"All the evidence I've seen shows that positive thinking and confidence improves performance. In anything"
Experience shows this for me particularly in sport. When I do something good on the sports field, then I get better. When I stuff up, I play badly.
Here's my question. If it's true does that mean God wired us that way? And if he did, are Christians good at it? Or do we fall into negative thinking? I'm particularly thinking in terms of sin and our state before God. For example, why is it that in Romans 3:21-26. Every evangelical Christian picks up verse 23 and memorises it, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God". When the verses immediately preceding and following that verse are actually all about how we are made righteous and justified through faith in Jesus. Yes we are sinful and we deserve death, but it seems to me that Paul is actually encouraging us in our justified and righteous state before God through Jesus. Perhaps that kind of reading of the Bible, might lead to Christians thinking of themselves more positively and therefore they'd rise to the challenge of living for Jesus.
Good stuff, Chris! A pastor pointed out to me recently that the Bible starts in Genesis 1, not Genesis 3. The difference being that the story starts with God's love for us and our identity as his dearly loved creation. Sin entered the world and messed that up, at least from our end, but sin isn't the beginning - God's love for us is.
ReplyDeleteThe more I work with teens the more I realize I don't have to convince any of them that they or the rest of the world are pretty messed up. They know and experience sin every day. What they don't know and experience is love and forgiveness. Wouldn't it be amazing to see people repent compelled by love rather than fear or regret?
interesting but i don't believe that we all are sinful and deserve death.
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