Load-bearing beams are the psychological/spiritual “strongmen” that limit our capacity to cultivate Christ-like redemptive relationships

An attempt to synthesize several recent discussions about sin, salvation, and sanctification; especially around John 16. This is still a work in progress, so disagreements and questions are appreciated!

See also: https://ihack.us/2018/06/17/whole-i-ness-a-new-job-to-be-done-for-christianity

1. Human evil is caused by “sin”
2. Sin is “missing the mark” of how God wants humans to live
3. Jesus defines the primal sin as “not believing in Him”
   • That is, using/abusing other desires, principles, or relationships as a substitute for Him
4. Effective belief in Jesus requires confronting and accepting:
   • It was somehow necessary for Christ to surrender to His Father through the cross so His blood can free us from sin
   • THAT is the mark God designed humanity to hit
5. My mind is composed of many layers (“parts“) — mostly unconscious — only some of which believe in Jesus
6. Sanctification is the process of evangelizing those layers, as implied by the idea of “taking every thought captive“
7. One key sign of a sinful layer in me is when I react to someone else’s sin (or my own) by judging, rather than grieving their disconnection from Jesus (i.e., “beams” versus “specks”)
8. The best way to remove sin from those layers is creating a safe space for them to share their pain and shame, such as journaling and encounter groups
9. Some sinful beliefs are “load-bearing beams” (LBB) in that they are foundational to our self-concept and coping strategies.
10. Our minds will use creative and even bizarre tactics to avoid surrendering or even acknowledging LBBs, including treating people who sincerely want to help as enemies
11. I don’t yet know how to reliably identify and remove LBBs, but I do know mere words aren’t enough. This kind only comes out through prayer and fasting, and may also require communion and mutual confession
12. This “peer redemption” is so central to our righteousness that Jesus left in order to enable it