“Spiritual Renewal”
Thanks to a recent Senate committee hearing, “Spiritual Renewal” became a trending topic on Twitter. The exchange between retired policeman Arturo Lascañas and Senator Manny Pacquiao about this religious experience appears to be the reason why. When the retired policeman appealed to “spiritual renewal” as one of the reasons behind the change in his testimony about the Davao Death Squad, Pacquiao challenged his claim. Here are excerpts from YouTube. [1]
Alam mo ba yang spiritual renewal? Naintindihan mo ba yan? Alam ko kung ano ang spiritual renewal. Pag spiritual renewal, nagbago ka na talaga. Ang pagkakaalam ko ng spiritual renewal, takot ka na magsinungaling, takot ka na gumawa ng kasalanan, Bible reader ka, lahat ng sinasabi mo ay katotohanan. (Do you know what spiritual renewal is? Do you understand that? I know what spiritual renewal is. If it’s spiritual renewal, you’ve really changed. What I know about spiritual renewal, you are afraid to lie, you are afraid to commit sin, you are a Bible reader, everything you say is the truth.)
Inquirer columnist John Nery questioned “Pacquiao’s sanctimonious tone and reductionist view of spiritual renewal”. [2] He labeled the senator as “uncharitable.” [3] For the columnist, “Spiritual renewal is difficult, and takes a lifetime.” [4]
My aim here is not to confirm whether Lascañas’ conversion claim was valid or not. It is to clarify what spiritual renewal really is. For Pacquiao, spiritual renewal is about change. He rightly pointed out that when one is renewed, you would have this reverential fear for God in your heart. Your life would change for the better as a result. On the other hand, the columnist correctly pointed out that such renewal does not automatically result to perfection, that one would still sin in spite of the spiritual experience. Both of them actually pointed out the two sides of the proverbial coin. They were not really talking about the same thing but two different though connected things.
One must keep in mind the difference between position and practice. When one puts his faith in our Lord Jesus as his Savior, his position, that is, his spiritual standing or status changes. As far as God is concerned, that person counted as renewed.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)
Our practice or experience of that position is another thing. That’s when we see or experience change in our lives. I usually illustrate it this way: When two people get married, their marital status changes. They’re already married to each other. That’s position. The adjustment period after the wedding is their practice. Every day they live out the vows they made to each other. Their experience of the married life varies from day to day. But their status remains the same all throughout their lives till death parts them. That’s how position and practice relate to each other. We see it at work in the New Testament. For example, according to Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” We are already spiritually free. That’s our position. Yet we are to remain free by not engaging in legalism or licentiousness. That’s our practice.
To confuse the two is a mistake. The apparent contradiction between what the senator said about spiritual renewal and what the columnist said about it is a result of that confusion. But to cut the two from each other is also a mistake. For position ought to lead to practice. Of course, at times our practice is not consistent with our position. But that experience, albeit sad, does not necessarily cancel out one’s standing.
We all need spiritual renewal. The Bible calls that a “born again” experience (John 3:1-7). If we claim such renewal, we need to express it through a renewed life. We may not yet be perfect. But we must grow in our experience of that renewal in our day to day life.
Brothers and sisters, are we renewed in our position and are we being renewed in our practice?
Image credit: http://interaksyon.com/article/137490/pacquiao-rakes-lascanas-credibility-hontiveros-backs-retraction
[1] “Pacquiao to Lascañas: Do you understand spiritual renewal?”, YouTube video, 3:57, posted by “ABS-CBN News,” March 6, 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAILxV08yDs.
[2] John Nery (7 March 2017), “Pacquiao misunderstands ‘spiritual renewal’”, Inquirer.Net, retrieved from http://opinion.inquirer.net/.
[3] Ibid
[4] Ibid
