True Spirituality Freedom from Conscience Lecture Notes on Francis Schaeffer's Book True Spirituality A Book Study By Dan Guinn Edited by April Cervinka and Laura Muckerman All Rights Reserved, with the following exception: The Author hereby grants the reader the right to download, distribute and share online, as long as the content herein remains intact and unmodified from its original version. Chapter 8 - With Chapter 8 we begin the second section of True Spirituality, "Freedom Now from the Results of The Bonds of Sin." Until now we have discussed freedom from sin itself. Now we move forward to focus on the results of sin. It is possible to live the Christian life and obtain forgiveness of sins, and even deal with areas of frequent sin, and yet not fully address the results of sin in our lives. You might wonder how this is possible, especially if we are doing what has already been prescribed in the previous chapters. Yet the truth is... sin is pervasive. It is not enough just to stop sinning. We must not allow the enemy to retain victory over us, either in our conscience and thought life or in circumstances that are the result of our sin. Nor is it desirous to have inner change but not let that touch the relationships in our lives. There is a need to understand the depth of the internal war that rages in hidden corners of our being. So we being this chapter on freedom from conscience. As the subsection title states "Man's Separation from Himself, " Dr Schaeffer identifies the core of the problem. We are separated from ourselves! Separated, from the creatures we were created to be. We struggle with fathoming the depth of our separation from God and ourselves. The problems seem out of our reach, we deal with hidden emotions, isolated idols, and unwarranted misguided fears. It is here that Schaeffer wishes us to place a spiritual microscope to explore the dark regions of our hearts and minds. In order to make the appropriate discoveries, Dr. Schaeffer impresses upon us the need to take everything that we have learned so far as foundational. We have learned the tools for our freedom from sin and in this liberty there is a need to set our goal toward lifelong examination. An examination into the effects of sin moment-by-moment, relying wholly on the aid of the power of the Holy Spirit for guidance and sanctification. What doctor Schaeffer has helped us do at this point is to do a full examination of the Christian worldview and it s true implications. So now, we can build on this and focus on healing. Foundations We cannot have the biblical answer, the promises God makes to the Christian concerning freedom from the results of the bonds of sin in this present life, until two things are true: first, that we are truly Christians; and second, that we are acting upon the biblical teaching concerning freedom from the bonds of sin. That is why the first seven chapters of this book must be the base of what 1 we begin to consider now. 1 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 288
PART 1 From Sin Comes Bondage & the Results We must begin by making sure we understand the order of the problem. As Dr. Schaeffer says very plainly, "Sin causes the bondage and the results." According to Dr. Schaeffer, we must both understand that we are truly Christians and live out the biblical teaching of how to be free from the bonds of sin. Then finally we can begin to identify the results of sin in our lives and begin to prayerfully deal with them. The Psychological Trick At this point we come into very sharp conflict with the intellectual thinking of 2 the second half of the twentieth century. Any meaning becomes only a psychological trick, a cruel illusion, unless certain things are true objectively true or are propositional truths, to use the 3 twentieth-century terminology. Notice the wording, the modern outlook on meaning is "a cruel illusion" unless we hold to objective or propositional truths. These words, objective and propositional, are used in philosophy and theology to denote absolute or final truth. Dr. Schaeffer hopes to establish here the impact that this loss of meaning has upon the conscience. Schaeffer s Conscience Terminology The answers to the problem of conscience rest in three concepts that Dr. Schaeffer puts at the center of the discussion. I want us to really grasp these, so we are going to read and examine these passages now: 1. "The Objective Reality of a Supernatural view of the universe." (Elsewhere called "The Universe and its Forms") The first is the objective reality of a supernatural universe, and the reality of salvation in the biblical sense. Without these, modern man s effort to reach out and scoop some of the blessing off the top of Scripture, as it were, can be no more than a psychological trick. But behind this truth there stands a yet 4 more basic truth,... 2. The existence of a personal infinite God in whose image man is made: (Elsewhere Schaeffer elaborates on this component of man's situation as the "mannishness of man"). the existence of a personal-infinite God in whose image man is made. And as we have been created by Him, in His image, there is a reality to the concept of human personality. This is in contrast to all deterministic concepts, which 2 Schaeffer, A. Francis, True Spirituality, Wheaton, IL, Tyndale House. 1971 (This sentence was removed when edited for the Complete Works, presumably to involve the read in the viewpoints before explaining that they are at odds with modern psychological thinking.) 3 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 288 4 Ibid
5 say that we are merely a set of psychological or chemical conditions. 3. "The truth about the human dilemma [and the Biblical answer]." (Elsewhere called "presuppositional") The third thing that must be understood is the truth about the human dilemma. The biblical answer is that the dilemma of the human race, this dilemma that twentieth-century man is wrestling with so much, is moral. The basic problem of the human race is sin and guilt a real moral guilt, not just guilt-feelings a real moral sin, because we have sinned against a God who is there and a God who is holy. In opposition to neo-orthodoxy and all the other modern theologies, we must understand that sin and guilt are really moral. They are not simply due to certain metaphysical or psychological limitations. Man is really guilty before a holy God who exists and against whom we have sinned. Except on these bases, the hope given by Scripture concerning 6 freedom now from the results of the bonds of sin is only a cruel illusion. The Classic Christian Perspective In these three concepts Schaeffer hints at the formulation of a general system of knowledge (Epistemology), that we are probably very familiar with. We might better understand the 7 three headings above by comparing them with the classic historical Christian perspective. 5 6 7 As a side note, two theologians that seem to define Epistemology in a way that is similar to Schaeffer's explanation are John Frame & Vern Poythress. These men hold to a view called Triperspectivalism or Multiperspectivalism. This view uses the semantics of situational, existential, and normative. There is not an absolute correlation with Schaeffer s thought, but it seems to me they are similar. Also, Ravi Zacharias teaches "the questions of life" as origin, meaning, morality, and destiny. These can be matched up when the fourth classic perspective of "glorification" is added. Thus creation=origin, fall=morality, meaning=redemption, destiny=glorification. All of which are takes on the historic Reformed perspective.
Schaeffer The Objective Reality of a supernatural view of the universe The existence of a personal infinite God in whose image man is made The truth about the human dilemma Schaeffer Elsewhere The Universe and its Form Infinite Personal God --------- Manishness of Man True Moral Guilt Classic Reformed Creation Fall (Fallen from original perfection) Redemption Naturalism Accidental Explosion Accidental Animal Guilt Feelings (Has no basis for ethics, chosen arbitrarily by society) So as we begin to think about what Dr. Schaeffer is presenting to us, we must realize that if one desires to overcome the results of sin without having a basis in the Christian understanding, one will come up with completely different solutions to the problems. This should be a constant reminder for those of us who counsel others. From what system are we speaking from? Freedom from Conscience Now as to matters of the Christian Conscience here we must begin to wrestle with just how man is to deal with true moral guilt and the question of freedom from conscience? Dr. Schaeffer points out that there have been on one hand views of Perfectionism taught by Christians, and these are to be rejected. Primarily the rejection should stem from an acknowledgement that we fool ourselves....since the Fall man has habitually fooled himself. We fool ourselves deep inside our 8 subconscious and unconscious nature....there is any real victory in my life, it must not be thought of as my victory or my perfections. Such a notion does not fit the scriptural picture of man, nor God s dealing with us since man has sinned. It is not my victory, it is always Christ s victory; it is never my work or holiness, it is always Christ s work and Christ s 9 holiness. On the other hand, in the secular sphere, psychology while often being fundamentally wrong about the human condition, has realized through observances the deep wells of our human 8 Schaeffer, A. Francis, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: Volume Three, A Christian View of Spirituality, Westchester, IL, Crossway Books. 289 9
conscience. The more the Holy Spirit puts his finger on my life and goes down deep into my life, the more I understand that there are deep wells to my nature. Modern psychology has dealt with these under the terms unconscious and subconscious, and though the philosophy behind modern psychology is often fundamentally wrong, surely it is right in pointing out that we are more than merely that which is on the surface. We are 10 like the iceberg: one-tenth above, nine-tenths below. Yet, in these deep wells we must be clear about what we will find. So while we want to avoid the attitudes of perfectionism we also what to avoid another cliff of taking sin for granted and then just allowing for it. In the Westminster Catechism there is the emphasis that we sin daily in thought, word, and deed. This is not wrong, but it can be distorted by our sinful hearts into something which is exceedingly wrong. As we teach our children that we sin daily in thought, word, and deed, we must be very careful to warn them of the danger of 11 thinking that they can look lightly or abstractly at sin in their lives. We need to be constantly mindful of what happens when sin reenters and what it does to our moment-by-moment fellowship with God and the divine guest. Dr. Schaeffer describes it well. And then sin reenters. For some reason my moment-by-moment belief in God falters; a fondness for some specific sin has caused me at that point not to draw in faith upon the fact of a restored relationship with the Trinity. The reality of the practice of true spirituality suddenly slips from me. I look up some morning, some afternoon, some night and something is gone, something I have known; my quietness and my peace are gone. It is not that I am lost again, because justification is once for all. But as far as man can see, or even I myself, at this point there is no exhibition of the victory of Christ upon the cross. Looking at me at this point, men would see no demonstration that God s creation of moral, rational creatures is not a complete failure, or even that God exists. Because God still holds me fast I do not have the separation of lostness, but I do have the separation from my Father in the 12 parent-child relationship. And I remember what I had. It is quite troubling that many do not see that Scripture is so practical at this point. If we look at the history of the patriarchs, we would find that not a man stood in perfection. None of them! The Bible is always realistic: it is not romantic, but deals with realism with what I 13 am. Constantly Restoring Fellowship Dr. Schaeffer points us to several vital aspects of restoration that will aid our ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit: 1. Admitting Sin 2. Confessing Sin 10 11 290 12 291 13
3. Accepting Chastening/Discipline 4. Having Fatherly Respect 5. Saying I want your will in reference to the specific sin we acknowledge 6. Expressing Thankfulness for Christ s (our advocate s) work 7. Rushing to the Throne of Grace (Judging Ourselves) 8. Stilling our Conscience I want to take time to expand on these last two, as they are very important and I do not feel that there has been enough attention brought to this teaching from Scripture. Rushing to the Throne of Grace - Judging Ourselves For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world (1 Corinthians 11:31, 32). This teaches us that we do not need to wait to be chastened before our fellowship with God can be restored. God s chastening is not a punishment. The punishment is altogether dealt with on Calvary s cross. It is a correction to bring us back to fellowship with Himself, and we do not need to wait to be chastened before our fellowship can be restored. The chastening of a child of God does not have a penal aspect. That was finished on the cross. There is no double jeopardy when the holy God is the judge. Our guilt is gone, once and forever. Therefore if we judge 14 ourselves, we are not chastened. What a powerful truth! This might even be something difficult for some to hear. It might be very profound to think that I can be restored in fellowship without having to be chastened. I think many of us put ourselves through horrible guilt over our sins. Yet, if we remain in guilt we are not properly acknowledging the work of Christ. So what about the conscience? A Tender Conscience It is, of course, natural and right that as we become Christians our consciences should become ever more tender. This is a work of the Holy Spirit. However, I should 15 not be bowed down by my conscience year after year over sins which are past. To Dr. Schaeffer s point, we must not live subject to our conscience, if we have truly acknowledge and repented of our sin. We must move on to victory. Consider how Dr. Schaeffer describes his own struggle. Stilling Our Conscience For myself, through the thirty years or so since I began to struggle with this in my own life, I picture my conscience as a big black dog with enormous paws which leaps upon me, threatening to cover me with mud and devour me. But as this conscience of mine jumps upon me, after a specific sin has been dealt with on the basis of Christ s finished work, then I should turn to my conscience and say, in effect, Down! Be still! I am to believe God and be quiet, in my practice and experience. My 16 fellowship with God has been supernaturally restored. 14 296 15 16 298
Freedom From Conscience The work of our savior brings freedom from sin, but also something greater as well. So God means us to have, as one of His gifts in this life, freedom from a false 17 tyranny of the conscience. This is a gift indeed! Freedom from the false tyranny of my conscience releases me to grow and not wallow in the mud of my sin. When I am brought to conviction by the Holy Spirit, I must humbly acknowledge my sin, my true sin... honestly, and I will feel the loss of peace. Yet, I must turn from it and run to the Throne of Grace, as Christ has purchased my freedom. I must then also acknowledge that I am enabled again to stand against sin and that my fellowship is restored. I regret what I have done, but I know my true identity. I am not of that fold! I am of Christ. I can then confidently still my conscience and it s false tyranny over me and begin to live in victory, that only Christ s perfection can bring. 17