I think it’s pretty obvious that
everything we do has some sort of motivation behind it. No one sane acts
arbitrarily or randomly. Even if someone claims to do so, they are choosing to
do so for a reason. So it’s not really random.
As Christians, there ought to be
some very specific and thought out reasons what we do. While I am certainly not
claiming that we can or do act perfectly, but merely that we should have
thought through every action before we act.
The Protestant document, the
Westminster catechism, a 17th century Presbyterian standard, proclaims in its
first question and answer (Question: What is the chief end of man? Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God and
enjoy him forever.)
While that answer may or may not be
true, I want to suggest that practically speaking, not theoretically, but
rather how it actually plays out in ones life, that this kind of thinking tends
toward temporality, and sensuality. From
my own experience and from the many, many highly educated Calvinists that I
know, a daily struggle in sanctification is not at the forefront of ones life,
but rather an "enjoyment of God's creation", to quote one prominent
minister. To quote another, "life is not for fasting, but for feasting,
God has saved us, we need to celebrate. It's about "With whom can I share
this Rocky Road ice cream?""
The Eastern Orthodox
perspective is somewhat different.
Instead of a "Jesus' work is done, let's party" attitude, the
Orthodox response is one of repentance. Jesus' work is done, now we are able
and responsible to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). We recognize
just how sinful we are, how darkened our souls are, and how much of our
thinking has to change, that our plates are full. A soldier in boot camp is not
celebrating his role in the army; he is conditioning his body and will to obey the commands of the
officer in charge. He is making his body do what it is told and he is pushing
the limits of his ability. That is a picture of our life on earth.
In short, we have so much progress that we need to make before we enter eternity. Our goal should be to be as much like Christ as possible. I believe that rules out a "eating Rocky Road ice cream" kind of lifestyle.
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