Our Jasmine vine is in flower and the scent is definitly in the air. Even just one flower in our bedroom permeated the air in the whole room! Our sense of smell has certainly been aroused by the purfume of this little white flower.
In fact, as I took the photo below, many of my senses were stimulated - yes the ability to smell the aroma of the flower, but also sight to be able to see the flower, ears to hear the wind blowing through the leaves around me, and touch as I held some of the flowers. The only sense I didn't engage was that of taste!
Here's the quote:
R. C. wrote,"I have often been tempted to write a book by the title, The sensuous Christian.What is the sensuous Christian?"The sensuous Christian is one who lives by his feelings rather than through his understanding of the Word of God. The sensuous Christian cannot be moved to service, prayer or study unless he 'feels like it.' His Christian life is only as effective as the intensity of present feelings. When he experiences spiritual euphoria, he is a whirlwind of Godly activity; when he is depressed, he is a spiritual incompetent. He constantly seeks new and fresh spiritual experiences and uses them to determine the Word of God. His 'inner feelings' become the ultimate test of truth.""The sensuous Christian goes his merry way until he encounters the pain of life that is not so merry and he folds. He usually ends up embracing a kind of 'relational theology' (that most dreadful curse on modern Christianity) where personal relationships and experience take precedence over the Word of God. If the scripture calls us to action that may jeopardize a personal relationship, then the scripture must be compromised. The highest law of the sensuous Christian is that bad feelings must be avoided at all cost." (R. C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture, pp. 26-27).
So is it ok to enjoy what is felt by our senses?
While the above is totally true and always a timely warning, I am often reminded, and was again recently, that as human beings we tend to be 'reactionary' and even 'over-reactionary'. My Great grandfather used to say we are 'Pendulum swingers'. In other words we find it hard to keep a balance. We are prone to swing to one extreme, then realise we have over-emphasised something and then we push hard against that which has previously swung us to that extreme, so as to try to get some balance. In continuing to push hard against it, we don't realise we have again 'over-pushed' until we are way on the other side and something awakens us to our 'new' extreme. And thus begins the process yet again!!!
Anyhow, something happened recently that 'awakened' me to an 'extreme' in this area of 'avoiding' being a sensual Christian. So I did ask myself that question:
Is being sensual always wrong?
Just think for a minute....who gave us our senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch?
If God gave them to us, maybe, just maybe, he has a way in which they are meant to function in honour and glory of Him. Yes, they might be able to be distorted, twisted and focused in a wrong direction, but that doesn't make them actually wrong in themselves.
So that got me thinking. Even though I should be aware they can be 'harnessed' by the sinful nature for sinful purposes, I should also be aware that God has a purpose for creating them for His glory and honour. If I just suppress them or only view them negatively, that is also sin, and actually dishonours God. I must be careful not to despise what God doesn't despise and in fact He created for our good.
John Piper has written much on how pleasure itself is not wrong - what we pleasure in and why, is the issue. Enjoying life is not wrong.
God has given us His gifts to richly enjoy - what we enjoy, how and why, is the issue.
Keep reading in Part 2 coming up…..
No comments:
Post a Comment