In my previous post, I ended with the fact that groups like the Nazis have taken Nietzsche’s concepts and have used them to justify some very evil acts. That whole issue regarding how others have taken Nietzsche is not my concern here in this post.. I readily admit that Nietzsche’s teaching, like “the will to power,” can be taken, and has been taken, to horrible extremes—and such interpretations really are wrong. But I think that Nietzsche really wasn’t advocating mass murder. I think he was focused on how one lives one’s life: in bondage or in freedom. And on this level, I think we can see numerous similarities with Christ’s teachings and the Orthodox Christian faith.
To make my point, let me refer to four examples from the Bible: (1) the account of creation in Genesis, (2) Jesus calling to Peter to come walk on the water with him in Matthew 14:22-33, (3) Jesus’ words to Nicodemus about the Holy Spirit in John 3:8, “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit,” and (4) the often mistranslated Matthew 5:48, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
First off, what do we see at the very beginning of the Bible? Chaos—the Sea of Chaos. And what does God go about doing? Creating order out of chaos, creating dry land out of the sea, so that human beings can live and commune with Him. The chaos never completely goes away; it is always pounding against the shores of His creation, but it is held at bay. Is it too much to ask that we see Nietzsche’s idea of the will to power in this light? Furthermore, when God creates Man in His image, what does that mean, if not that we bear the image of the creator God—we are to reflect his justice, mercy, compassion, and His creativity within His creation. We are called to cultivate His creation, and thereby take part in that very creation. Part of what it means to be created in God’s image is that we do our part to bring order and beauty out of the dark chaotic abyss that continually beats against creation.
Secondly, this is what we see in Matthew 14:22-33. Jesus is walking on the water, he is treading down the Sea of Chaos, and he calls Peter out to join him. Peter begins to do just that, but soon becomes fearful and starts to sink. When Jesus catches him, he says, “O you of little faith.” The same admonition applies to us. We are called to “walk on the water” of this world of chaos, and the reason why we so often sink and fail is because we are of little faith. We too easily are frightened of the chaos and too quickly make a dash for the boat, if you will. Of course, the boat is already going down, so it’s really of no help! The boat, if you will, is similar to Nietzsche’s will to truth—it is our attempt to cling to a clear man-made definition and false security. Jesus’ call, on the other hand, is precisely what Nietzsche’s will to power is addressing: the challenge to walk on water.
Of course, no one in their own humanness can ever live out Nietzsche’s will to power. And the reason is because it is humanly impossible. Such faith can only be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Enter example #3: when Jesus talks to Nicodemus, he parallels the Holy Spirit to the blowing of the wind, and essentially says, “The Holy Spirit is going to go where he wants to go, and do what he wants to do. And just as you can’t box up the wind, you can’t box up the Holy Spirit.” But what the New Testament bears witness to is that for those who have put their faith in Christ and who have received the Holy Spirit, such a “spirit-filled, walk-on-the-water, will to power” type of life is their reality. Baby steps, to be sure…in little measured improvements day to day, but a slow, gradual acclimation to walking on the water to be sure.
And that leads us to Matthew 5:48. Instead of the word “perfect,” the Greek word telos denotes “full maturity.” Jesus is not saying that we need to achieve some sort of “standard of perfection,” as if all God is, is some Platonic “perfect form.” What Jesus is saying is that we are called to grow into full maturity, and thus be re-made into the image of God. Such a process is life-long, continual, and on-going. It takes people in an infinite number of ways, based on their backgrounds, inner make-up, and personalities. But such infinite creativity should come across as some sort of nihilistic/relativistic chaotic mess. Instead, it should be a cause of wonder and celebration. It illustrates the infinite creativity of God Himself. If we, as His image-bearers, step out in faith and follow Christ, and receive the creative and free Holy Spirit, our lives will be ones of infinite growth, development, and creativity, for we will be taken up into the very Trinitarian Life of God—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. That is the eternal life that Christ has promised to those who love him.
And so, in an ironic way, Nietzsche has laid out the challenge to Christians that Jesus initially gave to Peter one night on the Sea of Galilee. Will we step out in faith and learn to dance on the edge of the abyss, or will we cling to our illusions of security within our rickety old tubs of a ready-made (and thus idolatrous) dogma?
