Perfected Self : A Study In Self From The Gospel Of Luke

In our noble efforts to become more Christ-like, we Christians spend an inordinate amount of time, energy, and resources just trying to be good for Jesus! In the process, we tend to reduce our Christianity into an ongoing, labor-intensive work of sin management. The Church seems to exasperate the problem by promoting a wellintentioned but poorly planned smear campaign against sin with a “Just Say No” theme. As a result, our public service announcements use a heavyhanded smorgasbord of Scriptures that scream “die to self-you sinner!” The end result? We bring more frustration to Christians and non-Christians alike without offering people many practical options of escape. Folks, something has to change! How much simpler could our Christian life be if we began focusing on the root of the sin problem? Just think how effective we might become if we began encouraging folks to a better understanding of the major temptations surrounding the issues of self. So it is in the life and ministry of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Luke. As the chosen representative of God’s perfect plan of redemption, Jesus of Nazareth comes to teach and model for us a fully reproducible, Kingdombased lifestyle of self-control: The Perfected Self.