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        Some have called the Christian life an acquired balance between two paradoxes, and the path of life a tension between two paradoxes. There are the counterbalancing teachings of Scripture that are needed to keep us in the Way. Faith can be very close to pride, and to walk in greater faith brings us even closer to this thin line between them.

        This may seem complicated, and it can become complicated, if we do not hold to the exhortation of II Corinthians 11:3: “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” Everything stays simple and pure as we keep our focus on and devotion to Christ.

        It is our self-centeredness, the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, that has us continually and constantly looking at ourselves, which makes everything complicated. We will never be changed into the Lord’s nature by looking at ourselves—positively or negatively. We are only changed when we see His glory. We do need some self-evaluation, but to mature in Christ is to become less self-centered, less self-focused, and more Christ-centered. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 4:1-4:

Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.

But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself.

For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.

        When I was a young Christian trying to be a pastor, I received two letters the same day—one accusing me of being too controlling, the other accusing me of being too weak and unassertive. When I took these two opposing opinions to the Lord to see which was true, He said, “Both!” 

        Of course, the Lord is always right. I saw right away that in some ways I was too controlling, and in other ways, I was too cautious and indecisive. His truth always sets us free, and just Him saying this to me began to set me free from some extremes in my life. That was nearly fifty years ago. Today, I would not claim to be walking perfectly in these, but I think I am getting closer to the right balance. Some things take a lifetime to work in us, and it’s just a matter of walking in increasing light—our theme for this year’s study.

        No one can make themselves into what they should be. Only the Lord can, but we do have a part to play. Our part is to stay humble, teachable, and correctable. Paul’s text above is perhaps the clearest and simplest statement on how to do this. He remained open and correctable, but then no longer examined himself and trusted the Lord to do this. This is one of the greatest liberations we must come to in our walk, especially if we tend to be introspective.

        With some notable exceptions, in general, the church in the West may now be in its weakest state. Once when I was speaking to a group of senators and congressmen about the need for courage in Washington, one of them pulled me aside afterward and said, “We would see a lot more courage in Washington if we could see any in the church.” That was years ago, and this has not gotten any better since. We want to walk ever closer to the center of God’s will, and do not want to err at all, yet if we’re going to err in these times, we need to err on the side of boldness.

        If we are doing it right and righteously, the church should now be known for its courage. As we have read, Scripture is clear, “The righteous are bold as a lion” (see Proverbs 28:1). So, a lack of boldness in the church must indicate a lack of righteousness. When we think of righteousness we think of behavior, but that is only a small part of the biblical emphasis on righteousness. Faith is the basis of our righteousness, and faith is demonstrated by boldness.

        As corrections are made, and we learn to stay on the brighter and brighter path of the righteous by doing what is right in the sight of the Lord, our boldness will increase. As darkness increases with all the confusion and doubt that accompanies it, those on the path of life will stand out more and more. They will become the only real beacon of hope, and we must prepare for the great ingathering this will bring.

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