Why Redemption?

In The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard writes that there are 3 stages of redemption. Redemption - I love that word.

The first stage is to be baptized into Christ. We are baptized into Christ and brought into "experiential union" with him. That means that as we are immersed in Jesus (my God, could you love me so much that you would immerse me in you), we come into experiential union with him. Willard writes, "What he (Jesus) experienced then we now also experience through our communion with him". This experiential union thing is really amazing. This stage is something that God does for us when we give our lives to him and are immersed in Jesus.

"Reckoning" is the second stage and is something we have to do ourselves. "In our new freedom we are to "reckon" or consciously and purposefully regard ourselves as "dead to sin and alive to God in Union with Jesus Christ'" Romans 6:11 Another way to say it is, "That is not, and shall not be me".

The third stage is to submit our whole self to righteousness. Again, this is not something God can or will do for us. This is tough. I cannot tell you how many times I've prayed, "God, make me more like Jesus".

I am a sinner.

I struggle with selfishness of all kinds. When I'm squished by circumstances or even worse pushed by someone, I am unkind - I say things that as I hear the words come out of my mouth I know these are words that should not be spoken. I can lay someone bare and they won't even know what hit them.

I ruminate over negative people or situations I deem unfair, letting the yuckiness of it all affect my behavior toward the people I love.

I judge other people's behavior; deciding what their hidden motive must have been. I often do this to my children.

I hide from abrupt people; letting them continue in bad behavior toward me or my family.

I'm insecure - may seem like the opposite of selfishness but it's not - it's selfishness.

I eat too much. I've really struggled with this one - would Jesus enjoy a yummy piece of key lime pie on Christmas night? Harmless, right? No - because for me, the thoughts, motives, and actions of overeating separate my heart from the heart of God.

Our family went with our daughter, Bethany, to Austin Stone Sunday morning for church. The pastor (I'm really sorry that I don't know his name - his sermon was life-giving) said, that the call of Jesus is not a call to morality(huh!?). The call of Jesus is to follow him, to abide in him, and to become like him; in a sense, to be him here on earth (AH!). The more we, over time, immerse ourselves in Jesus, the more we abide in him, the more we reflect him.

I've been thinking about this for a long time. I am a sinner. I sin. I need redemption. Life is messy. I want my children to see me love God, struggle with sin, be immersed in Jesus and brought into experiential union with him, reckon myself as dead to sin and thus by grace escape sin, and submit my whole self to God for righteousness! Then my children will better understand how to walk with God.

God help me and give me grace.