Self-Confrontation

This school year I am being allowed the great privilege of teaching a class that has been titled Survey of Self-Confrontation. It is based on a manual by the same title. The purposes of this course, as outlined in the book are as follows:

I. To teach you how to approach circumstances, relationships, and situations of life from a biblical perspective and to experience victory and contentment in all of life's trials, testing, and problems.

II. To prepare you to help others face and deal with their problems biblically.

It is soley based on the fact that the Bible is the only authoritative rule of faith and practice, which adds a different element to this course. Math, English, Science, History... All good courses, and very helpful in life, but when you are digging into the very words of God, that is different. The Bible, unlike any other book, is living and powerful, and its purpose is to teach us and change us.

Which means that the most interesting thing about this course is that it is mostly spiritual. Of course it could be treated as just another academic endeavor by the students who have decided to take it, but the very nature of it requires them to step outside of the academic realm and examine their own hearts and lives.

It requires them to take the Word of God and apply it... to do it.

And there is the problem. James 1:22-25 says,

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does."

Can you see the danger? Hearing God's word and doing it, results in self-confrontation, because we all have sin in our lives that needs to be dealt with, and God's word reveals that sin. But hearing God's word and not doing it results in self-deception. Thinking that you are alright, when you are so far from it.

Already in preparing for this class I have been confronted in my own heart. I know that if I am not right with God, it will affect the usefulness of this class.

I hope that it goes well, and I will try to keep you all updated on how it is going.