Chapter 8: Christian Living

IN THIS CHAPTER, you will discover:

• The importance of doing the will of God.

• What it means to walk in the light.

• The way of love.

• The keynote of Christian living.



AS A RESULT, you will be able to:

• Experience the joy of being in God’s will.

• Discover the key to true obedience.

• Understand the meaning of real love.

• Follow the way of Christ.

Reading: Renewal Theology 2, pp. 411-19.

Key Scripture: “The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).

The thread that ties together all the topics we have been studying in “Great Themes Of The Book 2” is God’s will. Election, justification, regeneration, sanctification, and Spirit baptism are all divinely predetermined elements of God’s redemptive plan. Redemption itself is the process by which our hearts and minds are conformed through grace to God’s will. Because His will undergirds all existence, solidarity with it brings us into harmony with the source of truth. Righteousness — obedience to God’s will — is therefore the gate to eternal life.

Four centuries before Christ, Socrates said: “The difficulty, my friends, is not to avoid death, but to avoid unrighteousness. For unrighteousness runs faster than death.” Paul agreed with this assessment of the human predicament. He said we must choose between being “slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness” (Rom. 6:16).

If we choose to accept the grace and forgiveness God offers us through Christ, we are freed from the fatal domination of unrighteousness and disobedience. “If Christ is in you…your spirit is alive because of righteousness” (Rom. 8:10). The Spirit of God works to regenerate our spirits, impart righteousness, and nurture our wills toward obedience. The consummation of this ultimate healing is that what is disobedient, unrighteous, and deadly in us will be “swallowed up by life” (2 Cor. 5:4).

It therefore follows that the highest priority in the Christian life should be obeying the will of God. Jesus highlighted the indispensable, life-sustaining power of obedience by calling it his “food” (John 4:34). By obeying God we become kindred spirits with Christ (Matt. 12:48-50). By confessing and forsaking our disobedience, we continually receive God’s cleansing and forgiveness.

In the depiction of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that the “sheep” who enter the kingdom will be those who have obediently followed His example of selfless love. Those who are lawless and loveless will be cast from His presence. We should note well that many who give lip service to Christ — even those who do charismatic miracles in His name — are numbered among the “goats” (7:21-23). The logic of this judgment is compatible with Jesus’ teaching that true spirituality consists of purity of heart overflowing into active compassion. In the end, we are our moral choices, as the metaphor of the fruit tree shows (7:18-20).

This is a hard word for Christians who have focused on the doctrine of justification by faith to the exclusion of the broader biblical perspective of salvation. Often such a focus leads to a misunderstanding of the real nature of saving faith. Scripture makes it clear that faith is more than mere intellectual assent. True faith progressively — yet inevitably — engenders love, self-discipline, humility, and obedience in the character of the believer. In fact, we may regard the fruit of the Spirit as the most trustworthy signature of the presence of saving faith.

We should allow ourselves to be challenged daily by the biblical call to obedience. Spiritual growth is not an automatic process that can be taken for granted. Nor is it enough simply to know what God would have us do; we must act on our knowledge. God will not reveal Himself to us anew until we are faithful enough to respond to what He has already shown us.

Paul struggled heroically to be a profitable and obedient servant of Jesus Christ. His words, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13), confirm that God honors our attempts to obey, however faltering they may be. He rewards us not only with supernatural energy and conviction, but also with joy. Who can doubt that Peter was happier — and safer — walking upon the storm-tossed waters of the Sea of Galilee than denying his Master in the security of the high priest’s courtyard? There is no joy, no sense of serenity, and no safety greater than that which comes from walking in the center of God’s will.

Further Study: Read “Obedience,” NIDB, p. 716; review the scriptures under “Judge, Judgment, C.3.e. The basis of the final judgment,” NIVTSB, p. 93.

Life Application: Are you really seeking God’s will for your life on a day-by-day basis? Do you take time to consider God’s leading before making important decisions? Before making another serious decision, examine the question according to the five criteria for knowing God’s will given in RT, pages 414-17.

Key Concepts:

1. The primary concern in Christian living is doing the __________ of God. [411]

2. For Jesus (and for us), doing God’s will was neither _______________ nor coercive. [412]

3. True or False. Doing miracles in Jesus’ name is strong proof of our citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. [413]

4. It (is, is not) necessary to seek God’s will. [414]

5. Like Jesus, we need to spend much time in _____________ to acquire deep knowledge of God’s will. [415]

6. We can receive guidance concerning God’s will by hearing His word in _____________________. [415]

7. True or False. We often need the help of other believers in ascertaining God’s will. [416]

8. To be truly obedient, we need to have a personal ongoing renewal of the ___________. [416]

9. True or False. Surrender to God is a once-for-all action. [417]

10. Supernatural ________________ is needed to act energetically in doing God’s will. [419]

Reading: Renewal Theology 2, pp. 420-27.

Key Scripture: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).

“Light” is used as a metaphor throughout Scripture. Even in modern parlance, to be “enlightened” means to know the truth. One who is healthy, happy, or beautiful is often described as “radiant.” Actions done in the “light of day” are honest, open, trustworthy, decent. Light is the universal symbol of wisdom, reality, goodness, glory, and life.

Christianity is a personal relationship with the One who is “the true light that gives light to every man” (John 1:9). Christ is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Heb. 1:3). As such, He is the light of light, the truth of truth, the wisdom of wisdom, the life of life. Having been enlightened by God’s word, we become children of light (see the Key Scripture). Our destination is the kingdom of light; our Father is the father of lights; and our mission is to shed His light abroad (Matt. 5:16).

Sadly, we do not always walk in the light as we should. We fall short of the goodness, righteousness, and truth that Paul identifies as “the fruit of the light” (Eph. 5:9). It is a privilege to be a Christian and to receive the grace and spiritual gifts that accompany salvation. But with privilege comes responsibility. Blatant sin on the part of Christians maligns the name of Christ and causes unbelievers to regard the gospel with derision and contempt. For that reason Paul warned believers to live so that not even a hint of immorality or impurity could be detected by others (v. 3).

Corinth was a wealthy port city famous for its temple dedicated to the goddess of love, Aphrodite. In Paul’s time the term “Corinthian” was synonymous with affluence and debauchery. Apparently many converts in the Corinthian church continued to take their moral standards from society rather than from the church. This tendency continues today. Western Christianity is “soft” on sins such as gluttony, materialism, covetousness, greediness, and sexual immorality. Unfortunately, many Christians — even prominent spiritual leaders — commit shameful transgressions in these and other areas. As a result, Christians become a laughing stock and are ridiculed as pious hypocrites rather than respected as moral leaders.

Dr. Williams admonishes us with great urgency and directness that our calling is to “walk in the light.” We must “purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God” (2 Cor. 7:1). Church membership — even the manifestation of spiritual gifts — is no substitute for holiness.

Our task as Christians, then, is to perfect holiness. But how can we realize such a seemingly unachievable goal? The answer lies in having the correct motivation. Paul defines this motivation as the desire to please God, which springs from love for Him. Genuine obedience is never the fruit of fear, but of love. We cannot, through fear or sheer willpower, “be good” and conform to the moral standards contained in Scripture. Every parent knows that fear and intimidation only ensure obedience when the threat of punishment is imminent. But children who know, love, and trust their parents will obey, even in their absence. Similarly, by allowing God to change our hearts and teach us to love what He loves and hate what He hates, we acquire a natural inner revulsion against sin. We recognize sin for what it is — a transgression against “our Father,” the God of love. Seeing sin’s inherent ugliness, we cease to desire it.

In considering what it means to walk in the light, we must remember that there is no such thing as solitary Christianity. The light within us was given to share, not to hoard. Christians must oppose not only the evil within them, but also the evil in the world around them. If we love what God loves and hate what He hates, we must willingly name and reprove the works of darkness.

Christians have both the right and the obligation to combat evil as it is manifested socially, politically, and economically. Such a commitment requires effort, education, discernment, and the willingness to endure persecution. But the cost of inaction is even higher: the suffering and death of the needy and defenseless, the moral destruction of young minds, spiritual barrenness in the church, and the loss of political freedoms. In our time the church is again hearing and responding to Isaiah’s prophetic cry: “Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed [or ‘rebuke the oppressor’]” (1:16-17).

Further Study: Review the scriptures under “Justice, B. Human justice,” p. 94 and “Light,” p. 102 in the NIVTSB; also read “Corinth,” NIDB, pp. 233-35.

Life Application: Rebecca Pippert says that personal holiness begins with the acknowledgment that you are not the person you wish you were. Those with alcohol-, sexual-, or food-related addictions must move past the stage of denial and “name” their problem before recovery can occur. Similarly, we cannot truly learn to obey God’s will unless we are willing to name the areas in which we disobey God. In what areas are you resisting God’s will? Consider the underlying motivation for your resistance. What effect does this attitude have on your character?

Key Concepts:

1. Goodness, righteousness, and truth may be described by one word — _________________. [421]

2. Members of the spiritual community must temper mercy with _________________ when judging sin in their midst. [423]

3. Spiritual gifts (can, cannot) substitute for righteousness and truth. [423]

4. Doing what ______________ the Lord is the strongest motivation for the Christian walk. [423]

5. One who sincerely seeks to please the Lord will develop an inner ____________________ against walking in evil. [424]

6. Believers expose the works of darkness primarily because of (what they say, who they are). [424]

7. Although the primary exposure of evil is through the presence of good, there are times when _______________ is necessary. [425]

8. True or False. Christians have no right or obligation to speak and act regarding moral corruption in society. [426]

9. If we walk in the light, we will have deep and abiding ________________ with other believers. [427]

10. If we walk in the light, the blood of Jesus continues to “cleanse us from all _______________________________________.” [427]

Reading: Renewal Theology 2, pp. 427-33.

Key Scripture: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

Key Words: Agape, Charitas.

After completing his inventory of the spiritual gifts, Paul continues, “And now I will show you the most excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31). When the Corinthians initially read Paul’s letter, they surely must have wondered what could possibly be more marvelous than the miracles of knowledge and power they had been experiencing. Paul’s description of love as a more excellent way — indeed as the most excellent way — stands, with a few other select chapters in Scripture, at the zenith of biblical understanding. As St. Francis de Sales said, “Love is the abridgement of all theology.”

To understand Paul fully, we need to know the meaning of agape, the Greek word for love used in 1 Corinthians 13. Simply put, agape is “gift-love.” Unlike “need-love,” agape does not arise out of a sense of hunger or the drive to fulfill desire. It is rather an overflow or abundance of good will that unconditionally seeks the well-being of others. It asks nothing for itself, and makes no demands upon the beloved. Its intention is purely to bless. The “gift-nature” of agape is reflected in its Latin translation charitas, from which we derive the word “charity.”

Agape love is God-like love. God is absolute fullness. He has no need or lack. In the first lesson of this chapter we spoke of God’s will as the reality that undergirds all existence. Because God is wholly good, His will is identical with agape. John writes: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10). The generosity of God’s free gift of salvation is best appreciated against the background of His free gift of life. For we exist solely through God’s love. We can add nothing nor give nothing to God that He does not already possess. He loved us into being as an act of pure grace. Indeed, the vastness of creation is but a partial manifestation of God’s overflowing love.

Existence and salvation are ours as recipients of God’s agape. But His greatest gift to us is that He allows us to be agents of His divine love. Note carefully that agape is not merely something God “feels” or “has” in the same way that we possess emotions. God is agape (1 John 4:8). Through love, God dwells in us (v. 12) and transforms us. As we love, we are made whole and made real. We are born of God (v. 7) and share in His infinite, eternal life (3:14).

The things in us which do not partake of love do not partake of God. They are shadowy, unreal, fragmented, askew, out of joint with the very flow of reality. For this reason, Paul declares that those who practice the spiritual gifts without love gain nothing and are nothing (1 Cor. 13:2-3). Without love the exercise of the gifts is abrasive and unfruitful, even destructive.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Paul presents his famous “anatomy” of love. Love is first of all patient. The Greek word here for patience suggests benevolence on the part of one who has been wronged, even though they have the power to avenge themselves. Jesus both taught and demonstrated this kind of patience (Matt. 26:53; Luke 23:34). Agape is patient, too, in that it is love given to those who deserve it least when they need it most. To be patient is to express forbearance; it allows people time to change and encourages them as they slowly do so. Finally, love is patient in that it grants forgiveness, even before repentance is expressed.

Next Paul tells us that love is kind. Kindness has been called the insignia of the loving heart. Tenderheartedness is an important attribute of kindness. It is akin to compassion — the ability to “suffer with” others. Mercy is another element of kindness. The mercy of God transcends the bounds of justice because it offers love equally to those who are good and to those who are evil. Finally, gentleness is a quality that “oils” or makes supple the exercise of other virtues. Jesus’ gentleness drew and continues to draw hurting souls to Him. In practicing gentleness, we mirror the Father’s love; a love that, though it set the stars in motion, also attends to the fall of the sparrow.

Further Study: Read “Love,” NIDB, pp. 602-3; review the scriptures under “Kindness,” pp. 94-95 and “Patience,” p. 123 in the NIVTSB.

Life Application: How did the lack of love by those around Leia Lacoure — and on Leia’s part as well — contribute to her problems? What aspects of agape love brought her healing? Survey your relationships with others and note areas in which tensions occur. Would the agape qualities of patience, forbearance, forgiveness, kindness, tenderheartedness, mercy, or gentleness provide the key to resolving these tensions?


Key Concepts:

1. “Following the way of love” means following the way of ____________. [427-28]

2. True or False. In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul questions the validity of the spiritual gifts. [428]

3. True or False. People can operate in the spiritual gifts in an unparalleled degree and yet not have love. [429]

4. True or False. The practice of spiritual gifts always brings unity to the spiritual community. [429]

5. Patience and kindness are not so much virtues to be admired as __________ to be fulfilled. [430]

6. ____________________ involves a willingness to wait so that people are given time to change. [431]

7. The virtue of putting up with things in others that we do not like is called _________________________ . [431]

8. _______________________ is the ability to “suffer with” others lovingly. [432n.]

9. ___________________ “triumphs over judgment” in reaching out to the undeserving in love. [432-33]

10. ___________________________ should mark all dealings that lead to restoration. [433]

Reading: Renewal Theology 2, pp. 433-45.

Key Scripture: “[Love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” (1 Cor. 13:7).

Having described some of the foundational virtues of agape, Paul further defined love by describing what it is not. He began by saying that love is not jealous. Perhaps Paul chose this as his first negative example of love because envy between rival factions was splintering the Corinthian church at the time. Or perhaps he chose to address jealousy and envy first because of their overwhelming destructive power. Jealously and envy destroy all other virtues at their root, for they cause us not only to turn our hearts away from others, but also to wish their destruction. Jealousy and envy cause us to hate others and, inevitably, to hate ourselves. Envy has been called “the meanest of vices” and “hell in this life.”

Love is free of pride, boastfulness, and arrogance. To exhibit a virtue or a spiritual gift, and then to display arrogance about it, poisons that virtue or gift. Paul skewered the Corinthians’ pride over their exercise of spiritual gifts by asking: “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Cor. 4:7; cf. 1:31). At heart, pride is a sort of mock pretension of divinity. Instead of giving God the glory He deserves, pride hoards it for itself. Pride was the sin by which the angels fell, thus the saying; “A proud man has no God.” Arrogance is the very opposite of the path of Jesus — lowliness, humility, and service. The natural humility of agape is alien to impropriety, unseemliness, and rudeness. It is modest, delicate, dignified, and harmonious in all its expressions.

Because real love is other-directed, it is not self-seeking; it does not insist on its own way. This is the tell-tale distinction between “gift-love” and “need-love.” Rather than insist on its rights and privileges, agape focuses on opportunities for service (1 Cor. 10:24). The central thrust of Jesus’ teaching is that in seeking to please ourselves, we lose our souls. In abandoning ourselves to the love of God, we gain God, our souls, and everything else (Matt. 6:25-33; 19:28-29).

Anger steals our ability to reason as well as our ability to love. Every time we become angry we experience a spiritual defeat, for love is not irritable or easily angered. Christians should not be thin-skinned, touchy, hot-tempered, or quick to take offense. Love keeps no record of wrong and is not resentful or vindictive. The Greek word for “keeps no record” in 13:5 is an accounting term suggesting a ledger or tally sheet. Since we are told that Jesus wiped out the record of our offenses, “nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:14), Christians have no grounds on which to be hypercritical and fault-finding, or to bear grudges toward others.

Children often delight in watching their classmates punished for some classroom infraction. They exemplify that weakness in human nature that finds it easier to take satisfaction in the suffering of others than to rejoice over their good fortune. But Paul tells us that love does not delight in evil. It does not draw comfort from the faults of others, nor does it rejoice in seeing others reproved, even justly. Love rejoices only in the truth.

The climax of Paul’s description of love appears in verse 7. The greatness of love is reflected in the repetition of the Greek word panta, “all.” “Love bears all things” (rsv). Love endures any insult, injury or disappointment because love is invulnerable. Nothing can obstruct love or diminish its source. It is like an artesian spring flowing from the infinite richness of God. The power of unconditional love can pierce and heal even the hearts of those who are unkind. “Love believes all things” (rsv). Not that love makes us childish, gullible “overbelievers”; rather, love always believes the best about people. Love has confidence “for” others — a confidence that bears with, encourages, and transforms them. “Love hopes all things” (rsv). Love sees things in light of God’s benevolent sovereignty, and thus knows no despair.

Finally, “Love endures all things” (rsv). Even if faith and hope grow dim, love remains. For “love never fails” and “love never ends.” Like the good shepherd in Jesus’ parable (Luke 15:3-7), love ceaselessly seeks to cherish, transform, and heal the lost and broken aspects of the human spirit. Our single aim should be to become servants and instruments of God’s love. For love is the supreme virtue, the path and the goal, the way home, the greatest and final word.

Further Study: Review the scriptures under “Love, B. Human love,” NIVTSB, p. 104.

Life Application: Review the negative descriptions of love found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-6. Which fault do you feel is a particular stumbling block for you? Which fault would others say is a stumbling block? Name several situations that bring out this negativity, and list some alternate responses in which specific aspects of love might be demonstrated.

Key Concepts:

1. The first problem in Corinth that Paul addressed was _______________. [434]

2. __________ unites what jealousy divides. [434]

3. Paul wrote: “Let him who boasts, boast of the ___________.” [435]

4. Speaking about arrogance, Paul wrote: “___________________ puffs up, but love builds up.” [435]

5. True or False. Spiritual gifts protect us against the destructive force of arrogance. [435]

6. We should foreswear our ______________ for the good of others. [438]

7. Through the fruit of ___________________, love can indeed bear all things. [441]

8. “Love believes all things” means that love (is gullible, believes for the best). [442]

9. ___________ is the companion to faith. [443]

10. (Prophecy, Love) goes on forever into eternity. [444]