SLEEPWALKERS OF THE NETHERWORLD

Plato had likened humanity to people chained in a cave, thinking that reality was little more than the shadows they had always observed. Perhaps we too live in a world of shadows.

While watching an infant being baptized at an Episcopal church, the preacher pronounced:

·       Now I baptize you with the living waters which seal you for eternal salvation by the Holy Spirit.

During the coffee fellowship after the service, I asked a greeter whether she believed that water baptism saves infants as the preacher had proclaimed. She answered that she did not, but that this wasn’t important to her. I then asked, “How then are we saved,” as I looked towards her 10-year-old daughter.

She answered that she didn’t know and wasn’t really that concerned, insisting that it was enough to be a good person. Clearly, she thought herself to be a “good” person. But isn’t this self-righteousness, I thought – the conviction that she is entitled and divinely deserving of certain benefits, perhaps more so than other people. And perhaps this also reflected a hardness on her part – an unwillingness to humbly acknowledge her own moral failures and spiritual need.

I wanted to ask her if she was concerned about this question of salvation for her daughter’s sake. However, she excused herself and walked away.

I find it puzzling that even church people are unconcerned about their eternal destiny. Don’t they need to answer this all-important question? Doesn’t she need the assurance of knowing that she will be with the Lord for all eternity?

After this, my wife and I sat down at a table for a snack. A gentleman in his mid-seventies joined us. After I had asked him about his life and work, he reciprocated by asking this of me. I jumped at the opportunity to tell him about how I had come to a faith in Jesus as a Zionist and a Jew.

I then explained that I had been tormented by the question of salvation. He responded that I probably wouldn’t find anyone in his church who was struggling with this question.

I was incredulous. “But isn’t the question of God, salvation, and an eternity with Him the one question that people need to confront?” I asked. He repeated that his co-congregationists aren’t too concerned with these issues.

How could they not be concerned! They are concerned about their childrens’ clothing and immunizations. Why not their eternal destiny? Many are even facing death without any certainty of where they and their families will be for eternity.

I asked the gentleman across from me how he answered these questions. Unflustered, the gentleman explained that he felt content with the answers given by his Episcopal church. However, he couldn’t answer what they were or even why they should be accepted as true, in light of the many other opinions that people hold.

I was shocked to observe that he remained undisturbed by his failure to provide any coherent answers. He remained the gentleman, but he was sleeping at the wheel as his life careened out of control.

I explained to him that as I grew in the certainty that the Bible is the Word of God and in my understanding of it, I also grew in the assurance that I was beloved for all eternity. However, the gentleman explained that he was confused by the Bible. I had explained to him that I was a teacher of the Bible and would be glad to answer any of his questions, but he had none. Nor did he seem to be concerned about his biblical confusion. Nevertheless, he seemed to enjoy the exchange even though it had exposed his nakedness.

My wife reflected that there were no Bibles in the pews, just the hymnal and the Book of Common Prayer. The gentleman acknowledged that they had disappeared some years ago along with any concern about what God thought about them.

The people at this church claim to believe that there is a God, but He is little more than a three letter word – something that contributes to their identity and affiliations but not to their hopes, dreams, thoughts, or plans. However, they are convinced that they are “good” people.

Plato had explained that those who lived in the cave would naturally be uncomfortable in the light and want to run from it. However, he was confident that once they got used to the light, they would prefer the light.

However, this had not been my experience. I too had been a sleepwalker. I had turned my mind off to the things that I didn’t want to see – disturbing and confusing things. The sun might have been shining, but I preferred the darkness of self-deception. I wanted to feel good about myself. Thinking correctly about myself was simply irrelevant to my pressing needs.

I had to be born from above like the Prophet Ezekiel had described:

·       And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

It is not enough to go to church. Nor is it enough to hear the liturgy. We remain dead even as we walk, talk, laugh, celebrate, and even shed tears.

OUR CHRISTIAN BELIEFS ARE SIGNIFICANT AND SALVIFIC

The skeptic charged:

·       "You Christians got it all wrong. God doesn't care about your dogmatic beliefs but the condition of your heart. What we believe is superficial and unimportant. It's the intents of our heart that matter."

Actually, there is some truth in what the skeptic is saying. The condition of the heart is all important. This is why Jesus taught that we have to be born again (John 3:3,5).

Jesus didn't pull this idea out of thin air. Instead, the need for a new and responsive heart is a Hebrew concept. Jeremiah claimed that a new (or renewed) heart was at the very foundation of God's plan for His people:

·       “They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.” (Jeremiah 32:38-40)

Everything had to start with a change of heart. Why? Because we have all become God's enemies (Rom. 5:8-10; 3:10-16). Therefore our hardened heart first has to be converted:

·       “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:25-27)

The state of our heart determines how we behave and also what we think and believe. It is from our heart that we speak. When our heart is softened, we are drawn to the light of truth - the light that comes from God (John 3:19-21). Consequently, we embrace truths that come from the light.

Similarly, when Jesus perceived that a teacher had answered Him with wisdom, He observed:

·       “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:34)

Why this association between wisdom and closeness to God? Because wisdom comes from a heart made responsive to the things of God, along with faith, righteousness, and obedience.

Wisdom therefore reflects the presence of God. When Jesus saw the wisdom of the centurion who understood that he wasn't worthy that Jesus should come to his house:

·       [Jesus] was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.” (Matthew 8:10)

Wisdom, faith, humility, obedience are all associated, each arising from a heart prepared by God. Consequently, Jesus marveled at the faith of a Canaanite woman whose humbly stated that she was willing to eat the crumbs left by the Jews, as would a dog:

·       “Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.” (Matthew 15:28)

Her faith was a faith in Jesus. It was a living faith associated with wisdom and humility, arising from a heart enlivened by grace.

Here is the underlying point - that faith is not a set of inert beliefs that we generate so that we won't go to hell. Rather, our beliefs are an integral part of a heart and mind that have been enabled to see the truth. In contrast to this, the skeptic charges that our beliefs are superficial and, therefore, could not possibly have anything to do with our ultimate fate.

However, our faith and beliefs are outgrowths of our new heart and inseparable from it, like the oak that cannot easily be separated from the acorn that grew it.

When we have a new heart, we are drawn to the light - the truth - and want to walk in the light, as Jesus taught:

·       “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:19-21; ESV. All others verses in NIV)

Ordinarily, we hate the light. It exposes our evil, and so we feel a greater comfort in the darkness, the place where our deceit and rationalizations will not be exposed. However, when God begins to draw us, we are drawn to the truth of His light and begin to desire to walk in that light, in belief and in behavior.

It is a package deal. Both a renewed heart and faith are the gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9). They are inseparable. Therefore, faith is not superficial but a necessary outgrowth of the born-again gift. We believe because our Lord opened our heart to the light of His truth, as He did for Lydia:

·       “One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.” (Acts 16:14)

Humanity has become such lovers-of-darkness, that we have to be strenuously drawn into the light:

·       “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:44)

One last point - What we believe is not merely the effect, the byproduct of the gift of God. Our beliefs are also causal. They profoundly impact our attitudes, feelings, behavior, and relationships, even our relationship to our Savior and His salvation.

New Age, Human Thriving, and the Good Inner Self

Will love conquer all? Well, it depends on how you define “love.” One anonymous New Ager, reflecting the thoughts of many others, stated:

• Since this inner nature is good or neutral rather than bad, it is best to bring it out and to encourage it rather than to suppress it. If it is permitted to guide our life, we grow healthy, fruitful, and happy.

The way we regard human nature determines how we address human problems. If we regard human nature as basically good and loving, we will gently try to help humans bring forth and accept their natural and good impulses.

David Spangler adds:

• “The New Age approach is to look at the object, people and the events of our lives and to say ‘you are sacred. In you and with you I can find the sacramental passages that reconnect me to the wholeness of creation.’ It is then to ask ourselves what kind of culture, what kind of institutions – be they political, economic, artistic, educational, or scientific – we need that can honor that universal sacredness.”

For Spangler, “sacredness” doesn’t mean that we are created in the image of God but that we remain fundamentally good at the core. And we bring forth humanity’s good nature by affirming their “sacredness.” If we are told we are sacred, perhaps we will begin to act that way.

But if we are basically good and sacred, why is it that we can’t treat others in a loving manner? Why wars, jealousy, hatred, and ethnic cleaning? A common answer is that suffer from a lack of self-esteem. According to New Age guru, Shakti Gawain, we have failed to learn how to trust in ourselves:

• “When we consistently suppress and distrust our intuitive knowingness, looking instead for external authority, validation, and the approval of others, we give our personal power away…Every time you don’t trust yourself and don’t follow your inner truth, you decreased your aliveness and your body will reflect this with a loss of vitality, numbness, pain, and eventually physical disease.”

However, it often seems that those with the highest levels of self-trust or self-confidence can be the most inhumane of people. It is also possible that the attempt to trust in ourselves comes at the expense of understanding ourselves. Perhaps we shouldn’t be affirming ourselves but examining ourselves. Perhaps we do not measure up to the self-trust that Gawain wants us to adopt. Perhaps instead, we need to learn how to be scrupulously honest with ourselves.

Instead, according to another branch of the New Age, our problems derive from our inhumane institutions. In Understanding the Times, David Noebel explains:

• Every humanist psychologist believes the secret to better mental health lies in getting in touch with the unspoiled, inner self.  When man strips himself of all the evil forced on him by society, he will become a positive agent with virtually unlimited potential…The three major assumptions of Humanist psychology are: man is good by nature and therefore perfectible; society and its social institutions are responsible for man’s evil acts; and mental health can be restored to everyone who gets in touch with his inner ‘good’ self.

How then do we get in touch with our “inner ‘good’ self? The outer layers of social conditioning and acculturation have to be peeled back. How? Humanist psychologists use a number of techniques to affirm and love the client through empathy, reflective listening, and unconditional positive regard for each individual, whatever their conduct.

However, while these affirmative techniques often bring about positive and immediate responses, it is questionable whether they succeed in bringing out the good inner self. Perhaps instead they are temporarily effective in manipulating the desired response from the client.

There is also another problem when we believe in the good inner self. We tend to dismiss all other ways of treating others, especially treating others punitively or critically.

Several humanistic women have confidently informed me that any form of punishment is barbaric. After all, if the tender, gentle, and loving response is all that is necessary to bring out the optimal response, then prison and censure become entirely unnecessary, even inhumane.

I asked one of these very lovely and personable women if she thought that if the Allies had just been more empathetic with Hitler, using more reflective listening, they would have been able to tap into his “good inner self,” and WWII would have been averted.

She answered, “Yes.” I was troubled by her revealing response. I was hoping that she would admit that other responses might have proved more fruitful with Hitler, namely a speedy military response.

Wisdom requires discernment. It recognizes that one size does not fit all. It sees that different responses are needful with different people in different situations.

Life is multi-textured, and it requires wisdom to recognize the complexities. Sometimes empathy will not work with a rebellious child. Sometimes firmness and punishment are required. As a probation officer, I often noticed that my younger probationers would respond positively and respectfully to my firmness, as if they recognized that they needed it, and that I was someone who cared about them enough to set firm limits.

The New Age blames institutions and even organized religion. However, our institutions are made up of individuals, each having a “good inner self.” How then is it that our institutions have become so utterly corrupt? We can’t blame other institutions. After all, humanity pre-dated the institutions we created. The answer must be sought at a deeper level.

Perhaps instead, the problem resides in all of us, in our adversity to the truth. Jesus put it this way:

• And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:19-21)

If the problem resides in each one of us, changing institutions will do little to correct it. Instead, we need an answer that goes to the very core of the problem. Perhaps we must be born again. The Prophet Ezekiel prophesied that God would do this very thing:

• And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. (Ezekiel 36:26-29)

That Horrid “Us vs. Them” Distinction and how Jesus Regarded it

Postmodern Christians slam Christianity for making “us vs. them” distinctions. Brian McLaren charges that:

·       Christians have been taught to see in "us vs. them" terms for centuries, and it will take time to reorient faithful people in a new direction -- "us with them," working for the common good (Huffington Post Religion Blog, 2/19/03).

In support of his indictment, McLaren cites two like-minded students:

·       “People don't want to have to side with the church and against their friends who are Buddhist or Muslim or Jewish or agnostic."

·       “We can't find a church that doesn't load a bunch of extra baggage on us. We tried, but they all had this long list of people we had to be against. It's just not worth it.”

Many Christians will give this a resounding “amen” adding, “I just don’t see any difference between Christians and non-Christians.

However, Jesus insisted on a sharp difference. He often made “us vs. them” and “children of this world (of the darkness) vs. His own (of the light) distinctions. To reject this distinction is therefore to reject much of Jesus’ teachings. For example, Jesus taught:

• "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete." (Luke 6:46-49)

Jesus drew a sharp distinction between those who heard His Word and practiced it and those who merely heard. Both built houses that looked the same. However, one had a foundation and the other was built on nothing solid. Their house lacked the foundation faith and obedience to Jesus. Both houses stood firm until the storm destroyed the one lacking this foundation. The storm revealed not only their differing fate but also their very distinctive characters.

The house without the foundation was a sham, a mere deceptive façade. There was nothing supporting it. No one could see the difference between the two prior to the storm. On the surface, both had the same provisions and problems. Both had bedrooms, kitchens, and toilets. Both would need repairs and regular paintings.

The saved and unsaved both raise families. Both laugh and cry with their children, have friends, and suffer losses. In fact, Christ’s children tend to look worse for a number of reasons:

1. They generally had been numbered among the most pathetic and least respected (1 Cor. 1:26-29).
2. They undergo more hardships (1 Peter 4:17).
3. They tend to be more awkward, since they are learning a new language and have to integrate it with the old.

Yet, according to Jesus, the two groups – born again and not - are profoundly different:

• "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again… I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of… the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:3-6)

Christ’s entire teaching is predicated on this distinction. Does it work against the common good as McLaren claims? Instead, it is because of this distinction and the horrible fate of those who have denied Christ that we reach out in love to this dying world!