The Sluggish Christian

The image of a slug calls to mind a slimy creature with a slimy trail. The slime at first is smooth, silky, and sticky, yet after a day of drying, it solidifies and leaves a shiny trace that can be seen clearly from specific angles. In the same way, there is a spiritual slime that can enter our lives smoothly and then solidify into an obstacle as hard as cement.

As a Christ-follower who has an income and who has all physical needs met, from a worldly perspective it would seem I don’t need anything else. However, this may be the source of a spiritual sluggishness that creeps in from all sides. Like a fluorescent slime, at first interesting, flexible and flowy, it slowly solidifies after it touches a person leaving those in it cemented in place. It creeps into the sanctuary of my heart making me feel comfortable and content, but when I try to reconnect with Father God, it prevents me from having a humble posture, a thankful heart, and removes my hunger for His presence and word. In this written post, I will expose this position of our hearts that our enemy likes to capitalize on and share how to counter it.

Jesus’ voice loudly reverberates through the Bible compassionately encouraging us and patiently leading us away from evil and along His path to life. In the book of Hebrews, the author communicates a similar desire and shares his struggle to mature new believers into becoming more like Christ.

On this topic, we have much to say, and it is difficult to explain since you have become sluggish in hearing.

Heb. 5:11 NET

It is not impossible to explain, it is just difficult because they have started to succumb to sluggishness.

He wants them to grow past the basics taught to new believers (6:1-2):

• repentance from dead works

• faith in God

• teaching about baptism

• laying on of hands

• the resurrection of the dead

• eternal judgment

so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and perseverance inherit the promises.

Heb. 6:12 NET

Sluggishness is what is to blame for the believer’s spiritual apathy. In the original Greek language, the word for sluggish is nothros (νωθρός). Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament Words has an interesting note about this in comparing it to two other Greek synonyms argos and bradus.

Vine’s Dictionary: Note: In Luk 24:25 "slow (of heart)" translates the synonymous word bradus. Of these Trench says (Syn. civ), "Bradus differs from the words with which it is here brought into comparison, in that no moral fault or blame is necessarily involved in it; so far indeed is it from this, that of the three occasions on which it is used in the NT two are in honor; for to be ‘slow’ to evil things, to rash speaking, or to anger (Jam 1:19, twice), is a grace, and not the contrary…. There is a deeper, more inborn sluggishness implied in nothros, and this bound up as it were in the very life, more than in either of the other words of this group. Trench compares and contrasts argos, "idle," but this word is not strictly synonymous with the other two."

It seems that the word nothros has to do with a life/heart/mind/perspective/worldview issue. It could be ungodly interference with the way we interpret life, or it could be a deep-rooted agreement with an old lie. Looking at equivalents for this word in Hebrew shows that it is used twice in the Septuagint Old Testament written in Greek: aw-vaw’ and khaw-shoke’.

A man is commended according to his good sense,

but one of twisted mind (slow of heart) is despised.

Pro 12:8 ESV

עָוָה (Pronunciation: aw-vaw’ Strong’s H5753) Outline of Biblical usage: to bend, twist, distort, (Niphal) to be bent, be bowed down, be twisted, be perverted, (Piel) to twist, distort, (Hiphil) to do perversely, to commit iniquity, do wrong, pervert, (Qal) to do wrong, commit iniquity, (Hiphil) to commit iniquity

Septuagint: nothrokardios: νωθροκάρδιος

The one above, aw-vaw’, speaks of a messed-up worldview, enough that the decisions being made are twisted and it affects the way people perceive us. In this verse, if we are sluggish in heart, we are despised.

Do you see a man skillful in his work?

He will stand before kings;

he will not stand before obscure (sluggish) men.

Prov. 29:11

חָשֹׁךְ (Pronunciation: khaw-shoke’ Strong’s H2823) Outline of Biblical usage: obscure, insignificant, low, mean, ignoble

Septuagint: νωθρός: nothros

This second Hebrew word equivalent, khaw-shoke’, sheds more light on the word sluggish: obscure, average to low. With the parallelism common through the Proverbs, this verse can also mean that pursuing skill or getting good at something useful, is a way to avoid sluggishness–not just physically but spiritually as well. There are many other ways, God’s Word suggests countering sluggishness.

Countering Sluggishness

How do you fight against sluggishness?

Ministering to others, praying for others,

• Heb. 4:15 overcoming temptation

• Heb. 5:2 compassion

• Heb. 5:7 loud cries and tears

• Heb. 5:8 suffering, devotion

• Heb. 6:1 progress beyond the elementary instruction about Christ and move on to maturity

• Heb. 6:7 produce useful vegetation

• 1Cor. 4:17 Timothy…will remind you (others reminding you)

• 1Cor. 2:4 Not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of power.

• Eph. 4:11 the five-fold ministry of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers

• Matt. 5:6 Hunger and thirst for righteousness

• Prov. 1:7 fear of God

• SoS. 8:14 come away my beloved

Dr. Steven J. Wentland www.wwjwmtd.com

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