Entrenched or Established?

Years ago our family had a little dachshund named Wendel.  He slept in a kennel inside the house, but the backyard was his domain.  When I mowed the lawn I was able to easily discern where his little paws had been, paths which become well-worn over time as he patrolled the perimeter.  He had a routine of running along the fence, stopping at a point and barking, then heading back on his circuit. Wendel and people alike can be creatures of habit and routine, and even our brains resort to common tracks of thought.  A single word or feeling can place our thinking like a slot car onto a track, destined to circle the same closed loop again and again.  We can become so taken with a particular observation or personal conviction we become entrenched in our thinking and are quite unable (and even unwilling!) to consider another view as equally valid.  Some people's thoughts resemble a simple oval and others are more elaborate with multiple lanes and loops, but the result is the same.  Round and round the slot car goes, but there is no winner in this solitary race.

I don't want to be entrenched in my thinking like a slot car in the track.  When Christians are entrenched in ways of thinking it is far from good.  It is actually tragic.  Taking an informed position in doctrine or having a personal conviction is right and good, but someone who is entrenched in their views resemble a vigilant soldier in a bunker on high alert.  The world is seen through the visage of a paranoid warrior ready to shoot in the direction of a unfamiliar noise in the darkness.  Everyone outside his way of thinking is seen as a significant threat.  He has fortified his position and is prepared for the eventual assault.  He has rations and ammunition enough to outlast his enemy in his cold, concrete dwelling.  His position is primarily defensive and nothing can convince him to lower his guard.  No one can coax him it is safe to venture out to enjoy a bite to eat in the sun.  A person with an entrenched mindset does not listen or consider the truth of what is being said by others but is preoccupied to share the observations of their closed loop.  The slot car on the track may move forward, but in reality it is a dead end.

Now consider the difference between an entrenched viewpoint and one that has been established by the truth of God's Word.  David wrote about a man who delights and meditates on God's law and compared him to a well-established tree in Psalm 1:3:  "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."  A tree is a living, growing organism that has strong roots as a foundation - quite a different picture than a musty, cold bunker with guns pointed at all who approach!  With a strong root system which draws water and nutrition from the earth, so a Christian who feeds on God's Word and obeys it will be strengthened, grow, and be fruitful.  New branches of thought, new leaves of personal revelation and application sprout from old truths which are entirely new to a person.  It is not uncommon for Christians at times to place undo emphasis on one doctrine, ignore the implications of others, or have a distorted view of God's Word.  But God in His grace, through biblical truth rightly divided, chops off these branches and new, healthy growth is promoted,  Jesus compared a man who hears His words and does them to a man who built his house upon a rock.  Because the house had been established on a sure foundation who is Christ, he did not need to fear damage from the wind, rain, or flood.

Doctrine does not change, but my understanding of it should.  I should not remain perpetually on a closed loop concerning the implications of a passage, but to let down my guard, admit my knowledge and perspective is severely limited, and there is much for me to learn.  Jesus said He had much to say to His disciples, but they were not able to receive it because the Holy Spirit had not been sent.  I am afraid to say there is much Jesus cannot say to Christians today through His Word or the Holy Spirit because instead of listening we blurt out to finish God's sentences:  we have a closed loop of thinking which is familiar and therefore comfortable.  If someone holds a different slant or perspective on an interpretation people can feel instantly threatened and defensive instead of being willing to be challenged by what the Bible says and means.  There are few things worse than entrenched orthodoxy, for it prevents growth and maturity.  It substitutes increased knowledge for spiritual growth, sacrificing life and sweet fruit in exchange for what A.W. Tozer called a "circular grave."  How good it is for our faith to be growing and fruitful, knowing we are established in Jesus by the Gospel!  Instead of being entrenched in doctrinal debates, having been established by faith in Christ, let us venture out of the bunker and extend peace to all in Christ's name:  ready to listen, and choosing to love.