Who Said That?
The other day my wife caught me talking to myself. That’s right, I was audibly carrying on an imaginary conversation. Now, it wasn’t really loud. My lips were moving and I guess she heard something. Does that qualify me for institutionalization? Am I crazy? Well, as the one in question, I would have to say that sanity is a subjective thing. In other words, crazy often just means, misunderstood. Yes, I talk to myself sometimes, but that’s just because sometimes no one else will listen. Thanks for listening, me.
The fact that it is possible to have a conversation with yourself (come on, you do it too) helps to understand what Jesus came to do. He came to divide. In talking to Nicodemus, he said, “flesh is flesh… spirit is spirit.” When you are reborn through faith in the finished work of the cross of Christ, something brand new is planted inside the old. It’s like the Israelites entering the Promised land, even though it’s full of enemies. There’s a new life that gets put inside you when you come to faith in Christ, but the old is still there. There is war going on between the two. It doesn’t have to be a war, though. The nature of the new is like those that marched around Jericho. Those walls didn’t stand a chance.
All the same, there are now two natures. If you don’t think so, read Romans 6 and 7, again. This is not to say that all Christians have multiple personality disorders. There is one you. But the old you dies on the cross with Jesus, and the new you is immediately planted in the old, dead, you. This is confusing, as spiritual things normally are to natural minds (1st Cor. 2:14). Paul says it this way, “Reckon yourselves as dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” There are two things that happened at the cross. The first is death, not only for Jesus, but for those who trust in him too. His crucifixion provides the severing of your old enslaved life to sin. His resurrection (2nd thing) infuses his very life into you, starting you over again. But the old dead you is still encasing this new life.
So, how does talking to yourself help to see this? There is a back-and-forth between the flesh and the spirit. What theologians (we should all be, really) call the Adamic life is dead set against this new Christ-life. It’s like the animosity between Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael represents mans efforts to achieve God’s ends. Isaac represents God’s way. Temptation does not come from the devil, it comes from you. (James 1:14) The old dead sinful self talks to the new Christ-life, trying to entice you to go back to your old ways. The trick is not to talk back.
You won’t argue or reason your way out of temptation. The old life is conniving and scheming. Your focus needs to remain on the source of your new life. And that is none other than Jesus, of course. People talk about victorious Christian living, as if the battle is still to be fought. Christ won already. You just have to believe it. It’s hard to see, especially when your gaze is turned inward. Look into the empty tomb instead. Look at the scars that Jesus decided to keep in his glorified body.
The next time you are engaged in a little heart to heart with yourself, turn it into a prayer instead. I’ll try too. Hold me to it. Even Jesus had a habit of going alone to the mountain to pray. It will help you to remember what he’s done for you already. It will keep you out of the loony-bin too.
BJ
The fact that it is possible to have a conversation with yourself (come on, you do it too) helps to understand what Jesus came to do. He came to divide. In talking to Nicodemus, he said, “flesh is flesh… spirit is spirit.” When you are reborn through faith in the finished work of the cross of Christ, something brand new is planted inside the old. It’s like the Israelites entering the Promised land, even though it’s full of enemies. There’s a new life that gets put inside you when you come to faith in Christ, but the old is still there. There is war going on between the two. It doesn’t have to be a war, though. The nature of the new is like those that marched around Jericho. Those walls didn’t stand a chance.
All the same, there are now two natures. If you don’t think so, read Romans 6 and 7, again. This is not to say that all Christians have multiple personality disorders. There is one you. But the old you dies on the cross with Jesus, and the new you is immediately planted in the old, dead, you. This is confusing, as spiritual things normally are to natural minds (1st Cor. 2:14). Paul says it this way, “Reckon yourselves as dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” There are two things that happened at the cross. The first is death, not only for Jesus, but for those who trust in him too. His crucifixion provides the severing of your old enslaved life to sin. His resurrection (2nd thing) infuses his very life into you, starting you over again. But the old dead you is still encasing this new life.
So, how does talking to yourself help to see this? There is a back-and-forth between the flesh and the spirit. What theologians (we should all be, really) call the Adamic life is dead set against this new Christ-life. It’s like the animosity between Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael represents mans efforts to achieve God’s ends. Isaac represents God’s way. Temptation does not come from the devil, it comes from you. (James 1:14) The old dead sinful self talks to the new Christ-life, trying to entice you to go back to your old ways. The trick is not to talk back.
You won’t argue or reason your way out of temptation. The old life is conniving and scheming. Your focus needs to remain on the source of your new life. And that is none other than Jesus, of course. People talk about victorious Christian living, as if the battle is still to be fought. Christ won already. You just have to believe it. It’s hard to see, especially when your gaze is turned inward. Look into the empty tomb instead. Look at the scars that Jesus decided to keep in his glorified body.
The next time you are engaged in a little heart to heart with yourself, turn it into a prayer instead. I’ll try too. Hold me to it. Even Jesus had a habit of going alone to the mountain to pray. It will help you to remember what he’s done for you already. It will keep you out of the loony-bin too.
BJ
posted by BJ at 8:42 a.m.
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