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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Christian Baptism (10/18/07)
As a young Christian I was baptized...and baptized again...and again and again and again! I kept going to the baptisms and getting saved and then going back out into the world and getting dirty again. I exhausted my pastors. I made myself look like a fool to my brothers and sisters. And I began to doubt strongly the factuality of my own salvation. Little did I know that it was my own goodness which needed doubting.

Our trouble with being good is that we all tend to see goodness as an end, in itself. And this mentality will do one of two things for us. It will either cause us to take virtue, as a pioneer takes land, and stake our claims and exploit her and drive out all her inhabitants.

Or, it will cause us to treat her (virtue) with contempt for always putting us on the outside of the city, so to speak.

If you are fairly good at being good, then you will suffer from the former malady; and if you are not so good at being good, then you will suffer from the latter.

But when in Christ, virtue becomes something altogether other.

It becomes something new to us. Before, virtue was merely a means to some sort of status. I suppose; or else it was the bar which prohibited said status. But now, virtue is none of the sort. Virtue has her hands on her hips and is presently giving you and I a rather scolding look.

In Christ, virtue becomes a sort of currency; the currency of love, so to speak. It becomes the thing we want, not so we can hoard or primp; but that we might participate in the give-receive-exchange dance.

For when love falls upon you, there is no greater pain than to discover you’ve no hope of ever keeping up with her as she dances and teases and flirts.

You stand there with two left feet, as it were. Love comes to you, takes your hand, and asks to have this dance, and you? Finally! You are noticed.

You are attended, you are danced upon: but you dare not move a muscle. For if you do, it will be discovered that you do not know how to dance. You never took the time to correctly learn. Yet now, suddenly! you want to learn.

And if learning is anything it is messy.

It is that terrible and confrontational state of the student. Being teachable is far more embarrassing than merely being good. For, every step we’ve thus far learned, we must now admit may have been wrong. And our waltz looks nothing like the waltz of love. What?! pray tell is it? How humiliating. Why, think of all the unlearning that must first take place before the actual learning can even begin.

When in Christ, virtue becomes the immaterial transaction between two beings. Virtue becomes our means of participating in...the...dance of our lives.

And further yet, it becomes stark in its contrast against our arrogant stash of self-righteous gain. It makes our illusive account of goodness suddenly void and valueless. We find that there can be no transaction; we have come up wanting. And in this wanting we begin to yearn for righteousness like never before.

Christ is not the sort to leave us as we are. There will be the straining of us up through the ranks, as it were. It will be hell. In fact, there is no chance in hell of our ever being good. But the idea of being restored by Christ to goodness...this is refreshing to us.

Instead of flitting about hopelessly and independently in a ballroom filled with mirrors, we are made simply to follow His lead.

We want to give, and thus we want to possess the power to give. This is precisely what we are suffered to receive in the Spirit of Christ.

Little Christ’s we are indeed becoming. And our baptism simply marks the death of our cherished self and all of its counterfeit attempts at goodness and the birth of our self in Christ with all of its pure, solid and reliable goodness. Before, status was our motivation. Now, in Christ, Love is what motivates us.
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This article has been read 1037 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Carol Shaffron
10/26/07
This forces me to think. I see some extremely deep and insightful points to ponder! Your writing is good. It is, however, not for someone who simply wants an easy read and to be entertained. I see the Holy Spirit at work in most of what you've "written". Blessings on your writing! Keep writing.
Paula Titus 
10/28/07
I had to really focus to read this, which is not necessarily a bad thing, I prefer deep reads that challenge the reader. You offer some great insights, thanks :)
Anothervoice Sunstar
10/29/07
Afraid I lost the theme of "baptism" wading through all the comparisons: virtue, dancing, students, etc. Biblical ideas sound, but would suggest not trying to address so many in such a limited writing space.
Josiah Kane
10/29/07
This is a good message. It is true that being good for reputation is both tireing and pointless. Unfortunately I thought that the dancing analogy was a bit strained.
Brenda Buikema
10/31/07
Worth reading a 2nd time for me just so your thoughts could sink in. Very good insights. Keep writing, He writes through you.