Eternal security

I had lunch with my blog reader yesterday, and we talked about a few fascinating topics. One of them was the concept of eternal security. For those who don't know what this means, I think that's a good thing. Unfortunately, many of us know and crave this idea.

I am very sympathetic with people who are desperately seeking assurance that they are saved. It's a basic drive of humanity to know that their destiny is secure when this life is over, as it surely will be. I feel I can defend that it's a "basic drive" given my study of the medieval church and our own day. Perhaps it's basic to fallen humanity, but I think at some point everyone in all times is seized with curiosity/fear about what will happen to them. I'm sure this is begging the question, but I would say that those who don't wonder have destroyed their conscience so much that it doesn't matter to them.

With that massive caveat, I want to tear apart this obsession. I think fixation on eternal security is narcissistic. The foundation of the Christian faith is that we "Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength" and "Love our neighbor as ourselves." This says nothing about obsessing about ourselves. In fact, if we obsess about ourselves in this manner, it diverts our attention from God and neighbor. Conversely, if we obsess over what it means to be a Christian (loving God and neighbor) there won't be time to obsess about destiny. Besides, if we obsess over loving God and neighbor, I think it's quite clear that our destiny is secure. (I'm not talking about neurotic obsession as much as assiduous attention to the matter.)

I hear it often enough: "How do I know I'm saved?" I can say that I know God is gracious and merciful. I think that's enough. But I would direct the querier to go buy lunch for a poor person and have a humanizing conversation with them. Or go build a deck for the widow next door. Or take coffee orders for the guys who work in the warehouse. Some navel-gazing is fine. That's a human capacity, and a necessary one. But for people who struggle year in and year out with this question, they need to realize that they're harming God's intention for his image in this idolatrous pursuit.

I'm not going to go as far as (or anywhere near) Thomas Müntzer, leader in the German Peasant's War 1524-1526: "For anyone who does not feel the spirit of Christ within him, or is not quite sure of having it, is not a member of Christ, but of the devil . . . " I'm more and more convinced that God grieves over his fallen creation. He's angry with those who would impede people getting to know him, and he feels sorry for those in bondage to bad thinking. (I apologize for this overly emotional portrayal of God.) He, again, is unbelievably gracious. If a stereotypical conservative Republican got to know God, he would be convinced that God was a devil Democrat, since God isn't interested in killing terrorists. God grieves that terrorists/conservative Republicans would kill other people, but he also grieves that they are so blinded by stupidity.

Do you want eternal security? Abandon your right to yourself. Love and serve God, your neighbors and your enemies recklessly. The rest is on God's mercy.