Human Nature

I’m involved in a class on Character Development right now – at my church. There’s quite a large group of people taking it too. It’s a great class and I think we’re all enjoying the journey.

But I have to confess that the notion of being intentional to develop Christian character seems a bit odd to me. I mean, why doesn’t the character of Christ just manifest itself in the lives of the Christians the day they become Christians? If I were in charge of the universe, I think that’s how I’d probably do it.

The dilemma for Christians trying to nurture the character of Christ in themselves is that eternal struggle between our spiritual being and our human being. Said differently, it seems that no matter how hard we try – or how good we get, our basic human nature is still working against us.

Let’s take fear, for example. We all have fears; they seem to be inherent in our nature. Maybe you’re afraid of snakes. Perhaps it’s heights that makes you queasy. Or possibly the fear of flying troubles you. Now the Bible tells us that (God’s) perfect love drives out all fear. Repeatedly God tells us (in His Word) to not fear.

But tell that to my body when the airplane hits turbulence, the oxygen masks drop and the flight attendants look worried! God’s perfect love didn’t fail to drive out fear. No, my human nature rebelled against that perfect love and gave fear a role it didn’t deserve. This is craziness!

Another example might be understanding. The Bible tells us not to lean on our own understanding. But let’s face it, it’s kind of hard not to. I mean, we’ve been leaning on our own understanding since we were old enough to lean.

Seriously, as a toddler, we began to lean on our own understanding. I see a cookie, I understand that it’s good for me, and I want it. I may even go to great lengths to get it. Those decisions I make or actions that I take, even as a toddler, are based on my own understanding.

And the situation doesn’t get any better as I get older. In fact, it gets worse. My understanding seems to grow – or at least my perception of it does. So even if I know I shouldn’t lean on my own understanding, I’m likely to consider that my understanding is pretty good. I trust my instincts. And our culture would tell us that’s usually a good thing too!

Why doesn’t it ever occur to us naturally that our own understanding could be incomplete – or flawed? Why doesn’t our human nature like to allow for the possibility that I could be wrong? Does human nature always start with the default that it’s right and knows everything it needs to know?

After careful analysis and consideration, I’ve come to the conclusion that this whole human experience is pretty perverse. It’s a travesty actually. And it can’t help itself. God says one thing. My human nature says another. It’s pre-disposed to behave that way it seems.

Cartoons used to portray a demon on one should and an angel on the other shoulder, both whispering their ways into the ears, trying to persuade us of their logic and reason. This isn’t too far from the truth!

There is a spiritual battle going on inside the life of a Christ-follower. It is the Holy Spirit, using God’s Word, prayer, conviction and other forms of communication to tell us how to live. Maybe it’s the voice of the devil, using suggestion, peer pressure, media and other forms of communication to tell us how to live.

But of course they have absolutely opposing views! And my poor brain is supposed to sort those things out. Despite the fact that the demon can look and sound like the angel, I’m not to be deceived. I’m to quiet the noise of the demon and magnify the voice of the angel on the other shoulder.

Some people say that the devil on my one shoulder, telling me to do wrong, is the voice of the devil himself. That may be the case. But I have to wonder what’s the difference then between the devil and my basic human nature. They seem to be quite similar at times and in many ways!

Is there such a thing as “human nature?” Or is that just a cop-out that we take to place the blame somewhere besides on ourselves?

Wikipedia, the on-line encyclopedia, says that human nature is a theory that certain behaviors, thinking patterns, etc. are inherent to human beings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_nature). Quite frankly, if that's true, then perhaps human character isn't all it's cracked up to be. It begs the question about where we can draw the line between human nature and human character.

On the other hand, God created us in His image ... as spiritual beings. So maybe God doesn't care much about human nature. Maybe He wants us to rise above human nature and move to godly character (which of course would be more useful than human character). Yes, I think that is the case.

So my conclusion, thus far, is that human nature is not to be regarded as having any power or authority. In other words, we are not to yield to it. As Christ-followers, I believe it will honor God if we rise above our human nature, and move to godly, Christ-like character. And when we do, human nature - among other things - gets defeated.

God is Great

There are many wonderful stories in the Old Testament which really give us comprehensive pictures of God's nature and character. They help us grasp a great deal about what matters to God, how He thinks and much more.

One of my favorite places in the Old Testament is in the book of Judges, which tells the story of how God used 12 different people over a span of more than 300 years to save Israel. Why did Israel need to be saved 12 times in the span of just a few hundred years? Because they forgot God and "did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord." Put another way, Israel and it's people became sinful instead of righteous - which got them into all sorts of trouble. And God had to pick a hero on 12 different occasions to salvage things for them. (He did this each time Israel "hit bottom" and cried out to God - finally returning to the Lord.)

In Judges 10:18, an angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah and his wife, who asked the angel it's name. (Being a manifestation of God Himself, they didn't realize the angel was God.) Look at the angel's response to this question. He said, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond your understanding." Really? Can you imagine?

What point was the angel making here? Well several places in the Bible tell us that we cannot fully comprehend the ways of the Lord. We're told that He doesn't think like we do, knows much more than we could ever know, and that we - in our broken, human form - would not be able to even face Him (His glory would be to great). The angel was simply saying that His name, which would reveal much about Himself, is mysterious beyond our human ability to comprehend. He was saying that His name is too wonderful for humans to even imagine.

Have you considered that? Are you aware that, even as a Christian, the nature and character of God are still beyond your human ability to understand or even imagine?

We talk about God being great. But folks, let's face it, His greatness goes beyond anything that we could ever be referring to when we speak of Him. How is that possible ... that there could be a greatness beyond human comprehension or imagination? But God tells us there is. It is found in His name. It is found in His nature and character.

The next time you hear someone say that God is great, remember this angel's words to Manoah and his wife. And try to imagine the things that you cannot comprehend or imagine.

Spiritual Formation Hiring

A popular new term in Christian churches is spiritual formation. It describes the process through which Christ's character is formed in our spiritual being. Popular author Dallas Willard, however, points out that it is a process that all humans go through, Christian or not. He narrows the definition to how our spirits or hearts are formed, and says it happens to everyone from the saints to terrorists.

I was on staff at a big city church for a couple of years. My title was "Pastor of Spiritual Formation and Ministry Development." It was a mouthful of a title. Of course the elders and senior pastor had defined the title for me when they hired me. But I am still learning to understand what it means. It seems to go deeper than just scheduling educational opportunities for church goers. It seems that the Apostle Paul was a pastor of spiritual formation. There have been many through the centuries. The term has come into vogue only in the last century though.

If you browse the ministry and church job boards, you'll find job postings for associate pastor, senior pastor, executive pastor, pastor of education and all sorts of terms. Sometimes, you'll find a job posting specifically for a pastor of spiritual formation. Usually the credentials they're looking for include things like a master's degree in theology, several years of ministry experience, biblical piety. One has to consider how those credentials translate spiritually. It is certain that many who have such credentials do not seem to impart spiritual formation to others. On the flip side, we must ask ourselves if these are the differentiating credentials that really position someone for success in such a role.

Christian author John Ortberg (who is also pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in California) has some thoughts about hiring for spiritual formation in your church. Let's look at what he says about that. "What kind of person should we hire to do spiritual formation? the most important criterion is this: hire someone whose character and humility and attitude you would like to see reproduced in your church and yourself. .... if someone is going to champion the cause of spiritual life, they have to be at least on their way toward living the kind of life I'd like to live."

Did you catch that? According to Ortberg, it's not the degree. It's not the experience. It's not the age or the references. In fact, it is the kind of credentials that only God Himself could bestow upon someone! Ortberg continues, "... spiritual formation is not mostly about expertise in techniques ... it is having wisdom about how our spirits - our wills; our inner selves and characters - actually do get formed. It's being formed yourself in such a way that other people want to grow in your direction."

It seems to me that churches go about the process of spiritual formation in a variety of ways. Formal study (i.e., college-level courses or degree programs), informal study, community or church involvement, the practice of spiritual disciplines (like prayer, fasting, confession, etc.), and of course ordinary experiences of everyday life lived out with the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Not long ago, Willow Creek Church in Illinois did a study of its congregation and found an alarming truth, that their people were not maturing. They concluded that Christ's character was not being formed in their congregation --- and of course they determined to change course and address that. Many other churches have come to similar conclusions and are taking similar actions. They put maturity high on the list of priorities and all sorts of maturity programs are being rolled out to address the problem as they understand it (mostly through surveys and informal observations).

As I look at these programs, it seems that more and more, people are concluding that leadership development is an important dimension of spiritual formation. So leadership training is rolled out, with the expectation that it will multiply leaders who can act as pastors of spiritual formation in the church. I wonder if that works. My sense is that it may not, and that the jury is probably still out as to why. You see, I find no shortage of books, programs, teaching tools, tapes, events and even music around spiritual formation. It seems that everyone has an opinion and many have an answer (that they'd like you to purchase).

But I think there is another aspect of spiritual formation that we may be overlooking. If I really want Christ's character to be formed in me --- I am going to have to get a laser sharp focus on Christ. I will need to be taught spiritual disciplines like prayer, fasting, confession, tithing, submission, obedience and even listening to God. But even then, Christ's character won't be formed in me unless God Himself does the transforming work in me. I've read a lot about this and I think Ortberg hit the nail on the head. "Spiritual formation is about having wisdom ... it is about being formed yourself ..."

I think the conclusion to make here is that there are no earthly credentials for someone you'd want to hire to lead spiritual formation in your church. Quite frankly, no one is qualified ... unless God Himself provides the credentials. Now, imagine the challenge that will pose for your church's search committee to word that job posting and filter those resumes!