What? A Personality Pattern is a Sin?

On a murky planet in a galaxy far away, Jedi Master Yoda is training Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi knight. In the Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back, Luke is learning how to become a force for good in a world dominated by an evil emperor and his hatchet man, Darth Vader. When Luke whines and complains that the training is too hard, Yoda replies that it is Luke’s impatient attitude and quickness to give up that are holding him back. Yoda tells Luke that the dark side is “easier and more seductive.” The Bible confirms this truth that “the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it” (Matthew 7:13).

Luke is stuck in the Avoidant Worrier personality pattern, blaming Yoda for what he is dodging. It is his pattern of complaining and sulking that prevents him from sticking with the training. He attempts to manipulate Yoda by pouting to let himself off the hook. “It’s too hard,” is one of the standard ploys of someone stuck in the Worrier pattern. Luke is trying to avoid growth. He expects Yoda to reject him. Yoda confirms his expectations by getting fed up and critical of him. 

"It's too hard."

Every one of us sins like this, stuck in some form of manipulative personality pattern, whether we’re willing to admit it or not. The apostle John challenges every living person with the words, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). The sin of manipulation causes you to relate to God and others in a way that seems right to you, but backfires in the long run. Sin’s effects are described in Scripture as the crooked path: “Those whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways” (Proverbs 2:15).

Self-will, the root of sin, says, “I’ve always been this way and don’t intend to change. I don’t need forgiveness because I haven’t done that much wrong. I certainly don’t need a Savior to change me.” There are two problems with this position: 

1. You are blind to your self-centeredness.
2. You think God’s solution for sin and evil is not necessary, because your good intentions and will power are enough.

REDEMPTION AS THE CURE FOR SIN

To what degree are you free to become what God intends, and to what degree are you held responsible for your attitudes and behavior? Luke Skywalker is responsible for the attitudes inherent in his Worrier pattern: passive aggressively blaming Yoda for what he is unwilling to face in himself. Were someone like Luke to acknowledge his blame-shifting and ask for God’s help, he could find himself on the road to more responsible behavior. While sin pervades human nature, the situation is far from hopeless, for “where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20).

In an act of infinite love, God solved the sin problem by the offering of Christ’s death in the place of all people. “God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Christ’s atonement for sin is an objective, transcendent act of God that exists beyond the realm of human manipulation. And Christ’s resurrection is God’s promise made real that you are offered Christ-like wholeness when you surrender to God’s sovereign power.  

Jesus Christ's Resurrection

People can appropriate new life in Christ anytime, anywhere. “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Surrender to Christ allows you to say and mean: “I bear true guilt for wrong attitudes and behaviors—some of which I’m aware and some I’m not. I confess my need for God’s forgiveness and help. I ask to receive the righteousness of Christ.”

Accepting Christ into your heart does not mean you don’t sin any more—rather, it means you can freely discuss your sins with God, inviting his help and wisdom for gradual growth that occurs over your lifetime. Alister McGrath points out, “Forgiveness does not necessarily mean that sin is eliminated—it means that the threat sin poses to man’s relationship to God is eliminated. There is all the difference in the world between being sinless and being forgiven.”

For more, see:

THE SELF COMPASS:

CHARTING YOUR PERSONALITY IN CHRIST 

 

Trust In God's Love for You!

Your relationship with Christ encompasses your personality and human nature. How does this work?

Innumerable millions have known and loved Jesus Christ, both now and throughout the ages. God has made redemption through Christ so simple that even children can experience the Lord. 

The bottom line is that God has taken care of the sin problem afflicting humanity by allowing his Son Jesus to die on the cross in our place. It is interesting to note that among world religions and pagan philosophies, Christianity stands alone in witnessing to the Incarnation of Christ, his atonement for sin, and God’s pursuit of intimacy with each person.

 

The Jews didn’t put Christ on the cross, nor did the Romans. I put Christ on the cross. And so did you. By confessing our sins and asking for God’s forgiveness, grace is imparted to us and we are redeemed. We find ourselves saying inwardly by the power of the Holy Spirit, “I am the Lord’s child and God is my Papa!”  

This is where the fun begins. God didn’t give us the most precious gift imaginable so that we can sit on our hands, much less that we become boring religious copycats who spend all day trying to be good.

From the creation of humankind, God has looked for individuals to become his friends and playmates: gutsy romantic risk-takers who respond to his love for them. The next time you read the Gospels notice how much Jesus enjoyed the wedding of Cana, how transparently he comes across with Peter and the gang, how forcefully he raises his buddy Lazarus from the dead, and how sternly he rebukes the religious rule-keepers who want to make his disciples as miserable as themselves.

 

The Lord isn’t trying to get you to copycat the lives of dead saints or act like people in the first century. He’s trying to get you up and running as an original in Christ, a person who lives on the cutting edge of the twenty-first century. He wants to awaken your mind, heart, and body so that you are aware and choosing—a lively dialogue partner who brings him delight and relates to him with creative fidelity.

Nothing in regard to your human experience is beyond Christ’s comprehension, nor should you hold back in shame or fear that you’re not perfect enough for him. If Jesus was interested in perfection, he would have gone to another planet. Earth is in decay and turmoil. Humanity is fallen and frail. Human personality is fickle beyond belief. Altogether, it’s a perfect situation for the love of God to move through redemptive hope and create wonderful outcomes for individuals who know and trust him.

Consider this. Christ as God lives at all times and all places; there is nothing within the cosmos that his presence and personality do not infuse. But there is one thing this Lord of Creation and King of Kings has never done. He has never had a relationship with you. For this he has patiently waited. Now you’ve arrived, and believe me, he is showing up on your behalf every day and night.

Don’t worry. Christ is not invasive. He will give you plenty of room for privacy. On the other hand, he’ll be thrilled whenever you include him. Have you ever invited the Lord to go with you to a movie? A dance? Walking through the mall? A workout? Have you ever chatted with him while driving around town? Or invited him into your bedroom for a nighttime visit?

The first time I went to Disneyland, I had flown to Southern California to begin a Master’s program in philosophy. I was twenty-three and didn’t know a single person in the state. So I invited Jesus to come along. We rode each ride in the park. Six hours later, I emerged from the Magic Kingdom, my heart pulsing with the pleasure of his company. 

Harder, though, has been my handling of extended periods of loneliness, or making it through certain crises where I felt paralyzed by anxiety. There is nothing so bothersome as loneliness or anxiety, because no one can fix these inner states for us. No one can get deep down to where these feelings exist—no one except the Lord.

Christ has never removed all my emotional pain or confusion. On the other hand, whenever I’ve called upon him or requested guidance from the Holy Spirit, something has shifted inside me or within the circumstance that has helped me make it through. Haven’t you noticed the same thing?

Even so, it wasn’t until my fourth decade of Christian life that I developed the practice of calling upon the Lord throughout every single day.  “Father, please help work out this problem.”  “Jesus, guide me through this situation.” “Holy Spirit, I’m feeling afraid and really need your comfort.” I still have bouts of fear or frustration. Yet I’ve discovered how intensely Christ loves us and how ably the Holy Spirit can impart a measure of serenity even in rough spells.

 I encourage you this week to think about enhancing your adventure in Christ. Focus on making Jesus your life’s organizing principle so that your relationship with him can flourish no matter what.

If you feel distracted by a situation that leaves you disheartened or sour, risk changing it. If another person has hijacked your loyalty to Christ by dominating your attention, pray for the freedom to make Christ number one in your life. If work, hobbies, or even family life has left you with no time for God, ask for grace to touch your heart anew.

Dare to enjoy a spontaneous stream of lively conversations with the Lord as you walk through each day together. He'll love being trusted by you!

For more on finding freedom in Christ, read:

Faith Beyond Church Walls