I’ve had my full driving license for about 20 years now – in that time I’ve owned four cars and driven various others. I think of myself as a fairly capable driver – only one ‘bump’ over the years. But for all that 'driving experience' I actually know little about what makes a car work. I couldn’t explain to you the workings of the internal combustion engine and other than a few obvious bits (like the battery) the machinery under the bonnet is a mystery to me.
For many the Christian life is approached similarly. We know our way around the ‘controls’, we have a competence in operating the system – but we are often ignorant of its internal workings. Which means, that like myself and engines, we often only have a superficial knowledge of how God actually works in us (and indeed His church).
Lots of the time that might not seem to matter too much – we’re just interested in getting from ‘A to B’ and the mechanics at our garage can look after the ‘nuts & bolts’. The ‘nuts and bolts’ in the case of the Christian life being doctrine. However, what if my mechanic is poorly trained himself or a bit of an ‘Arthur Daley’? I mean, when my car mechanic makes that sucking noise with his mouth and says, 'sorry mate, you need a new carburretor' – who am I to argue? Many are the stories of expensive and dangerously poor advice given to naive car owners.
Too often Christians think about doctrine in the way I think about oil filters – a dull subject you either know about because you’re paid to or are just a bit nerdy. But understanding what’s under the bonnet is vital if we are to: (a) avoid being at the mercy of dodgy advice, (b) figuring out why something isn’t working and (c) ensure that the engine is running smoothly.
Because if you get the air & fuel mix wrong (e.g. too much activity & not enough prayer), or calibrate a key component incorrectly (e.g. set justification to ‘infused’ instead of ‘imparted’), or let the suspension seize up (e.g. neglect eschatology), or forget to allow differentials between wheels (e.g. have a right view of the Trinity) – then no amount of ‘driving skill’ will make up for a seriously crocked car.
Better get back to the owners’ manual!
1 comment:
For what its worth Andy here in Tanzania I've heard the complaint many times that our congrgations are full of 'wheel-barrow Christians'! The point it that they have NO engine and that if you want them to go anywhere or be anywhere you have to push them and take them there yourself. The complaint seems to suggest such people do not have the drive and motivation of the Spirit's indwelling power to do what is expected of them... :-)
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