Avoidance Theology
April 24, 2026
“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward
Do you believe God is true to His word, that He will fulfill all that He says even if you are uncomfortable with the new reality of believing Him? Are you secure enough in His love, in His arms to forsake your old desires, let Him be Lᴏʀᴅ of all you are?
In the Numbers 11 text there is a conversation between God and Moses over this digression of the rabble. God has promised to bring them out of Egypt, go before them in the journey, make the way providing all that is necessary to bring them to the promised land. But He has not promised that all would be comfortable for them when measured by their familiars from their past. The rabble among them have craved the comforts of past familiarities and God deals directly with this craving. God concludes the dialogue by declaration:
Do we really understand the consequences of our longing to fulfill of momentary current desires with the satisfactions of the past rather than what God has for us in the fullness of life with Him? See how God does not resolve this by the same means as the last two displeasure’s—this time the Lᴏʀᴅ gives them an abundance of what they think they want. You want bounty to fulfill your cravings. Something more than manna. So He provides quail in abundance, not just once or twice but everyday for an entire month. The answer to their craving with bounty enough that they are ‘full of it’ until it becomes loathsome to them. Satisfaction of desires, cravings of past memories, how good it was before, can readily become overwhelming when placed into the person who has tasted the goodness and fullness of God and then reminisced on the ‘better-ness’ of before.
I have spent years in the new life of Christ Jesus but also have toyed with the ‘good old times’ longing to have life both ways. I learned to cope with pain, especially emotional pain, as a child such that the coping mechanisms became second nature as my way of escape. It still surprised me how often when under stress, angst or change my old nature offers the comfort of past escapes. I have had numerous techniques across the seventy years that I’m aware of and in all honesty, none changed anything but the moment of awareness and all left me feeling remote from God. This has also been the experience of the dozens of companions I have known through various recovery relationships. Every one I have known with any depth, including myself, thought that continuing to visit the copes of the past would somehow be better than God’s new provisions. And it never works.
Let me admit that I still struggle to live in that newness of Life that Jesus promises but that there are several paths through or ways of escape that we can live distant from the past rather than repeat it and live in spiritual indigestion brought on by the ‘garlic and leeks’ of our pasts.
PAST BEHIND, PRESSING FORWARD IN CHRIST
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 2
ANYONE IN CHRIST IS A NEW CREATION
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling[fn] the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 3
TRANSFORMATIONAL RENEWAL OF YOUR MIND
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 4
TAKING CAPTIVE THOSE THOUGHTS
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. 5
THINK ON THESE THINGS
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 6
Many years ago, Eugene Peterson wrote A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society 7 A Long Obedience points to the necessity of continuance with perseverance in the life following Jesus. Being renewed is both a point-in-time and a continuing process of responsiveness to God. One of the jokes that old-timers in any recovery program share is that moment when eager newcomers blurt out the “just tell me what I need to do to fix it and I’ll get done” to which we all knowingly nod and smile. We all think ‘one-and-done’ but continuing in the same direction without carrying the fondness for the past, trying to live in both the now and the past becomes an impossibility.
Two passages point directly to the difficulty confronting going two directions at the same time:
Jesus Himself bluntly confirmed the improbability of two directions at once:
Not everything in the old life belongs in the new life:
Yes, this is a challenge and it is ‘easier’ to not live in newness but the new life in Christ is incompatible with the former comforts that allow us to cope with life without Jesus. The new life to be fertile must be lived without complacency but rather dogged pursuit of all that God has for us in Christ. The Apostle Paul challenges us in Hebrews 3:1-2 to focus on the new, to hold firmly to what God desires to do in us:
So, along with me, accept the challenge of living in the new and not in the past. Please. For Jesus’ sake and your own in Him. No spiritual indigestion.
“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned, in whatever situation I am, to be
But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able
“… Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.”
Glory to God “…and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light…”Editor’s Note: this is
“… How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and