Experience, Perspective, Reality

Why are there so many godly people who disagree on Covid-19, ranging from it’s a hoax to it’s for real?

-Experiences, perspective, and conditioning shape our understanding of reality

Why do so many godly people disagree on the underlying causes and issues of ethnic division, or even on the best way forward to unity in Christ?

-Experiences, perspective, and conditioning shape our understanding of reality.

Well, Christians can at least agree that the Bible is God’s Word and is true for our time, right?

              Cautious “Yes.”
             
              Why are you cautious there?

Because even here, the people who taught us and shared with us from the Word of God brought their experiences, perspectives, conditioning and culture into the discussion.

But here I will venture back into reality, unstained and uncluttered from “perspective.”  I heard recently from a friend who advised correctly “You can’t write perspective a blank check.”  True.  Consider Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Your perspective will not change the reality that Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world.  He gave his life as a ransom for many, whether you experienced that or not. All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.  That is also a reality, and your perspective one way or the other will not change that reality.  We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad. This is reality. 

He who knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin. Whatever is not of faith is sin.  That is reality.

But wait, our minds try to understand what that “do good” really is, and what exactly is “not of faith?”  So we are back to experiences, perception, and conditioning that influence our understanding of this reality.

Ah, check this out.  A word to those who have given their lives to Jesus.  (I Corinthians 2:16)  We have the mind of Christ.

Yes! Now there is something solid to lay hold on.

We have the mind of Christ. We reject carnality.  All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, we reject.

Because we have the mind of Christ.

A repentant believer, giving his life to Jesus Christ, invites Christ into His heart to rule, reign, convict, and live.  The Holy Spirt of God puts his finger on the areas of sin and self that need to be changed.  Every Christ follower is given the opportunity to ask the Holy Spirit to “search me, and know my heart.  Try me, and know my thoughts.  See if there be any wicked way in me.  And lead me in the way everlasting.” 

Moment by moment, day by day, week by week, from glory to glory He changes us.  Refining, shaping, pruning, challenging, sifting, encouraging, singing over us—all of these loving acts of the Father by His Spirit continue to make us into the image of His Son.  Wow.  So as we get changed, and put on the mind of Christ, even our perspective and experiences and conditioning are transformed and refined.

Thank you, Jesus.

​Rich