Leaving Beyond – Grounded In Scripture

Written by: April J. Buchanan

A man left to himself may come to ruin, for the inward corruption of the fall brings forth what it will when unrestrained. One man, burdened by inward thoughts of darkness, comes to see himself as worthless and without hope. He lingers there, and his thoughts become destructive. Another man, convinced of his own strength and sufficiency, sets his mind upon the things of this world and finds his joy within them. In seasons of ease he is satisfied, and in seasons of trouble he labors to restore what will again bring him pleasure. His decisions in business, health, relationships, and civic life are shaped by what most secures his temporal happiness.

The man consumed by misery is often despised by others, regarded as a burden to society, weak and unprofitable. Meanwhile, the man of confidence in himself is praised. He speaks of his contributions, his goodness, his service in religion, in public life, and in acts of charity. His thoughts are high concerning himself, and so he concludes that he is good because of what he does. In his own eyes, little more is required.

Yet the one who has fallen into despair believes himself closer to truth, thinking he has seen the vanity of all things. Having examined himself and found no worth, he refuses comfort, unable to reconcile any hope with what he believes himself to be. And yet even here, he does not step outside himself; he still judges by inward reasoning rather than by the testimony of God.

Thus both are deceived by hearts not rightly measured. Neither has been weighed against the perfect standard of God. Both are measuring themselves by comparison with men or by their own inward reasoning. Neither has been brought low before the holiness of God, where true knowledge of the self is given and mercy in Christ is revealed.

One exalts himself through accomplishment; the other collapses inward through unbelieving despair. Yet both remain centered upon themselves. Both turn inward rather than upward. Both stand, in different forms, as an offense to God, whose holiness exposes every false measure and whose truth alone defines what man is.

For though sin has corrupted all through Adam’s fall, God remains sovereign over all, governing all things according to His holy will and purpose. And only when life is found in Him does anything cease to be meaningless.

The soul that trusts in itself, whether in pride or in despair, remains outside the knowledge of grace. For the issue is not the presence of sorrow or confidence, but the absence of truth applied by God to the heart through His Word.

Apart from the revelation of Scripture, man does not see himself rightly, nor does he see God rightly.

But when a man is brought low before the holiness of God, both false confidence and unbelieving despair are broken. He discovers that he is worse than his despair had shown and more guilty than his pride had admitted. Yet he also discovers that grace in Christ is greater than both.

There he turns in repentance and faith, not by his own resolve alone, but as the Spirit of God grants life through the Word, uniting him to Christ. In this union, Christ is not only the object of hope but the source of new life itself.

From that point forward, the Christian life becomes a daily mortification of remaining corruption, carried out not in self-reliance but by the Spirit working in the believer. When sin rises, whether in pride or in despair, it is met not with trust in the flesh but with repentance and renewed dependence upon grace already given.

For the one who belongs to God learns this continually: his weakness is real, his heart is unsteady, and his thoughts are prone to both pride and despair. Therefore he sets his mind upon the Word of God, abiding there. And as he does, he is sanctified by truth, upheld by grace, and preserved by the power of God.

And though he is weak, Christ is strong.