I’ve heard it called many things: knowledge, common sense, “my truth”, confidence, intellect, expertise… In the end, it boils down to one idea: how can I analyze and compartmentalize my life, circumstances, and experiences, to best explain my humanity -- my identity -- my purpose?
Christians are known for boxing up neat little packages of tools and idioms for the purpose of living a better Christian life and dub it the “Christian Worldview”.
I attended and graduated from a Christian college in Ohio. A part of every course of study was a built-in biblical studies minor; six semester-long courses. The courses were Christian Life & Thought, Spiritual Formation, Old Testament, New Testament, Christian Worldview Development, and Christian Worldview Integration. All were focused on one thing -- how to equip graduates with a foundational Christian Worldview by which they will engage money, sex, politics, non-believers, the workplace, etc. Don’t get me wrong. This is a commendable goal and the foundation was/is relevant and important. But over the course of this last year, I have been convicted that a Christian Worldview is not enough. It does not quite cut to the heart of it. It is overtly passive and inward-looking in nature; a multi-layered filter by which we let only certain things in at certain times or in certain contexts. Granted, all in a valiant effort to be holy as He is holy. (1st Peter 1:14 & 15)
Lately, what God has been impressing on my heart is that Christ’s sacrifice of the cross does not merely create a worldview or lens --- the cross creates a paradigm shift. “Paradigm” has its origins in Greek. Para - “beside” and Deiknunai - “to show”. “To show side-by-side” -- a cross-birthed paradigm shift is the concept of patterning your life, decisions, goals, work, political engagement, etc. on the work of Jesus at Calvary, side-by-side everyone and everything else.
One of my favorite bible teachers is Jackie Hill Perry. She said it this way: “Knowledge and folly meet at the cross.” The cross is the metric. The cross is the choke point. The cross is the prism by which our knowledge of God flows through to bend and refract us so that we are capable of walking a life distinct, yet side-by-side with others. When light is refracted through a prism, the wavelengths of light are separated (the colors of the rainbow). We know the common denominator: light. However, that light is separated via a paradigm shift and Green walks side-by-side with Blue which walks side-by-side with Violet, and so on.
In 1st Corinthians, Pauls speaks to this point: The cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. But for those who believe in salvation through Christ’s crucifixion, the cross is the power of God!
God created humans with the beautiful and powerful abilities to learn, analyze, problem solve, create, give counsel, teach, etc. (Spiritual gifts, anyone??) HOWEVER, humanity’s knowledge or “my truth” -- even if well-intentioned -- falls incredibly short when it is not subject to the work and mystery and power of the cross. The cross destroys the wisdom of the wise and the discernment of the discerning. It is the knowledge that comes only by the paradigm shift of the cross, that we “are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1st Corinthians 1:18-31).
The key to this is submission. Submission to the Cross...in...every...way. Without submitting ourselves to such a paradigm shift, the gospel struggles to take deep root in our hearts, souls, and minds. Instead of the gospel being a pair of convenient bible-colored glasses, the gospel is designed to be a surgically-implanted pacemaker.
By surrendering to the Lord, “we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people” (1st Timothy 4:10). Whether God has called you to teach His word, read and study the scriptures, to love and care for the lost, broken, and rejected, or to serve His church, we are all instructed to practice such things and immerse ourselves in them.
Submission to the paradigm shift is a lot of personal responsibility; it’s exhausting, quite frankly. But, when we keep a close watch on ourselves and of the teaching of the Word, and persist in that, we are saving not only ourselves, but also the hearers and watchers of our Faith. (1st Timothy 4:15 & 16)
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Lord Jesus, may you be glorified in all things and all people. May your Spirit fill this space. God, have mercy on us. Teach us how to live passionately with righteous indignation, but not be afraid to shower our transgressors with the same abounding grace you have shown us. Father, give us joy unspeakable and hope through trials. Holy Spirit, teach me how to be humble. Teach me how to mourn with others. Teach me how to love like you love. Christ, guide this nation, this people. You, alone, have the power to heal this land. Let us be helpers and take part in the great work you are doing. Amen.
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