The fully autonomous self is the false self. The true self, is defined through Christ.
We have been so trained to see the world through our own autonomy (individualism). In fact, I have to admit that I myself was quite immersed in this perspective. This was such that while reading a book that questioned the autonomous self, I realized that on a logical plane I had never thought of the word "self" outside of autonomy. I thought, what else is "me" apart from solely me? In order to define "me," am I not violating the terms if I begin to define myself in terms of someone or even something else apart from me? I basically saw anything external to me as quintessentially not me, and thereby, unqualified to define me.
This was my view on defining me: the truly, completely, autonomous "self," right down to the letter.
Kudos to you, Western world. You've had quite the influence.
But is this the definition of "self" that Scripture gives? Absolutely not.
Colossians 2:2-3 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Romans 11:36 36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
These verses essentially clue us in to one of the premier, overarching biblical themes: true humanity is found through God, not through ourselves. Our existence is fundamentally defined through God (He created us) and therefore variably dysfunctional without Him. On a sheerly logical plane, one can see how this makes sense. Simply, if we are inherently contingent beings at the very core of our existence, then it is only in the outright acknowledgment of that contingency that true self-identity can be obtained. Without it, we delude ourselves into the idea of an absolutely autonomous existence, and not one of absolutely dependency. This is how things appear on a rational plane.
But there is also a more formative, Christian assuming actuation of this idea as well. That is, being people with the divine "imprint" upon our existence, think about that in relation to how we typically see imprints in the world. Things like a watch that "finds" it's watchmaker, a house that finds its architect, or a pot that finds its potter. Upon the meeting of these things with the person that created them, the true "mark" of the imprint that you see upon that item can now most fully be understood. You may be able to look at the careful hands, the classy style, or a whole slew of other things. He or she may be able to make it work better, fix problems others wouldn't see, or tap into abilities, capabilities or uses of these objects that only the original craftsperson could envision.
But I also want to take this comparison in a different direction. That is, I think the strongest point of this allusion is that we, being the handiwork of the ultimate Craftsmen, are the quintessentially unfinished works. We are God's masterpieces, but we are also constantly being formed. Because with us, God will not settle for anything less than perfection. He sent His law, and then ultimately His Son, as an attestation to that. However, the "down" side to that is that for us, perfection will not be met in this life; all is literally "perfected" in the glorification of our bodies in the end. So it is until that point that we must be in contact with our Creator. We must allow Him to keep our clocks ticking, to break and mold our clay when needed, or to maintain our house on the solid rock through life's years of wear and tear. Without Him we are forgotten works, old broken clocks or dying houses, Rembrandts, Mona Lisa's, and 9th symponies left unfinished, unremembered, lost in the vaccuous realm of half-ideas, fleeting thoughts, and forgotten inspirations. We must let Him finish the work. And the bottom line is that this will not happen if we do not know that we are the work, and not the worker. Just as a painting sitting in a room, or a symphony on a music sheet, or a mansion's plans on a drawing board, or, or, or... None of these things become anything until the worker does the job. And that's just it; we aren't the worker, and until we realize that we will never reach the fullness of our "selves." Who we "are" will always fall short, because we simply will not become anything: because coming to "be" for a work of art, demands the complete concession to the beautiful activity of the artist.
We must allow him to define us, and stop trying to define ourselves.
The fully autonomous self is the false self. The true self, is defined through Christ.
These verses essentially clue us in to one of the premier, overarching biblical themes: true humanity is found through God, not through ourselves. Our existence is fundamentally defined through God (He created us) and therefore variably dysfunctional without Him. On a sheerly logical plane, one can see how this makes sense. Simply, if we are inherently contingent beings at the very core of our existence, then it is only in the outright acknowledgment of that contingency that true self-identity can be obtained. Without it, we delude ourselves into the idea of an absolutely autonomous existence, and not one of absolutely dependency. This is how things appear on a rational plane.
But there is also a more formative, Christian assuming actuation of this idea as well. That is, being people with the divine "imprint" upon our existence, think about that in relation to how we typically see imprints in the world. Things like a watch that "finds" it's watchmaker, a house that finds its architect, or a pot that finds its potter. Upon the meeting of these things with the person that created them, the true "mark" of the imprint that you see upon that item can now most fully be understood. You may be able to look at the careful hands, the classy style, or a whole slew of other things. He or she may be able to make it work better, fix problems others wouldn't see, or tap into abilities, capabilities or uses of these objects that only the original craftsperson could envision.
But I also want to take this comparison in a different direction. That is, I think the strongest point of this allusion is that we, being the handiwork of the ultimate Craftsmen, are the quintessentially unfinished works. We are God's masterpieces, but we are also constantly being formed. Because with us, God will not settle for anything less than perfection. He sent His law, and then ultimately His Son, as an attestation to that. However, the "down" side to that is that for us, perfection will not be met in this life; all is literally "perfected" in the glorification of our bodies in the end. So it is until that point that we must be in contact with our Creator. We must allow Him to keep our clocks ticking, to break and mold our clay when needed, or to maintain our house on the solid rock through life's years of wear and tear. Without Him we are forgotten works, old broken clocks or dying houses, Rembrandts, Mona Lisa's, and 9th symponies left unfinished, unremembered, lost in the vaccuous realm of half-ideas, fleeting thoughts, and forgotten inspirations. We must let Him finish the work. And the bottom line is that this will not happen if we do not know that we are the work, and not the worker. Just as a painting sitting in a room, or a symphony on a music sheet, or a mansion's plans on a drawing board, or, or, or... None of these things become anything until the worker does the job. And that's just it; we aren't the worker, and until we realize that we will never reach the fullness of our "selves." Who we "are" will always fall short, because we simply will not become anything: because coming to "be" for a work of art, demands the complete concession to the beautiful activity of the artist.
We must allow him to define us, and stop trying to define ourselves.
The fully autonomous self is the false self. The true self, is defined through Christ.
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