Living the Christian Life
In seeking to live the Christian life, there are three paths we can take. The first two are by far the most common. The third path is God’s way.
Let’s briefly look at all three, and then examine them a bit.
1. The path of “freedom” - We learn the truth of the gospel, see our sinfulness and separation from God, and gladly receive God’s provision of pardon and restoration back to a right relationship with Himself. We are born from above and enter into relationship with God. We are no longer His enemies.
This is the starting point, and it is good, right and joyful. It’s also the starting point for paths two and three.
Then… either because of busyness, carelessness, personal ambition for ourselves in this life or wrong teaching, we simply go on with our lives. We are saved, and our destiny is secure, or so we believe.
Yes, we likely “go to Church”, read our bibles, and do nice things when we have the chance, but basically the gospel, for us, begins and ends with "personal salvation" and a heavenly destiny. It usually includes the idea of “God blessing us”, as well.
We are free to pursue what we desire, knowing that God will be there to “help” us. The word says, after all, that God will give us the desires of our hearts; right?
“Prosperity” is usually a big part of this, too, which we believe is the Lord’s will for His people, and that it demonstrates the "benefits" of having a relationship with the Lord.
2. The path of trying to please God – The starting point is the same as in #1. Read that again if you wish, in the first paragraph, above.
Now that we are saved, and joyful, we set out in various ways to please and serve the Lord. Perhaps we witness, or get involved with some kind of ministry to the poor, or serve in the church, or obey the common advice to “Read your bible and pray, every day!” We are usually in church every time the doors open.
We are trying, in various ways, to grow in our faith and please God.
The two most common descriptions or labels for this path are “Imitating Jesus” and “What would Jesus do?” [WWJD]
We believe that through study, diligence and effort we can please and serve the Lord, but we often experience resistance, lack of fruit or personal burnout. We also tend to experience a lack of motivation or even a spiritual dullness or tiredness.
3. The path of death and resurrection – Again, the starting point is the same as in #1 and #2.
After going through the frustrations, failures and burnout of “trying" to please God, we search out and find God’s truth, typically out of desperation. We usually have to search it out because our pastors and teachers rarely go beyond “justification by faith” into the meatier matters of what God is really after.
We discover that God intends to take His children far beyond justifying us and forever “seeing” us as righteous, regardless of how we live. He intends to make us righteous in thought, word and deed.
Romans 5: 19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
It’s not just about forgiveness of never-ending sins, but deliverance from sin, itself. He intends to bring us into conformity to the image of His Son!
That’s a mind-boggling statement, but it’s true.
In our search, we learn that the Father united us with Jesus in His death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the Father’s right hand, and as His Body, we are called to express the very life, nature and ways of Jesus. This union with Christ, and showing forth His life is not figurative or symbolic. It is meant to be real.
Scripture is very clear on this.
We soon discover that there are not two classes of Christian; believers and disciples. We are all called to walk in genuine, biblical discipleship.
We come to understand certain things about disciples of the Lord, biblically and historically.
First, they have always been radically committed to Him, His purposes and agenda, regardless of how costly it may be; and it always proves to be costly.
They understand that there must be a denying of self, a taking up of ones cross, and an actual following of Jesus, losing their lives for His sake and the sake of the gospel.
John 12: 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. 25 He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor.
They have always been either loved or despised by those who detect the aroma of Christ in their lives and community. Those outside the fold were not able to just take or leave them.
2 Corinthians 2: 15 We are unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. 16 To the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
Disciples are strangers and pilgrims on this earth, forsaking all that “the world” offers… the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
Hebrews 11: 13 These all [Old Covenant saints] died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from which they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.
16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
They have loved with God’s kind of love [agape], which apart from Christ living in and through them, is humanly impossible. This love they demonstrate gives them boldness with regard to the Day of Judgment and eternity.
1 John 4: 12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Here, scripture explicitly states [verse 17] that our assurance and confidence to face Judgment Day comes from being like Jesus. It also says [verse 15] that “whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”
It is usually believed that this “confessing” of Jesus is verbal; words that we say. I’m convinced that, within the context of the entire passage, it really involves what our lives confess; God’s kind of love.
I’ve gone into a lot of detail about path #3, showing it is far richer and deeper than we typically think. It is not something to be taken lightly.
The Father makes reference, in several places, to His people casting His words behind them and refusing His counsel and reproof.
Jesus said it was vitally important to hear and do what He has said. He also said, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do what I say?”
I’ll now examine paths #1 and 2 a bit further.
Path #1
The path of “freedom” is a delusion and deception. Yes, scripture speaks of the liberty we have in Christ, but this refers to liberty from legalism or liberty to follow a renewed conscience; not a liberty to “do our own thing” and seek after idols of wealth, materialism, career, admiration and many other things.
In the parable of the sower and the seed, which Jesus identifies as vitally important, three out of four types of soil received the word, and life began. They did enter into a life in the Lord.
The end result of the seed sown among thorns is... “the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
The seed sown on stony ground speaks of those “who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.”
So, three kinds of seed begin new life, but only one ultimately brings forth fruit, and we know, or should know that the bearing of fruit is of ultimate importance for God’s children. This is one of the clearest teachings in scripture.
Those on path #1 typically are entangled in the desire for and pursuit of riches and other “things”. They also will rarely endure tribulation or persecution for the sake of the word or the Lord.
Perhaps they bought into twisted or misinterpreted proof-text scriptures, offered up by corrupt, deceitful pastors and teachers.
Galatians 6: 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
This is a dangerous path that must be turned away from. We cannot mock God.
Path #2
Galatians 3: 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?
If we try doing this or that for God, it’s legalism. When God does something in and through us, it is grace. He got rid of us through crucifixion in His Son. He raised us up, united with Jesus, as new creations.
Jesus said that He only did what the Father was doing, and that the Father in Him did the works. It must be the same with us, with us seeing what He is doing and Him doing the works.
We are commanded to put off the old man and put on Christ, by faith. We must express Christ, as He expressed the Father.
Those on path #2 have godly desires and sincere motives. The problem is, our own striving and efforts cannot be useful or fruitful.
We cannot “imitate” Jesus. We cannot decide, “What would Jesus do?” and do the same. It’s foolishness. It’s like a raccoon trying to get into Harvard.
The lack of fruit, personal burnout, spiritual dullness and tiredness come upon us because we are “trying” to do what only Jesus can do or has ever done.
Think about this commandment:
Mark 12: 29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. 31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Do you think you can do this? Do you believe you can love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength? Can you love others as Jesus loved us?
Only by following path #3 can we have any hope of living this out. This path is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”