Tag: christ

Christian Forgiveness in Daily Life

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Forgiveness is the ultimate mercy we are shown by God. His grace is undeserved and an act of pure mercy. It is ineffable, completely incomprehensible why he would come to us; the only answer we are given is love. We have to remind ourselves of the significance of this every day. It’s easy to forget about it because it’s so incomprehensible. The magnitude is hard to grasp. Still, a part of our daily meditation is to tap into the immense gravity of the meaning of forgiveness.

We all go through hardships of different degrees and taken with different temperaments. It’s easy to forgive ourselves for acting out from hardships, but we can’t seem to access that sort of empathy for others. We assume the worst by assuming everybody has easy circumstances and that we are the only ones suffering. It’s through empathy we can forgive.

In our own forgiveness, we must forgive others and ourselves. Forgiving others may come easy to some, but it is a monumental challenge to those who have been dealt lasting harm from others. It’s an act of obedience to forgive others. We have to look to God to understand others and to show the same overflowing love to others. In forgiving ourselves, we must not be flippant and let ourselves off the hook too easily. Repentance cannot be taken for granted. We may sin the same sin again, but we should know that it becomes increasingly painful and we cannot make forgiveness a transactional blank cheque.

A part of being generous and giving is being forgiving and bending for people. Obviously, there are boundaries and lines drawn by principle that we should not cross. But there is room for discretion, especially when it’s for the benefit of others instead of ourselves. We can often fool ourselves into thinking that we’re being selfless when it’s actually for our own pride. The example by C.S. Lewis is an overbearing woman who insists on having a tiny piece of toast and perfect temperature tea in an attempt to show modesty or the like; in actuality, it’s their own need for control and wanting things just their way that’s at play.

God shows leniency towards us. He could punish us or turn his back on us, but he always shows love and care. We have to use that example. Underlying lenience should be trust in God. There’s a time for everything. One way to understand Genesis and the forbidden fruit is to trust God in our growth. We can’t attempt to have things our way or control the timing of things; in this sense, we should not prematurely taste the fruits. We have to be patient and trusting of God and know that one day we’ll grow enough for God to serve us the fruits when it is allowed. The permission for our own good. It’s not an arbitrary rule; rather, it is like restricting the big boy’s bicycle until the child masters the training wheels. 

We have love as our breastplate and hope of salvation as a helmet. Through this, we can be lenient towards others and understand the relative insignificance of our tribulations. We can forgive others and glean over slights. Lenience can be understood as essentially interpersonal, but we should also be lenient towards ourselves insofar as not worrying about our own abilities and instead leaning on God.

Unconditional Commitment: Embracing Kierkegaard’s Philosophy for Christianity

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“Unconditional commitment” is the term Hubert Dreyfus used in explaining a core concept in Søren Kierkegaard’s philosophy. It is a risky leap of faith that overcomes nihilism and gives meaning to our lives and our every action. All other commitments are flimsy and can fail, so we need some ultimate commitment to prop up our lives and use as a lens to see our lives through. The example Dreyfus uses is Martin Luther King and his civil rights movement—King wakes up every day knowing all his actions are directed towards his cause, and this is what gives his life meaning. Every moment was around social justice and civil rights, and all of his choices or value in life is guided by this single source of purpose. For Dreyfus, his unconditional commitment is teaching, which engrosses him entirely and he puts everything into it. And it truly made Dreyfus one of the greatest teachers and made his 87 years on this earth truly meaningful. However, the opportunity costs, the incomplete knowledge of the decision, and the complete devotion are some of what make an unconditional commitment an inherently risky decision to take.

What is the application to the Christian life? It’s straightforward and what Kierkegaard originally intended, that is, Christianity is the proper unconditional commitment. We have to see our entire life through the lens of Christianity: every action, decision, and plan. Deviating from this leads to inauthenticity, existential anxiety, and a failure to be ourselves. To stick to a commitment is a truism. For a commitment to be unconditional means that it is ultimate. To become and be a Christian is to live a life based on an unconditional commitment to Christ.

Eternal priorities are the ultimate priority. It gives everything else meaning. They are the priorities that prioritize everything else in life. Eternal priorities are related to the purpose Christians are put on earth for: spiritual growth, serving others, and, above all, serving God. As we take every step, make every action, choose every decision, we must always remember our ultimate priorities. The priorities that transcend time. Past and future are insignificant in comparison, and, in the present, we must reflect and reorganize our priorities to match the eternal priorities.

Every morning we must take on our new life. We have to enter the perspective of eternity to know our true selves. How we forget so easily is beyond me. Perhaps our animalistic side is somehow primary and we have to deliberately enter into more sober thinking. Even beyond the human, we have to try our best to reconnect with the Lord and ask for forgiveness of our sins. We can be grateful for everything by virtue of the light the Lord provides. Nothing can shake this core of faith.

Why are these priorities of infinite importance yet so easily forgettable? Is it because we believe it’s a part of our private lives and it crumbles as soon as the public knocks on the door? If so, we must integrate our beliefs into all areas of our life. We have to remind ourselves every day we wake up. If we look through the lens of eternity properly, we can enjoy our lives and appreciate the insignificance of our day-to-day to enjoy it. Like a stroll through the garden, even war and plague are nothing in the eternal perspective.

We are not meant for this world. But we are not prepared for the eternal either. We struggle awkwardly to have a glimpse at the eternal. The gap between eternal priorities and what we have here on earth is so vast that it seems impossible to apply. How do we apply eternal priorities to everyday practical priorities? Aren’t they insignificant compared to the eternal? In a sense, yes. But our day-to-day can contribute minutely to the eternal and have lasting compound effects.

We should remember the new covenant in contrast with the old. We have been saved eternally and made anew to obey the command of God in each situation rather than through legalistic laws. The knowledge of God is readily accessible to us through the Holy Spirit insofar as spiritual purity and morality, but we also have intellectual confidence that the experience of the Holy Spirit is more real than anything here on earth.

Freedom is often the central topic for existentialist thinkers. Radical freedom is a trait specific to humans and the experience of being a human. Freedom leads to uncertainty, anxiety, and all sorts of life’s complexities. We may choose to ignore our radical freedom, but this too has consequences. Ignoring our freedom is also a choice. Perhaps not as deliberate, but this can be all the more toxic. Kierkegaard diagnoses this neglect of our own freedom as the chief source of existential anxiety. It is interesting that secular thinkers also neglect freedom as the ultimate sin.

For the Christian, the freedom we have is a gift from God. Perhaps it is our ultimate gift. We have to nurture it and exercise our freedom wisely. We must use it to grow and make choices that align with God. This is our true purpose and the reason why we are on this earth at all; truly, all of our choices need to be deliberate and informed by our commitment to Christ. Through prayer and meditation, we can slow down and be more aware of our choices. We cannot let the world distract us and usurp this power of choice. We cannot use our freedom for ourselves and dig our empty cisterns. We need the spring of living water and set God at our core. An unconditional commitment to God is the only way to be truly free.

By taking on a conditional commitment, one becomes what Kierkegaard calls, “a knight of infinite resignation.” The knight of infinite resignation deliberately makes the choice to resign everything in life to focus on one source of value. Infinite resignation is a movement whereby one gives up what is most precious to them, and, in relinquishing the finite, gaining an “eternal consciousness” so that only love for God remains. The idea is to resign ourselves to God. With pure faith, we can go beyond the ethical realm and the norms of our community or self-authorized morality. We are weak thinkers; we need God’s infinite wisdom for our partial wisdom to be perfected in us. We must take every step with reference to Christ. We must give up everything—approval of others, value from others, or any animalistic, selfish desire—and instead, we must make reference to the only purpose.

We recommit ourselves every day, moment, and second. We can forget momentarily but all of our meaning must return to God. All decisions, every step, and every thought. All we can do is have faith in his grace. Life becomes simple. The busyness of life and the many distractions become noise. The correct perspective aligns all your decisions to a singular point, and all else is resigned. In other words, we give our all to the lord; we lift it all up to him and faithfully resign our will to his.

“That is why the real problem of the Christian life comes where people do not usually look for it. It comes the very moment you wake up each morning. All your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view, letting that other larger, stronger, quieter life come flowing in. And so on, all day. Standing back from all your natural fussings and frettings; coming in out of the wind.“

  • C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)

The Christian Perspective on Honor: Rediscovering the Lost Virtue for Modern Faith

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Honor is a lost virtue. Honor, defined loosely as living up to the expectations of a group through keeping faith, promises, and truthfulness, is traditionally linked to free, adult males and is difficult to justify against universalist ethical theories. Honor has historically been central to political and commercial life, especially in a social context where individuals can bind themselves.

Modern philosophers often view honor as superficial compared to consequentialist and deontological ethics, yet some, like Aristotle, considered it the pinnacle of virtue. Honor’s commitments are socially contextual and non-contractual, relying on individual capacity and varying by society. It is seen as a measure of one’s ability to fulfill promises and display power. The concept faces challenges, such as its association with status and reputation, its misattribution to groups, and its alignment with the moral standards of its social context. While adaptable to enlightened concerns, honor’s non-universal nature may conflict with modern ethical intuitions like international human rights.

Despite its perceived primitiveness and association with questionable principles, like lawless gangs or vigilantism, honor remains significant in various forms. Honor cultures were much more common in the past, and it has grown to mean many things. Some relate it to valor, chivalry, and honesty; others connect it to a quality of worthiness and respect in relation to social standing. Socially, it has been connected to a code or a code of honor, or a kind of social norm that is understood and respected, and obeyed. It can cut to the core of what defines the elevated status of humanity: the dignity and respect owed to humans in virtue of being human. Of course, this dignity must be upheld and deserving through one’s actions.

The honor however does not come from our own pride, historical legacy, or honor of our tribe. The honor of the tribe is closer. We must remove ourselves completely from the equation. We must be honorable because we are a representative of Christ. Our honor is also not motivated by domination and superiority; rather, it is motivated by love and aligning ourselves with God. If anything, we seek to attain superiority over sin, but not over sinful people—this is an important distinction.

Through the Christian lens, honor is a duty. We must honor God, honor strangers, honor our intimates, and honor ourselves. We must align ourselves with the code of conduct worthy of Christians. Obedience to commands, while it is a small part of our relationship with Christ, is crucial and must not be taken lightly. Obedience and honor flows naturally from a loving relationship, but sin corrupts and we must always be conscience of honor to algin ourselves properly with God again.

Honor is closely related to holiness. We have to maintain holiness and strive to go beyond our sinful nature. The principles we follow from our relationship with Christ must be as important to us as the chase for glory is important for the warrior. We must enthusiastically uphold righteousness and high standards of Christ.

The lost virtue of honor must be on the minds of contemporary Christians. Drawing hard lines and doing things out of obedience is forgotten in this age of liberalism and self-reliance. To think that we are the arbiters of the code of conduct and that we can prioritize our desires over being honorable is hubris. We must humble ourselves. We must act honorably. 

Christian Meditation: Exploring the Unique Dimension of Relationship with God

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Meditation has been in the attention of empirical studies and its positive effects have been readily proven. Still, there is more to uncover, especially in relation to more abstract ideas of religiosity, mysticism, and sacred ideas of enlightenment, the divine, and so forth. It is difficult to connect to Christianity without casting Christianity in the box of just another religion. I will try to tease this separation out and argue for what is unique about Christianity and meditation.

Christian meditation can include other readily studied elements of mindfulness, peace, or whatever else is in popular jargon, but the unique dimension is its focus on the relationship with God. Christian meditation seeks to strip away all the distractions of the world and focus on a deeper reality of, as coined by Martin Buber, I and Thou. This is characterized by mutuality, presentness, and ineffability. It is a direct relation to God, who is ever-present in us and the awareness of the relationship is triggered by many sublime resemblances—music, nature, or other forms. We disconnect from this awareness of God so easily, and it becomes difficult to reconnect to this ideal view.

Being present is another widely used term in religion, particularly in Eastern traditions. One adage suggests that obsession over the future leads to anxiety and obsession over the future leads to depression; as such, the proper way to live is to be in the present. Meditation is supposed to help with this. A key takeaway is the ability to control one’s thoughts and control one’s ruminations on thing out of our control. It’s tempting to self-flagellate over our past or go through hypotheticals of the future, but resistance and focus on the present experiences is the healthier way to live our lives. Enough navel-gazing and paralysis through our catastrophizing.

How do we understand this through Christianity? God commands us not to ruminate on our sins; we must learn from it, ask for forgiveness, and move on. God also commands us to trust him for our futures; we can make prudent plans to some degree, but we must not overly commit to our future. This latter point needs explanation. We are not in control of our future and we tend to forget this. We think we have the power or control to direct our steps, yet we have brief glimpses of our helplessness. We do not know what to do with our ultimate helplessness so we naturally try to believe ourselves out of this. To delude ourselves into thinking we have control is the ultimate poison when things do not go our way. This is why faith and reliance on God is liberating.

The eternal perspective is best understood as a continual present. It takes faith and dependence on God to move forward this way. By staying in the present, we become free from everything else in the world. The daily scurry that is motivated by an uncertain future and the push of regret from a turbulent past—all those elements dissolve in the present. We can enjoy life by enjoying our walk with the Lord.

We also do not know what our past leads up to. As our past grows, it can become increasingly unclear how it all fits together. The trajectory of the past into the future can be so unclear to us. As the saying goes, things can change overnight. In this vein, the monotony of our day-to-day present can be upsetting. But we have to understand again that any second anything can happen and change can be drastic. We have to be faithful in our day-to-day for our master to call us. We must be ready.

The metaphor for me is the walk with Christ. As we live our lives, we are in constant walk with Christ. He never leaves us, and there is nothing outside of the walk; that is, our very steps into the future are our walk with Christ. Meditation allows us to tap into the reality above our day-to-day life: the presence of Christ by our side walking with us.

This is particularly lost in the modern world and meditation becomes that much more important. We get swept up in the distractions of the world and almost forget completely about the reality that is much more real than our day-to-day. The very mode of thinking becomes stuck. We do the most unhuman and unnatural thing for humans: forget the relationship with Christ. We can remember Christ through our inundated lens, but this forgets the relational aspect of fully experiencing the indescribable presence of Christ.  

I often meditate on the past in order to understand the present. I looked at an old photo album today and saw my parents. I meditated on their position as recently arrived immigrants—poor, scared, and working all the time. I felt so ungrateful for my current position and I felt like I had an infinite debt owed to them. This taste of being truly loved is a fraction of what God feels for us and what he’s done for us. The true depths are unfathomable.

Embracing Weakness and Finding Strength in God’s Power

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But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

  • 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

God’s power is often shrouded in mystery because it isn’t obvious to us in our daily lives. We read about it in the Bible, through miracles and various acts, but experiencing it firsthand is rare. This elusive nature makes it challenging for us to fully grasp or understand God’s omnipotence.

Omnipotence is an abstract concept that is difficult for us to comprehend. It is a philosophically complex topic. We might think of strength or power in terms of our everyday lives, but these are imperfect glimpses of true omnipotence. The power to create nature, the universe, and even our own minds and bodies is so far beyond our understanding; its magnitude renders it ineffable and we cannot get our minds around this infinite power.

God’s power is seen directly all throughout the Old Testament. Miracles provide a tangible example of God’s power. They represent God’s ability to interrupt the natural order with His divine will and breaking the very laws we consider immutable. This is why miracles can be hard to believe; they defy the logic and understanding of the human mind. For Christians, recognizing this power should inspire reverence and guide our daily lives. Forgetting God’s power means missing a crucial aspect of who God is which leads to an incomplete worship.

However, in the New Testament, we mostly see them through the miracles of Jesus. There are a few exceptions. Notably, the blinding of Paul, which led to his conversion. Arguably, this is also through Jesus, as he was the one he met on Damascus road and received censure for persecuting Christians. The giving and taking of his vision led to the conversion of Paul.

Thinking about what Paul experiences is revealing. Being blinded is a traumatic experience and undercuts whatever status Paul believed he had in persecuting Christians. God’s power shattered his worldview and it all changed in a moment. God’s power also restored his vision and, symbolically, helped him see the world clearer through his conversion.

We also see God’s power through the ultimate miracle of the resurrection of Christ. It’s the most supernatural event. Conquering death and sin. It destroys all of our anxiety, doubt, and angst. We can confidently move forward under the authority and strength of God; we know he is our ally so long as we have faith. This is the ultimate gift. God’s power is always there and it has the potential to change everything at any moment. Understanding this can bring us out of thinking we have things under our control or that things are hopelessly beyond our control. Faith in God’s power is what motivates and moves us.

When we meditate on God’s power, we become acutely aware of our own weaknesses. However, it is through these weaknesses that God’s power is perfected. We can take solace in knowing that our limitations are part of a greater, infinite power. Any strength we perceive in ourselves pales in comparison to God’s power. When we see others wielding power, we must remember that it is insignificant next to God’s omnipotence. We should not fear but respect human power, always keeping in mind its insignificance compared to the divine. God’s power is always with us.