Doctrinal Conviction About How Christians Must Live

Ricardo DIEGUE Doctrinal Conviction About How Christians Must Live Christian‟s life is a matter of learning and practices. Learning how to live requires acquiring a model from the source of life. Practicing these “learnings” implies real tests and practical experiments. All of these do not come from a vacuum nor are instantly done but imply progressive steps and challenges on the field. This process is called “sanctification” in a Christian‟s life. This reflection will firstly be built around the theme “sanctification”, its implications in a Christian‟s life as “disciple” of Jesus before moving forward with some practical conducts about Christian‟s life. Sanctification of the disciple Based on the Hebrew root “qados” and Greek “hagios” from which we get ideas such as “consecrate, dedicate”, Elwell recognizes that these ancient concepts applied to any person, place, occasion or object “set apart” from common, secular use as devoted to some divine power.1 Throughout the history of Israel and from early Church, this has been always a claim from God that the chosen people “be set apart, holy and sanctified”. In Leviticus 19:2, God recommended to Moses: “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: „Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy”. It is repeatedly mentioned in Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2 and 14:21. In the New Testament, Christians are to be sanctified in heart (1 Peter 3:15), 1 Walter E. Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, (Michigan: Baker Academic, 2001), 1051. 1 2 sanctified by the Father (1 Cor 1:30), by the Spirit (2 Thess 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2) and in the name of Christ (1 Cor 6:11). Millard Erickson, in his Christian Theology, of course considers the etymological aspect of the word but sees it with more implications. He defines sanctification as the continuing work of God in the life of believers, making them actually “holy”. He continues to say that it is a process by which one‟s moral condition is brought into conformity with one‟s legal status before God. Erickson distinguishes two main senses about it: being sanctified is simply belonging to God, as Peter clearly states it in his first book chapter 2:9. Secondly, it has the sense of moral goodness and or spiritual growth. Mayhue considers many words used for those who would be living in sanctification: Christians, disciples, brothers/sisters, and slaves. Disciple is my favorite (for the purpose of that paper) because discipleship implies the idea of living in the path of Jesus. Not just one‟s act of acceptance of the Lordship of Christ one day, but the continuity of following the master in order to keep sins away from them until glorification. Yet, they are sinners but fighting sins continuously. Mayhue argued that the disciples (all disciples in fact, not just the Twelve) “were not holy before salvation; they are not holy as God alone is during their lives on earth; and they will not be without sin until after death in heaven.”2 All disciples remain sinners in the process of sanctification. While the word “Christian” appears in Scripture only three times (Acts 11:26, 26:28; 1 Pet 4:16), the word “disciple” appears over 250 times in the Gospel and Acts. This is to emphasize that we are called to be more followers than having a title. I understand that being a Christian is mostly that fact of accepting Jesus once and forever. And, Christians will surely get saved at the Richard L. Mayhue, “Sanctification: The Biblical Basis”, in The Master’s Seminary Journal (Fall 2010) 143-157. 2 3 end of the days. Without getting into the argument about the perseverance of the saints (eternal security), the disciple is mostly the one living in the process of sanctification. We become Christians once; we are disciples throughout our entire lives. Implications of disciples’ lives Edmond Hiebert, with an argument that the return of Christ should be a motivation for a sanctified life, presents two angles of the Christian‟s life based on 1 Peter 4:7-11, a passage that is urging Christians to live for God.3 In fact, I guess he purposely titles his articles “Living in the Light of Christ‟s Return”. He believes that “the consciousness of the return of Jesus must have an impact on present Christian lives.” His main pivots are that this hope of the return should lead to firstly self-discipline then to mutual service.4 For him duties concerning the Christian personal life include that the Christian should “be sound of judgment” and “sober” (v. 7b). This should be for the purpose of “prayers”, both in a personal way, and with the community. Secondly, living with the hope of the return of Christ should lead to proper community relations (vv. 8-11a). Peter urges the practice of fervent mutual love (vv. 8-9), he says.5 (Because love covers a multitude of sins [in relations, not Godward sins]); and, Peter also portrays two broad areas of mutual service: hospitality and mutual service (10-11a). This passage is of course contextual; however, the main point is that Christian‟s life must surely be a dogmatic one but certainly ought to be a pragmatic one for the glorification of God. Edmond Hiebert, “Living in the Light of Christ‟s Return: An Exposition of 1 Peter 4: 711” in Bibliotheca Sacra (July-September 1982), 243-253. 4 Ibidem, 245. 5 247. 3 4 My doctrinal conviction about how Christians must live Orthodoxy and orthopraxy are the two technical concepts that cross my mind. I just said it: Christian‟s life is not meant to be only dogmatic (orthodoxy) but also pragmatic (orthopraxy). It is James who pleas about two kinds of wisdom and argues that the true (heavenly) wisdom should be showed over the false one (earthly wisdom) (James 3: 13-18). Many think he was propagating salvation by works – unlike Paul who simply commented about salvation by faith and faith alone. Even one of our reformers, Martin Luther in his “Preface to the Epistles of Saint James and Saint Jude (1522)”, disagreed with James‟s train of thought. I must say that Luther should have been influenced by the reality of the Catholic Church, by the church interpretations and wrong applications of the Word. I personally understand that Paul – based on who he was and based on the actual reality of the Jewish society of his time – was “dogmatically arguing about justification by faith alone” while James argued for “sanctification as significance of faith by practical actions and reactions”. Justification is by faith and faith alone, I agree. Yet, the process of sanctification implies practical proofs of this faith. Life by faith in Jesus We read in Galatians 3:11: “Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because the righteous will live by faith.” The author of Hebrews preconizes the effectiveness of Christ‟s sacrifice over sacrifices offered in accordance with the law (10:1-18). Then, reminds the word from Habakkuk 2:4 “my righteous one will live by faith” (10:38). Faith must be the Christian‟s ground for justification. 5 Live by acquiring spiritual maturity Foster writes in Celebration of Disciplines: “God has given us the Disciplines of the spiritual life as a means of receiving His grace… The Disciplines allow us to place ourselves before God so that He can transform us. They are God‟s means of grace.”6 Since receiving the grace of God, since regeneration, a Christian gets into the process of transformation (sanctification). This transformation is done via many steps. Theologians call them spiritual disciplines. All this disciplines precepts are from God himself. For the word of God is God (John 1:1), Christian ought to live by the Book (sola scriptura) in order to be transformed. 2 Timothy 3: 16 tells us “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The categories of spiritual disciplines vary based on different approaches but remain the same exercises. Dallas Willard distinguishes “Disciplines of Abstinence”7: solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy, sacrifice; and “Disciplines of Engagement”8: study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession and submission. Donald Whitney mentions Bible-Intake, prayer, worship, evangelism, service, stewardship, fasting, silence/solitude, journaling and learning.9 With these disciplines, the Christian tend to become a more spiritually mature being living in Christlikeness. These are practiced in ministry “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). 6 Richard J. Forster, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (New York: New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1998), 7. 7 Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991), 159. 8 Ibidem, 175. 9 Donald Whitney, Spiritual Discipline for The Christian Life (Colorado: Tyndale House Publishers, 2014). 6 Live by the challenging of the flesh (by bearing fruits) A Christian should live with the challenges of his flesh. Galatians 5:19-21 opposed the fruits of the flesh to the fruits of spirit vv. 22-23. The greatest commandment As a way to conclude, let us consider Matthew 22:36-40. Jesus‟s response to one of the expert of the Law, a Pharisee, says it all when it comes to how Christians must live: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Knowing that love in the bible implies more actions than a feeling, Christian must live in a way that shows love to God by obeying the Word in ways that show love to others. Remember Jesus quotes: “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15), “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). And, John, the Apostle of love recommends: “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (3:18)