Would the Real Human Please Stand

28 Aug 22

Would the Real Human Stand Up

If you've been in the church a while you've probably heard or been taught that the goal of discipleship (Bible study, prayer …) is to be like Jesus. And no doubt there’s truth to that, but what does that mean? What does it mean to be like Jesus or Christlike? Does it mean that we should be able to walk on water? Perform miracles? Cast our demons? Does it mean that if we’re all like Jesus we will all act the same, talk the same, think the same? All wear sandals and tunics – everybody has a beard? Even the mission of the Nazarene church is to make Christlike disciples in the nations.

I'm not convinced that most Christian have taken the time to consider what that means. And if that’s true, then how can a Christian pursue Christlikeness.

Those who do consider what Christlikeness is and make that a goal, in my opinion often focus almost exclusively on the spiritual, and often neglect an equally important component of Christlikeness – our humanity.

Focusing exclusively on the spiritual component of Christlikeness neglects another equally important component - our humanity.

When we focus entirely on the spiritual and even read Scripture with nothing but a spiritual lens, we miss a very key component of the Judeo-Christian faith – our humanness. If we take the humanness out of Scripture, what are we left with? We’re left with a spiritual book that is disconnected from our world, from our lives. The Bible loses its realness and relevance, and we’re exposed to a God who is spiritual, but He too is disconnected from our humanity.

When we focus entirely on the spiritual, we run the risk of disregarding the greatest miracle, the greatest mystery, and the greatest act of love - that God became flesh – that Jesus the Christ, the Son of God came into this world fully Divine and fully man.

I think this is where some of us miss the fullness of our spirituality because we miss the fullness of our humanity. Yes, we are to be like Jesus in the spiritual sense able to do spiritual things, but when we suppress our humanity, ignore it, fail to examine it, fail to embrace it, allow it to be transformed from the inside out, we’re missing half of what God intended. When we do that, what are we left with? We’re left with a Christianity that is incomplete, full of frustration, disillusionment, lacking compassion and grace, and the continuous battle of fighting something we were never intended to fight.

If being human is so bad or so wrong, why would Jesus become human? God created humans; invited humans into relationship and partnership with Him. God wants all humans to be saved.

Being human is not the problem – sin and the sin nature that corrupts humanity is the problem.

Jesus didn’t die on the cross to crucify our humanness, He died on the cross to deal with sin, to give us victory over sin. Jesus didn’t die on a cross so that we would no longer be human, but that we could become fully human as He intended.

1 Timothy 4:12–16 ESV

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Keep a close watch: to fix one’s attention on, to be alert, on the lookout, to be aware.

of what? What everyone else is doing, what everyone else is saying …? No. Fix your attention on whom? Yourself! Watch yourself closely – consistently, thoroughly.

This is not self-centeredness or selfishness, but what? Self-awareness. If we want to know our true identity and who we were created to be in Christ (which is good), and who we are not to be – if we want to get past the false and get to the authentic, get past the wounds, get onto healthy relationships, then we must have a healthy and honest self-awareness.

Let’s talk about knowing self - who we are. We don’t talk a lot about knowing self in Christianity – partly because of some misunderstandings. We're told to crucify the flesh (sin nature), or to die to self (pride, ego, control, self-centeredness), don’t think too highly of ourselves but have a sober judgment (not too high, not too low), and so on. Those are all biblical truths. We need to crucify the flesh (sin nature) and we must be cautious of pride and self-preoccupation. If we're not careful we can misunderstand the purposes behind such commands.

The purpose of such commands (e.g. crucify the flesh, die to self etc.) is not to crucify our humanness, but to become truly human.

Crucifying the flesh is a means of eliminating that which damages our true humanity. It is a means of destroying the sinful rebellious harmful destructive nature. So,

Being human is not intrinsically evil or bad.

What’s evil about a baby (accept diapers)? We become evil when we follow evil ways. When God created humanity, what did He say? “It is very good!”

God is not out to destroy our humanity, but to restore it.

Let’s think about salvation for a moment. What are some of the purposes of salvation?

Salvation is not merely so we can go to heaven. There are several purposes of salvation, one of which is becoming a new creature.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

What’s this new creature?” This new creation is not an entirely new personality, but rather the beginning of our personality as it should be - free from sin and its effects. Working out our salvation is partly about becoming more human.

Consider the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). What do you think – is the greatest sermon in all history about becoming less human or more human? What did Jesus teach? Love your enemies, avoid lust, turn the other cheek, giving to the needy, do not judge, do onto others what you would have them do onto you, and so on. Sermon on the Mount is all about being human the way God intended. Was not part of Jesus’ purpose to show us how to be human?

The Bible doesn’t ignore our humanity, and neither should we.

Again, I don’t believe God is out to destroy our humanity, but through salvation, new life in Christ, submission to His Spirit and Word, and our pursuit of godliness, God makes us more like the humanity He intended. And that requires self-awareness.

Healthy self-awareness and personal contemplation have been historically valued in the Christian faith. Taking time to reflect on self is a necessary spiritual discipline.

“Humble knowledge of self is a surer path to God than the ardent pursuit of learning.” ~ Thomas À Kempis (14th Century)

“There is no deep knowing of God without a deep knowing of self, and no deep knowing of self without a deep knowing of God.” ~ David Benner

So, what do we do?

Next week, we’ll talk more about personal reflection in order to know self and God and as a means of transformation. But for this week, if you want to begin the journey toward Christlikeness, toward being truly human, where the Diving and physical overlap, I suggest starting with

Create space

Confess

Acceptance

Scripture

Prayer

Space - Create space to be alone with Jesus.

Confess - Sins? Inadequacies? Weakness?

Accept - your humanness. Humans have emotions, ups, downs …. Give grace and mercy where grace and mercy are due. Some are too hard of themselves – not because of sin, but because of being human.

Read - through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Approach it as Jesus is revealing what it means to be truly human.

Pray - Begin each day with this prayer:

Lord, open my eyes. This is about becoming aware of God’s presence and aware of self. About seeing where the Kingdom of God is at work around me and in me.

Lord, incline my heart. This is about submitting my desires, my passions, my will to the will of the Father. Letting go of lies and false pretenses and offering my full self to God and His Kingdom.

Lord, order my steps. About participation in the Kingdom of God intentionally and as the Spirit leads. This is about enhancing my love for God, for others, and for self.

Lord, open my eyes.

Lord, incline my heart.

Lord, order my steps.