Christian belief does not precede reality. This is a phrase that my Theology teacher, "Mac," as we call him, has been drilling into us since the beginning of the semester. What he means is that, as Christians, our faith is based on historical events; it is based on real things that have happened. Our faith does not create our reality, as Atheists would try to explain to us. The Atheist sees Christianity as a system of beliefs that are made up without considering reality.
What I want to establish for now is that reality precedes our belief. In other words, there is an absolute truth and reality that our faith is founded upon. [I'm skipping all the arguments to prove this point because there is a further, more specific point I want to make in this blog]
Since reality precedes our belief, I want to point out that this does not mean our experience reflects this reality. What I mean by that is that there is a God, but we might not necessarily experience Him in our lifetime (especially if we don't believe He exists). Now at this point I am adding my own idea into the equation rather than borrowing points from other, more well-versed theologians.
Belief determines experience.
In psychology, there is a term called "perceptual set". A perceptual set is a set of expectations that a person has of life that greatly determines how he or she interprets any given circumstance. For example, lets say a woman slaps a man in subway train. People observing will have several different responses; one person may think, "You go girl!", while another thinks, "What a disrespectful woman.", while yet another assumes that the two are probably in a relationship and about to break up, etc... All these people have different perceptual sets that cause them to interpret actions differently. Two people could experience the exact same circumstance, yet interpret it in totally different ways.
Another example: every day my psychology teacher likes to give his wife a shoulder rub. She, of course interprets it as a comfortable, relaxing event. But if my teacher were to walk up to me on the first day of class and start giving me a shoulder rub, I would experience stress and discomfort. What I want to establish is that though our senses are reading the world around us, each of us are internally experiencing the same external reality in different ways.
So how is this significant to theology?
There is a reality that exists--for my purposes, God exists--but if I don't believe in Him, I will not interpret my experiences as from God, or of God.
The Atheist probably sees God like Tinkerbell. When we believe
in her, she suddenly exists, but when we don't believe in her, she dies. However, the truth is that God exists whether we believe in Him or not. And my point is that we experience Him based on what we believe about Him.
Okay, so that is a very basic idea. Now lets get into the specific situation I am thinking about...
The other day a friend of mine talked to me on the way to class about her day, saying, "You know how brother Yun [Chinese man from the book, "The Heavenly Man"] preached in chapel yesterday and it was awesome?"
"Yep!"
"Well, I've just been believing that I'm a new creation since his altar call..." and she went on about how she received a huge medical bill and she had so much peace about it, and how God has been encouraging her in various ways, and then she prayed for her mother's back and neck and it was instantly healed. She was so excited and encouraged, as was I.
When she said, "I've been believing that I'm a new creation," I wanted to tell her that this is not a fleeting moment. I wanted to tell her that so long as she believes she's a new creation, she will experience the supernatural...
Perhaps she will. Perhaps she knows this is an eternal position she has in Christ. But I thought about how in my life, when I would sin or get tired or run down, I wouldn't feel so new anymore. I didn't feel good about myself so I assumed I wasn't on good standing with the Lord. And, of course, I didn't feel worthy of righteousness, and I felt disqualified to rebuke the enemy. I'd have to remedy this with spending time with God, and that usually consisted of apology after apology. I'd only stop apologizing when I thought my actions measured up to His standard, which was a very rare occasion. So I lived below my means most of the time, trying to make good decisions and be obedient to God but always failing... until a pastor would come along offering some kind of special anointing, or a chance to renew my commitment to God. I thought that the preacher's "holiness" somehow rubbed off on me through his prayers and laying on of hands. And then my faith would be built back up... until I sinned again, or felt bad about anything... It sounds a little silly when I put it into words, but I didn't realize what I was doing. I was ignorant of the problem: I had no understanding of the gospel.
I think this ignorance is an epidemic in this Pentecostal bubble I live in. And I wondered if my friend lived the same way. I assume that she does since she didn't believe she was a new creation before brother Yun came into town.
Here's the truth that always remains: at salvation [belief in Christ], you become a new creation. Your sinful human nature dies. This means you are no longer a sinner. This is not a second chance at life to do it right, it's a new life: this is a dive into the sweet fullness of grace. Your actions had no part in earning you any type of salvation, therefore they cannot separate you from God. Even the murderer, Abel (in Genesis), talked to God and was protected by God. You are new no matter what you do. How is this possible? It's possible because Christ bought your salvation with His blood. You merely enter into this sweet blessedness by faith, however your faith itself is not what saves you. It was Christ. His sacrifice alone gave you full standing with God. Since your actions had nothing to do with this promotion of your spiritual condition, they have no power to take you out of it... and thus, how much of this blessed position you experience is based on what you believe about it.
People reject this faith because they think, "If I'm no longer a sinner, why am I still sinning?" [I know I've posted this very phrase before, but again I will say it] it's merely because it is difficult to believe that you are no longer a sinner. It's too good to be true! But I say, God is a GOOD God! He is SO good, we can't even believe it! We've never seen anything so good! We've never felt anything so good! There's always a catch... but not this time. And the hardest part is accepting it. Everyone always says "No one is perfect." and "You'll never fully 'arrive'." Pastors say this on the pulpit! And there's a reason we all say it--we don't want to get all prideful and boast about ourselves. Why should I actually accept that I'm a new creation? I didn't dissimulate and then re-materialize. I still mess up!
But don't you see that having this mindset is like spitting on the power of the cross? Christ's death on the cross has the power to change your nature. It has the power to bring a salvation more meaningful than we can possibly understand. If I say I'm no longer a sinner, it's NOT because I have accomplished righteousness on my own. It is ONLY because Christ died on the cross. NOT I, but HE accomplished it FOR me. That's the ONLY way I CAN be righteous: vicariously through Christ. So, I say, Christ's death on the cross satisfied God's wrath towards me and my sinful nature is dead in Christ. And by the power of the cross, I am no longer a sinner.
So long as I believe that, I will live it.
I no longer focus on my actions. I am in instant communion with Christ at any time because I believe and know my status with HIM. I know it is not my actions that put me in good standing with Him. It was Christ. Therefore, based on Christ's sacrifice, I can come before God any time. And THAT'S what makes me so confident in Him. That's what eases my tension and brings me peace. That's what keeps me solid and consistent. It's knowing the truth. I'm free from guilt and shame at all times. And I have authority over the enemy at all times. (All believers do; they just don't realize they do)
I am not trying to tell you that I am perfect. I am trying to tell you that Christ is perfect and He is now united with me, living through me. This same truth applies to you.
If my perceptual set is based on this solid gospel, my life is interpreted in a whole new way. My expectations in life are very different. My experience lines up with the truth. If it doesn't, it won't change the truth. I am not going to make adjustments based on it either.
And so my point is this: reality precedes belief, and belief precedes experience.
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