Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
when Paul wrote "let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly" I think there is a lot of latitude for our own interpretation, application, and experience. Back when I was effectively ignoring the text which formed the shared basis for understanding this kind of encouragement, I was missing some of its true power...
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This is perhaps also relevant, living in an increasingly postmodern, subjectivist world. In my growing awareness of thier solid roots in the common reality of the OT text I began to feel that Paul and Peter and John and the author of Hebrews had given me permission, even encouragement, to construct "my" own Christ, with my meanings, understandings, and subsequent living. When Paul wrote, "Am I not free?" I was like, "Yes! I also am free!" When I mention the 'true power' in the text I am thinking along these lines. It has the power to inform us of the Christ, who is Jesus our Lord, and who truly sets us free. The text doesn't just give us some information regarding God, but as the word of Christ it sets us free.
And I found that in some way, as this personal, subjective, constructed experiential reality made me unique, and not a fundamentalist drone, so also could I respect that all those people out there were not me. All of them had their own histories, experiences, thoughts, feelings, reasonings, and understandings. I began to sense and respect the uniqueness of each person and stopped despising them for not being me ("I" of course being justified as the orthodox, fundamentalist Christian). And now they had some small ground to respect me back: I began to experience Christ's words that just as I had done unto others, so would I in turn be treated. Those around me became more willing to respect my faith, my understanding, my Christ. Because they could feel my Christ's respect for them.