March 13, 2006
He’s NOT sick (by my definition anyway)
Thinking About What Goes Wrong When We Communicate in Platitudes
“But your daddy stayed home sick today,” my wife said to our pastoral team member’s five year old son yesterday morning after he had invited the Bixbys to his home without the knowledge or consent of his parents. “Nah,” retorted the young man in a very knowing but disapproving way, “he’s just laying around.”
We laugh because we know that Chris doesn’t “just lay around,” but kids say the funniest things. And their funny statements give insight into humanity, I think. My wife’s five year old conversation partner illustrates what I think is a common problem in contemporary Christianity. The problem he illustrated is the problem of confining words to a very brittle, narrow, and inflexible definition.
“Sick” to the five year old sage most likely means “throwing up.” Hellooooooo, he’s thinking, if the man is not throwing up, the man is NOT sick! Therefore, if the rest of the world held his rigid and narrow definition of sick, the rest of the world would nod in grieving acquiescence with his disapproval of his father skipping out on church. Thankfully for Chris, the rest of the world has a more comprehensive understanding of the word sick.
Maturity and knowledge will not change the little guy’s definition of “sick” because we all know (even doctors) that if you’re throwing up, you’re sick; but maturity and knowledge will eventually expand his definition of “sick.” His understanding of the word will eventually become more comprehensive. This, in my mind, is half the responsibility of pastoral work. We are constantly helping people get a more comprehensive (and therefore more accurate) understanding of words and concepts that they already know.
I am persuaded the spiritual growth of many is stunted by the fact that many years ago they packed huge words into tiny little boxes. Consequently, those words are of little value to them now. Words like faith, grace, world, and love have been boxed up in convenient definitions and stored away in the Christian’s personal history. This is often the fault of pastors who robotically regurgitated platitudes over a life-time of ministry.
Concepts are no longer appreciated because pastor/teachers froze them in time with platitudes and applications that seemed to serve as the authoritative explanation of said concepts.
Let me explain that last sentence.
The Apostle John said
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world (1 John 2:16).
Clearly, the Apostle is teaching that these three concepts (lust of flesh, eyes, and pride of life) give a comprehensive view of worldliness, or “all that is in the world.” Sadly, most Christians in the pews today are unable to appreciate the value of this statement because they sincerely do not think it applies to them. After all,
the lust of the flesh = extramarital sex
the lust of the eyes = gazing at Sport’s Illustrated swimsuit edition, and
the pride of life = running for political office at the expense of church and home.
Voila! There you have it! An explanation of the text. How hard is that to forget? Sadly, most Christians will remember it for their whole lives — and use it. Many Christians read the Word of God with their applications as definitions and therefore miss the real point of the message. They think, Those naughty people who do those things should repent immediately. The love of the Father is clearly not in them. Thankfully, I do none of the above.
Because they sincerely hold their definitions and applications of Scriptural concepts to be concrete and fixed, they consistently apply those verses to somebody else. It’s convenient too. Tragically, in so doing, not only do they confirm themselves in delusive self-righteousness, but they get bored with the Scripture. It has nothing to say to them.
Platitudinal treatment of abstract concepts is devastating to our hearers. We will ultimately stunt their Christian growth. Sure, grace is God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense and it is also “unmerited favor.” But conceptually, practically, spiritually, and realistically grace is much, much more! Sadly, many Christians in today’s easy-believism culture think of grace as the thing that God showed them way back when they finally ‘fessed up and walked down the aisle. They have never heard of the fact that grace is a constant dynamic that is teaching us to deny ungodliness and live soberly in this present world (Titus 2:11ff). They have not grasped the concept of grace given in measure (Ephesians 4:7), and that they can and ought to pray for more grace (James 4:6) to overcome the still indwelling sin. They scratch their heads in confusion when they read Peter’s salutation: “grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:2).
Hmmm. Once save, always saved. I already got my grace and peace way back when I said the prayer. Must be some odd way of greeting that they used back in Bible times. Boring.Consequently, if they don’t throw their hands up in resignation to the apathy, boredom, and defeat of ignorant Christian life, they will fight for “victory in the Christian life” with incomplete understanding. Words and concepts that were precious to them when the first found Christ could still be precious and meaningful if they had not had glorious truths hammered into hard and narrow defintions by over-used applications, platitudes, and simplistic explanations. God’s words and concepts are not narrowly defined. They are increasingly understood through growth, experience, and knowledge. That’s why we pray unceasingly for “increase in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).
In the same way, pre-schoolers will learn that you cannot harness the word “sick” by “throwing up.” “Throwing up” is indeed “sick.” But “to be sick” is much more than just “throwing up.”
Posted by Bob Bixby at March 13, 2006 11:22 AM | eMail this entry! | 997 WordsThis entry was posted in the following categories:
