Spiritual Balance
The sermon emphasizes the importance of spiritual balance and transformation in the Christian life, highlighting the struggle of the regenerate man to reconcile his dual nature.
A.W. Tozer discusses the concept of spiritual balance, emphasizing that humanity has lost its symmetry and often lives in moral imbalance. He notes that various philosophies have sought to address this issue through the idea of the 'golden mean,' but Christianity offers a transformative new life rather than just a philosophy. The Christian journey involves a struggle between the desire for holiness and the remnants of the sinful nature, leading to a unique distress for the regenerate individual. Tozer highlights that this internal conflict is a reality for those who are being conformed to the likeness of Christ, as illustrated by Paul's reflections in Romans 7.
Text
It is a thin and rather smooth coin of common knowledge that the human race has lost its symmetry and tends to be lopsided in almost everything it is and does. Religious philosophers have recognized this asymmetry and have sought to correct it by preaching in one form or another the doctrine of the "golden mean." Confucius taught the "middle way"; Buddha would have his followers avoid both asceticism and bodily ease; Aristotle believed that the virtuous life is the one perfectly balanced between excess and defect.
Christianity, being in full accord with all the facts of existence, takes into account this moral imbalance in human life, and the remedy it offers is not a new philosophy but a new life.
The ideal to which the Christian aspires is not to walk in the perfect way but to be transformed by the renewing of his mind and conformed to the likeness of Christ. The regenerate man often has a more difficult time of it than the unregenerate, for he is not one man but two. He feels within him a power that tends toward holiness and God, while at the same time he is still a child of Adam's flesh and a son of the red clay. This moral dualism is to him a source of distress and struggle wholly unknown to the once-born man.
Of course the classic critique upon this is Paul's testimony in the seventh chapter of his Roman epistle.
Sermon Outline
- The Problem of Moral Imbalance
- The Christian Solution
- The Struggle of the Regenerate Man
- Moral dualism and inner conflict
- The classic critique of Paul's Roman epistle
Key Quotes
“The ideal to which the Christian aspires is not to walk in the perfect way but to be transformed by the renewing of his mind and conformed to the likeness of Christ.” — A.W. Tozer
“The regenerate man often has a more difficult time of it than the unregenerate, for he is not one man but two.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- The Christian life is not about achieving perfection, but about being transformed by the renewing of our minds.
- We must acknowledge and confront our moral dualism in order to move towards spiritual balance.
- The struggle of the regenerate man is a common experience, and we must not be discouraged by it.