Danger of Reductionism

 

Satan would love nothing more than for the child of God to reduce the freely given gift of Salvation to nothing more than a trump card played upon death. He works hard to get us to quench the working of the indwelling Holy Spirit in our lives and to minimize the power and freedom available to us through the accomplished work of Christ on the Cross.  Once successful of this, Satan has rendered the child of God ineffective, useless for the Kingdom of God. Even worse, once a child of God wanders far enough away from God, he may begin exhibiting a lifestyle contrary to biblical ethics, thus dishonoring the very God that saved him from Hell.  This plays right into Satan’s hands.

To combat this God calls us to a life of transformation: 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  (Roman 12:1-2, ESV.)

Eugene Peterson has this to say:

Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. (Romans 12:2a, MSG.)

While it’s true that Christianity is being attacked more aggressively in this culture than ever before, may it that not freak us out or cause us to fear expressing the truth of Jesus Christ.  I once heard a speaker say that we try to destroy that which we most fear; I find that quite interesting, as it sure seems that Satan is working harder to destroy Christianity more than anything else in this country.  That alone speaks loudly to the truth of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, as we allow God to transform our lives not only will we thwart Satan’s desires, but we’ll also shine as the light God is calling us to be (see Matthew 5:14).