Monday, November 28, 2011

Is There Room in the Middle for Me?

What’s Your Dominant Side?

If the left side of the brain controls the right side of our body,
And the right side of our brain controls the left side of our body,
Then only left-handed people are in their right mind.

                We are all fully aware that we have a dominant side to our bodies. We are either right-handed or left-handed. There are a few “balanced” people who can function equally well from both sides; we call them ambidextrous.  Although we notice it most with the use of our hands, our whole body reflects this “one-sidedness”. I noticed this on one of my runs. I became aware that I was pushing off harder with my right leg than my left leg. I made a conscious effort to balance the effort on both legs, but I was unable to sustain it. My right leg is definitely stronger than my left leg.
                There are many of these dichotomies in life. In a general sense we can divide people into extroverts and introverts. In simple terms an Extrovert gains energy by being around other people. On the other hand an Introvert gains energy by being alone.  Both kinds of people can be very social but they respond to social settings differently. Just as the scale tends to tip toward people being right-handed, the scale tends to tip toward people being on the Extrovert. Most people will find themselves somewhere in the middle. These people are called ambiverts.
                In a similar way there is a tendency for people to be directed by emotions or reason. For some people, their first response to most situations is to respond emotionally. For other people, their first response to most situations is to respond thoughtfully. Most people respond with some combination of the two.
                What I want to do is establish two important points. First, everyone tends to lean to one side or the other of the continuum. Second, while some people live at the extremes of the continuum, most people live somewhere in the middle. Even in our physical bodies, the difference between our right and left side is not so great that they cannot function together in a coordinated effort.
                When it comes to theology, one of the dichotomies is Law vs. Grace. On the Law side of the equation a heavy emphasis is placed on doing the right things. Sometimes this is referred to as “works righteousness”. In an extreme form it demands that a person live under all the Old Testaments laws. In a more common form, being a Christian is seen as carefully keeping a set6 of rules regarding a person’s conduct. A good Christian does not do certain things and definitely does other things. On the Grace side of the equation a heavy emphasis is placed on freedom. An extreme expression of this would say that it doesn’t matter how we live our lives. We can do whatever we want to do because God’s grace has covered us. A more common expression of this is to downplay lifestyle issues as less important than what a person believes. What I would like to suggest is that there is a place in the middle that is where God wants us to be. You could call it being spiritual ambidextrous or a spiritual ambivert.
                Jesus lived in the middle between Law and Grace. He always upheld the Law but also demonstrated grace freely. The clearest display of Jesus’ law side is found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Jesus walks through the demands of the Law and applies them in even stricter terms. He made it clear that it was not enough to keep the Law outwardly but that a person had to keep it in his heart as well. Matthew 5: 17 makes it clear that Jesus did not intend to do away with the Law. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” [Matthew 5:17 (NIV)] On the other hand Jesus demonstrated grace. The story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8 is an example. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to openly condemn the woman because the law demanded it. Jesus challenged them with their own sin, then forgave the woman, but not without a challenge as well.
                When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.  Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, sir," she said. "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." [John 8:7-11 (NIV)]
                Jesus offered grace without compromising the true intent of the Law.
                The Apostle Paul took a similar stand. We often think of Paul as the Apostle of Grace. Indeed he fought a constant battle with those who would impose Jewish Law on all believers. At the same time Paul challenged those who wanted to turn our freedom in Christ into license. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? [Romans 6:1-2 (NIV)] In 1 Corinthians Paul reminds his readers that how we live our lives matters. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
[1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (NIV)]
                Our faith also tends to have a dominant side. We either lean toward Law or Grace. We tend to either focus on rules for Christian living or on the freedom we have in Christ. The Pharisees focused on the rules. The disciples focused on freedom. We will naturally lean more heavily to one side or the other. We will also wonder about the spiritual health of those who lean in the opposite direction.
                Dietrich Bonheoffer, in his book Life Together, counsels us to be careful that our dominant side does not cancel out our other side. Spiritually we need both sides of the equation to be whole and healthy followers of Christ. We need to learn to be spiritually ambidextrous. 

No comments:

Post a Comment