ADBC: 22 – Book, Takeaway and Not Trying

Here’s the premise of the conversation.

Previously in the conversation: A crucial element of the relationship I have with my brother is honesty and truth. It does me no good to flatter my brother or hype up what he writes about as if I’m looking to impress someone. David won’t be impressed and so I don’t with flattery. What I endeavour to bother with is a fair assessment of what he’s written. In his recent contribution, he outlined set goals he has for himself and especially his family. There is also his view on original sin, which is worth reading through and understanding carefully. One thing particularly to take from what is written is the advice given to young people (which is useful for all people) when it comes to the past and the future. My brother comes up with the goods that I commend for your reading.

The conversation continues with some questions my brother has asked me – let’s see how I can answer them:

Q – Explain, in light of the thousands of articles you’ve written and content produced, why you haven’t written a book yet. What factors have prevented you? And if a book is your goal, what steps will you take, must you take, in order to achieve that goal?

This is arguably the most intrusive and challenging question you’ve asked me. So I’m not going to answer it because I’m offended by how intrusive you’ve been asking. How dare you?

Errrrrrrr … what I really mean is …

Last year gives a good insight into why I have not as yet written a book. Writing a book is something I had in the back of my mind for years. A very long time. But it’s stayed there in the back of my mind – something I will do, so I told myself. I put other things before the book because my writing outlet was the blog. Last year, however, indeed over the last two years, there’s been a theme that I thought would be the ideal for the first book or maybe a series of books. At the end of 2020, I had the desire to bring those threads to fruition. The turn of the year saw me prioritise other commitments over the book and my writing would be channelled into other things, chiefly the blog.

Where things are at the moment, there is ample opportunity to get the book written and so that is the goal going forward. I recognise that there are issues of focus and discipline that I have address to get the book done. As blogging has been an outlet that I’ve devoted myself to, that will revert to a similar status to last year where in the first four months or so I blogged three or four times a week rather than daily. In that space of time, I was able to make contributions to another writing project. The steps I am taking to address this is to devote time to the book on a regular and disciplined basis. I have a deadline set and review points that can help with that. The big deal for me remains the focus and discipline. I’ve contributed to other books before and that took discipline and focus. So I’m capable of it – it is just to assert that in a project of my own. No one else and nothing else to blame – it is my responsibility and my privilege to dedicate time to something that I enjoy and know should be a natural outlet of the years of blogging and word accumulation. I say that also acknowledging, however, that the book is a part of what I’m planning.

Q – In your previous instalment in our conversation, you said “To deal with that sin condition God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God to take away sin.” What does it mean, in your Christological worldview, to “take away sin.” In that worldview, are human beings still currently still in the image of God? What does the added “sin nature” or “sin condition” do that “image?” I guess that would necessitate an understanding of what the “image of God” means in your worldview.

We are created in the image of God in the sense that we are capable of choice, able to do good, right and justice, dependent on connection with and reflection of God. As long as we’re in the face of God we are inclined to do what He desires out of choice. What sin does is turn us away from God. Whether that’s open and hostile rejection or through an inclination towards the self and not towards God. Either way sin in the world gave man the inclination to do that which goes against God. In that sense, though we retain the image of God, it is tarnished because it is not reflecting what it should.

There are readings of threads of this through the Old Testament. Whether that’s seen in how humanity behaves from the Eden eviction to the flood or seen in the microcosm of Israel’s relationship with God. Episodes where people do what’s right in their own sight, determine how to serve God in their own way or just outright turn from God in pursuing idolatry of one sort or another. The problem is highlighted not just be the things that are done, but the heart from which they come. Prophets will criticise those who claim to be God’s people for actions that are not reinforced by their heart and subsequent other acts that show the first to be hypocritical.

Jesus comes and identifies that the things we do come from a rebellious heart and so in taking away sin, He offers to give those who believe in Him a new heart that is once more inclined towards God. He gives ample opportunity for believers to no longer be slaves to sin, but to be liberated and be practitioners of righteousness from a mind renewed to do good. That’s how He takes away sin. He does this in His crucifixion, burial and resurrection. He previews this in a life that is lived reflecting the image of His Father by being without sin.

Q – “I tried to do this.”I will try to do that.” What is your relationship with the term “try” when used in this way? I believe you agree with a statement like “don’t ‘try;’ do!” Should we erase “try” from our mouths?

This word. Try. It’s an irritant to me. It’s a salve for failure. “At least you tried.” Utter rot and poppycock and does nothing to address the situation … in my opinion. I want to write. So I will write, or I won’t write. If the aim is there to do something it gets done or not. There doesn’t have to be recriminations over everything that doesn’t happen. It’s good to start with clarity. Did I do what I wanted to do? If I did not – then we can look at the reasons why and the steps to be taken to succeed if I want to do the thing again. Even if I do the thing it’s still worth looking at how it was done and if improvements can be made. I look to avoid using the word because I don’t agree with the concept. I don’t try my best – I do my best or otherwise.

Then we come to the matter of erasing it from our mouths. My answer to that question is that if you understand the term and you understand how life is assessed – and agree with that – then it won’t have to be erased, it will be avoided. If enough of a culture is built around that, the job is done. Where that culture does not exist says something about what people want to be done. There should be no sense of shame or loss if you did your best and your best wasn’t good enough. There should be no room for a pathetic sentiment to magic up some sort of nebulous thing of ‘trying’. Should be no room. But some want to offer an entire estate of their mind to it. This is my contention in any case and if people happen to disagree, well, at least I tried …🙂

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Well, well, well. That’s what I can offer in the quest to give answers to as ever challenging questions.

What are your responses to these questions:

Q – If you could pick a subject that you could write in praise of, what would it be? What would you write in your praise of it?

Q – There are twelve months in the year. The year starts in January and ends in December. Are these statements you hold to be true? How should time be measured (assuming it should be measured) and why?

Q – The public sphere, the private sphere, the personal sphere. When you read these phrases and think about these concepts, how helpful do you think they are to explaining how we live?

I ask these questions with great interest in your answer to them. That interest is based on the relationship developed with you over time to know that you think carefully and write to the best of your ability. That makes for good reading and I am blessed by the experience.  Thanks for your time.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. L. J. Dryden