Knowing Our Inability is Freedom

We work to figure out the expectations in every situation. It is our default response. When we are faced with a new environment, classroom, group of people, or opportunity, we have been hard-wired to ask, “What is expected of me to succeed or thrive?”

Consider the student entering the classroom on the first day, eagerly searching through the syllabus for rubrics and class assignments. At each due date, it is clear this is what is expected to pass or fail this course. The same dynamic is featured in a longstanding relationship between kids and parents. As kids move out or have children of their own, the next chapter of relationships must see clearly defined expectations for them to thrive. It occurs when the project is presented at your job, when the team steps onto the practice field, or when the vows said at the altar now impact the day to day. Expectations carry weight, but when they are clear, prioritized, and upheld they are also beautiful.

The negative, however, is when people regard expectations as the minimal way to get by. Instead of seeing it as a bar to surpass, we are tempted to skate by with the least amount of effort or time. If the professor were to claim at the beginning of a semester that the student need only show up one time to pass the course, how many (despite the benefit of sitting under his teaching) would take that as license to skip the rest. The same could be said of so many avenues where we dismiss the good for lesser because we would rather have a surplus of time, money, or energy for our own entertainment or pleasure.

A few months ago, I wrote about a book that changed my life – Abide in Christ by Andrew Murray. The book, based on the passage of John 15 and the illustration of Jesus as the True Vine, reoriented my understanding of what the Lord expects of His own. Because as much as we don’t like to admit how recurring is the mindset of low-bar expectations, we can identify when we bring it into our own walks with the Lord. It may not be as explicit as other ways, but even how we approach the longevity of our need for the gospel signals what we believe about God’s expectations for His children. I think two ways are especially prominent in the Christian life.

First, the Gospel as solely initiation. The reality is that my need for the Gospel of Christ is never something I lose. The nature of my need is fulfilled by my Savior, but all the more He calls me to repent and believe. Yes, already I am cleansed because of the Word spoken to me – and yet I am called to abide in Him, His love, and His commandments. (John 15:4, 9-10) Christian, maintain the expectation that Gospel rehearsal is a daily need. Far be it from us to think we have matured past the wonderful, Good News of Christ’s suffering, death, resurrection, and glory. And even more so, it is a grace that we are not given Good News, called to believe, and then left on an island to perform good works. Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are equipped to bear fruit in accordance with our abiding. (John 15:8) It was never meant to be about our ability, but the source of the Vine. “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4)

Second, the Gospel as limited. The power of God is on display through the Gospel. Yet, we are a people consistently tempted to be deceived by worldly philosophies that call for rest to be found in entertainment, happiness to be known in virtual escape, and experience to serve as our truth. Each of these spit in the face as to what Christ offers us in Himself. It goes in tandem with our need for consistent Gospel belief. Far too often we succumb to the temptation to shortchange ourselves from what Christ offers in the Gospel. We discount the joy He offers for just right standing and autonomy over our own happiness. But far be it from us to think that we ourselves know our need better than the Father who is the Vinedresser over the Vine and therefore, the branch. For those in Christ, it is expected we participate in what the Vine is doing. Allow the pruning process, as difficult as it is in the moment, to bring fruit and glorify the Father. (John 15:2, 8) It was not ever meant to be about us. And yet the invitation is extended by our God for our good. That is why the fullness of joy, something we are all after, is a rightful expectation only met when we are united to Christ and participate in Him. “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11)

I found freedom in John 15. Freedom from thinking my initial belief is all God wants. That after a profession of faith, I am good to live a good, successful life. The freedom came in realizing apart from Christ, I am unable. Simultaneously, the expectation increased all the more as I realized that the Vinedresser will always care, the Vine will always produce, and the Vine’s branch will always bear fruit. And this will glorify the Father, will prove our faith in the Son, and allow us as branches to know the fullness of joy. Joyful freedom is found in knowing our own inability and balancing it by accepting the invitation of the Son to abide in Him.

Persevere, Nick Boucher Pastor of Student Ministry