of who I am, what I believe, and what I hope for.  I, like the rest of us, cannot speak for anyone else.  What you and I are about may resonate with some, which may facilitate the fellowship of community, and may not resonate at all with others.  Either way, at the end of the proverbial day, each of us stands alone with ourselves.

If you’ve read my postings with any consistency, it should be no secret that I desire to live for God and to glorify Him in all that I do.  I’ve come to believe, after being in relationship with Him for 43 years, that He is my greatest joy, my deepest blessing, and my greatest challenge.  There was a time when I considered spending time alone with God to be an interruption in my daily schedule.  Now, I consider the demands of my schedule to be an interruption in the time I want to spend with God.  Closeness often breeds the desire for more closeness.

A consequence of that intimacy is that more and more I feel alienated from this world and this feeling has become increasingly visceral.  I so easily relate to the “pilgrim” similes and metaphors used in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) and in the New that described Abraham.  He sojourned and settled in places, but by faith, knew his home to be elsewhere.  That is what it is to be an alien.  

I think this is what Paul alluded to when he said “…to live is Christ and to die is gain.” His entire post-conversion life was dedicated to serving the same Jesus who confronted him in a powerful vision while he was on the road to Damascus with the intent of arresting and persecuting Christians.  The quoted passage from Philippians and the surrounding verses are his reflection on the value of his remaining in this life because of the impact he could have on growing and strengthening the Church.  This is, after all, why he was called/commissioned to be an apostle of Christ to the Gentiles (“to live is Christ,” meaning that his purpose in remaining is to reveal the true nature and person of Christ to as many as he could).  Underneath, however, was this recognition that Earth was not his true home.  His true home was in the full presence of His Lord (“to die is gain”).  Becoming a Christian, in faith and not just name, gave him a growing hunger to be fully at home where nothing would be alien.

Sometimes our purpose conflicts with our preference.  It seemingly did for Paul and I understand.  I understand.  But as Jesus once said, “I have come from heaven not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).  If the Son of God took this stance, how much of the same should His servants do?  Not less than, but the same as, although I do confess that I do look forward to the day when I will see and be home.

It’s a paradox that must be for now, one that I and so many others must live and function within…until He says, “It’s time.”

Maranatha!

© Byron L. Hannon, 2022.  All rights reserved to text content unless otherwise stated.