the gospel and thinking rightly

This last year I have spent some time thinking about thinking rightly (self deception, wrong views of ourself and others around us etc). I posted some thoughts a few weeks back about our amazing ability to convince ourselves of whatever we really want at the time. For example whenever we re-live an argument we had with someone else we almost always come out the victor- even if we totally lost in reality.

We are fallen. As simple as it sounds I just noticed a few weeks ago that Romans 1 is in the past tense (Claiming to be wise we have become fools and God gave us up to a debased mind). It is not a future potential that if you keep sinning God will give you up (as I have usually been taught), but rather it already happened (I believe at the fall). Essentially our perception of the world around us, and even the nature of truth is subject to our desires. If we want to look good glorious and godly we will fabricate a world around us to that end. If we want truth, and Christ our mind will have no reason to create a false reality.

I have realized that this has everything to do with the Gospel. If we live in the reality that we are loved, forgiven, accepted and even seen as righteous by the only one whose opinion matters we no longer have any reason to twist truth to our own self glorifying end. If we live forgiven (not just know cognitively that we are) there will be no reason to downplay our faults. If we live as though we have his imputed righteousness there will be no reason to draw attention to our own accomplishments. The Gospel is the catalyst to thinking rightly about ourselves and the world around us. Apart from a gospel-centric world view a correct understanding of reality is I believe impossible.

anything intelligent said above was probably plagiarized from Al Mohler and Viv Thomas. I can’t remember where their thoughts end and mine began.



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