Growing through the process.

If perfection was required before anything could be done, nothing would be done. But God in His manifold wisdom and grace has elected to work with that which is imperfect, viz. humanity. "Be ye holy as I am holy." God has no priorities. Priorities are required of finite creatures. We do not have the time, stamina, ability, etc to do it all. Thus we prioritize. But what is God's priority? Would He have us achieve internal perfection before attempting to reform the world? Are results more important to God than means? Is orthodoxy more important than orthopraxy?

To all of these statements I give a resounding "NO." I do believe in the importance of orthodoxy, but how can we separate it from God's requirements? This is my perception of a problem in the Reformed movement. The youth are "jumping ship" as they say. Ought we to focus our efforts on the church before trying to reform the world? Some think so, "judgment will begin at the house of God," is true but is it everything?

The more I learn the more I see moderation. "Moderation in everything," even in moderation? Moderation for moderation's sake? Again NO. This ignores the express point of it all. "What does God require of man?" How do we learn what He requires? What does He require? He requires us to live righteously, believe orthodoxy, evangelize the lost, occupy till He comes, be fruitful and multiply, and on and on and on.

I have long championed right thinking over right living as the more important thing. Why did I do this? For one to excuse my own sins because at least I believed the right thing. But Proverbs tells us a different story. Wisdom as defined by the first 8 chapters (this is as far as I got with an in depth look at this concept) is not just right thinking but also right living. Proverbs assumes continuity. What one believes affects the way he lives. "Wisdom is the principal thing." Get wisdom.

So what does God require? Everything. But how are we to prioritize? Let me lend my thoughts here. We will not be perfect. We should not try to achieve perfection before trying to influence this world for God. If we were to try this we would logically end up as hyper-isolationists, if I can say that. We would be ultra-introspective so much so that we would be of no earthly good. We would spend a lifetime of possibly asceticism trying to reach personal holiness without interaction with anyone else. With interaction comes influence. And if you cannot influence until "you are ready" then you will never interact.

You are not required to be perfect before getting married. Some tend to think so. But God gives grace so that we may grow through the process. We live more righteously because of the complementing aspect of relationships; because God makes it work that way to our benefit.

Parents are not required to be perfect before having children or else there would never be any children. But God gives them to us and expects us to grow through the process.

Churches should not isolate and internalize without influencing the world. They should actively seek dominion in all spheres. The church is not perfect but it will grow through the process.

Children should not be excommunicated following their baptism. They should be able to eat with Jesus and grow through the process learning by participating.

I am an advocate for activism; activism in personal lives, activism in the family, the church society.

The fractured and splintered churches and their "pet" doctrines simplify the truth. In many cases several groups understand aspects of what God wants from us. We prioritize not God.

Moralism is not holiness, activism is not righteousness, purism is not perfection. God requires a pure and active moral creature; He demands it all. How we prioritize is seen by our denominational affiliations. How do we encompass all of the correct and complementary views? Whose doctrines and practices are closest to the "truth?"

I do not think the issue is as much about how much we know as it is how we know it. In the garden, Adam and Eve through obedience (i.e. growing through the process) would learn what was good and evil, but they chose differently. What does God require? Obedience; that is what I mean by "everything." God requires perfection of thought, word and deed. But this is a practical impossibility by man. Thus God in His omniscience gave us simple (not easy) instructions: obey!