Proving Contraries

I'm only in the firs 25 minutes of this weeks scripture study by Jared Halverson, but I loved all the thoughts about proving contraries - starting at 1:38

Complementary virtues that keep each other in check: Justice & Mercy - Truth & Tolerance - Love & Law, Faith and Works, Agency and Inspiration - this active tension that allows us to balance in our discipleship. 

Any virtue, when taken to an extreme, becomes a vice (like Javert in Les Miserables who is all justice and no mercy) But Mercy can become a vice too merciful and overly permissive. We're working to find the goldilocks zone in the middle, the celestial center.

As the winds and the waves of culture push us, we seek to keep balance through our extremity.

Jesus always proved these contraries.

The Cross - vertical and horizontal - 

Am I supposed to look up or am I supposed to reach out? YES. 

Love God - Love Thy Neighbor - 

Christianity - there is a contradition and thus constant course correction. Sections 60, 61, 62 are so merciful. Section 63 comes along to remind them of justice and they are called to repentance. Section 64 - Forgiveness which is an amazing combination of justice and mercy itself. The Lord gives messages depending on which extreme we are listing to. 

History (minute 11) the Engligthenment period was too much head, Romantic period came after and overcorrected saying it was all about heart. French Revolution fought hard against tyranny, but overcorrected too much into anarchy. Ask a gymnast - what does balance take? Incredible core strength. That is what the Lord is trying to develop within us all. 

Humbly Bro Halverson suggests that no other religion does as careful a job as the restored church at seeking to balance those furious opposites, those opposite positives. The pulls of the opposites of Catholocism and Protestantism = the Restored Gospel. The genius behind Judaism and Christianity = "Mormonism" (13:30)

Divinity and Humanity in the church - divinity (it is guided by God and contains his true and restored gospel) humanity (it is run by mortals who make mistakes along the way)

We Struggle Even After We Commit to Follow Christ

I really liked this. We shared it with the kids tonight. 

We will still have war with our flesh after we are saved by Jesus. It happened with followers of Christ anciently and it happens with followers of Christ today. I have been saved and I seek God's heart daily, but I struggle daily. My struggles are not the same as others, but we all struggle and are all on our own journey. There is redemption and it's beautiful. And it's for all of us. and that is why we need Jesus. 

I have loved watching the Chosen. It truly has helped me see Jesus through new eyes. I trust that I will continue to be impacted by Christ in the same way they were, I hope it will help me to change and become more like him. I can identify with their struggles, I can identify with their sin patterns, you can identify with their questions, and therefore I can identify with the answers and the solutions:

It's Jesus, it's loving as he loved. By this shall men know ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.