The Danger of Abstraction
By Project Arctos
You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? - Jesus, Matthew 7:16 (NASB)
If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. - 1 John 4:20
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” - Matthew 16:24
Sinclair Ferguson, a Scottish theologian, describes the dangers of abstracting our faith: “The Christian life is not a mere abstraction, but a practical, everyday reality, demonstrated in our words, actions, and attitudes.”[1]
Abstraction is “the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events.”[2] The word comes from the idea of drawing something out.
We often take Scripture and abstract it into ideas we speak about but rarely live. We like to talk about things we’ll do in the future, from New Year’s resolutions to various hopes and dreams.
But what does it actually mean to un-abstract our Christian lives?
Many of our articles come with ideas, but they won’t mean much if the Holy Spirit doesn’t take those ideas and bring them alive in us through the life we have in Christ. In hopes of helping you identify if you’ve been abstracting the life of Christ, we’ve compiled a few short questions to think about. We pray God uses these in our lives to spur us on to persevere in the good works which He has set for us to walk into.
NOTE: The following are signs but not determinative. As followers of Jesus, we should exhibit good fruit, but it’s not because of good fruit that we are followers of Jesus.
1. DIVIDED LOVE
One measure of love is the priority something or someone has in our lives. The man who chooses to rest and watch TV each night instead of spending time with his child might prioritize his own rest or keeping up to date with the news over his child. Ask God to reveal your heart by His Spirit. Sit and reflect.
Are there areas in your life that are disproportionately and improperly prioritized? What comes first in your life? Is what you prioritize something that will last and connect with something that will last in eternity?
2. LOVE TAKES ACTION
Are you helping any brother or sister in need? Have you done something recently that was inconvenient or something that cost you (time, energy, appearance/reputation) to care for someone else?
3. LOVE IN COMMUNITY
Are you in a community where you are able to love others well? Do you spend time listening to others and sharing your own life with them?
The Project Arctos team is small and mighty, just some everyday Christians doing what we can with what God has given us to help us all Commune, Create, and Connect as vibrant citizens of His Kingdom.
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