Asceticism: Exalting Christ Over Self-Denial

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There was some kind of false teaching going on that Paul was very concerned about and it involved some kind of asceticism, some kind of severity to the body. It seemed to involve special visions, worship of angels he mentions, the insistence upon certain religious holy days, days, months, and it seems that there are a cluster of very basic rules, elemental principles he calls them, being forced upon the church so that if you don't follow these ascetic rules about food and drink and days and visions and angels you're not a Christian. [00:01:45]

Paul's main criticism of what was happening is that it diminished Christ, Christ the all-supplying head of the church, Christ as the creator of the world, Christ the one who upholds all things, Christ supreme over all things. The whole system of this false teaching was diminishing Christ in all those ways. [00:02:32]

Let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, with regard to a festival or a new moon or sabbath. These are a shadow of things to come but the substance belongs to Christ, like a body casting a shadow. Christ is the body in the shadows is all those things that are being exalted above Christ. [00:03:51]

The problem is that these merely human traditions and these basic religious elemental principles are replacing Christ. It says not holding fast to Christ, not exalting Christ, not living according to Christ. [00:03:29]

These indeed have an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and a severity to the body but they're of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh. [00:05:36]

Asceticism has a legitimate place in the Christian life as does the thankful enjoyment of food and drink that God gives us. Eating and drinking can become gluttony with a loss of self-control, and not eating and drinking can become boastful and Christ diminishing. [00:07:00]

The main questions are, is Christ being exalted or is self being exalted? While crucifying the sin of gluttony, are you feeding the sin of pride? Is asceticism killing sin or feeding sin? Those are the key questions. [00:07:37]

Paul himself and Jesus taught that we should make sure by self-denial that we are not being enslaved by any good thing. For example, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:25, every athlete exercises self-control. I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air, I discipline my body and keep it under control lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. [00:08:06]

The issue is not that food and drink or other legitimate pleasures are sinful, but that we ought not to be enslaved or dominated or controlled by anything good or evil. Part of the strategy by which we discern whether we are enslaved is self-denial called asceticism if you wish. [00:09:07]

We dare not treat all asceticism as bad and of course we should not treat God's good gifts of food and drink and friendship and marriage and hundreds of other delights in this life as evil. [00:09:36]

We will glorify Christ if we receive his good gifts with thankfulness which shows that he's the good and generous savior and two we will glorify Christ by strategically denying ourselves some of his good gifts in order to show that he and not his gifts are our greatest treasure. [00:10:21]

This calls for great wisdom and insight into our own hearts, so two guidelines to close: one, enjoy God's good gifts with thankfulness to make much of him and his grace and his generosity, and two, deny yourself in order to defeat sinful bondage and show that the giver is more precious to you than the gift. [00:11:03]

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