My friend is a highly qualified mountaineer who has climbed some of the world’s greatest rock and ice routes, including the famous north walls of the Eiger and Matterhorn. So does he teach his clients how to climb better by demonstrating specialized equipment, showing them how to pull themselves up with two fingers on steep walls of rock, or how to place ice axes into ice that’s only a quarter-inch thick? You would think so, but he actually spends the first few days teaching them how to walk! Most people assume they have the basics sorted out, but—in fact—they can’t even walk properly, and that will prevent them from climbing to their full potential.
Ancient lawyers, experts in Mosaic law, assumed they knew the Scriptures and how to best follow God. Being highly educated, they thought they could easily outwit a carpenter’s son (Matthew 22:35). But these “experts” showed their ignorance by missing the basics about God’s Word: It’s all about love!
Sometimes we too can become bogged down in debates about what we perceive to be most important about the Scriptures. But let’s get back to the basics: God loved the world (John 3:16); Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6); we must be born again (John 3:7); we’re made right with God by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9); and we know we’re His children because His Spirit is in us (2 Corinthians 13:5; Romans 8:16).
All of these are fundamentals, but the root of it all is: Do you love God with all that you are? From this will come the revelation of Jesus and the fullness of His Spirit working in you. It was true for the lawyers and it’s true for us today. It’s all about God’s love for us and our response to such great love!
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Luke 15:1-10
More:
Look at the greatest commandment in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. Then read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and assess how well you’re truly loving God and others.
Next:
What are the fundamentals found in the Bible as far as you’re concerned? Prayerfully present these to God, and ask Him to reveal if any are mere traditions or acquired dogmas rather than true foundations of faith in Him.
Gary Shultz on August 14, 2015 at 7:19 am
I am very thankful that Christ spoke those words and showed us the big picture, we start with the basics and work from there. We are told not to entangle ourselves, in conversations that lead no where. Like the climbers many think they have answers of human viewpoint which will sustain an abundant life, but like the scripture they never learned the very basics. Thanks
Tim Gustafson on August 14, 2015 at 9:41 am
Russell, I really enjoyed this article, both for the way it challenges me and for the riveting illustration you use. I love how you bring it back to the basics.
And, as an aside, I think you mountain-climbing types are perhaps just a smidgen unhinged. 🙂 “How to place ice axes into ice that’s only a quarter inch thick”???? Okay, my sense of adventure is QUITE that amped up. Not any longer, anyway. Thanks for a great article!
russell fralick on August 15, 2015 at 5:10 pm
Hey Tim! Glad you enjoyed the article. I find that in the environment of the “unhinged types” you tend to get real honesty and very basic responses to situations. It has proven to be a very fertile ground for good honest conversations! My buddy who I described in the article, often laughs as he tells me that his clients are his captive audience, and he gets them in some very precarious situations then talks to them about the Gospel…and they simply cannot escape; they need him! Makes for very attentive listeners. Oh, and thin ice isn’t the issue…when it runs out completely and you climb bare rock with ice axes and crampons…then it gets “interesting!” 😉
Winn Collier on August 21, 2015 at 4:40 pm
maybe we pastors could get some folks out in precarious situations : )
Winn Collier on August 21, 2015 at 4:40 pm
So how does he teach them to walk? You’ve got me really curious. I want to learn how to walk…
russell fralick on August 22, 2015 at 11:01 am
Hi Winn! The basic concept is that when we walk on flat ground we employ a fluid movement, where the legs are never still and never straight. In addition, we normally walk with a “heel, ball, toe” movement of the feet. Most people, as soon as they go onto uneven, steep, or just unknown terrain abandon all that! You see folks going up slopes on their toes, they stop after each step going over a boulder field and their legs go ramrod straight. This ensures they do exactly what they think they will do. “I don’t feel safe; I think I’m going to…fall!” Yep! Proved yourself right again!
As well as this, the usual position for a non-walker is bent over with their nose scraping the ground. It is the body’s response to fear: we adopt the fetal position, or we act as if we are going to flee (the flight setting). This puts us completely off balance and yet again we prove our predictions right by falling down. Add to this a liberal sprinkling of windmill arms as we attempt to negotiate steep obstacles and you will get the general idea. What my friend and I do, is detox people from this way of thinking, and see steep ground, and even climbing, as merely walking as you would normally, but on different terrain.
That make any sense?