What is the Christian experience all about? Is it just about being orthodox and dogmatic and infallibly correct in all your doctrines and have a legitimate credo? Is it about being a so-called good, moral, upright, and decent person? Is it about having a good philosophy or worldview and being active in geopolitical or social movements? These things are "necessary, but not sufficient." You can be a great student of theology and not know your Lord hardly at all, or you can know very little of the Bible and really have a dynamic relationship that is even contagious and a good advertisement for Christ. All these things work together. Is it also about the sum total of your relationships? The Christian life is like a tram that can't go horizontal unless it is plugged into a vertical power source. We need both a relationship with God and with our fellow man; especially the fellowship of the body of Christ.
There are two extreme positions among believers: antinomians who are lax on morality because they feel so secure in their salvation and don't believe genuine faith produces fruit (the axiom is that we are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone), and the legalist who feels compelled to narrow his choices by strict interpretation of the Bible. The stronger believer needs to grow stronger in love and the weaker one in knowledge. The strong believer is limited by the conscience of the weaker brother and doesn't have free rein to do as he likes.
I cannot stress enough that the normal Christian life is an obedient one: taking part in the fellowship of a local body of believers, studying, meditating, and/or reading Scripture, witnessing on a regular basis, having a vital and active prayer life The summation of the new life is simply "follow me." He has learned to handle temptation and shuns evil and of course, knows the difference between good and evil. It's not normal to be overtaken by a fault or to let a sin rule over you.
Remember that the Devil's chief strategy is to "divide and conquer." Relationships break down when you have is a failure to communicate--you must keep in touch and not let it slip away. If you claim to have a prayer life with God and can't even talk to your friends, you are fooling yourself--what do you think it's all about? Recently I have refined, revived, and developed a relationship with my mom that seems to make her my "significant other"--We must know God and all else is the icing on the cake.
We must first "seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness," as Jesus said in Matt. 6:33. Are you a kingdom seeker and working for God's kingdom and glory or your own? God has given us the kingdom of God--let's learn how to use it for His glory! You may be content or proud of your intellectualism of the faith (there is no place for an intellectual elite or privileged party in the brotherhood) and be very good at doctrine or be able to comprehend the deepest truths (the incomprehensible Trinity or providence of God, the definite or limited atonement, infralapsarianism, and supralapsarianism, for example) and fail our God. Jesus said to have eternal life is to "know God." This means an ongoing, living relationship--not just being family with facts or theory. I really don't care about a believer's philosophy, what I want to see is faith in action by the good works and fruit that is produced--you shall know them by their fruits.
You most likely know the cliché that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship--but have you ever thought of the consequences of this assertion? If you claim to know all the dogma and teachings of the Bible and are a failure in life's relationships (e.g., siblings, spouse, extended family, friends, relatives, comrades, or associates,) you have fallen short. When you can be so close to someone that they believe in you and you believe in them you will get my drift. You can get out of sync and not know what has happened, but if you "walk in the light, even as He is in the light, you will have fellowship one with another...." When you cultivate a relationship and you become simpatico or have camaraderie you will realize that that is a reward in itself. The biggest lesson I have learned about friendships is that "iron sharpens iron" according to Prov. 27:17.
God wants you to swallow your pride in always wanting to be right (religionists are more concerned about being right because they have a relationship or infatuation with doctrine, not God--we are all in this together as members of one winning team in Christ-- and interested in winning the argument more than in arriving at the truth--if you are not willing to admit you could be wrong, you will never attain to the truth! In science, you must be willing to go where the truth leads to unconditionally if you want to arrive at it. If you have your mind made up already and don't want to be confused with the facts you will never know the truth "that will set you free." I realize what it is like to be accused of it all being in my head and being an egghead (a great thinker with no passion or zeal for the Lord), so I know whereof I speak.
I look back on my life and now realize the value it was to my Christian experience to have had a relationship with my grandmother, who was a devout and faithful lady (in small things, have you). Now that I am older and wiser, I realize how wise my mom is and value my fellowship and relationship with her more than with anyone else--you could say that right now she is my "significant other" because I am divorced and have no girlfriend. We have gone past the threshold of mother-son relationship to friend and confidant, which is very unique. I relate to King David who had a "bosom friend" in Jonathan and said it was better than the love of women, too, because I have been there and done that if you follow me.
Who do you think Jesus is, if not manifested in the body of the church and our brethren? It is not normal to be a "holy joe" or be so pious that we are just trying to outshine our brother and see everything as completion or rivalry. I am not a "holy roller" and I am proud of it; I do not go on all day with my head in the clouds or being "religious." I believe you can be a Christian without being religious!
The day we are set free and realize that it is not about our performance in daily devotions or piety that counts, but what God accomplishes through us that matters. It is not a human achievement, but a divine accomplishment that is worthy of a reward. "Only one life, 'twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last." You can be Jesus to someone and fulfill your calling, and, whether you realize it or not, you are a witness, whether good or bad. Soli Deo Gloria!
There are two extreme positions among believers: antinomians who are lax on morality because they feel so secure in their salvation and don't believe genuine faith produces fruit (the axiom is that we are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone), and the legalist who feels compelled to narrow his choices by strict interpretation of the Bible. The stronger believer needs to grow stronger in love and the weaker one in knowledge. The strong believer is limited by the conscience of the weaker brother and doesn't have free rein to do as he likes.
I cannot stress enough that the normal Christian life is an obedient one: taking part in the fellowship of a local body of believers, studying, meditating, and/or reading Scripture, witnessing on a regular basis, having a vital and active prayer life The summation of the new life is simply "follow me." He has learned to handle temptation and shuns evil and of course, knows the difference between good and evil. It's not normal to be overtaken by a fault or to let a sin rule over you.
Remember that the Devil's chief strategy is to "divide and conquer." Relationships break down when you have is a failure to communicate--you must keep in touch and not let it slip away. If you claim to have a prayer life with God and can't even talk to your friends, you are fooling yourself--what do you think it's all about? Recently I have refined, revived, and developed a relationship with my mom that seems to make her my "significant other"--We must know God and all else is the icing on the cake.
We must first "seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness," as Jesus said in Matt. 6:33. Are you a kingdom seeker and working for God's kingdom and glory or your own? God has given us the kingdom of God--let's learn how to use it for His glory! You may be content or proud of your intellectualism of the faith (there is no place for an intellectual elite or privileged party in the brotherhood) and be very good at doctrine or be able to comprehend the deepest truths (the incomprehensible Trinity or providence of God, the definite or limited atonement, infralapsarianism, and supralapsarianism, for example) and fail our God. Jesus said to have eternal life is to "know God." This means an ongoing, living relationship--not just being family with facts or theory. I really don't care about a believer's philosophy, what I want to see is faith in action by the good works and fruit that is produced--you shall know them by their fruits.
You most likely know the cliché that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship--but have you ever thought of the consequences of this assertion? If you claim to know all the dogma and teachings of the Bible and are a failure in life's relationships (e.g., siblings, spouse, extended family, friends, relatives, comrades, or associates,) you have fallen short. When you can be so close to someone that they believe in you and you believe in them you will get my drift. You can get out of sync and not know what has happened, but if you "walk in the light, even as He is in the light, you will have fellowship one with another...." When you cultivate a relationship and you become simpatico or have camaraderie you will realize that that is a reward in itself. The biggest lesson I have learned about friendships is that "iron sharpens iron" according to Prov. 27:17.
God wants you to swallow your pride in always wanting to be right (religionists are more concerned about being right because they have a relationship or infatuation with doctrine, not God--we are all in this together as members of one winning team in Christ-- and interested in winning the argument more than in arriving at the truth--if you are not willing to admit you could be wrong, you will never attain to the truth! In science, you must be willing to go where the truth leads to unconditionally if you want to arrive at it. If you have your mind made up already and don't want to be confused with the facts you will never know the truth "that will set you free." I realize what it is like to be accused of it all being in my head and being an egghead (a great thinker with no passion or zeal for the Lord), so I know whereof I speak.
I look back on my life and now realize the value it was to my Christian experience to have had a relationship with my grandmother, who was a devout and faithful lady (in small things, have you). Now that I am older and wiser, I realize how wise my mom is and value my fellowship and relationship with her more than with anyone else--you could say that right now she is my "significant other" because I am divorced and have no girlfriend. We have gone past the threshold of mother-son relationship to friend and confidant, which is very unique. I relate to King David who had a "bosom friend" in Jonathan and said it was better than the love of women, too, because I have been there and done that if you follow me.
Who do you think Jesus is, if not manifested in the body of the church and our brethren? It is not normal to be a "holy joe" or be so pious that we are just trying to outshine our brother and see everything as completion or rivalry. I am not a "holy roller" and I am proud of it; I do not go on all day with my head in the clouds or being "religious." I believe you can be a Christian without being religious!
The day we are set free and realize that it is not about our performance in daily devotions or piety that counts, but what God accomplishes through us that matters. It is not a human achievement, but a divine accomplishment that is worthy of a reward. "Only one life, 'twill soon be past; only what's done for Christ will last." You can be Jesus to someone and fulfill your calling, and, whether you realize it or not, you are a witness, whether good or bad. Soli Deo Gloria!
I am not a mystic, even though this seems like I am basing my doctrine on experiential knowledge, but it only appears that way on the surface--I have a thorough knowledge of sound Bible doctrine, but that is necessary, but not sufficient to maturity--we mature in Christ also by trial and error and the school of hard knocks.
ReplyDeleteGod has richly given us all things to enjoy and we are not to live a "cloistered" life in isolation, thinking we are "holier-than-thou" people. Whatsoever things are of good report think on these things, Paul says.
ReplyDeleteFour elements of our walk in Christ are as follows: our works or actions or ethic (referred to orthopraxy), our talk (which should line up with the first), our thinking (a Christian worldview and right-thinking), our doctrine (orthodoxy) or beliefs. Only when these are in alignment and harmony can we say we live a balanced Christian life.
ReplyDeleteOur attitude determines our altitude in more than one way: it is the best gauge of our spirituality, especially the one we have toward people.
ReplyDelete