When dealing with the problem of the Rich Young Man, it is not wrong to say that he needs a change of heart first before he can ever overcome his idolatry of wealth. But let's clarify the details of what a "change of heart" is, and also the actions that necessarily must follow.
"Change of heart" is a vague term that I'd like to separate into two different components. They are "decision" and "repentance". Here's what they look like to me.
"Decision" is when a man realizes he is an idolater, and decides to stop being an idolater. He sees how poisonous wealth can be, and is convicted by Scripture, his heart breaks, and he decides to do something about it. The point of decision is when the man prays to God, "Lord, I've been an idolater, and I don't want to be an idolater anymore."
"Repentance" is different because it's usually a progressive act. You may also call it "sanctification". It is in this stage where the man might give away his possessions, and rearrange his life to remove the temptations of wealth.
Making a heart and mind decision to not be an idolater doesn't make you a non-idolater. My guess is that the love of money is a problem many Christians struggle with, even though they've made honest decisions to flee this temptation. In other words, that "decision" to flee idolatry doesn't necessarily mean that your heart has changed much. It is, however, the crucial first step.
Now, let's simplify. A rich man could decide to give up his idolatry of wealth, but his heart probably won't change in that instant. Furthermore, for his heart to change, it must go through a process of repentance which in this case would most likely involve the sacrifice of his wealth.
In conclusion, while I'd like to affirm that it is indeed the heart-issue which is of primary importance, it is not of singular importance. In fact, when regarding the issue of "repentance" as "change of heart", the heart-issue and action-issue have a sort of chicken and egg relationship. How could Jesus possibly expect the Rich Young Man to actually have a change of heart (repent) with his wallet still full? It is still my belief that if the Rich Young Man made a decision to flee idolatry, Jesus would've instructed him to get rid of the idols in his life.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
People who do good things but don't know why
When a sermon does not under-gird its practical applications with biblical theology, it is merely raising up people who do good things but don't know why.
Sometimes, people ask for sermons to be more practical. They want the preacher to give a memorable acronym that instructs us how to be better brothers and sisters, or a better employee, or how to care for the poor and sick. Of course, practical applications are great. But what good are they if the listener has no idea where they came from?
As I consider my church, I deeply fear that some thirty years later, we'll become a group of people who do good things but don't know why.
Sometimes, people ask for sermons to be more practical. They want the preacher to give a memorable acronym that instructs us how to be better brothers and sisters, or a better employee, or how to care for the poor and sick. Of course, practical applications are great. But what good are they if the listener has no idea where they came from?
As I consider my church, I deeply fear that some thirty years later, we'll become a group of people who do good things but don't know why.
Friday, November 21, 2008
The Rich Young Man
Matthew 19:16-22 is a difficult story. We may feel pity for the rich young man because he was so close! He did everything right. Only if he had let go of his love for money! We might even be reading epistles written by the rich young man!
Actually, he was anything but close. It's clear that his deeds in righteousness were of no value apart from faith in Jesus. What Jesus wanted was for the rich young man to love Jesus more than money. Clearly this wasn't the case.
The question is -- did Jesus really expect the rich young man to give away all his money? Is it possible that, when the rich young man agreed to give away his money, Jesus would've been like, "it's alright, I was just testing you. You can keep the money. Now, follow me."
The dialogue between Jesus and the disciples from v. 23-30 offers us a clue to the answer.
Jesus makes a silly hyperbolic comparison -- that it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Well duh, Captain Obvious, camels can't fit through the eye of a needle. So here's the old-school SAT verbal analogy.
RICH PEOPLE :: KINGDOM OF GOD
and
CAMELS :: EYE OF NEEDLE
The disciples further emphasize the impossibility of a rich person entering the kingdom of God by asking "Who can be saved?"
But Jesus brings it back and provides the answer. He says, "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Jesus makes a direct connection between wealth and entering the kingdom of God.
It's already looking like the rich young man would've needed to get rid of his money... and we haven't even talked about the heart-issue (idolatry) yet. So here's the heart issue.
I think we need a change in perspective. Here is how we often think:
"If the rich young man wasn't an idolater, he would've given up his money." (Therefore, he needs a change in his heart.)
But we ought to consider a different paradigm.
"In order to not be an idolater, the rich young man must give up his money." (Therefore, he needs to get rid of the money, temptations.)
The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Who doesn't love money? I suppose there are some people out there who can look at fancy cars and cell phones and not be tempted, but I'd say that most of us suffer from this disease. Clearly, the rich young man suffered from it. Faithfulness to Jesus involves both a singular allegiance in the heart, and also a rearrangement of life to both reflect and facilitate that allegiance. No matter how sincere the rich young man was in his initial oath of poverty, it would've been impossible for him to be temptation-free if he kept his money. Therefore, to follow Jesus would require him to give away the money.
This is a rather brief commentary based only on the immediate context of the passage. There are numerous comparisons to be done with other stories, such as Job, Abraham & Isaac, Zacchaeus, etc. Supporting arguments from those perspectives will follow later.
Actually, he was anything but close. It's clear that his deeds in righteousness were of no value apart from faith in Jesus. What Jesus wanted was for the rich young man to love Jesus more than money. Clearly this wasn't the case.
The question is -- did Jesus really expect the rich young man to give away all his money? Is it possible that, when the rich young man agreed to give away his money, Jesus would've been like, "it's alright, I was just testing you. You can keep the money. Now, follow me."
The dialogue between Jesus and the disciples from v. 23-30 offers us a clue to the answer.
Jesus makes a silly hyperbolic comparison -- that it is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Well duh, Captain Obvious, camels can't fit through the eye of a needle. So here's the old-school SAT verbal analogy.
RICH PEOPLE :: KINGDOM OF GOD
and
CAMELS :: EYE OF NEEDLE
The disciples further emphasize the impossibility of a rich person entering the kingdom of God by asking "Who can be saved?"
But Jesus brings it back and provides the answer. He says, "with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Jesus makes a direct connection between wealth and entering the kingdom of God.
It's already looking like the rich young man would've needed to get rid of his money... and we haven't even talked about the heart-issue (idolatry) yet. So here's the heart issue.
I think we need a change in perspective. Here is how we often think:
"If the rich young man wasn't an idolater, he would've given up his money." (Therefore, he needs a change in his heart.)
But we ought to consider a different paradigm.
"In order to not be an idolater, the rich young man must give up his money." (Therefore, he needs to get rid of the money, temptations.)
The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Who doesn't love money? I suppose there are some people out there who can look at fancy cars and cell phones and not be tempted, but I'd say that most of us suffer from this disease. Clearly, the rich young man suffered from it. Faithfulness to Jesus involves both a singular allegiance in the heart, and also a rearrangement of life to both reflect and facilitate that allegiance. No matter how sincere the rich young man was in his initial oath of poverty, it would've been impossible for him to be temptation-free if he kept his money. Therefore, to follow Jesus would require him to give away the money.
This is a rather brief commentary based only on the immediate context of the passage. There are numerous comparisons to be done with other stories, such as Job, Abraham & Isaac, Zacchaeus, etc. Supporting arguments from those perspectives will follow later.
I wanna go...
I'm having this little itch to go and visit some places around China. Here are some pics from my favorite places!
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