Two Ditches

There appears to be two ditches on each side of the evangelical road. On the one side is the ditch of intellectualism where the goal is to know and understand God by deductive reasoning about God. In this ditch, the study of Jesus becomes a method or procedural way to comprehend God rather than a Person to follow. No longer is the Good News simply Jesus. Here the “gospel” becomes a repository of information and winds up converting Christianity into an ideological belief system intent on preserving doctrinal orthodoxy at all costs. One studies “to show themselves approved” in order to engage in doctrinal disputes and apologetics. What constitutes a “true disciple” is the individual who continues to amass more and more Biblical knowledge. Everything is to be figured out and worked out logically. People in this ditch conclude that they have arrived at the “knowledge of the truth” and will dogmatically affirm the fundamentals of their belief system.

On the other side of the road is the ditch of experientialism. This is often seen as the antidote to the sterility and rigidity of rationalism. A “true disciple” in this ditch is one who has experienced God on many different spiritual planes, has achieved a high level of spiritual prowess, and continues to seek any and all spiritual experiences. Techniques are developed to guide people into encountering God on an ever increasing mystical level. They seek God’s “glory” as a means to validate the nearness of God or the genuineness of an encounter with God rather than trusting confidently in His presence whether “felt” or not. In this ditch there is a metaphysical “energy” that is sought after which becomes an end in itself.

Okay, let me get a little “preachy” here. God is known in His Son-Jesus Christ (John 1:18, 14:6). Though I am not completely happy with the term, let’s call this “relational theology”. Here  a personal relationship with God is established as I am reconciled to Him by faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross for me. The very life of God given for the Christian now dwells in the Christian testifying by the Spirit of God’s great love and presence. God is known relationally. By focusing on the extreme positions of either ditch and not keeping our focus set on Christ Himself, there can be a great “pull” into error. “But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.” (II Cor. 11:3 NLT) Paul says of the two ditches, “For Jews request a sign and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and ot the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God“. (I Cor. 1:22-24 NKJV)

It’s all about Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. As I submit myself to Him everyday, He guides me by the Spirit of Truth into all Truth – into all of Jesus. He is the perfect balance between the two ditches because in Him is ALL the fullness of God!

“Then beginning with Moses and [throughout] all the Prophets, He went on explaining and interpreting to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning and referring to Himself… And they said to one another, Were not our hearts greatly moved and burning within us while He was talking with us on the road and as He opened and explained to us [the sense of] the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:27, 32 AMP)