Ive seen numerous people, time and time again, return to their former legalistic brand of Christianity after having tried out this whole grace thing for a season. 9 times out of 10, their return comes on the heels of them experiencing a short season of spiritual laxity or moral shortcoming. In such moments, instead of falling upon the grace and mercy theyd been learning of, they return to the very flavor of Christianity that once ruled and ruined their lives. Why is this? There is a phenomenon that manifests in all of the worlds religions, where one naturally returns to the belief system that taught them to feel guilt. Whatever brand of faith it is that teaches an individual to feel shamed over certain behaviors is the very faith that they will return to upon feeling shame. Why? Because, at least so it seems, the brain assumes that that which taught you to feel guilty is that which has the power to forgive, and relieve you of your sense of guilt. After returning to the source of guilt, one simply employs the methods of attaining forgiveness set out by that faith, the placebo effect does its work, and - voila! - they feel relieved. Then, in order to maintain their sense of relief, they remain bound up in a system that breeds guilt, but promises relief from the same. Whats my point? Guilt and shame are largely things were taught to feel, and they differ greatly from the gentle work of the Spirit. Guilt is an individual feeling and experience, and shame is a communal experience, in which one is made to feel ostracized from, and less than others who are part of the elite, religious community. These experiences and feelings are things imposed upon us from outside sources, and theyre typically religious in nature. If you grew up in such a system, somewhere in your subconscious, you hold a belief that only the organization that taught you guilt and shame can free you from the experience. And so, when you experience a low time, a moral failure, etc..., you may feel a tendency to return to that system, even if just mentally, in order to attain relief from the sensation of guilt and the experience of shame. This, however, is merely a mind game, and not a spiritual necessity! You do not need to return to shame based systems in order to experience forgiveness and relief from negative emotions that occur in the aftermath of personal failures. All you need to do is to trust in the perfect love of your Father and the finished work of Jesus Christ. Theyre more than enough, and you can know that there is no one counting your sins against you!
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 01:47:27 +0000
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