Surely being a ‘partaker of the divine nature’ must have some implications in this area.

I deeply appreciate your comments here.

I’ve come to realize that the old “wrong tree” doctrine has it’s limitations…as do all metaphors.
It serves it’s purpose in disarming the judgmental legalist mindest, but when stretched beyond it’s potential, it serves only to stunt the development of the various God given faculties of the redeemed mind.

Great analogy, by the way.
Seeing a bowl as a hat illustrates a most beautiful and innocent childlike creativity…
and is fitting for a child.
However, if a thirty year old were to dump a bowl of ceral and milk on his head, I would have to question thier sanity.

…and sadly, this is the state of far too many in the church today.

May Gods favor abound to you more and more, brother.

It’s interesting to me because when I was just pulling away from the circles we’ve both moved in, one of the most important “recoveries” of my sense of purpose and identity was tied up in many of the same verses/realities. I needed to be able to discern right from wrong again. I needed to be able to see things, not as utilitarean and “it takes a few cracked eggs to make an omlet” but rather to things in the light of God having a will (or Eternal Purpose) but also a Way (the route He’s getting there with). For me I see this as an important reaction to the self (certain Selves more than others) serving grayness that had enveloped much of the church life I had come to experience. church life had essentially been turned into such a grace filled place that was free for all, that it had become a free for all. At the end of the day it seemed like a descent into madness (to borrow from Schaeffer–who was very important during that transitional time). I remember making identical statements to the ones above.

I think its such an amazing (though as you acknowledged–amazingly dangerous) place to come to. It’ so neccesary.

I don’t know if I’m there any more for the time being. I tend to encounter my world right now through this little analogy… My son Judah (2 years old) loves cerial. One day i walked in to the dining room after leaving him alone briefly, and he was wearing his cerial bowl. You can see it can’t you? Milk dripping down his face, Cinnamon Toast Crunch clinging to his hair and forehead…classic. That’s when it hit me. His interpretation of a bowl as a potential hat wasn’t wrong…a bowl really can be a hat in a pinch…but it was ALL wrong in that moment. It was a valid interpretation, but there were better ones–ones that matched his context and his desires far more. I realize that this gets into tricky terrain, that’s just a fact I have to accept. In some ways, I feel that this affirms a realiance on the Spirit in a way that my practical atheism didn’t.

Anyhow…
thanks for putting it out there.

It may be a little while before the next installment in this vein…
we’ll see.

You and Sandy are in my prayers, brother.
The Lord is working to change both circumstance and perspective…
Whatever that means…

Next one is a ‘toughy’ you say? Looking forward to it.

Thank you for treating this in the light of the Good News. This J-word is right, holy and sanctified. Let us all shed the ‘judging down’ shenanigans and truly care for one another…faithful are the wounds of a friend…restore such a one (Gal 5:1)…go after a sinning brother and save his soul from damnation (James 5:20)…

Keep sounding the trumpet, brother!

The next post in this vein is going to be a toughy…