Please forgive me because I haven’t responded to emails and comments yet, but I hope to do that today.
Today and tomorrow we will talk about idolatry and what that has to do with simplicity. Yesterday, I mentioned that the first command is “I am the Lord your God.” Really that isn’t counted as a command, and seems to be more of a statement than a command. However, it is intrinsic to the understanding of all of the commands. “I am” – a declaration of who God was, is, and will be.
Simplicity is the removal of idols. I live in a life of excess just like most Americans do. Rarely can even the poor here not claim they are rich in comparison to many other countries and ways of life in other parts of the world. We as Americans are rich.
Adam and Eve were rich in the garden too. They had everything they needed and more. Adam had Eve, Eve had Adam. They had all kinds of plants, amazing sources of food – fruits and vegetables galore. They had any kind of animal at their disposal, and direct access to God Himself. They were the richest people to walk the earth. The one thing they did not have was the knowledge of good and evil. That was God’s and God’s alone, but they wanted it for themselves. They wanted to be richer than they were.
Along came a serpent convincing them that this was a good idea, so sin was born, and death lived. Adam and Eve were greedy. They wanted to be God and have the knowledge He had. In doing so, the first idol was cast and created – the idol of self. “My way is better than His way,” they said. “Surely we won’t really die.” Death was not immediate, but it slowly invaded, killing their abundance and His provision.
Self is the idol that pervades every man born on the earth now. It is the reason why when we become Jesus followers, we must die to self and offer ourselves as living sacrifices every single day. It is the reason why the first command is, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” because we always place ourselves above anything else, and if not ourselves or our thirst for knowledge, we set anything up we can control and call it a god. Seeking the kingdom first will not happen when self, control, or greed looms large.
The reason why Christianity is offensive is because we have to remove anything other than Jesus from the throne of our hearts. No man who does not have Jesus as Lord will begin to understand this thought. Christianity is offensive because we still offer sacrifices, despite the fact that sacrificing anything is archaic. Christianity is offensive because is it dependent on the God unseen and humility is its basis, when pride is the force that drives man to do anything he does. Christianity is offensive because God has always given us boundaries, and we don’t want them. We want to kill when we want the goods because we don’t know any other way to be our own god.
Mainly Christianity is offensive because you and I are guilty – always guilty, and an innocent God paid the price for our sins. In no court in America would we willingly allow an innocent man to receive death so that the guilty could go free. It would be unjust, and that my friends, is exactly why Christianity is Offensive. Because it is a driven by a Love and a GRACE so deep and wide and unfathomable – Jesus keeps chasing after us even when we keep prostituting ourselves out to keep our addictions, habits, and idols alive.
Simplicity removes our idols and makes Jesus King. Simplicity seeks God, Jesus, Spirit above all else that He may be “I am.”
Loved this, Jamie. (And enjoying the whole series, by the way.) Your closing thoughts, in particular, remind me of one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite books (so one I’ve likely already shared with you already):
“The cost for the recipient of God’s grace is NOTHING — and no price could be higher for arrogant people to pay. Something within me (that feels noble) longs for a religion that requires payment. I may like an occasional free gift, but I cannot bear the loss of pride and swagger that occurs when I give my life and nothing is required. Grace is free, and that is disturbing. It is so distressing, in fact, that most who receive it work hard to find some way to preserve their arrogance by laborious piety.”
~ Dan Allender, Bold Love
I don’t remember the quote, but that doesn’t mean you haven’t shared it. What a rich quote it is. I could break it down into bite sized pieces, and savor each one with meditative thoughts – so much meat here. Thanks for sharing it.
Glad you are enjoying the series. I am kinda surprised how much content I’ve written about on “simplicity” without even really talking about the stuff yet.
This is a great post, Jamie! Yes and amen to all of it. We do have to remove anything other than Jesus from the throne of our hearts. He requires our all. But He pursues us with such CRAZY love and grace– like you said. The Gospel is so scandalously, amazingly extravagant.