Assumption #5 One day, I’ll be finished with recovery.
 

  1. Paul proclaimed the value of finishing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8

  1. God is a finisher. Genesis 2:1-3, John 19:30

  1. It is true that whether we pray, study the Bible, see a therapist, or join a support group, we should expect results. A changed, healing life is the mark of the maturing Christian, just as the fruits of the spirit are the signs of God’s work in us. Galatians 5:22-24

  1. The word recovery implies finding or retrieving what was lost. Luke 4:18.

  1. Recovery describes the sanctification process. 1 John 3:2.

  1. This assumption focuses on the law, on completing the task rather than on the journey. It distances Christians from the love of God and others, driving them towards the taskmaster of perfection. The goal is love itself. 1 Timothy 1:5

  1. When we are learning something, especially something difficult, we will not be perfect from the start. We grow from children into adults. 1 John 2:12-14

  1. There is no such thing as prideful holiness. 1 Timothy 1:15, Philippians 3:12

  1. If we are proud, we deny we indeed have unfinished business, that we need to cry out to God for grace, to test us, and to know our anxious thoughts. Psalm 139:23

  1. The ‘perfect’ in Matthew 5:48 is better understood to mean ‘complete’ or ‘mature.’ Philippians 3:12-15. Satan wants us to think like a Pharisee, not a tax collector. Luke 18:9-14.

    1. Matt 5:48 ésesthe oún humeís téleioi hoos ho Pateér humoón ho ouránios téleiós estin  Interlinear Transliterated Bible.
    2. Phil 3:15 Hósoi oún téleioi toúto fronoómen kaí eí ti hetéroos froneíte kaí toúto ho Theós humín apokalúpsei
    3. NT:5046 teleios (tel'-i-os); from NT:5056; complete (in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral character, etc.); neuter (as noun, with NT:3588) completeness:[1] 
  1. If we honest, we will be aware of our spiritual poverty. We understand that we will never be ideal. If we believe we must be morally perfect, we will despair from loss of hope. Proverbs 13:12

  1. Regression is built into the sanctification process. If Paul describes himself as the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15,) if Peter denied Jesus, if a murderer and adulterer named David is remembered as the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14)—if these are all true (and they are), then we must give up the idealized picture of ourselves, and allow our imperfect selves to be forgiven, loved, and matured.
  1. Definable points of progress mark the path of spiritual and emotional growth.

    1. Bonding (the ability to give and receive love.)

    1. Boundaries (having a clear sense of responsibility.)

    1. Sorting out good and bad (the ability to give and receive forgiveness in a fallen world.)

    1. Becoming an adult (being able to exercise adult authority in the world.)

  1. We always should soberly evaluate ourselves (Romans 12:3) and remember that the endpoint, and the journey, is loving and being loved.

 


[1] (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Return to home