The Fallacy of Self-Sufficiency

There is a subtle theological issue that plagues many Christians.  The issue is that some believe that God desires for us to handle our sin or that God desires for us to make ourselves more godly through praying more, studying better, and giving more generously.  The lie at the heart of this stream of Christianity is this: God wants you to handle your affairs and He'll help you fill in the gaps.  Another way to say this would be something like this: if you try harder you'll be a better Christian.  Again, another way to say this would be to say: God is most pleased with me when I am taking care of my business best.  For fear that I'm not expressing this well enough I will say it even again: what God wants most from me is my best effort.

Each of these is a variation of the same theme and each is an articulation of the same subtle lie. Girding this theology is the unspoken thought that Jesus saved us so that we could finally be self-sufficient enough to take care of the rest of our lives.  The little bits of sin that linger after salvation, well, they'll be taken care of through grit and strength of character or because we are so committed to disciplined morality in our lives.  The thought, often un-expressed, is that Jesus did what I couldn't with sin so that I would be able to do what I could in ridding the rest of my life through my own strength of will.

I'll call this The Fallacy of Self-Sufficiency. In this form of Christianity, the highest form of godliness is self-control, togetherness, composure, and internal fortitude of character.  Sin is thought to be something needing to be managed personally.  The valuation of a person's Christian experience is based upon whether the individual can articulate the right doctrines and project a life that is composed and generally sin-free (quack like a duck, waddle like a duck, then must be a duck).  Externally the Christian who lives under the fallacy of self-sufficiency will project an aura of togetherness, strength, knowledge, and ability.  But internally they will continually feel weak, embittered, and anemic as the limits of their sufficiency are continually brought to their senses in the accusations of the Enemy; sin will remain un-repented, and the greater traits of love will escape them.

I want to say this directly: this is a lie.

God wants a people who are whole-heartedly dependent upon Him for every single breath, every single thought, and every single action.  He wants a people that are so recklessly devoted to Him that they would be destroyed unless He shows up.  It is not about trying harder; it's about trusting Him more with the most hidden parts of ourselves, the grimy bits we never let anyone in to see.  God wants us to so rely upon Him for our strength and our salvation to the utmost, that if He is not who He claims to be then we are, as Paul asserts, deserving of the most pity.  (There is so much more to say but I will save that for another day)

It is not about becoming more self-sufficient in Christ.  It is about becoming more God-dependent in Christ.  Let us always keep this before us as we strive to live lives that bring Him the highest praise!