Cycling Upward

Things move either toward the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus or they degrade downward in a sin-and-death spiral away from God.

I have long been struck by the cycle of Judges. In college, I wrote a song about the “cycle of sin,” because I felt the theme so aptly captured the movement of the Christian life. Judges 3:7-11 shows it in a nutshell: sin leads to judgment; judgment leads to repentance; repentance leads to deliverance; deliverance devolves into sin, yet again.

Judges is the center two chapters of the biblical narrative stuck on repeat. The story of the Bible goes Creation (Gen. 1-2), Rebellion (Gen. 3-Rev. 20), Redemption (Gen. 3-Rev. 20), Restoration (Rev. 21-22). The Judges narratives cycle back between rebellion and its consequences and redemption and its kindnesses.

But the cycle is not merely cynical. There’s a sinking-ness to the sin that moves further downward. Every cycle in Judges both reproduces the previous cycle but also degrades in comparison: “Whenever the judge died, the Israelites would act even more corruptly than their ancestors, following other gods to serve them and bow in worship to them. They did not turn from their evil practices or their obstinate ways” (2:19). First off, note that the judge is not an old dude in a black robe in a courtroom. He’s more like delivering warrior-king. When the judge dies, the sin at the end of the cycle (3:12) does not map directly only the sin at the beginning (3:7). It’s farther over and farther down. The sin is further right in the linear movement of time. The sin is further down in the vertical movement, away from God. The cyclical movement of Judges degrades each time the cycle repeats, until it ends in the horrific epilogue of chapters 17-21. Thus the dreadful refrain: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did whatever seemed right to him” (17:6), which ends the book (21:25).

History, life, the church—none of these move in a neat, linear way or in a truly cyclical way. The pattern moves in three directions. First, the movement is linear. Things move unstoppably onward, toward the telos or goal of God, as God summons the world to its appointed purpose. Second, the movement is cyclical. Things turn in reproducing patterns, types and antitypes. Folks like the authors of The Fourth Turning and others note the way generations seem to repeat themselves predictable pattern. History can and does repeat itself (or rhyme) in significant ways. Third, the movement is vertical. Things move either toward the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus or they degrade downward in a sin-and-death spiral away from God.

This might have significant implications for how we think about the world, history, the church. But for us in the here and now, it means something for our own walks with Jesus and the movement of our lives.

The linear movement of life

If you have walked with Jesus for any length of time, decades in my case, you are moving “along the line” of your life in the world. You get older. Time ticks. It doesn’t stop. A key response here is intentionality. “Buy back the time,” Paul says (Eph. 5:16). Don’t let sin, self, or sloth cash out the limited moments that elapse all too quickly. With that said, you must chasten the linear movement of life with the cyclical and vertical movements. Otherwise, you will find yourself idolizing productivity and health.

The cyclical movement of life

As we move along the timelines of our lives, we detect recurring things as experiences, feelings, habits, and decisions reproduce themselves. We have inclinations, patterns, habits. A key response here is awareness. Cultivate awareness of the patterns in your life and specific inclinations, be they good or bad, healthy or unhealthy, holy or hellish. Interrupt the bad cycles (maybe counseling is something you should consider). Accelerate the good cycles. Here, again, you must chasten the cyclical movement of life with the linear and vertical movements, otherwise you will believe yourself stuck in vicious cycles or just going around in circles.

The vertical movement of life

Our commitments to Jesus and his glory often ebb and flow. We are at times growing in holiness, upward. But at other times we are regressing into worldliness, downward. A key response here is the call of the gospel itself: repent and believe. This is the pattern of our lives. Interrupting the gravitational pull of the world and seeking the Spirit to boost our hearts toward heaven. Here’s the place where the sausage gets made, where the most action is at. Life cycles onward. We can be intentional and aware, healthy mentally and physically, and that’s a good thing. Eternally better, though, is becoming healthy and holy. There are lots of people who have lived productive, healthy lives who are in hell, after all.

The pattern of cycling upward finds hope when there’s a judge around for God’s purposes: “Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for the Israelites, the LORD was with him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive” (Judges 2:18). A God-raised judge interrupts the sinking cycle of the wayward hearts of wayward people, as long as the judge lives.

With Jesus, the pattern of the judges got turn upside down. Not just life then death, but life then death then life, again. God raised the crucified Jesus from the dead, so that he lives forever. He is the ever-living and delivering warrior-king. This changes things. We’re not stuck. We’re not sunk. We have hope and help.

So onward, around, and upward.