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| 604.1 | Addictions and Grace (Part 1 of 3) | ODIXIE::HUNT | | Thu Oct 06 1994 11:39 | 101 |
| "From 'Grace Works', copyright 1992 by Dudley Hall, Published by Servant
Publications, Box 8617, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48107. Used with permission."
Chapter 22
Addictions and Grace
Does the substance of this book have anything to do with life in the
pits? Is all this talk about legalism and flesh and simplicity and grace
just more theological gobbledygook that priests and preachers spend their
time playing with? Well, let's see. In an effort to see if this "life"
we've talked about really relates to the average person, let's look at the
problem of addictions.
Being addicted is almost as popular these days as having heart surgery
was in the eighties. It seems to be a sign of acceptance in the "yuppie"
generation not only to have addictions, but to understand one's
psychological makeup.
But the fact that addictions are popular doesn't make them any less
real--or any less painful. Many of us really do have uncontrollable
dependencies that make our lives miserable. Recently I heard a well-known
public speaker quote a poll which indicated that 40 percent of Americans
struggle with compulsive behavior.
I'll not take the time here to try to give my amateurish psychological
dissection of addictions, but simply say that an addiction can be our
attempt to medicate a hurt or an attempt to satisfy our eternal longing for
real love. Some people attempt to medicate their hurts or satisfy their
heart's longing with drugs, some with food, some with fantasies, some with
sex, some with work--some even with religion.
Support groups have sprung up all over the country as people are
desperately seeking a way to cope with their addictions. And some of these
groups, especially the spiritually-based Twelve Step programs, have been
invaluable sources of hope and growth. But some people have been going to
their support groups for so long that they are even losing hope there, for
they have concluded that where once they were addicted to some substance
abuse they are now addicted to the support group meetings.
DOES GRACE WORK FOR ADDICTIONS?
The primary question is this: Does the gospel of grace have anything to
say about addictions? Does God, through Scripture, give us a workable
answer for compulsive behavior, or are we left to ourselves, to struggle
around in the quagmire of partial understandings? Can we ever be sure that
we can be free from controlling compulsions?
Or course, I believe the answer is yes. God does have a simple, direct
word, and it has been given to us through the pages of Scripture. In
Romans 6 we find some keys to unlocking the understanding of the addiction
problem and the gracious good news about God's decisive cure.
Let me add a caution up front. When I talk about a simple cure for
addiction, I don't mean to minimize the pain of those who struggle with
compulsive behavior or those who are the victims of others' addictions.
Nor do I mean to imply that addictions can be cured overnight just by
reading the Bible. (That has been known to happen, but more common is the
slow, "one day at a time" recovery.)
I certainly don't want to say that conquering addiction is a "Lone
Ranger" problem to be handled just by the addict and God. Although only
one person can make the soul-deep decisions of trusting God and his grace,
the day-to-day decisions of resisting addictive behavior usually require
help. Many people need the encouragement and support of other people in
order to face their problem and, with God's help, to grow beyond it. Some
may find this in support groups, some in counseling, others simply in
fellowship with friends and the body of Christ. Remember, human beings
were created for fellowship; we were never meant to face our problems
alone. And this is as true in the case of addictions as it is of any other
problem we face on earth.
THE SPIRITUAL ORIGINS OF ADDICTION
With that said, let's begin our examination of addictions with a review of
our humankind's plight and how we got where we are today. God originally
created man and woman to enjoy him, to bear his image, and to rule and
reign under his authority. From the first, humans were free and well
equipped to do all these things. Yet Adam and Eve, tempted by the promise
of being equal to God, ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
This choice, in essence, was the choice of independence from God.
As a result of their fateful choice, the first humans suffered the
consequences of the Fall, which included immediate self-consciousness.
Their eyes fell from beholding the glory of the Lord to beholding their own
shame. They were immediately aware that they were not like God, although
the Enemy had promised that they would be. Now they were aware that their
imperfections were exposed to God. Their shame caused them to hide behind
a bush, and humankind has been following their lead ever since.
Self-consciousness is the result of sin. And self-consciousness is a
root of addiction. Much compulsive behavior is, in effect, an attempt to
cover up our imperfections and shame and hide from the pain of who we are.
The human race was in a terrible mess even before God gave the law to
Moses. But the law revealed that humanity's problem was worse than anyone
had thought.
Before the law was given, humankind suffered the consequence of sin,
which was death... the absence of life. In this death, men and women were
self-conscious rather than God-conscious, victims rather than victors.
Because they were subject to death, they were well aware that they were
ruled over rather than ruling. At the same time, they were not at all
aware of the depth of their sin nor the desperate condition of their heart.
When the law was given, a sin-consciousness was added to man's self-
consciousness. Thus we have humankind trying to be successful in
fulfilling their God-ordained commission, but at the same time laden down
with self-consciousness and sin-consciousness. We have suffering and shame
passed on from generation to generation; fallenness bringing pain to
ourselves and to people who love us.
With this limited perspective, no wonder men and women couldn't find
true answers to the human predicament.
|
| 604.2 | Addictions and Grace (Part 2 of 3) | ODIXIE::HUNT | | Thu Oct 06 1994 11:40 | 124 |
| "From 'Grace Works', copyright 1992 by Dudley Hall, Published by Servant
Publications, Box 8617, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48107. Used with permission."
Addictions and Grace (cont)
GRACE ABOUNDED
Then into the darkness of this pitiful plight came the brightness of the
gospel. We will find that it is the nature of grace to always rush toward
need: "Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Rom 5:20).
The only thing that grace requires is a need into which to pour itself.
Grace is not looking for the independent or the secure, but for the
helpless. All that is necessary to qualify for the grace of God is to be
needy. (It is at this point that support groups have been invaluable
instruments of grace. The atmosphere of acceptance has encouraged many to
come out of denial and admit they have a problem.) And certainly a
self-conscious, sin-conscious person qualifies for that grace.
One of the most beautiful characteristics of the grace of God is that it
is inexhaustible. Even with all your addictions, insecurities, and
frailties, you cannot create a need so big that grace cannot meet it. The
bigger the hole, the more grace there is to fill it. Even one who has been
to God a million times with the same problem need not fear exhausting the
grace of God.
Usually it is only arrogance that keeps us from going again and again to
God for grace to help in time of need. Sometimes we are talked out of
going to God by the Enemy, who tells us, "If you had meant it when you
repented, you wouldn't be back for more help." That's a lie! Every time
we need grace, we can go to God. And every time we go, we will be
strengthened and comforted.
So what answer did God, in his grace, give to our needy human
predicament? Significantly, it didn't involve calling us to endless
self-examination nor browbeating us with the law. His answer to our
pitiful plight was to send his Son. Jesus came to live under the law; to
defeat our enemies of sin, Satan, and death through the cross; and to be
raised again so that our eyes could be taken off ourselves and put on
Jesus.
In other words, The only cure for self-consciousness and sin-
consciousness is God-consciousness. The only lasting solution for our
human predicament, including addictions, is learning to focus on him and to
depend on him.
A NEW KIND OF LIFE
In Romans 6, Paul deals with the natural mind's tendency to
misunderstand the grace of God. "What shall we say then? Are we to
continue in sin that grace may increase?" (Rom 6:1). Or, "Shall we sin
because we are not under law but under grace?" (Rom 6:15). The natural
mind thinks, "If grace covers my sin, why not continue so that grace can be
magnified?" Its definition of grace would be that grace frees me from the
penalty of sin, so I can go satisfy myself with no fear of punishment.
This is obviously tempting to those of us who experience the painful
compulsion to indulge in addictive behaviors. But such an assumption is a
total misunderstanding of the grace of God.
It is true that the grace of God has taken care of eternal judgment,
because Jesus became the propitiation for our sins. In doing that Jesus,
in himself, absorbed all the wrath that God has for our rebellion. Jesus
has left none of the "drippings" of God's wrath for me. "Perfect love
casts out fear, because fear involves punishment" (1 Jn 4:18).
But the focus of God's grace is not just on the penalty of my sin, but
my bondage to sin on this side of heaven. Grace did not come just to pay
my penalty so I could live in the bondage of working sin. It came to set
me free from the power of sin and self-consciousness in my own life and
even from my bondage to those who have sinned against me.
This is how Paul puts it" "Do you not know that all of us who have been
baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death? Therefore we
have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that as
Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too
might walk in newness of life" (Rom 6:3-5).
The Greek word translated "know" in this passage means more than just to
be aware of something or to know it theoretically. It means to "know by
revelation." Have you noticed that when you know something by revelation,
your life changes? You can be aware of an assortment of facts and still
experience no change. But God's revelations always change your life.
When Paul says "do you not know?" he is talking about this kind of
revelation from God. What is that life-changing revelation? That the
grace of God in Jesus made it possible for the old sin-conscious,
self-conscious me actually and really to die. What a wonderful thought! I
have been buried and raised not only with a new life, but with a new way of
viewing life! That's the joy of believing in Jesus and becoming one with
him. When I know I have died with Christ, been buried with Christ and been
raised with Christ, I know I am now living in a new kind of life.
This newness of life gives me a new perspective on living. I am no
longer sin- and self-conscious, but God-conscious. I am aware of the fact
that I have nothing hanging over my head to condemn me. There are no
unfulfilled expectations for me. I have been judged in Jesus and found
totally pleasing to God the Father. I am free to live my life in union
with him, since he has already paid the penalty of my sin and has defeated
death itself through his resurrection. He has also fulfilled the law by
dying for sin and has defeated Satan through the blood of Jesus on the
cross. Because of all this, I stand as a free person with the capability
of seeing things differently.
GOOD-BYE TO THE BODY OF SIN
One of the things that happens in this wonderful experience of the cross
is that the "body of sin" is done away with (Rom 6:6). What is a "body of
sin"? It certainly sounds bad.
It includes that system of deception that we have developed around our
addictions. It is based upon the big lie that you require something other
than God's life to meet the hurts and unmet needs in your life. It
originates from the first lie that Satan told Adam and Eve: "You can be
like God by doing something." Ever since that day, human beings have been
trying to satisfy their desires and cover their pain with possessions,
activities, and experiences. We have the uncanny ability to think
rationally and arrive at the wrong conclusions, then to rationalize a
course of action that gives us some sort of relief.
The "body of sin" also involves the "big lie" of blame. Addicts are
usually expert blamers, attempting to place responsibility for their
destructive behavior on everyone but themselves. And it is true that many
who develop addictions have been mistreated and sinned against; their pain
is real. And yet healing cannot begin until we face squarely the fact that
addictive behavior is based on our own choices, thence our own sin. Only
in God's grace can we face that painful reality positively.
It is this body of sin that creates and perpetuates the addictions in
our lives. We are incomplete apart from God and hurt because of the
offenses of this cruel world. So we find medications to satisfy our
longing for completion. But we will always have hurts that are not
comforted, wounds that are not healed, and needs that are not met until we
come into union with Jesus Christ himself. And when he comes again in
glory, this union will be made perfect and full. It is in Christ and
Christ alone that we can enjoy God, bear his image, and rule under his
authority. That is God's success. Everything else leaves us dissatisfied
and unfulfilled.
|
| 604.3 | Addictions and Grace (Part 3 of 3) | ODIXIE::HUNT | | Thu Oct 06 1994 11:40 | 101 |
| "From 'Grace Works', copyright 1992 by Dudley Hall, Published by Servant
Publications, Box 8617, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48107. Used with permission."
Addictions and Grace (cont)
CHOOSING YOUR MASTER
There is no ultimate cure for our hidden or not-so-hidden addictions,
apart from a personal experience of the cross--that is, a personal
experience of being joined with Jesus in his death, burial, and
resurrection. When that experience happens to us, then we truly have died
to one perspective and been raised to another by the Spirit of God that
dwells in us. And then our freedom really does become possible.
In giving us freedom, however, God does not take away our choices. Free
human beings can even choose to put themselves back into bondage. That's
why the latter part of Romans 6 deals with the matter of choosing who will
be your master. Romans 6:14-23, as I understand it, tells us this: Before
grace came into your lives you were slaves to sin. Since the grace of God
has been revealed, you are slaves to righteousness. The great news is
this: When you became slaves to righteousness, you no longer were obligated
to obey your old master, sin. Now you have the capacity to obey
righteousness and when you do, you will be fulfilled.
These verses also talk about the principle of establishing authority in
your life. Basically, Paul says you have the right to establish who or
what has authority in your life. If you yield yourself to someone; you
establish that person as your authority (my paraphrase).
Have you ever watched any of the old Westerns where the gangsters were
mean, dirty, derelict, and yet were controlled by their mother? She's
always a spindly little old lady. And there's always a scene where they
are in their cabin in the badlands of Mexico, having just returned from
robbing a bank and killing a few poor souls. These mean desperadoes come
in to eat, spitting and putting their elbows on the table and acting
unmannerly. Inevitably "Ma" grabs one of them by the ear and makes him
shut up and sit down. It is obvious that she rules the clan. These are
men that cannot be controlled by laws. The best Texas rangers and the
finest marshals that ever pinned on a star cannot control them. Yet his
little woman rules them easily. Why? Because when they were young they
yielded to her as their authority. They gave her authority in their lives,
and they can't get over it.
This is what happens to us in our addictions. When we continue to yield
to an authority in our life, each time we yield we establish that authority
on a higher level. But the answer to being free from some negative
authority is not to focus on escaping that authority, but to realize that,
in the kingdom of God, we already have a higher master.
When we made a choice years ago, months ago, or even days ago, to be
united with Jesus in death, burial, and resurrection, we established him as
the authority. Because of that, we can daily choose to yield to
righteousness and to establish righteousness as an authority in our lives.
In a sense, we can become addicted to righteousness. And that is the only
long-term cure to being addicted to substances or food or other people or
any other undependable source of satisfaction.
What a wonderful thought! The key is not to focus on saying no to the
temptation of evil, but to saying yes to the temptation of good!
Notice the phrases in Romans 6:19: "just as" and "so now." The verse
says, in essence, "_Just as_ you were slaves of unrighteousness you would
yield your members one step at a time, developing higher degrees of
unrighteousness, _so now_, yield your members one step at a time,
developing higher degrees of righteousness" (my paraphrase).
That's the key. Yielding to righteousness, not saying no to
unrighteousness. It's true that when you say yes to righteousness you will
be saying no to unrighteousness. But the key is the focus. Do you see?
Every time there is a temptation to yield to that false god that was
promising a satisfaction for your deep yearnings, you can say yes to Jesus,
who has taken your old life with him in death and resurrection. The
authority of the old system of deception has been usurped by a higher
authority. Your are no longer defined by your addictions to alcohol, food,
work, or other people. Your are free from their authority. You are
forgiven. You are a child of God.
As a free child of God, you may choose to become involved in any
activity you want. But you _do_ have the choice. You can reckon yourself
to be dead to sin but alive unto God and choose to say yes to righteousness
every time there's a temptation.
YOU CAN ALWAYS BEGIN AGAIN
Now the question arises, "What if I fail? What if I yielded to the
temptation of evil rather than to the temptation of good?" The moment you
recognize you've done so, step out from behind Adam's bush and say to God,
"I've chosen the wrong way." (Its helps to say that to another human being,
too.) Every time you confess and determine to make better choices the next
time, you are choosing the right way. Every time you confess, you're
establishing righteousness as an authority in your life.
You say, "But what if I do it a hundred times? Doesn't that mean that I
really didn't mean it when I repented?"
No, it doesn't. It means that you are still trusting the inexhaustible
grace of God. And every time you confess and repent, you reestablish
righteousness in your life.
You say, "Do you think I will ever stop my destructive behavior?"
Yes, because God desires not only to free you from the _penalty_ of sin
but to free you from the _power_ of sin. That's why it is foolish to
believe you can be a partaker of grace and continue on nonchalantly in a
life of ungodliness.
Grace doesn't just change your destiny, it changes your identity.
You're no longer a slave to unrighteousness, but a slave to righteousness.
Every chance you get to obey, to submit to Christ, do it. For in this you
are establishing righteousness in your life. Then, when you look in the
mirror, you will not be tempted to judge yourself by your history but you
can, with sincerity of heart, agree with God and judge yourself by your
destiny. You are one of God's children, addicted to righteousness!
|
| 604.4 | | FRETZ::HEISER | Grace changes everything | Thu Oct 06 1994 20:29 | 12 |
| Bing, thanks for entering that. All I can say is praise God! I'm
living proof that His grace is mighty and healing. God wasn't joking
when He said He uses the foolish things to confound the wise. Who
would've ever thought that God's grace can be so healing as well as
saving? The more I bask in it, the strong in the Lord I become.
You'll probably love Pastor Chuck Smith's new book too ("Why Grace
Changes Everything"). It's the kind of book you want to read over and
over and over...
thanks again,
Mike
|
| 604.5 | I plan to get it | ODIXIE::HUNT | | Thu Oct 06 1994 21:42 | 11 |
| >You'll probably love Pastor Chuck Smith's new book too ("Why Grace
>Changes Everything").
I wrote it down when you recommended it before. I plan to get it. I'm
reading a book now by Neil Anderson that's called "Victory over the
Darkness", that also came highly recommended and deals with our
identity in Christ.
Love in Him,
Bing
|
| 604.6 | | CSLALL::HENDERSON | I'm the traveller, He's the Way | Thu Oct 06 1994 23:10 | 9 |
|
I've extracted it, but haven't read it yet...look forward to it, thought..
Jim
|
| 604.7 | | CSOA1::LEECH | annuit coeptis novus ordo seclorum | Mon Oct 24 1994 12:38 | 4 |
| Thanks for taking the time to enter all that in, Bing. I may have to
check out that book for myself.
-steve
|
| 604.8 | Blame Game | ODIXIE::HUNT | | Thu Oct 27 1994 14:54 | 27 |
| Thanks Steve. I just read over this again. I find I need to affirm over
and over, who I am in Christ and what I have been given in Him. I have to
remind myself that I have been set FREE to walk in His righteousness! I
can say YES to His righteousness! The following quote spoke to me:
"But the focus of God's grace is not just on the penalty of my sin, but
my bondage to sin on this side of heaven. Grace did not come just to pay
my penalty so I could live in the bondage of working sin. It came to set
me free from the power of sin and self-consciousness in my own life and
even from my bondage to those who have sinned against me."
Anyway the reason I was posting this is that when I read the following
quote, it reminded me of the show "The Blame Game" which was on last
night.
"The "body of sin" also involves the "big lie" of blame. Addicts are
usually expert blamers, attempting to place responsibility for their
destructive behavior on everyone but themselves. And it is true that many
who develop addictions have been mistreated and sinned against; their pain
is real. And yet healing cannot begin until we face squarely the fact that
addictive behavior is based on our own choices, thence our own sin.
Only in God's grace can we face that painful reality positively."
Love in Him,
Bing
|
| 604.9 | | ASDG::RANDOLPH | | Thu Oct 27 1994 15:26 | 21 |
|
Bing - what you wrote reminded me of a book I recently read
"Seven Habits of Effective People"
The continuing theme in the book is that, regardless of what you've
done or not done in the past, regardless of what's been done to you
or not done for you, you have the power to choose right now what
you want to do.
I didn't agree with much written in the book, but I did like this
one theme. I can choose to live for Christ...or not. I can indulge
in destructive behavior...or not. One does not have to bite off a
commitment beyond their own power. You have the power to choose
what you will do right at this moment.
Fortunately we Christians can lean on more than our own power.
Hang your worries and place your confidence on Jesus.
Otto
|
| 604.10 | | ODIXIE::HUNT | | Thu Oct 27 1994 15:29 | 8 |
| Amen Otto!
We have the power, through Christ, to set our minds on the spirit and
to choose who has authority over our lives.
In Christ,
Bing
|
| 604.11 | Never despair, God is near & He loves us | KAHALA::JOHNSON_L | Leslie Ann Johnson | Fri Oct 28 1994 16:31 | 95 |
| What's been written in the last few notes also brings to mind some
things from a book I've been reading, "Restore My Soul" which is an
English translation by Avraham Greenbaum of some writings in Hebrew by
Rabbi Nachman who was active in the Ukraine between 1790 and 1810 (approx).
The whole book is devoted to reasons for continuing to strive to serve
God and never to give up hope, because there is no where, where you are
from God, and because God has infinate love for you. I've taken the
liberty of including a few excerpts, from scattered places throughout
the book, and will be writing to the publisher to obtain permission. I
know that's sort of backwards but I so much wanted to share these few
things now. If that's not okay and the note has to be set hidden, I
understand.
Leslie
"No one should ever despair of God. Even if he (a person) has
caused great damage, God forbid, God's love for him has not
ceased. This person can still return to God."
"When a man has to rise from level to the next, prior to his ascent
he must first undergo a descent. The paradox is that the very pur-
pose of the descent is the ascent. From this you can see how much
strength is required in the service of God. Even when you fall or
descend in any way, you must never allow yourself to be thrown off
balance to the extent that you come to look down on yourself in
contempt. You should refuse to dwell on the matter even momentarily.
Regardless of what happens to you, in the end you will find that
all your descents will be turned into great ascents..."
"'The whole earth is filled with God's glory' (Is. 6:3) There is no
place devoid of God. He fills all the worlds and He encompasses all
the worlds...Because of this you should know that even if you are
sunk in the very domain of the kelipot, the husks, and you are on the
lowest of levels, at the point where you imagine that it is impossible
for you ever to draw close to God because you are so far from Him ---
here still you can find God; you can attach youself to Him and return
in perfect repentence. For 'It is not far from you' (Deut. 30:11).
It is just that in the place where you are now there are more garments
concealing the Godliness."
"Depression is a terrible scourge. It feeds the evil inclination. You
should always take care to work on yourself to bring joy into your soul.
There are many good ways of doing this, as will be explained later.
Joy is the foundation of spiritual strength. As we find written,
'For delight in God, that is your strength.' (Neh 8:10)"
"You may be so far from God that you imagine that your every movement
is a blemish before God. In that case, you should know that when
someone is so deeply sunk in the grossness of the world, every single
gesture and movement which he makes to extricate himself little by
little from his grossness is more dear and precious in God's eyes than
words can describe."
Here's the last one:
"Reflect on the utter exaltedness of the Holy One, blessed be He. You
will see that even the slightest inappropriate movement or impertinent
thought on the part of a man, viewed against the light of God's glory,
should cause that man to deserve a penalty, God forbid. But God is
filled with love, and the whole creation is filled with His kindness.
God desires the world greatly. 'Be strong and of good courage and trust
in God.' (Ps. 31:25) For He will not abandon you. Everything which
comes upon you will be used for your own good. Depend upon God's
abundant love, for it is without end. 'God is great: And his greatness
is unsearchable.' (Ps. 145:3).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And with all that in mind, I'd like to add the following scripture,
from Isaiah 55:6-7, and from Ephesians 3:14-20: Paul's wonderful prayer
and statement of God's love for us -- made known to us through Jesus
the Messiah.
Seek the Lord while He is present, call to Him while He is close at
hand. Let the wicked abandon their ways and the evil their thoughts:
let them return to the Lord, Who will take pity on them, and to our
God, for He will freely forgive.
With this in mind, then, I kneel in prayer to the Father, from Whom
every family in heaven and on earth takes its name, that out of the
treasures of His glory He may grant you inward strength and power
through His Spirit, that through faith, Messiah may dwell in your hearts
in love. With deep roots and firm foundations, may you, in company
with all God's people, be strong to grasp what is the breadth and
length and height and depth of Messiah's love, and to know it, though
it is beyond knowledge. So may you be filled with the very fullness
of God.
Now to Him Who is able through the power which is at work among us to
do immeasurably more than all we can ask or conceive, to Him be glory
in the church and in Yeshua the Messiah from generation to generation
evermore! Amen.
Leslie
|