:: M squared T ::

:: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 ::

PRWJ

PRWJ = Personal Relationship With Jesus

First of all, read the following: J. Smith and Davis for the context.

In my comments to J. Smith, I wrote:

"I think that the worst part of "personal relationship with Jesus" is that we've de-personalized it by disconnecting it from the Kingdom. "PRWJ" becomes a means of securing our own personal salvation (long time from now, far down the road, on the other side of death ONLY) instead of a joining with the work of God in the kingdom.

"I honestly feel that if we stay in the stereotypical "PRWJ" mode, we end up using God for our own ends (our salvation) instead of "living for the one who died and was raised on our behalf." (II Cor. 5:15)"

This tends to make our faith idolatrous. We begin this "Personal Relationship" so we can go to heaven when we die. This can, at times, be attempting to manipulate God to our ends - just like the average pagan.

Ultimately, the kingdom is personal because Jesus, in some mysterious sense, is the kingdom. (cf. Muggeridge in Willard, Divine Conspiracy, 1) Therefore, I choose to retain "PRWJ" because it does speak to the fact that the kingdom is not yet another abstraction (like we have done with "truth"), but is, in fact, intensely personal and related closely to the person of Jesus Christ.

:: Matt 10/29/2003 08:06:00 PM :: permalink :: ::
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