Living with Tension

June 6, 2010

Our world is prone to extremism and the church is not exempted.

The calling of the church is not a simple either-or option.

God is calling His people to living with integrity by holding the tension in all of life’s complexities.

The church has a double calling and we must hold this tension with an open mind and posture.

John Stott, a leading theologian notes,
“The church’s most basic need is to remember what kind of community it is, and in particular its double identity. For God calls his people out of the world to belong to him and sends them back into the world to serve and to witness. The first calling is to ‘holiness’ and the second to ‘worldliness,’ using the word as the opposite of ‘otherworldliness,’ and meaning ‘involved in the life of the world.’ So the church is called to ‘holy worldliness’ (Alec Vidler), for this is its double identity. It needs constantly to ensure that neither identity smothers the other.”

For us to realize our ‘holy worldliness’, we need divine wisdom. To hold the tension is to learn the wisdom of balance. Where and how do we get this discernment?

The answer lies in spending time with God – in prayer and solitude, in reading and engaging the Word. Only then can we effectively be His hands and feet in this world.

Guard yourself against the extremism of busy activity without real spirituality. Guard yourself against the extremism of intellectual spirituality without engaging service.

Hold the tension. Live the tension.