We often think of the Christian life as becoming progressively more like God – in character, if not in substance. Though this is true in some respects, it is not an appropriate description of the whole of sanctification. Indeed, through the process we are to become less like God in certain respects, for naturally we are afflicted with a multitude of inappropriately Godlike dispositions.
The crux of the problem is that we relativize our references when they should be absolute. Take the following examples:
-God values Himself as the highest good.
-We value ourselves as the highest good, as if we were gods ourselves. Our reference to Good must be absolutely like God’s, and not relatively so: we must value God as God values Himself, not value ourselves as God values Himself.
-God’s love desires for its object that which comes from Himself, which is their highest Good.
-Our love naturally desires for its object that which comes from ourselves, as if we had their highest good. C.S. Lewis wrote much about love corrupted in this way – explicitly in The Four Loves, and implicitly in The Great Divorce and Till We Have Faces. Our reference must point the objects of our love absolutely to their highest good, not relatively to ourselves.
-God’s wrath is incited by a slight to His own glory.
-Our wrath is incited by a slight to our own dignity. Instead, proper anger on our part is to be directed at sin – intended slights to the glory of God – our own dignity being counted as nothing (c.f. John Piper’s post on anger without sin).
This is the difference between the intended Godliness of the saint and the intended Godlikeness of Lucifer. Where Lucifer desired, as our flesh often does, to lay claim to the object of these references, we must know that they can only be absolute and immutably pointed at God. Without that absolute reference, our values are idolatrous, our love is corrupt, our anger is unjust, and who knows what other categories I’ve neglected to include. I suspect there are many more. It is ultimately the difference between pride and humility, even the root of all sin.
3 Responses
Jul 12 at 2:37 am
Without earthly pleasures, there is no driving force to better the self, for the sake of the self. Capitalism and most any civilization could not exist without it. The keyboard I am typing on, the website I am posting this on, the screen I am looking at, and the power plant that provides electricity to all of it would not exist. I could continue to list items but suffice to say that virtually all human creations are created with the express intent of benefiting the consumer through the pleasure it provides or the creator through the money earned.
Look around your room for a moment and list anything man made. We are living in total depravity.
I’m fine with that, but that’s not the point. The point is, given this knowledge, are you fine with it?
Jul 31 at 3:32 pm
Joseph, I’m not sure I follow your point exactly, but based on your primary assertion, you are making an assumption. Christians normally work from the assertion that proximity to God, in some word or phrase (whether Heaven or Beatific Vision) is a worthy enough goal to better the self. In brief, working with the knowledge that God is the highest good, and the following point that anything below the highest good is good only by being derivative of this highest good, “bettering yourself” would simply (in a philosophical sense) entail proximity to this highest good. Thus, capitalism/hedonism/the pursuit of happiness (which, though I do not know where you are from, is quite an American thing to reference) would actually be a detriment to “bettering yourself”. Of course, this is in light of the two opposing worldviews.
Jul 31 at 4:50 pm
“Christians *normally* work from the assertion that proximity to God, in some word or phrase (whether Heaven or Beatific Vision) is a worthy enough goal to better the self.”
If I were to poll every christian college student in the world, and I asked them “Why are you in College?” How many would respond “To be closer to God” et al? How many would respond “To get the high paying job” or “to party”?
That is just one example of course. I could list a series of activities that the greater population engage in, that seemingly have no God-driven purpose.
Playing Video Games.
Watching Most TV shows.
Watching Most Movies.
Eating sweets or other foods that bring pleasure.
In fact if I had to define the driving force for most of our actions, I would say Money, and Power. Power and Money are means to achieving material possession. With both or enough of one, you can get cars, houses, sex with beautiful women, just about anything. Humans *normally* act for their own benefit, not God’s.