The Truly Progressive Person In stark contrast to the world’s view of progress, the Word of God pictures the truly progressive person as one who desires what God desires and honors others above oneself. These are people who die to their own desires in order to love and serve others. David writes in Psalm 1:1–3, Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Delight in the law of the Lord results in a spiritual progression, which ultimately brings prosperity. People who place themselves under the influence of the Word of God become convicted of inescapable truths. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to convict hearts of the eternal presence of the holy God who rules over his universe and all it contains. As the Scriptures reveal the holiness of God, man’s sinful heart is exposed. He sees his desire to do as he pleases no longer as progressive, but as destructive, because he lives in rebellion against the will of his Creator. His pride in himself crumbles. Realizing the weight of God’s judgment against him, he is spiritually undone. Enabled by the Spirit of God working through his Word, man repents of his sinful desires and seeks God’s forgiveness. He no longer trusts in himself, but places his faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who came to save sinners. He renounces his own perceived good works as providing any basis for his acceptance by God and relies entirely on the perfect life and sacrifice of Jesus to forgive his sin, make him God’s own child, and give him eternal life. This is God’s definition of a progressive person. Out of love for God, people who are a new creation in Christ deny themselves and strive to please their Lord, conforming themselves to his image. Remaining under the influence of God’s Word, people put others’ needs before their own, consider others better than themselves, and sacrifice themselves to see others prosper. Such is God’s description of a progressive society. --Mark E. Richline, Making Progress in Uruguay, _New Horizons in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church_, May 2014
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 21:46:37 +0000
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