Much of the Christian life is confronting the difference between our programmed world-think and the Word of God. We’re to make a faith-choice on the side of the Word.
Author Dan Stone once said, “People say what they really think after the ‘but’.” Like this: “She’s really a nice person, but…” “Yes, the Bible says we’re saved by grace through faith, but…” We often take a truth and plunk a big but down on it in an attempt to suffocate the truth’s implications.
How many of us believe the Word without putting a “but” afterward? “But” is like “positional” in that both words are often used as an end-run around the truth to lessen the showdown between world-think and Word. The word “positional” often pushes the truth into some far off some-day rather than allowing us to access and appropriate the truth here and now when we really need it.
Word: “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” Rom 6:18
World-Think: Yes, we’re set free from sin and slaves of righteousness positionally, but we’re still sinners so we sin.
Word: “Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law….” Rom 7:4a.
World-Think: Yes, of course – but we’re dead to the ceremonial law, not the moral law.
Word: “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” Gal 2:20
World-Think: We have been crucified with Christ – positionally. We have to die to self because the old man comes down from the Cross.
Word: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.” 1John 2:1
World-Think: Yes we’re not supposed to sin but we can’t really help it because we’re sinners.
Word: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”
World-Think: Yes, that’s wonderful, but my particular sin is too awful (or besetting, or addictive).
World-think robs us of using our inheritance in Christ now, when we really need it. This is our one chance in all of eternity to appropriate real, usable power and virtue in order to spit in the face of world-think. Here and now is where we choose to rely on Christ within us as the source of everything we need for life and godliness – or not. Our choices here will resound throughout eternity, rewards eternally given or eternally lost.
World-think says Don’t take the Word literally; it can’t mean exactly what it says. Put a “but” after it and qualify it, weaken it, water it down.
World-think is insidious, detrimental, and ultimately devastating to our Christian walk. It has its origin in Satan’s own mind.