Wednesday 15 June 2011

Are you a work completely done?

On Sunday at church we sang the great song Completely Done which is a lovely song full of truth of what God has done in and for us how we can trust in God completely.

As I sang it though I found the opening phrases - What reason have I to doubt? Why would I dwell in fear? - tripping me up.

Why doubt and fear? As the room sang I thought there are probably plenty of people doubting or fearing something and they lots of valid reasons. The questions in the song seems a little lame. There are plenty of reasons to be fearing for ourselves or our families now or into the future - finances, health, jobs etc.

Also, is there anything wrong with doubt? Isn't it better that we are honest with ourselves and even with God. Isn't doubt just the one side of the coin and faith is the other. Aren't the Psalms full of doubt and faith with faith triumphing, but would that triumph happen without the doubt? If we don't allow ourselves to doubt and question ourselves and God how can we really grow in a balanced way? Show me someone who has never doubted - that would be a scary fanatical person.

Knowing how God sees us and what He has done and is doing for us, helps us overcome our doubts and fears - but lets not condemn ourselves for being human. Indeed I am sure there will be things in our future as yet unknown that we will fear and doubt and God will use those situations to hopefully move us ever deeper into relying on Him.


The other observation I noted was the phrase "what you complete is completely done". The song I believe is referring to our salvation and becoming a new creation in Christ (2 Cor 5:17) and when it is done it is completely done nothing needs to added, worked for or earned. I agree wholeheartedly with this but wondered how many people felt completely and wholly a new and perfect creation? Or do we look at our physical self and wonder how much of the old has gone and new has really come?

It made me think about the creation of a person. As i understand it when a person is born (maybe even when they are conceived) within that person is everything they need to grow up and live their life. Obviously they need shelter, food, teaching etc. but nothing needs to be added to the creation, to the physical body. So our salvation into Christ is similar, when we choose to follow Him and He comes to live in us, in an instant we have everything in us to be Christ-like. All we need is time, care, teaching, and food of the spiritual kind. But no one needs to add any extra salvation hoops for us to do so we can be kitted out with all the necessary equipment to be able to be in Christ.

But do we feel like these perfectly complete people? I would suggest that is a rare feeling. I believe we need to know Christ and to know that we are in Christ in our day to day lives to truly see this, for it to become our reality. And maybe we can only know this when we have feared then believed, when we have doubted and then had faith again and again. As we see the fears and doubts of the old are going we can sing knowingly that the new has indeed come.

Wherever you or I are on the our own faith journey it is good to sing this truth to ourselves even if we don't see, feel or know it at present.

3 comments:

  1. Great article, and I'd agree.

    With "What reason have I to doubt?" I'd say there are plently of reasons! And often I'm left with a, "even though I have all these doubts I still choose to believe."

    Does that make me an idiot? I don't think so. I think it means that I recognise that my view of the world is limited and deep down I know there is more to life than my senses tell me.

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  2. Thanks Mike, you're no idiot! You are a creative and wonderful person. Looking forward to reading your first of many books, The Ascent of Isaac Steward.

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  3. Cheers mate and great seeing you yesterday.

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