180 Degrees: The Call of Christ

It’s math time.

If pre-calculus has taught me anything this year, it’s the importance of persevering…even when it’s hard. Some things in life feel utterly pointless, and (at least for me) calculus seems like one of them. But I will say, math has taught me a lesson or two in sticking with it. God asks us to do the same. Even when you don’t understand, keep going. It’ll be worth it when you finish the race.

Math also inspired this new series, giving me another reason to keep going. “180 Degrees” can refer to several things. I want to highlight two. First, “pulling a 180” means flipping in the opposite direction. Jesus repeatedly tells us to seek the opposite of what the world seeks and fight against our selfish human nature.

Second, in geometry, an angle (or line) measuring 180º is perfectly straight – it doesn’t bend. Proverbs 4:25-27 (NIV) declares, “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

The purpose of this series is easy to grasp: Jesus asks us to live one way, and our human nature directs us another way. It’s easy to buy into the lies of humanity and go off on a tangent. As Christians, we cannot do this! We must follow the perfectly straight path that Jesus has laid before us.

No one can stay on the straight and narrow line (aka road) without help. So grab a ruler, grab a protractor, grab a friend, grab a pastor, and together we’ll work to follow His way. Together we’ll go 180 degrees against human nature.

Human nature says…

I know I’ve fired shots at our culture in previous posts. But is the culture really to blame, or are people responsible? In my quest to prove a point, I’ve committed the fallacy of reification: treating an abstract object as if it were concrete.

Culture is the manifestation of the world’s problems. Fallen human beings are the core. Specifically, our sin nature is at the root. In Romans 7:18 (NIV) Paul says, “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” To quote Jeremiah 17:8 (NLT), “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”

Our sinful nature is at the root of the world’s problems, ever since the Garden of Eden. But while it is at the root, someone must still water those roots. Our sinful nature is not an excuse for our actions, and neither do our actions excuse our sin nature.

Our sin nature – and the culture – tell us to live as we want to live. In the coming weeks, I’ll break down a dozen different ways that human nature causes us to live for ourselves. When you feel the nagging voice of your sin nature telling you to do what you know is wrong, it’s time to choose Jesus’ way. And His way means shifting your mindset…

180 Degrees

Here are two of Jesus’ commands: do the opposite of what the world does, and stay on the narrow path to Heaven. Jesus calls us to turn around and follow Him, not our sin nature. Jesus offers us a way to break free from the chains that bind us.

Before He came to earth, humanity was enslaved by sin. They had no hope of escape. The Law of Moses could only do so much. Then Jesus – the true High Priest – arrived, flipping the world 180 degrees, upending all previous beliefs. Thanks to His sacrifice on the cross, we can live to glorify Him. As Hebrews 10:12 (NLT) says, “But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honour at God’s right hand.”

I pray that as time goes on, we will all come to realize that Jesus’ way is better by far. I pray the words God inspires me to write and speak will help you better understand the call He has on our lives. And I hope you’ll choose to store up riches in Heaven, “Where moth and rust cannot destroy, and thieves cannot break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19).

If you’re tired of being enslaved to our sinful human nature, join me in discovering His way. Together, we can find Christ’s call for our lives, and we can walk the straight and narrow way.

And remember, Jesus is a 90º angle. He’s always right. As Proverbs 3:6 (NIV) says…

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”