In his Thoughts on Religious Experience, Archibald Alexander
asked why we grow so slowly as Christians. First, he rounded up the
usual suspects: “The influence of worldly relatives and companions,
embarking too deeply in business, devoting too much time to amusements,
immoderate attachment to a worldly object,” etc. But then he drilled
down further and asked why these things get such a hold on us, “why
Christians commonly are of so diminutive a stature and of such feeble
strength in their religion.” He proposed three reasons:
1. “There is a defect in our belief in the freeness of divine
grace.” Even when the gospel is acknowledged in theory, he wrote,
Christians depend on their moods and performances rather than on Christ
alone. Then, in our inevitable failure, we become discouraged, and
worldliness regains strength with nothing to counteract it. “The
covenant of grace must be more clearly and repeatedly expounded in all
its rich plentitude of mercy, and in all its absolute freeness.”
2. “Christians do not make their obedience to Christ comprehend
every other object of pursuit.” We compartmentalize our lives, and
Jesus becomes a sidebar to the more compelling things of every day, like
making money. “The secular employments and pursuits of the pious
should all be consecrated and become a part of their religion.” That
way, our work Monday through Friday is no distraction from Christ but
more activity for Christ.
3. “We make general resolutions of improvement but neglect to extend
our efforts to particulars.” Rather than be satisfied that we haven’t
sinned hugely on any given day and therefore we must be doing okay as
Christians, we should be strategizing for specific, actionable, new
steps of obedience on a daily basis.
Archibald Alexander, Thoughts on Religious Experience (Edinburgh, 1989), pages 165-167.
Ray Ortlund
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