Friday, October 31, 2008

Sanctified?

I'm sitting in class on Wednesday night. As you might expect, the class centered on Satanism and related themes. It wouldn't be the week of Halloween without it. As we were talking about this, someone said something that floored me. Essentially, his point was this - these people that seem to be so diametrically opposed to what we believe have to go through a sanctification process like we do. As the words are being said, my first impulse was to bristle at the choice of words because it seems wrong to say that an active Satanist would be considered sanctified. He went on to explain that these people must wake up every morning, die to themselves and make an active choice to do all the requisiste things: dress appropriately, decide how to communicate their faith clearly and then act accordingly. That should sound pretty familiar. Here's the kicker...they do a better job of "sanctifying" themselves better than we do. There is usually very little ambiguity surrounding them.
I, by comparison, appear lukewarm and pliable. How can I be convinced that I'm right about what I believe and someone whose beliefs are the polar opposite of mine appears to be easily more committed than I am? Is the truth in me? Why do I say that? Is it because it's true or because it's convenient to believe? Is my faith clear to those around me or do I just say that I'm "living out my faith" because believing that relieves me of the responsibility to act out directly what I say that I believe.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Well said... Why aren't we completley sold out to the only true God. I have found the greatest truth in eternity yet I'm not willing to totally sell out to God. Why? Do I really know him or have I just heard about him? Am I just sitting in borderland in the Refuge of the stuck as Mark Buchanan talks about in "Your God Is Too Safe"? How do I break out of the unending cycle of stuck into the vibrant life of following Christ into the wild unknown?