I will be the first to admit that a baby is cute. There is something about a baby’s smile that draws an individual in to quickly fall in love with that precious gift of life. Living in a postmodern world where no absolute truth exists and proper worldviews are influentially shaped by experience over reason, it is no wonder that many who come from the postmodern worldview struggle with the Biblical understanding of the nature of man and original sin.
How could a newborn baby be spiritually and morally corrupt? This little baby is smiling and laughing. To a postmodern it does not make sense based on the experience of a happy fat little baby that the child has a depraved heart, mind, and soul. Many emergent and postmodern church leaders are moving fast away from the understanding of the consequences of the Fall of man. (A Christianity Worth Believing, Doug Pagitt).
It seems that there is a cultural shift away from the idea that man is fallen and the pendulum is moving towards an Imago Dei only theology. When an Imago Dei mindset rules the theological day it really is nothing more than a return to Pelagianism which believes that man is essentially good and born just as pure as Adam, including man is able to choose God on his own.
Augustine wrestled with both dual issues: the idea that man is so fallen that only a life of asceticism and making opportunities to be burned at the stake is acceptable and the other side that man is really good and has no real battle with sin or evil. Augstine after wrestling with Manicheism and Pelagianism I believe understood the correct Biblical teaching that man is both Created but Fallen as well as Fallen but Created.
A Postmodern needs to move beyond looking at how cute a baby in explaining the nature of man but instead return to God’s Living Word which in fact is a mirror to how broken we truly are. Man is a created in the image of God meaning he has tremendous value and worth and through God’s common grace (not saving grace) the ability to do good towards one another. Common Grace is God’s grace given to all of creation. This includes the sun shining on the righteous and the unrighteous, rain for both the righteous and unrighteous. God continually displays his goodness through providing food, work, allowing us to know beauty, and have a basic understanding of joy. This is God’s common grace to all of us.
While we are Created we also are still Fallen. All of us are born rebels. It is true that perhaps I can be nice to my own family and friends (for a season) but because we are fallen none of us have any ability to ever be good towards God. It can all be traced back clear to the garden with both Adam and Eve being tempted wanting to be like God. All of us have been in that same pursuit ever since.
As a Christian it is essential that I remember two things in regards to my born-again life. I need to be constantly reminded that even as a saved child of God sin still remains in my life. It does exist and still will hurt me every time. As a believer I must also remember that God is continually striving to make me new.
Living in a postmodern world I must remember two key biblical truths: I am created in the image of God but I am also Fallen. When I have both in proper perspective I can with confidence speak bodly the truth from Luke 15, I once was lost but now I am found.
Amen.
Last 5 posts by Wade Lowrey
- Remaining in God's Rest - November 5th, 2010
- Im Kind Of A Big Deal - Jesus - October 29th, 2010
- Soldiers Surprsing Their Loved Ones - June 11th, 2010
- Happy Hour Vs. Oh Happy Day - June 8th, 2010
- Nick Vujicic Christian A Powerful Testimony - June 7th, 2010
No Responses to “Common Grace In A Postmodern World”
Trackbacks/Pingbacks