Thoughts on Reformation

What Reformation Is Not

There is a strange notion among many Protestants that the spirit of reformation is the spirit of rebellion. In other words, reforming the church means rebelling against church authority. Put simply, that is untrue. The Reformers, most notably Luther and Calvin, wanted to reform the church as an act of obedience, not rebellion. That is, they sought to obey God’s Word.

The fact that the Reformers’ obedience to God meant rebellion against Rome was accidental to their cause. The substance of the Reformation was and still is obedience to the Lord, not rebellion against authority.  Moreover, if the Bishop of Rome, or any other church authority, merely commands obedience to God’s Word, that authority should be humbly obeyed. There’s no need to reform that which is rightly formed.

Another strange view of reformation is that it is the triumph of the individual conscience. A true reformer, it is thought, is one whose conscience can override God’s moral law as it is contained in the Scriptures. This, too, is untrue to the spirit of the Reformers, whose consciences were formed and bound by God’s Word.

There is much talk about “bound conscience” among Christians, but the question that needs to be asked is, “Bound by what?” Luther’s words at the Diet of Worms are instructive for anyone who wants to engage in true reformation: “I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God.”

Individual conscience matters, but conscience can err. God’s Word does not err. True conscience is that which is open to being corrected and reformed by God’s Word. And true reformation is that which is captive not to the spirit of the age, but to the Spirit of God (who also just so happens to be the Author of the Bible!).

What Reformation Is

True reformation is reforming the Church so that she is in greater accordance with the Word of God. Why is this necessary? Because there is an obstinate tendency in the Church to make the traditions of men more important than the commandments of God. Reformation fights against this tendency. It labors to elevate the inspired Scriptures over and above – and, if necessary, against – man-made precepts.

There is great freedom that comes from the gospel. Because of Jesus Christ, there is no need to earn one’s salvation, no need to follow ceremonial laws (even if those ceremonies were commanded by God in the Old Testament, because the purpose of those ceremonies was to point to Christ), and most notably, no need to follow the traditions of men.

Yes, spiritual disciplines instituted by men can be good ways to cultivate faith. For example, the observance of Advent or Lent can serve to emphasize and cultivate a particular element of the Christian life. However, such man-made disciplines are not necessary for Christians to observe. Helpful? Yes. Necessary? No. Why? Because God never said, “Thou shalt observe Advent.”

Reformation means making sure that even good things instituted by holy men never turn into necessary things, as if they were instituted by God. Making good things necessary obscures the freedom one has in the gospel. It reduces faith in the living God to nothing more than a bunch of petty traditions passed on by men.

No matter how religious such man-made precepts may appear, they carry no weight in comparison to that which is actually commanded by God in his Word. A true reformation, therefore, is reforming Church teaching and practice to be evermore closely aligned with the Word of God.

Anything less than this is just a petty rebellion, to which the words of Hebrews should be applied, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls.” (Hebrews 13:17)

One Last Word

The Reformation – the period of reform in the 16^th century that splintered the Western Church into hundreds of sects – is not something to be celebrated. Sectarianism runs contrary to the unity for which Jesus himself prayed. (Cf. John 17) Divisions between Christians are perhaps the greatest detriment to Christian witness, meaning the Reformation should be lamented as a tragic (though perhaps necessary) occurrence.

What is to be celebrated is the desire and the courage to labor for the Church’s faithfulness to God. That kind of reform is something to be sought for in every age.

Strategy #3 for Making Life Miserable - Being Judgmental

The last two posts on this blog were part of a series on how to make life miserable. Strategy number one was Carrying Expectations, and strategy two was Playing the Victim. Now comes strategy three, Being Judgmental.

A judgmental attitude is a surefire way to make life miserable. Before noting a few ways to cultivate a judgmental mindset (and thereby become increasingly miserable), it’s worth saying what being judgmental is not.

Namely, it is not judgmental to know that some things are sinful, nor is it judgmental to tell someone they’re sinning. Indeed, one can be very discriminating between that which is good and that which is evil, and one can also speak to others about good and evil, all with great love in his heart.

What makes someone judgmental is not the ability to discern right from wrong, but the desire to hate and damn others. A judgmental spirit is one that perversely enjoys the sins of others, if only because the sins of others give one the opportunity to prosecute others, as if life is one big courtroom. (Never mind that “Satan” literally means “accuser,” and hence those who want to accuse and condemn people are thereby joining the ranks of Satan.)

So that is what it means to be judgmental, and being judgmental makes life miserable. That said, here are three ways to make oneself increasingly judgmental and, as a consequence, increasingly miserable:

Make Assumptions

It is very difficult, if not impossible, to know all the factors that have played into someone else’s actions. In order to be judgmental, it is highly important to assume that you know more than you really do. That is, assume that you do know all the factors (even though it’s certain you don’t!), and therefore there is no excuse for someone’s behavior. The only rational explanation? They are evil.

Assume also that you know people’s motives and intentions. True, you have no idea what’s really going on inside someone else’s heart. But to cultivate a judgmental attitude, you have to ignore your lack of insight. Act like you can see the unseen, and then draw a picture of the worst motives you can imagine.

Most actions are motivated by a variety of things, both good and bad. To be judgmental, assume that the motives of others are purely bad. Assume that other people intend to wrong you. This will make you quite judgmental and miserable.

Use Totalizing Language

Rather than simply stating the truth about a particular action (i.e. “John was very short with me in our conversation today”), use totalizing language that extrapolates one action into all actions (i.e. “John is always short with me, he never wants to talk”).

Someone who uses totalizing words like “always” and “never” is not really telling the truth, but that’s the key to being judgmental. To condemn people, you need to build a case against them. And to build a case, you need to ignore evidence that contradicts your accusation. Hence, words like “always” and “never” are very handy. If someone “always” does something wrong or “never” does something right, then there’s literally nothing they can do to escape your condemnation.

For anyone who’d like to have a judgmental (and miserable) spirit, don’t confine yourself to the truth. Remember that your job is to build a case against others and to justify your condemnation of them. A good prosecutor doesn’t bring up evidence that may excuse the defendant. Be a good prosecutor. Use totalizing language.

Label People

Labels take certain actions (i.e. “John was very short with me in our conversation today”) and turn them into an assessment of one’s character (i.e. “John is an a**hole”). Labels are very easy to come up with when you’re already adept at using totalizing language (i.e. “John is always short with me, he never wants to talk. Therefore, John is most certainly an a**hole”).

Labels blind oneself to reality and help build a case for condemnation. Put simply, once you have placed a label on someone, you’ll be very unlikely to notice things that contradict it. Or if you do notice such things, you’ll be likely to interpret them according to your preexisting label. For example, if John is most certainly an a**hole, then even the kind things that he does will seem suspicious to you.

Labels are perhaps the finest tool of a judgmental spirit. If you really want to be judgmental, use the actions of others to make negative assessments of their character. Label people as “idiots” or “jerks” or, best of all, “evil.” You will thereby feel completely justified in your hatred of them. And your hatred, of course, will make you quite miserable.

Final Word

So there they are: Three ways to cultivate a judgmental mindset and, in turn, make oneself miserable. There's just one last piece of advice for anyone who wants to be judgmental. Namely, ignore the words of Jesus:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you get.” – Matthew 7:1-2