Forget Formulas

As Christians, we must take care not to make formulas out of facts.  Scripture is packed with important facts relevant for personal and broad applications.  There is a tendency in people - compared by God as sheep in many instances - for us to walk in the footsteps of whomever we follow.  When we see a result we appreciate, we seek to follow the same steps so we might too have a particular experience or outcome for ourselves.  "How did you make the cake so moist?"  "What product did you use to have such healthy looking hair?"  "Who details your car?  I never seem to get that deep shine."  "How do you stay so positive after all that has happened to you?"  So we follow a recipe, buy product and follow the instructions carefully, call the mobile detailer, or do our best to follow advice.  Sheep tend towards imitation, not innovation.

There are many who claim to have the answers we are all looking for.  There are hucksters who sell their wares at the fair, offer free seminars with a "free" gift promised to the first 50 who call, and plenty of folks willing to sell you information to increase your net worth.  The same can be true concerning spiritual matters.  Some have developed plans to increase church size, books have been written outlining how to pray and prepare studies, and some hold seminars on how to pursue religious experiences.  Formulaic approaches may be more entrenched in your life than you might think.  We couple biblical facts with our experiences and figure if someone desires an experience, they can do what we have done.  But the fact remains:  there are no formulas when it comes to knowing God and experiencing all He has for us.  There are plenty of facts and things in common between people who have known God, but God Himself is the only true common denominator.

Man likes to be in control.  He enjoys sitting down at a particular hour, pushing a button on the remote, having the television turn on, and watching the program he expected to be on air.  This is all very predictable, entertaining, and comfortable.  The modern television watcher even has more control than he used to, for he can record, pause, and rewind television with a button.  He can stand up and make himself a proper coffee and not miss a second.  It is in this culture of convenience and ease where God stands in stark contrast.  There is no formula to know God or steps we take in a particular order to have fellowship with Him.  This is no button to push, no convenient time frame provided, no pause button.  There are facts in scripture that teach us of God, His righteous character, reasonable requirements, and our fitting response.  There is no prayer that saves a man from hell.  There is no series of actions we can take in our flesh to accomplish what God does only through the Holy Spirit.  God is consistent in is holiness and righteousness, but the means and methods He uses are widely varied as our experiences and feelings.

We do a great disservice to God when the way of salvation is reduced to a formula, a "repeat after me" statement devised either for convenient use in groups or to quantify results.  "If you just prayed that prayer," I have heard someone say, "you are now a child of God."  That is presumptuous at best, abominable falsehood at worst.  Please don't misunderstand:  it very well may be at that very moment people were justified through faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour.  Perhaps you look back to a time when after uttering a prayer you were convinced of your justification by faith.  But it was not the prayer, hand-raising, or coming forward that accomplished the divine regeneration:  it is the power of God that makes a person born again by the Holy Spirit.  Sadly, it is at that moment when some seekers stop seeking.  They have found all they wanted - assurance of salvation - even if from a mere man.  This assurance may be granted after a genuine conversion, but it might be an illusion.  God does not look to see if we have ticked external boxes, but looks upon the heart.

It is the scriptures that teach us the way of salvation and provide ample assurance.  I believe everyone must wrestle individually with God, even as Jacob did.  Whether it is salvation or baptism with the Holy Spirit, it is for each and every one of us to seek God humble, fervently, presenting ourselves as surrendered servants to His will.  We are not alone in our search.  God has given us the Holy Scriptures and other believers to join us along the road in our pursuit of Christ.  God has seen fit to establish the church of which Christ is Head, scattered throughout the earth.  He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill and come upon us in power.  We must be careful not to adopt the means of Simon, a man spoken of in Acts 8:18-19:  "And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, ¹⁹ saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit."  Instead of seeking God, Simon sought the help of man.  He offered corruptible money to obtain power only given by God as He sees fit according to His purposes.  Simon saw what he believed to be a formula for people to receive the Holy Spirit, yet this was no formula!  Sometimes the Holy Spirit was given to people without the laying on of hands (Acts 10:44).

The point?  Formulas are no substitute to knowing God in personal relationship.  As they mislead, formulas also disillusion.  "I have prayed that prayer and nothing happened."  "I prayed for healing like a book said and my aunt still passed away."  "I have sought spiritual gifts but I guess those things aren't for me."  What hardness, pain, doubt, and disunity can result!  When our experiences trump God's Word in our minds, we build on a foundation of sand.  Let us renew our desire to seek God with all our hearts according to His Word.  May our desire for closeness and intimacy increase as we grow in grace and knowledge of who God is and all He has done.  When we fall into the trap of formula instead of friendship with God we miss the point:  we miss knowing the One who has revealed Himself.  We should not approach God for experiences, though we will have them.  We should not seek God for power, though He empowers all Christians to perform His will.  God will never be a means to our end.  When God is our end, the best will never end.