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“Once there lived another man within me, Child of earth and slave of Satan he; But I nailed him to the cross of Jesus And that man is nothing now to me Now another Man is living in me, And I count His blessed life as mine, I have died to all my own life, I have risen to all His life Divine.” J. Oswald Sanders Part 3. The victorious Christian There was a young man who had reserved a cabin retreat for his wedding night. It came highly recommended by several people, and so with great enthusiasm he rented a room for his new bride and himself to kick off their new life together. Because they would be arriving late, the cabin keeper assured him that the door to their room would be unlocked and they could go right in, but when they arrived, they found the room to be nothing like it had been described. It was a small room about two hundred square feet with a solitary couch and bathroom at the end. He looked closer at the couch and sure enough it was a hide-a-bed so, exhausted, they pulled out the bed and slept uncomfortably the entire night. In the morning the frustrated honeymooners went to the front desk. With a bright smile the man at the front desk said, “So, you’re the honeymooners! How did you like the room?” Disgusted, the young man replied, “It was horrible and inadequate, the hide-a-bed was uncomfortable, the room was tiny and we want a refund”. Horrified at this news, the man replied, “ Oh no, you poor children spent the night in the entry!” He took them back to the room and opened a door; a door that they assumed was the closet. It opened up into a beautiful and expansive room; fully equipped with a hot tub, a king sized bed, and beautiful fireplace. Several candles had burn down to nothing and the fire had long since gone out. In the last 2 articles I have dealt with the death and burial of the old man, in this third article, I want to deal with the resurrected life. It is true that most Christians excited about their betrothal to Jesus Christ never make it past the entry way of their Christian experience. In fact, instead of enjoying all that God has for them in Christ, they find restlessness, and discomfort in their Christianity. Wondering, with disappointment, what happened to the abundant life Jesus talked about? Is an enjoyable Christian experience even possible? I guess the first thing that I must address is the reason for our failure to enter into the “rest” that He intends for us. The bible warns us of this possibility in Hebrews 4:1, “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.” What is this wonderful rest that is promised to us as believers? It is nothing short of yielding your life to Christ that He might accomplish His work through you. Hebrews 4:10 says, “ For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works.” Is it possible that we can find rest in this life, that we can cease striving to please God, or trying to be good enough, and allow Christ to do all that is necessary, to live a life fully pleasing to God, in and through us? Paul in addressing the Galatians said, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Gal 2:20. The reason that we fail is that we believe that the Christian life is something that we can do. That, somehow, we must try to muster up the power to live righteously, and live a life that proves our worthiness. The truth is that we are unworthy, in fact, so unworthy and deserving of death, that God had to manifest Himself in the flesh, took upon himself our punishment, and died, in order to redeem us from our unworthiness. To believe that somehow there is enough good within me to live a life that is acceptable to God, is complete folly. I suppose it is human nature to think we should do our best to please God, but the Bible is clear that we are not capable of pleasing Him outside of faith in Him. Isaiah the prophet said, “But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Isaiah 64:6. The word Isaiah used for filthy rags here, describes the rags that have been taken from a leper’s body, filled with blood and ooze. It is important that we realize that, at our best, we are like a pile of nasty rags in the sight of God. It is only the righteousness of Christ that is acceptable before the Father, and only through Him can we live a life pleasing to the Father. If we try to establish our own righteousness through good works, believing that through good works we can please the Father, we have rejected the grace of God. Looking again at Galatians chapter 2:21 Paul said, “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." Paul jumps from there directly into Chapter 3 with a strong rebuke, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain; if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” Gal 3:1-5. It is strange, that those of us who are believers, so readily accept Jesus Christ as Savior of our eternal soul, but neglect to allow Him to transform our lives from corruption by His Spirit of grace. We search the scriptures to find the right way do things, the next law to follow an ordinance here and requirements there, seemingly without any realization that we are incapable of pleasing God by our efforts or practice. The gospel of Jesus Christ is that He has completed it, and now I can rest in Him! Gospel means literally in the Greek, good news! And last time I checked, it still is good news, not “what must I do” but what he has done. By now we understand that our old nature was crucified with Christ, but did you know that if you have put your trust in Him for salvation that you are currently also raised with Him in His resurrection. We are resurrected into newness of life by the Spirit. Paul said to the Colossians, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:1-3. How do we experience this “life hid with Christ in God?” How do we “walk in the Spirit” or “enter into His rest?” The only thing difficult about the answer is how simple it really is. First, if you haven’t already, you must believe on Jesus Christ for your salvation, acknowledging that you are a sinner, and believing that He died on the cross in your place to pay for your sins, was buried, and then on the third day rose from the dead. After you have trusted Him for your salvation, trust Him with your life. Surrender your life to Him, whether you feel like it or not, acknowledging that His plans for your life are better than yours. Develop a relationship with Him by reading His word (the Bible), and talking to Him about everything (prayer) just as you would talk to your most intimate friend. Learn to trust Him (faith) and obey what He tells you to do. When you fail, quickly turn to Him (repentance) and confess your failure to Him and He promises to forgive and cleanse you (1 John 1:9). I have found in my walk with Him, that I find my greatest victories when I realize that I am helpless and I need Him to intervene. With that, He forgives, restores, and accomplishes His will in and through me. John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” ~ Jesus All biblical references are from the NKJV of the Bible.
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I thought you might be blessed by This: Thanks Khouse.org!
By Dr Chuck Missler
The early settlers of America, who braved the privations of those incredibly difficult years, were a fabulous lot, indeed. We can hardly imagine the burdens they endured to make a new life for themselves in a new land. Their turning point began one Friday in the middle of March,1621. Samoset An Indian, wearing nothing but a leather loincloth, strode up their main street to the common house, and to their startled faces boomed in flawless English, "Welcome." His name was Samoset, a sagamore (or chief) of the Algonquins. He had been visiting the area for the previous eight months, having learned his English from various fishing captains who had put in to the Maine shore over the years. He returned the following Thursday with another Indian who also spoke English, and who was to prove "a special instrument of God for their good, beyond their expectation." His story was to prove no less extraordinary than the saga of Joseph being sold into slavery to Egypt. His name was Tisquantum, also called Squanto. Squanto His story began in 1605 when Squanto and four other Indians were taken captive, sent to England,and taught English to provide intelligence background on the most favorable places to establish colonies. After nine years in England, Squanto was able to return to Plymouth on Capt. John Smith's voyage in 1614. Lured and captured by a notorious Capt. Thomas Hunt, he, with 27 others, were taken to Málaga, Spain, a major slave-trading port. Squanto, with a few others, were bought and rescued by local friars and introduced to the Christian faith. Thus, it appears that God was preparing him for the role he would ultimately play at Plymouth. He was able to attach himself to an Englishman bound for London, then he joined the family of a wealthy merchant, and ultimately embarked for New England in 1619. He stepped ashore six months before the Pilgrims landed in 1620.1 When he stepped ashore he received the most tragic blow of his life. Not a man, woman, or child of his own tribe was left alive! During the previous four years, a mysterious plague had broken out among them, killing every last one.2 So complete was the devastation that the neighboring tribes had shunned the area ever since. The Pilgrims had settled in a cleared area that belonged to no one. Their nearest neighbors, the Wampanoags, were about 50 miles to the southwest. Stripped of his identity and his reason for living, Squanto wandered aimlessly until he joined the Wampanoags, having nowhere else to go. But God had other plans. God's Provision Massasoit, the sachem (or chief) of the Wapanoags, entered into a peace treaty of mutual aid with the Plymouth colony that was to last as a model for forty years. When Massasoit and his entourage left, Squanto stayed. He had found his reason for living: these English were helpless in the ways of the wilderness. Squanto taught them how to catch eels, stalk deer, plant pumpkins, refine maple syrup, discern both edible herbs and those good for medicine, etc. Perhaps the most important thing he taught them was the Indian way to plant corn. They hoed six-foot squares in toward the center, putting down four or five kernels, and then fertilizing the corn with fish: three fish in each square, pointing to the center, spokelike. Guarding the field against the wolves (who would try to steal the fish), by summer they had 20 full acres of corn that would save every one of their lives. Squanto also taught them to exploit the pelts of the beaver, which was in plentiful supply and in great demand throughout Europe. He even guided the trading to insure they got full prices for top-quality pelts. The corn was their physical deliverance; the beaver pelts would be their economic deliverance. The First Thanksgiving The Pilgrims were a grateful people-grateful to God, grateful to the Wamp-anoags, and grateful also to Squanto. Governor Bradford declared a day of public Thanksgiving, to be held in October. Massasoit was invited and unexpectedly arrived a day early-with an additional ninety Indians! To feed such a crowd would cut deeply into their stores for the winter, but they had learned through all their travails that God could be trusted implicitly. And it turned out that the Indians did not come empty handed: they brought five dressed deer and more than a dozen fat wild turkeys. They helped with the preparations, teaching the Pilgrim women how to make hoecakes and a tasty pudding out of cornmeal and maple syrup. In fact, they also showed them how to make one of their Indian favorites: white, fluffy popcorn! (Each time you go to a movie theatre, you should remember the source of this popular treat!) The Pilgrims, in turn, provided many vegetables from their gardens: carrots, onions, turnips, parsnips, cucumbers, radishes, beets, and cabbages. Also, using some of their precious flour with some of the summer fruits which the Indians had dried, the Pilgrims introduced them to blueberry, apple, and cherry pie. Along with sweet wine made from wild grapes, it was, indeed, a joyous occasion for all concerned. The Pilgrims and Indians happily competed in shooting contests, foot races, and wrestling. Things went so well (and Massasoit showed no inclination to leave) that this first Thanksgiving was extended for three days. The moment that stood out the most in the Pilgrims' memories was William Brewster's prayer as they began the festival. They had so much for which to thank God: for providing all their needs-and His provision of Squanto, their teacher, guide, and friend that was to see them through those critical early winters. A National Institution By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day had become an institution throughout New England. It was officially proclaimed as a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Traditionally celebrated on the last Thursday in November, it was changed by an act of Congress in 1941 to the fourth Thursday of that month.3 Originally observed to acknowledge the provision of God, let us also make this national holiday a very special time to thank Him for our own provision-our families, our sustenance, and, above all, our redemption in His Son! Let's also pray that He might restore the religious freedom that those early Pilgrims cherished so dearly-and that the current enforced paganism that has invaded our land be curtailed. This country is now becoming what the Pilgrims had risked their very lives to flee from. Much of this article was excerpted from The Light and the Glory, Peter Marshall and David Manuel, Fleming H. Revell Co., Old Tappan, NJ, 1977. For a thrilling and inspiring account of the incredible measures God provided for in the founding of our once-great country, this book is a "must read."
**NOTES**
- The Pilgrims lived that first winter aboard ship and suffered the loss of 47 colonists.
- This epidemic, from 1615 to 1617, is believed to have killed 95,000 Indians, leaving only about 5,000 along the coast.
- Canada first adopted Thanksgiving as a national holiday in November 1879, and it is now celebrated there annually on the second Monday in October.
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I love Thanksgiving because it is a truly Christian Holiday. As we know, a celebration was called by pilgrims, who found out through miraculous circumstances that God had not only guided them to America to start a new life of religious freedom, but also had prepared the place and even a Christian, Squanto, who spoke their language to help them live in this new place. God is so good!
I am so thankful for all that God has done for us! Sending His only Son Jesus Christ to die for us and give us eternal life, but also that He has given us a window of opportunity to preach the gospel in freedom.
I am thankful for tools like MyChurch to help us to sharpen one another.
I am thankful for the friends and brother's and sisters I have met here!
God bless you MyChurch and may you have a fabulous Thanksgiving!
In His grace,
Mike
What are you thankful for?
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Part 2 In light of all that Jesus has done for the believer, it is amazing to me to see most Christians don’t live lives of victory over sin. It is reminiscent of what Peter said in his second epistle chapter 1 vs 9; “For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” It is my hope and prayer in writing this, that you might find Jesus to be faithful to His promises, and that you might live the life of abundance He promises to you.
In the last article, How do I Stop Sinning, we saw that when Jesus died on the cross, we, who are Christians, died with Him. That His death was imputed to us and our old man, that is our flesh, was crucified with Him. We saw how we are instructed by Paul in Romans 6:11 that we are to reckon the old man to be dead to sin and alive to God. Paul is emphatic in his words to the Romans giving them, and giving us, what should be the obvious conclusion to the matter; Romans 6:12 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.” However, it would seem, even after understanding that I have died with Him, I still have difficulty not allowing sin to reign in my body. It is like a bad horror movie (none of which I recommend by the way) such as, Night of the Living Dead. I see my old man to be dead, so I tried to put it to rest only to find out that it comes out of the grave. Or worse, like Pet Cemetery, I burry it only to find out it comes back more evil than before. What we need to learn is how to bury our old nature, in such a way that it’s power over us is put to rest for good, but how? It helps us to understand that this is a universal problem that we all must face when we are born again. In Romans chapter 7 Paul describes his difficulty with burying his fleshly nature. He says, “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do” Romans 7:15. You can sense the frustration, and for those of us who are Christians, we know the frustration of wanting to be free from sin. We often start out trying to put to rest our sinfulness, and finding no victory over it. We try 5 step plans, we make resolutions, we make promises, and take vows to live perfectly from here on out, only to agree with Paul, those things I want to do, I can’t, and those things I hate, I practice. It is at this point that many give up the Christian walk and decide that it is just too hard. However, we don’t find that attitude in Paul, in fact he shows us his struggle with sin, but then he gives us a solution, not how do I deliver myself, but rather, who can deliver me. Notice, Romans 7:24 “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” It is not a method or a plan that can deliver us, only a person, only Jesus Christ. In the believer’s life, the first thing we must realize is that we are not able to stop sinning. In fact, when it comes to sin, we are completely helpless against overcoming it ourselves, but Jesus Christ has given the victory over sin to all who put their trust in Him for salvation. Hebrews 12 veses 1 and 2 say, “ Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” The writer of Hebrews tells us to lay aside the sin, notice, that so easily ensnares us. How? By looking unto Jesus, who is not only the author, but also the finisher of our faith. It turns out that the best shovel to bury the flesh, is a close relationship with Jesus Christ. Not just to go to Church, or to make the claim that you are a Christian, but to look unto Jesus as the one who will develop and complete our faith. The only one who can deliver us from the power of these besetting sins. But, you may ask, how do I look unto Jesus? How do I have that type of relationship with Him? That is what we will explore. Most Christians today believe that Jesus died to pay for their sins, and that He rose from the dead to give them eternal life, but they don't see how to have victory in this present life. They don’t see Jesus as someone who is close to them, but rather someone who is probably mad at them for being less than perfect, and that is why they feel distant. The truth is that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we who believe have been reconciled to God, not by our own works, but by what Jesus Christ has accomplished for us. See Titus 3:5. God desires to look past your faults and accept you as His son or daughter, so that He might change you by the power of His Holy Spirit. This is something He knows you cannot do on your own, something that only can be accomplished as we spend time with Him, and learn to put our trust in Him. I have found it to be true in my own life, the more I get to know Jesus, the more I desire to please Him. The more time I spend with Him, the more I am willing to trust Him to take care of my problems, and the more I am willing to allow Him to work through my life. That is what an increase in faith is, in practical terms, trusting God; not only for His promises, but also for His provisions and power. It is no different in our natural relationships. If I have a close friend or relative, I might trust them to watch my children, drive my car, and stay at my house. If I just met someone yesterday, I tend to be guarded; it is unlikely that I would trust them with things that are important to me. As I get to know them, that might change, or I might be even more guarded depending on how trustworthy I find them to be. Whether we like it or not, we are the same way when it comes to God. If we don’t trust Him we tend to try to handle things on our own, to not allow Him to be involved in our lives, with disastrous results, I might add. But as we surrender to Him, spend time getting to know Him and being changed by His power. We find that those old tendencies of sin fade away into the background. To the point, that it seems strange to us that they ever seemed to have such a powerful hold upon us. Through this process, we are changed more and more into His image and our heart begins to reflect His heart. I see so many people struggling over sin, trying to overcome it on their own, thinking they need to conquer it in order to please God. It is like my 2 year old son trying to dress himself. He struggles and tugs and fights until he is frustrated and angry, but he has not developed to the point where he can do it on his own yet. Oftentimes he doesn’t want me to help him either, but once he surrenders, I am able to help him. Only then is he is free from his struggle, and can let me do what is impossible for him. So too, fighting against sin, we often strive to put on our own righteousness, looking at our sin, trying to overcome it. He watches with a broken heart, longing to help, urging us to look unto Him. When we do, then immediately He comes and clothes us in His righteousness and showers us with His forgiveness, and helps us in our struggle. Though there is no shortcut to developing a relationship, there are things that make it easier. He left you His Word, the Bible. Read it prayerfully, starting with the New Testament asking Him for help to understand, and to obey what you read. Next, fellowship with other believers: To develop a relationship with God, He desires us to be a part of a local body of believers. Proverbs 18:1 says, “A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; He rages against all wise judgment.” Find a fellowship where the Word of God is taught and practiced, a place where the people love one another. 1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Lastly develop a life of prayer, Paul said, “Pray without ceasing” 1Thesolonians 5:17. The idea is that as I go throughout the day, I bring each thing to Him, trusting Him to guide me, and speak to me. It is also helpful to find a quiet place to pray when I feel overwhelmed with the pressures of life. He does not want us to do these things out of religious practice, but rather to develop and maintain a relationship with Him. George Muller said, “If you live by faith, it is impossible to live in sin.” The idea Mr. Muller was trying to communicate was that if we are completely looking to Jesus, we are not distracted by sinful things or attitudes. George Muller not only believed this, he lived it. And so can you, by God’s grace through Jesus Christ. 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
All bible references are taken from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible unless otherwise noted.
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This article was writen my good friend David Roper. It is kind of a book review of sorts but I think you may find it a help to your unbelief. David Roper is host of several pastor's groups in my area through Idaho Mountain Ministries. He is an well circulated author and all around beautiful servant of the Lord Jesus. Enjoy! Qualified
Time was, I shrank from what was right,
From fear of what was wrong;
I would not brave the sacred fight,
Because the foe was strong.
But now I cast that finer sense
And sorer shame aside;
Such dread of sin was indolence,
Such aim at heaven was pride.
—John Henry Newman
Last summer I finally got around to reading Stephan Donaldson’s Lord Foul’s Bane, the first volume of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever.[1]
In his book, Donaldson tells the story of Thomas Covenant, a young novelist, who is inexplicably stricken with leprosy. After the last two fingers of his right hand are amputated, his leprosy is arrested, but he’s taught that his only hope of survival lies in scrupulous visual self–examination (VSE).
Covenant is devastated when his wife abandons and divorces him in order to protect their son from exposure. Furthermore, people around him cast him in the traditional role of a leper: unclean, outcast, unwanted.
Unable to write he struggles to go on living; but as the pressure of his loneliness mounts, he begins to experience episodes of unconsciousness, during which he enters an alternative world known as “the Land.”
In the Land, Covenant is fully healed, but he stubbornly refuses to believe that he has been cured and continues his frantic, obsessive VSE. Even though he is greeted in the land as an ancient hero, Berek Halfhand, he cannot believe that he’s been healed of his disease.
Covenant is touched by the transcendent beauty of the Land and the kindness of its people, but is unable to take up his call to face the ancient enemy of the Land, Lord Foul the Despiser, who seeks to blight and ruin the countryside, for he is paralyzed by his inability to accept the fact that he has been made clean.
Against the Despiser stand the Council of Lords who have dedicated their lives to acquiring the wisdom by which they may stave off the attacks of Lord Foul. Covenant can only give half-hearted support to the council, and bargains his way out of involvement, for he is controlled by the tragic belief that his leprosy has rendered him unfit. Hence the title: “Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever.”
I have friends like Thomas—downcast in their sins, struggling in “wan hope,” the discouragement and lethargy that grows from over–scrupulous self-examination and morbid fixation with one’s sin and guilt. [2]
I like to remind my downcast friends of Peter’s three–fold denial, and subsequent encounter with his Lord on the beach by the Sea of Galilee—Jesus’ cordial greeting, the warmth of the fire, the hearty meal, the love and acceptance, and no mention of Peter’s failure.
“Do you love me Peter?” Jesus asks.
Peter, humbled by denial and defeat can only murmur, “You know my ‘affection’ Lord.” It was the best he could do.
Jesus answers: “Go be a pastor.”
It may be that some of us, humiliated by sin and failure, are very much like Peter and question our credentials. We daily minutely scrutinize our souls and find ungodliness there and wonder if our struggle with sin has rendered us unsuitable.
The answer, of course, is that sin in itself can never disqualify us, for forgiveness and renewal is always at hand if we are truly repentant.
Repentance of course, is the essential element. Deliberate and hardened indifference and disobedience do render us unfit for good works. We must be “converted” to use Jesus’ word: we must hate our sin, turn from it and ask for our Lord’s forgiveness. Then we can rise from our fall and begin again. George MacDonald said that the man or woman, “Who, after failure, or a poor success, / Rises up, stronger effort yet renewing—finds thee, Lord, at length, in his own common room.” When we turn from our sin and ask for his help our Lord is there to lift us up. Then, like Peter, full of our Savior’s affirmation, we can go out to strengthen our brothers.
It seems to me that God is not after perfection as such (that awaits heaven), but the humility that comes from self–awareness, for humility is the essential element in all that we do. Failure cures us of the illusion of self–perfection and pride—aiming at heaven, to repeat Newman’s turn of phrase. We learn for ourselves God’s goodness and love despite our failure, for he gives great grace to those who are greatly humbled. “We learn, on the one hand, that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and, on the other, that we need not despair even in our worst, for our failures are forgiven” (C. S. Lewis).
We should of course, strive for perfection, and show progress, but we must be content with occasional failure. And we must be patient while God himself chooses and develops those aspects of our character that give him the greatest pleasure (cf., Philippians 2:13). In his own time he will deal with all that shames us.
Jean Nicholas Grou put it this way: “If someone falls into some error, he does not fret over it, but rising up with a humble spirit, he goes on his way anew rejoicing. Were he to fall a hundred times in the day, he would not despair-—he would rather cry out lovingly to God, appealing to His tender pity. The really devout man has a horror of evil, but he has a still greater love of that which is good; he is more set on doing what is right, than avoiding what is wrong. Generous, large-hearted, he is not afraid of danger in serving God, and would rather run the risk of doing His will imperfectly than not strive to serve Him lest he fail in the attempt.”[3]
Peter, who knew appalling failure, has the last word: One day very soon the one who has called us will “perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish” us (1 Peter 5:10). In the meantime, be a pastor!
DHR
[1] I know nothing of Donaldson’s spiritual background, except that his father was a medical missionary and served in a leprosarium. Donaldson may, like Tolkien, Lewis, MacDonald, and others before him, be one of Kierkegaard’s “smugglers,” subtly brining Truth into the world under the guise of fantasy.
[2] I’m reminded here that leprosy is the only disease singled out by the biblical writers and linked with sin. It’s not that leprosy was itself sinful, or that sin necessarily led to leprosy. Rather the disease was thought of as a symbol of sin—sin come to the surface. If you could see sin, it was thought, it would look exactly like leprosy.
[3] Jean-Nicolas Grou (1731-1803) in his Manual For Interior Souls,
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