Who Said That?

OK, who said that?

"If you retake the throne of your life through sin -- a definite act of disobedience -- breathe spiritually.  Spiritual breathing (exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure) is an exercise in faith and enables you to continue to experience God's love and forgiveness.

1.  Exhale -- confess your sin -- agree with God concerning your sin and thank him for His forgiveness of it, according to 1 John 1:9 and Hebrews 10:1-25.  Confession involves repentance -- a change in attitude and action.  2.  Inhale -- surrender the control of your life to Christ, and appropriate (receive) the fullness of the Holy Spirit by faith.  Trust that he now directs and empowers you, according to the command of Ephesians 5:18 and the promise of 1 John 5:14, 15."

You know the drill!  Leave your answers in the comments section.  Please, no cheating (google searches).  The fun is in the guessing.  For some of you (who have already learned the art of spiritual breathing) the answer will be easy.

Okay everybody, on the count of three, one . . . two . . . three . . . exhale, inhale.  

Update on Monday, February 26, 2007 at 03:33PM by Kim Riddlebarger

Many of you guessed this one.  This comes from the infamous "Blue Book" put out by Bill Bright's Campus Crusade for Christ (page 284, to be specific).

For some Reformed Christians, spiritual breathing is closely tied to the enjoyment of certain fine Dominican tobacco plants, finely rolled and cut and sold by a certain Arturo Fuente. 

Comments

[Rick B.]

Izzy, be fair to Kim, he just posted a quote and asked people to guess who said it - you should address the specific people who used those specific words. ("crazy" was used in reference to Brights whole booklet and not the necessarily the quote itself.) Dr. Riddlebarger shouldn't have to provide a theological counterpoint for guessing game (at least not while the game is on).

And this is far from neo-gnosticism, it's a bunch of like-minded people commenting -nothing wrong with that really, all are welcomed to discuss, but there is a little bit of Reformed presupposition at work with most who come here.

But you've asked some good questions.

I really don't know much about Bill Bright, and it hasn't been revealed yet if the quote even belongs to him, but the quote by itself, to me, is silly. I would ask him, "why the gimmick?" Why not just talk plainly about confessing sin and looking to Christ? Why soften or sugar coat the message with images of therapeutic breathing techniques? Why incorporate popular culture (yoga or aerobics)? Paul didn't use gimmicks, he used plain speech. Plus, the language is far too casual. He speaks of weighty matters with light words like “agree with God.” The bible doesn’t ever talk about us as sinners finally one day throwing up our hands and saying “yep, God, you were right about me all along.” And it all sounds so new age: “exhale the impure, inhale the pure” – It catches the popular spirit of the day.

Then there are a few other theological concerns; he calls repentance a “change in attitude and action.” Repentance is not just an attitude adjustment; it’s a Spirit-wrought grief and hatred of ones sin and an endeavor to walk in new obedience. Also, I’m not too comfortable with the words “surrender control of your life to Christ.” It’s too close to “let go and let God” to me (talk about gnosticism). Perhaps again my reservation is because the language is too casual – but faith is not some leap in the dark or a matter of letting go.

Please don’t be turned off by the Reformed Faith because of our joking here – Read Dr. Riddlbarger’s sermons for more edifying stuff – several are posted on this site.

[Tyler]

Izzy,

The quote says, "Spiritual breathing (exhaling the impure and inhaling the pure) is an exercise in faith and enables you to continue to experience God's love and forgiveness."

We don't need breathing exercises to "experience" God's love and forgiveness. We Christians (both Reformed and non Reformed) hopefully know that we experience God's love in what Christ did. We accept God's just punishment of Christ in our place, and we find this in the Bible. To claim that we can "experience" God's love in something like breathing is unBiblical at best.

Do you want to experience God's love for you? Look at the perfect One revealed in the Scriptures and see that God accepts you based solely on Christ's fulfillment of ALL God's commands.

[Jane Grey]

I learned that breathing exercise while in college involved with Campus Crusade for Christ so I agree with the commenters that say it was Bill Bright.

[timinator]

Sounds like Bill Bright from Campus Crusaders for Christ.

[Izzy]

Rick,

I can agree in part, namely, it seems to lower the 'transcendent', but I think the use of common terms and ideas to express Christianity is good. After all, I do feel like this is what Paul did in Athens, Corinth, and other places.

Re: cutting Kim slack, as you mentioned, there are Reformed presuppositions. There was a bit of a pow wow going on and Kim knew what his "just asking a question" would create. It wasn't innocuous.

Not that big of deal, but I just want to make sure I understand why it is "silly", etc.

[Izzy]

Tyler,

Psalm 51, although 'bc', gives a picture of what I can readily feel with my sin. "Restore unto me the joy of my salvation..." This can seem lost at times. Yes, I agree, the way to return to this joy is Christ and the sacraments, but, and I guess this is where Lutheran assumptions play a part, I think the role of the Spirit includes more than "looking to Christ". But, maybe, just maybe, I have bought into all sorts of silliness.

[zrim]

i can appreciate what izzy is trying to say. but rick makes some good points as well. izzy worries about what might be called "group think," and i would concur; i hate group think and have experienced it here before. but rick uses the term "like-minded."

there are a priority of issues, seems to me. not being able to self-transcend and honestly critique one's words or actions seems sub-christian.

group-thinkers are mobbish and unable to accept critique even when it is meant to edify the group and offer stimulating discussion, while like-minded folks both share many views, etc. while also being able to civilly disagree and self-transcend to relative degrees. i like the confessionalistic phrase "the radical intolerance for things cultic and the radical tolerance for things cultural." this post proper falls into the former category.

zrim

[phil]

This quote sounds to me like it is directly quoted from Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life book. I don't have the book handy to verify, nor do I know if he generated it or quoted it, but the part about agreeing with God I'm a sinner sounds very much like what I recall reading in that book

[Tyler]

Izzy,

What else is the Spirit supposed to do other than convict of sin and point to Christ?

[Nancy]

Dallas Willard. It might not be him word for word, but Dallas has a "breath prayer" exercise in the study guide to "Renovation of the Heart" that is straight out of my pantheistic Yoga magazines. There is absolutely nothing uniquely Christian in this silly exercise.

[Ivan]

Izzy,
So glad you took the time to ask...
Will try to be of any assistance to you I can:

a. Why would the author think you and I can take and retake the throne of our life?
b. I am not good enough, strong enough, righteous enough to take the throne of my life.
c. Romans 7 gives the portrait of the Christian life being one of normal warfare, conflict and struggle w/ and against sin.
d. inhale / exhale the pure and impure?
exercise in faith?
Jesus himself said out of the heart comes all sort of impurity?
The author reveals a simplicity that further discloses he has no sense of his own sin in his own heart.
Sin is not out there somewhere.
I can't simply avoid sin or bad sinners.
The author didin't realize He himself is a bad sinner still!
Sin is not out there; sin is still inherent in each one of us.

e. Surrender All?
You and I can't surrender all; we are too bad to do that. We don't even realize how bad we are.

Hope that helps, and thanks again.

[Izzy]

Tyler,

At least one other: produce fruit.

Izzy

[Izzy]

Ivan,

I guess I'm "yes" and "no" with you. The ol' "respect to what" needs to be asked. I guess I am more Edwardsian on my approach to the regenerate man. Maybe we differ on sanctification as well, as I hold to the WCF: "They who are effectually called and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created IN THEM, are further sanctified, REALLY and PERSONALLY, through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, by his Word and Spirit dwelling in them; the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof are more and more weakened and mortified, and they more and more quickened and strengthened, in all saving graces, to the practice of true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."

I thought we were now "alive" in Christ? As alive I believe we can offer ourselves up to sin or to obedience, Romans 6-8 seems clear. I'm more in line with Robert Reymond & Lloyd-Jones re: Romans 7.

How would your view of "perseverance of the saints" differ from Charles Stanley's "eternal security" practically?

Thanks, Izzy

[Camp Director]

It's Rob Bell. You can find a recording of a "sermon" from Mars Hill Church where Bell disparages the literal interpretation of the book of Genesis at the front then in the middle he begins to explain that Jewish Rabbi's understanding of the Holy Spirit's indwelling had to do with breath control. Then he explains that Yoga masters explain the "Christ consciousness" the same way,thus syncretizing Christianity and Hinduism.

[Ivan]

Hello Izzy,
In all honesty, I don't see where one thing I posted is in contrast to the WCF.

"Alive in Christ" Yes, to now begin to do battle with sin, to have His Spirit witness to our spirit again and again we are God's children though we fail miserably.
As we we grow [because we are alive in Christ] the more we see we are so much more sinful than we ever imagined. You and I will never get it right in this life. We will never be on the throne of our life, fully surrendered. What did Christ need to come down here for to die like that, suffer the curse and wrath of God if I can surrender all myself?

The one thing this author reveals is he is simplistic toward how sinful he really is "inhale / exhale" remember sin is already permeating us inside.

It is not that we do some bad things every now and then, and we just need to get back on the throne of our life. No, even our best Christian works are polluted and corrupted by sin. It's not that we sin sometimes, it is that we are sinners.

You know, that is the teaching of the WCF ...


Charles Stanley? Personally I quit listening to him several years ago. Why? I never found a preacher in all my life who gave you so much to do, so many steps, so many things you have to learn in order to "get the victory", to "get back on the throne of your life", to "be fully surrendered". I am sure Charles means well, but he'd do much better to preach Christ crucified. Instead he seems to preach "here is what you need to do" to get better".

So I am pretty sure, I'd differ from Charles quite a bit. I know he differs from the WCF.

Thanks Izzy