Thought of the Day, Post #1:
I have come to think that in the Christian life, it is far better to live a Spirit-led and power-filled life than to apprehend Christianity intellectually. This does not mean that I am anti-intellectual. While both are needed in my opinion, being empowered by God’s Spirit is an irreplaceable and vital aspect, one that conforms our will — ever weak and prone to straying — to the will of God.
A big reason I see for this is humility. A person who seeks a Spirit-led life has to admit a certain amount of dependence, of ignorance in not knowing what is next, and an admission that weakness is a part of who we are. It is a recognition that we are God’s vessels, empty jars that God fills up with Himself, so that in our weaknesses, it is God that ultimately shines through (2 Cor 4:7). What we lack, God more than supplies through his Spirit. To guide, convict, to be our advocate, to enable the Christian life, to inspire and teach us of scriptures. And when we are lacking, the Spirit, is more than apply to supply us what we need. The Holy Spirit IS the life of the church and of the Christian.
Now, apprehending God intellectually is a thing that I believe should be an aspect of Christian life. It is a part of loving God with all that we are. But an over-reliance on that knowledge, rather than having it become our strength, becomes our weakness instead. It is based on our ability to know and fathom that which is deeply unfathomable. Our “knowledge” puffs up (and if you don’t believe me, you haven’t been in academia long enough), but a life properly led by the Spirit should always be brought back to giving us a real assessment of who we are. When our knowledge is mixed with humility, it is a beautiful thing. But it is no substitute for a life led by the Holy Spirit.
That piece of ancient wisdom that goes “…Know thyself” (attributed to Socrates but apparently far older in origin), says it all for me. I’m wondering if my own experience relates to what you are saying. The knowledge I have gained from this interminable ‘inner’ exploration has been very strange indeed. It hasn’t seemed to reveal to me anything substantial at all. Quite the contrary. All its shown me, if I am being honest, is that I am a pretty chaotic mess inside and, to tell you the truth, I don’t know how the heck I’ve managed to get this far and accomplish what I have. Sometimes I think it was all quite accidental rather than purposeful on my part; my life sort of stumbling along, just sort of of happening that way for no particularly good reason or bad. It’s ironic though that recognizing this fact seemed to herald its end; it was only then that I gained a sense of purpose. You can really ‘feel when your life has got purpose. It just ‘tastes’ different somehow.