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About Jesus - Steve (Stephen) Sweetman I'm
A Realist In a recent article I
wrote that I view myself as a realist.
A realist is one who
accepts a situation as it is and is prepared to deal with it
appropriately. When it comes
to a negative situation the realist does not act as if it does not exist.
I admit that my realism, something some call negativism, is inherent to who I
am. In part, this causes me to believe that a realistic approach to life is beneficial and
even Biblical.
I realize there are
various interpretative views of Genesis 1 through 3, but most agree that
Genesis 3 ends with all of creation being plunged into a frustrating life
of decay leading to death. Science
calls this reality entropy. In
Biblical terms, neither the cross of Christ nor all the faith you think
you have in Jesus will remove this negative reality.
We have no choice but to accept it and deal with it appropriately
until a new reality comes our way. Revelation
21:1 reads: "Then I saw a new
heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had
passed away, and there was no longer any sea." Paul commented on this
in Romans 8:21 through 23. "Consider that our
present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be
revealed in us. For the
creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be
revealed. For the creation was
subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the
one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated
from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the
children of God." All of creation accepts
our frustrating entropic existence as it eagerly waits for the new reality
of Revelation 21:1. Paul
wasn't being pessimistic when he wrote about the frustrations of life.
He was being a Biblical realist.
He faced unpleasant situations and he dealt with them
appropriately. One thing he
didn't do was use his faith in Jesus to try to make them go away.
With his trust in Jesus, with the assurance of a future glorious
reality, he faithfully accomplished God's will for him in the midst of a
frustrating entropic existence.
Realistically speaking,
as I age, my life is in the process of decay that will lead to my eventual
death. Although that process
doesn't excite me, it doesn't overly depress me, at least not yet.
It's just life and all of the optimistic hyper-faith that I think I
can muster up will not change this reality.
This realistic approach to life helps me deal with the
difficulties, failures, and frustrations of an entropic existence.
Being a realist certainly does not nullify
my faith, my passive, restful assurance I have in Jesus, my Lord and
Saviour. Post Script I have expanded on what
you have just read in my book entitled "Surviving The Human
Condition," available on all Amazon websites.
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