inception.

i finally saw inception yesterday, and i have to say that i loved it. there are a number of reasons, not the least of which is how artistically stunning it was on all accounts (especially writing). however, my favorite part of the movie were its spiritual themes.

one was the play of guilt and reconciliation. the way in which leo’s character, Cobb, had come to carry such a burden of guilt and an incredibly strong sense of regret in his life, mirrors the same spiritual struggle in all of us. it may not be caused by something as dramatic as the death of a loved one that we believe we could’ve prevented, but we all have moments in our life that we look back on with an extreme sense of guilt and shame. in many ways the film is the struggle to be freed from guilt and shame; to be reconciled. in the end of the movie, it is clear to me that he is reconciled and guilt/shame is removed.

this is exactly the ministry of Jesus Christ to each one of us. he steps into our guilt and shame and offers not condemnation, but reconciliation through the cross:

Rom 5:10-11_ “We were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

And any sort of guilt/shame/condemnation that we feel is not from God; it is from our enemy. This is the second spiritual theme i saw, mainly through the character of Cobb’s wife, Mal. As the main adversary in the film, and the one who continues to advance the condition of guilt & shame onto Cobb, she represents for me the struggle we all have with our own adversary who desires to keep us in guilt and shame. our tendency and reaction is the same as Cobb’s – we’ll just lock up our guilt and shame, and whatever has caused it, into a prison which will at least keep it reduced to a small corner of our lives that we are faced to deal with only in dark moments. but that is not how guilt and shame work – they grow and become more powerful in our lives. this is exactly what the enemy wants for us and why Paul points out in Romans how condemnation is something that comes from the enemy, not from God.

Rom 8:33-34_”Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns?”

Finally, the idea of inception is a way of thinking about a spiritual principle. When we are reconciled to Christ, our minds are transformed by the simple idea of the gospel – that we have been reconciled to Christ and freed from our sin. In the same way that a simple idea can grow stronger and gain momentum in the film, this simple idea of the gospel can grow stronger in our lives and completely change us. only this idea is not something that is planted in our minds as a way of manipulation; it’s the very truth of our freedom in Christ.

Col 1:21-22_”Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”