How to Face Commitment

How to Face Commitment

 

Know that all truth begins with and comes from God.  With that assurance be committed to being a lifelong learner.  Then, honestly embrace the fact that we see things in "a mirror dimly." and since we never see clearly, be ready to fearlessly say, "I was wrong."

In this context "sin boldly."  "Iron sharpens iron."  Butter doesn't sharpen anything.  Only in the spirit of earnest and sincere peer review is it possible to sharpen convictions.  Yes, we have convictions and hold to them tenaciously; but in honesty we realize that our convictions fall short of God's Truth.  We know that Jesus is that Truth, but our service to Him can always be better.  There is always a new Higgs particle to look for.  There is always room for improvement.

On the other hand, the same things are true of those who hold the opposite opinion.  Much of the time we fail to listen honestly, and we miss being sharpened by another because of spiritual deafness.

In this respect, theologians are often incredible liars: in the heat of conviction and debate they stop listening to what the other fellow is saying, focus on winning rather than learning, and produce schism rather than unity, heresy rather than growth, disaster rather than healing.  The phenomenon known as the “We-They Siege Mentality” lurks everywhere.

Nevertheless, we don’t have to put up with an endless barrage of inane senselessness.  Instead, find and be committed to close friends who think outside of the box; then we will challenge their ideas faithfully, being willing to be challenged in return.  Make friends with the “other side” if it’s open to debate.  We cannot undo the wreckage of the Reformation if we’re unwilling to have and love both Lutheran and Roman brothers-sisters.  We have to respect each other, we have to put away the weapons, and we have to talk.  The same thing is true of Orthodox and Western relations.

Also, we need to focus on key issues.  It’s too easy to get caught up in trivia.  The top two or three issues is where we need to be most active.  When our worthy opponent says, “Who cares?  You’re nit-picking.” Maybe that’s a clue that were off focus.  Hitting the nail on the head makes all the difference.

Finally, this all adds up to one big idea.  We should be listening far more than we should be talking.  The person we should be listening to, most of all, is God.