"I'm not worthy"
"I'm just a sinner"
"I'm not capable of anything good"
Why do we feel that we need to magnify God by demeaning ourselves? Is our view of Father so poor that we think He can only look good compared to our wretchedness? Can we not rejoice in His goodness simply because He is good?
Lately I've been thinking about how much our view of God impacts our entire lives. I think just about everything (our view of ourselves, how we interact with others, how we love, how we define justice or grace) really stems from the root issue of how we view Father.
And lately I feel like I've been seeing more people emphasizing the contrast between God's goodness or holiness and their own shortcomings and ignoble state. What could that tell us about that person's view of Father?
Do they see God as jealous of praise? Is He opposed to sharing His glory with His children? Was God's plan all along to create a bunch of crummy people so that He could get all the credit for everything good?
But that just doesn't make sense to me. That didn't seem to be the original plan at all. I thought He made us in His image, I thought He called us "good".
What changed? Do we attribute it to the fallen state of man? But then what about Romans 5:12-21?
"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
To
be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not
charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless,
death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over
those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor
can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The
judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift
followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death
reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive
God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign
in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
The consequences of the Fall cannot compare to the glorious restoration that was accomplished through the Cross. So if who we are in Father's eyes has not been diminished, why do we insist on putting ourselves down? The idea of God being selfish with His glory doesn't seem to jive with John 17:20-26.
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that
all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent
me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I
in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.
Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as
you have loved me.
“Father,
I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my
glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the
creation of the world.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I
have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in
order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may
be in them.”
I'd
like to delve more into that passage at a later time, but I'm pretty
sure that's not an account of a selfish God. That's a God who seems to
enjoy sharing His glory with His children. That's a God who has wrapped
us up in Him and has made His dwelling place in us.
But I
know the obvious argument: "Are you saying we should be prideful and
arrogant and not recognize the fact that all we have is by the grace of
God?"
Not at
all. But why is agreeing with God's view of us a bad thing? I had
been in a discussion with some people a little while ago about pride and
humility. A number of people made the point that humility is really
just agreeing with reality. If the reality of the situation is that God
has made us good and delights is us as His children and has designed us
to be beautiful and creative and generous and pleasing, why should we
disagree? Why do we think God gets more glory by us speaking ill of His
beloved children?
I feel
like I'm trying too hard to make a point. I'm trying to process an
idea that I can't quite put my finger on. More and more I feel like
Father is asking me to be aware of how my view of Him impacts various
areas of my life. More and more I feel like He's inviting me to know
Him more, to allow Him to strip away my distorted views of who He really
is.
I hope
I didn't come across as preachy or condescending. I'm not trying to
put down people who feel like they have to demean themselves in order to
properly honor God. I've lived in that place for a number of years and
I understand the heart anguish that is associated with that. But I
still think it's an interesting question to ask. How do our lives
reflect our view of God?
Shoot, I just should have started with that question. Oh well, not gonna rewrite this whole mess now . . .
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