- Theology Central -
Sufficiency:
A word employed in a verity of ways within the Christian vocabulary, but it is rarely, if ever, fully understood.
We live in a broken society. In fact, we always have, and will until the glorious return of Christ. And it is no secret that that broken society needs mending. It needs fixing. We see this, but fail to act accordingly.
As doubts arise over the effectiveness of our work in this world, we begin to push off our duties, leaving them for some other, more equipped individual. This, I believe, is one of the reasons why based individuals fail to make an impact on society: They simply doubt their ability to do so.
Well, the most natural follow-up question (speaking of based) is dealing with whether or not these doubts are indeed valid--or based. I believe, biblically speaking, they are. It has been made clear that, ever since the fall, the heart of man has been irredeemably corrupt and wicked (Mark 7:21), and that it is incapable of making any real change on its own; whether that change is to itself, or to someone or something else, change for the good is completely out of man's reach--on his own.
In Exodus 4:10-12, God commands Moses to go and order Pharaoh to let the Israelite people out of bondage and slavery. Moses promptly responded by doubting his ability to carry out the task at hand and begging that the Lord would send someone else.
Moses called attention to his feeble voice and even his lack of "eloquence." It is likely the case that Moses was rather ineloquent, and indeed, unable to carry out his orders... on his own. His mistake was not judging his own inadequacy, but rather, in underestimating the sufficiency of the God who was about to make him fully adequate and fully equipped.
The Lord responded to Moses:
11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
We may be weak, we may be insignificant, we may be ineloquent, we may be disabled, we may be poor, we may be the proverbial "no-body," but the God we serve gives sufficient strength and "ableness" to perform our duties and our calling as his elect—in spite of our weaknesses and inabilities.
This week, may we look for our strength not in ourselves, but in our creator. May we realize our insignificance, so that we can then rest in the Lord's significance and sufficiency. May we then use this glorious realization to inspire and empower us in our reformative action in this very deformed world.
This has been Theology Central, a weekly column (published every Sunday) by Al Scott, showing the ways that important biblical truths tie into everyday life and even the news cycle.
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Al K. Scott
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