One such head whacking occurred some time ago. In The Incredible Power of Kingdom Authority I read about a conversation between the late Adrean Rogers and Josef Tson, the revered Romanian pastor, author, and president of the Romanian Missionary Society who survived years of persecution and exile under cruel Communist rule. Rogers asked Dr. Tson for his perception of American Christianity.
I was surprised by Tson's answer. After some hesitation, he replied, "Well, Adrian, since you have asked me, I'll tell you. The key word in American Christianity is commitment." Rather than being a positive thing, he saw it as an inadequate replacement of an older Christian teaching: surrender.
Tson described the difference, "When you make a commitment, you are still in control, no matter how noble the thing you commit to. One can commit to pray, to study the Bible, to give his money, or to commit to automobile payments, or to lose weight. Whatever he chooses to do, he commits to. But surrender is different. If someone holds a gun and asks you to lift your hands in the air as a token of surrender, you don't tell that person what you are committed to. You simply surrender and do as you are told.... Americans love commitment because they are still in control. But the key word is surrender. We are to be slaves to the Lord Jesus Christ."
WHACK! I was stunned. Like most American Christians, I had made innumerable commitments to God. As a preacher, I had asked in hundreds of sermons for congregations to make various kinds of commitments. Now, unexpectedly, a core assumption of my vocabulary of faith was being disputed. I felt the wind knocked out of me.
Was Josef Tson correct? And if so, then why did he consider this to be such a critical issue? I immediately sensed he was speaking the truth, but knew I would have a lot of work to do to grasp the full meaning of what he said.
THE LENS OF SURRENDER
As I pondered, I realized Tson was right in identifying the root issue as control My commitments seek to gain the blessings of God without giving up autonomy. My commitments may be righteous or noble but are merely promises about what I will do and depend entirely on me. I am retaining control to some degree, as if I could negotiate with God's sovereignty.
Surrender concedes that in the battle of wills, God has already won. Surrender begins with the understanding that I am not God's partner - not even a junior partner. He is my creator and absolute Lord. I am ruined and worthless without Him. Surrender is really so distasteful to us because it exposes the core issue of our sin: pride.
The characters and stories and teaching of the Bible began to look different as I read them through surrender-colored lenses. Two anointed kings, Saul and David, markedly illustrate the contrast of commitment and surrender. No doubt, Saul was a committed worshipper of Jehovah, but deliberate disobedience exposed his lack of total surrender. At Gilgal, impatience drove him to perform a sacrifice specifically prescribed to be offered only by the priest, Samuel (1 Samuel 13). Later, Saul purposely disobeyed the Lord's instructions to destroy the Amalekites totally (1 Samuel 15).
On the other hand, David's highest priority was his relationship with the Lord. David was obviously as great a sinner as Saul. His family was dysfunctional. He made errors in worshipping the Lord and administering the kingdom. Yet there was never a doubt that David was absolutely surrendered to the glory of God, as evidenced by his response to the rebuke of the prophet Nathan, his attitude when his baby son died, and his abandoned worship as the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem.
I also saw the distinction between surrender and commitment in John 6. Here, Jesus feeds five thousand people. Then, seeking solitude with God, He leaves the crowd. They followed him, expecting more miracles and food. Jesus challenged their motives and told the He was the only spiritual food they needed. Their reaction is enlightening:
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of Israel." John 6:66-69
Before my head whacking, I interpreted this episode as a crisis between the uncommitted crowd and the surrendered twelve. The multitude was committed... to a point. The Bible even calls them disciples. They had simply reached the end of their commitment. In contrast, the Twelve were fully surrendered. As Peter expressed, they allowed themselves no alternative other than following Jesus: "Lord, to whom shall we go?"
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Bob Butler continues to follow God on the adventure of surrender as he works with a Christian organization in Cambodia. "Surrender has become a new perspective for my faith as I continue to learn to obey Christ fully," he says. "God has called me deeper and closer to Himself."
Bob also serves as a facilitator / coach for for 30 60 100 MINISTRIES teaching the Spiritually Healthy Leader Series in SE Asia.
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