Well, it is New Year's Eve, the day when everyone makes all kinds of resolutions, knowing full well that they will all be broken before the end of January—at best.
Like Ted, I have never considered resolutions to be terribly Christian. In fact, they are inimical to grace-based Christianity. Think about it for a second. Christians claim that it is only by the power of God (grace) that any good can happen in anyone's life with any consistency, so where does that leave resolutions? Exactly! On the scrap heap of "good" behavior.
If you insist on making resolutions, then at least have the good sense to follow the advice of Jonathan Edwards:
"Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly entreat him, by his grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake."
Quote HT: Matt Harmon
So, how about these for resolutions that I can keep without God's help:
1. I resolve to fail repeatedly as long as I depend on my own strength
2. I resolve to be a royal jerk and pain in the behind, unless I live dead to self and alive in Christ
3. I resolve to acknowledge my total inability to do anything good apart from the abiding presence of God in my life
There. I can keep those easily—as can anyone else!
</idle musing>
6 comments:
I agree that resolutions are far, far away from grace-based Christian living. I don't know the plans God has for me but He does, and as I rest in Him and look to Him daily I believe He leads and guides me according to the way He has willed and purposed, according to His good pleasure.
Sure I want to eat better and exercise more. I want to be more loving to people. I want to be a more generous person in many ways. But I've found that 'resolving' to do these things has never produced any lasting fruit! To just rest in Christ and to know Him more and more, and to let His life flow through me as I trust Him and die to my own efforts at living the Christian life, that's where I've found slow but steady growth.
Citing Harmon and Edwards? Since when did you become a Calvinist!??!
;)
I don't see a problem with resolutions, per se. Didn't you resolve to love your wife in sickness and in health, for better or for worse??? Is it evil to say such things?????
A dozen years ago I personally 'resolved' (and made vows) to love my wife in sickness and in health, for better or worse, etc, and I've since found that that resolution is worthless! My wife and I have been through some stuff, part of which I've written about here (it's a long blog post and I'm linking to it only to give extra context), and I've found that no matter what I've ever resolved, it's never been my own resolutions that have carried me into true love and victory. In fact, the word "inimical" was used in this post and that truly describes my view on resolutions. They tend to work contrary to the desired effect.
I fully understand I'm not following the party line here, and I'm simply speaking from where I've personally come from. And as I interact with other people around the world, I find more and more people who have been in similar shoes and who have found true freedom in similar ways.
I now love my wife more than ever and am more committed to her than ever, but it's not because I've resolved to do so but rather because I've grown in grace, and continue to do so. In all of this, I've rejected my own attempts (resolutions) at love and commitment and I've rested in the One who stirs up love and good works in me, and who Himself performs them!
I've resolved to make no resolutions, except to rest in Him. :)
Sorry this is long, and I really am not attempting to get anyone to see eye to eye with me, but this really stirs my heart and I just thought I'd share my heart.
Joel,
I agree with you. There is no way that my resolving will have any affect. I love my wife more today than ever before, but it is only because I have allowed Christ to increase my love for her.
James
Maybe we are all here suggesting the same thing: scrape the marriage vows b/c such resolutions are worthless. I'll buy that, but I don't think most believers will!
"I have allowed Christ to increase my love for her." That's what I'm saying here. It wasn't really until my wife and I went through the things we went through a few years ago that I really woke up to how I needed to step aside and rest in Christ and allow Him to do in and through me what I'm incapable of. My life has changed forever, and now I'm free to love rather than obligated to keep my resolutions.
I think you're right, Jonathan, that most believers wouldn't go for scrapping the marriage vows. It almost seems heretical!
But when it gets down to how the Christian life is lived, I don't believe God is relying on my promises and vows. Rather I am relying on His. :)
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