Kierkegaard: Sensing Through Faith pt. 8

"He wills to trasform human beings, and he wills it out of love."

I have committed to these posts, but there are some passages, like the one today that I stare at bitterly for an hour or two before mustering the discipline to write a post.

Read the following lines:

"The Christian must suffer," "must endure sufferings that he consequently can avoid simply by refraining from becoming a Christian."

The title of this series "Sensing Through Faith" becomes important here because my rational, reason-oriented mind familiar with Christendom of 2,000 years of human-invention, quite insistently opposes these lines. Christianity promises blessing, eternal life, provision (ask and it shall be given to you), divine guidance, hope, peace, love, joy...

If you skipped that segment, scroll back up and READ IT!

Reflect on your "cozy, human god." Am I allowed to give assignments? Take time to reflect on your God (I'm pausing to do this).

Here's what I wrote quickly: Safe -this is the first word that cozy, God, and father evoked. Safe from pain, evil, isolation, abandonment, cold, scary things, sickness, fear, change, and the unknown. My cozy, human god should keep me safe from these things, and he should treat me gently and lovingly. Harsh or absolute commands that require sacrifice can be avoided if I am obedient and willing because then he won't punish me.

Haha. Perhaps I have allowed my humanity to color God -just a bit!

" --for God presumably does not know man; his demands are too extravagant, so there have to be pastors to haggle and bargain . . . if [Christianity] has relaxed to what is human, to what has arisen in the human heart, then people naturally think well of it."

The Christianity that I profess and enact is clearly the product of my human heart; God as reflected in the bible, and through Jesus' contemporaneity is peripheral to my interpretation.

"All this is untruth, is a distortion of Christianity."

As I mentioned above, Christianity must be understood through faith because human reason interprets the promises of scripture through our human hearts, which causes a distortion of the truth.

My sister sent me a song, recently, written by John Newton, the man who also penned "Amazing Grace." Listen and read the lyrics to "I Asked the Lord."

I asked the Lord that I might grow,

In faith and love and every grace,

Might more of His salvation know,

And seek more earnestly His face.

It was He who taught me thus to pray,

And He I trust has answered prayer.

But it has been in such a way,

As almost drove me to despair.

I hoped that in some favored hour,

At once He’d answer my request.

And by His love’s constraining power,

Subdue my sins and give me rest.

Instead of this, He made me feel,

The hidden evils of my heart.

And let the angry powers of hell,

Assault my soul in every part.

Yes, more with His own hand,

He seemed, Intent to aggravate my woe.

Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,

Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.

“Lord, why is this?” I trembling cried.

Will You pursue Your worm to death?”

“This is the way” the Lord replied,

“I answer prayer for grace and strength.”

“These inward trials I employ,

From self, and pride, to set you free;

And break your schemes of earthly joy,

That you may find thy all in Me.”

Despair, for Newton, is the result of answered prayer. The weight of sin in his heart, and the failure of his own plans results in freedom from self and pride, and results in dependence upon God only. This does not make "sense," -through faith one surrenders, trusts, and depends, releasing control, questions, and anger, and submits to the reality of a God who wills to transform human beings out of love.

You cannot think this truth into being, it has to be faithfully enacted. I pray for strength for those of you whose inward trials, burdened spirits, and longing hearts are devastated at this time in your lives; you are in good company.