Subject AND Object?
By John Gavazzoni

In the realm of man's relationship with God... as we move on toward the goal of the restoration of truth... it must become clear that God is the subject and man, the object. Recently, I took a devotional book off a shelf of my little library. The book is generally held to be the classic of classics of modern Christian daily devotional books. I won't mention the title lest I offend someone for whom it has been a blessing, as, in part, it has blessed me in times past.

The author comes on strong re: the need to begin with, and upon, the objective aspect of our union with Christ. By objective I'm referring to what God has accomplished in Christ inclusive of all mankind. There is the objective side of our union with Christ, and the subjective side. Objectively, we have been made gloriously complete in Him; subjectively He is translating that Reality into our eonian living by His indwelling. In a word, what Christ has made us to be in Himself, we are becoming by Him in us. Our true humanity is in Him, and He, in us, unfolds that Reality as our life.

Yet, I've found an oft-appearing, glaring inconsistency in the author's view of how that is to work out in the Christian's walk with God. An example that is quite representative is how he presents discipleship. In so many cases, when the reader comes to the end of the many devotionals that, in general, deal with that general subject, he finds himself pressed upon to come to grips with his responsibility to, himself, apply the necessary discipline in order to be a true disciple of Jesus. Discipline yourself to be a disciple of Jesus, though "disciple," in the Greek, is basically a learner, and a learner must be on the taught-side of learning.

You see, what he does is to make man out to be both the subject and object of discipleship. The Lord can't disciple me without me qualifying myself for discipleship by self-discipline. I, the subject, must disciple me, the object, while trying to maintain in my thinking the objective side of what Christ means to me. In my particular gifting as a contributing member of the body of Christ... that gifting being of, I assure the reader, a modest apportionment..., I pick up on such inconsistencies, while others may unconsciously suffer confusion: Something just doesn't strike them as right in what they've read. The anointing within raises an objection, but the mind needs input from another or others for the intuition to become understanding.

Similarly, in re: to the relationship between sanctification and consecration, he clearly alleges that sanctification is God's part, but consecration is man's part. My mind often goes to the lyrics of hymns, and so it does in this case recalling the line in a stanza, "consecrate me now to thy service Lord, by the power of grace divine." Ahh, yes, my dear hymn-author, right on, bro. "Consecrate me..." I'm the object of God's consecrating work. You, Lord, consecrate me. Do it, Lord, by the power of grace divine... the only possibly effective power. I dare not trust any inclination of my own to consecrate myself. John Wesley caught it in a moment of inspiration: "I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name."

The Lord sanctifies us (sets us apart to Himself), AND consecrates us, those two concepts overlapping in meaning. He, the subject, we the object. It's such a basic characteristic of the soulish man to require of himself to do that (supposedly) which frees God to do what He desires to do, yet (supposedly) cannot do because we fail to be functionally both subject and object in the relationship.

A very fundamental characteristic of the soulish man is self-importance, and with that self-importance is the hope of self-credit. MADE to sit with Christ in the heavenlies.... "but don't forget, Lord, how I helped you get me there." Crucified with Christ... "but don't forget, Lord, my effort to climb up there with you." Such an attitude of soul bares its teeth in opposition to the sufficiency alone of God's grace. "I'll have none of that all-grace stuff. I'm a man who takes his responsibility seriously."

O the rest that comes with the knowledge that my Father and Savior have taken on the responsibility for the welfare of my soul; taken it out of my hands, and holding it completely in theirs. "Great is THY faithfulness; Great is THY faithfulness, morning by morning new mercies I see. ALL I have needed THY hand hath provided. Great is THY faithfulness, Lord unto me."