Is This the Normal Christian Life? Part 10

In this series, I have surveyed a range of factors, some cultural, historical, philosophical, and even theological, that I think have shaped our expectations of what the normal Christian life should be like. I have tried to show that biblically, the normal Christian life is to be a supernatural one, one that is to be marked richly by the presence and power of the risen Lord. Yet, these various factors have been tools the enemy has used to lower our expectations and even sow unbelief that God really would manifest Himself intimately and in power today.

However, God and Scripture have not changed. Instead, we westernized Christians have changed away from what Scripture teaches, in terms of our outlook on, and expectations of, the Christian life, and those mindsets reflect sin in our attitudes and actions. We have been deeply naturalized, or de-supernaturalized. The result is that the body of Christ in the west (and particularly my home country, the U.S.) is anemic and divided, which cannot stand. This condition, and the factors that have precipitated it, are things from which believers in the U.S. must repent urgently, before it is too late. Jesus clearly told us the intention of our enemy; he does not come to toy with us, or just marginalize us, but to steal, kill, and destroy us and all that God is doing (John 10:10).

Moreover, if am right about the spiritual gifts, then it seems Satan has divided and withered the body by sowing discord and distrust over them. Moreover, he has been very successful in dividing our hearts and minds from the Lord through the other factors we have surveyed too. Yet, God wants us to live in the fullness of Christ, and that requires both the fullness of truth and the fullness of Spirit, just as Jesus lived. If we do not live in the fullness of the Spirit, then we likely will not have fullness of truth, either, for we’d be tending to rely on our own understanding. Alternatively, if we don’t have fullness of truth, then we likely won’t have the fullness of the Spirit, for we’d tend to follow our hearts’ desires. However, the Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and we must worship Him in Spirit and truth.

Further, we need to live in deep unity with God’s heart and His mind, all in the life and power of the Spirit, just as Jesus did. This is to be like how we are to live in marriage too – in deep unity of heart and mind with our spouses.

In light of these shaping influences, I suggested in an earlier blog that we place a great emphasis upon the mind. But, I am afraid that to far too great an extent, many evangelical leaders have been trained to place such stress upon the mind that they nearly disregard the importance of being in deep heart-unity with the Lord, as well as listening to the Spirit’s voice (1 Kings 3:9, AMPC). But, if so, we thereby will tend to worship our flesh – and that is sin, which God cannot bless. Such thinking can lead subtly to thinking we are okay positionally because we are justified by faith in Christ; however, we will lack His promised power and intimate presence.

While there clearly are many problems facing the body of Christ in the west, I think this might be the most crucial one, for it reflects that we have left our first love, thereby becoming lukewarm, weak, and all-too-fleshly. Yet, God has not given up on the U.S. or the west; but we believers need to repent, so that revival may come by the outpouring of His Spirit.

Is This the Normal Christian Life? Part 1

I think an important evangelical legacy is its emphasis upon the authority, even inerrancy, of Scripture. Therein we find the truths revealed about our need, as well as God’s plan of salvation through Christ. We also discover some amazing promises and expectations regarding what the Christian life should look like.

Put simply, biblically, the Christian life is a supernatural one to be lived in a deeply intimate, personal relationship with the living God. Through His Spirit in us, we have Jesus’ promised presence and power made available to us. We have been given power to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8); bear the fruit of His life (Gal 5:22-23); see the risen Christ made present (manifest) in our midst, through His body (1 Cor 12:7); be filled to all the fullness of God (Eph 3:19); and much, much more. Jesus even warns us that apart from abiding in Him – living life in deep unity with, and in dependence upon, Him – we can do nothing (John 15:5).

But, if the normal Christian life is one in which we, His people, are to be marked by His presence and power, how come we seem to see so little of that today, at least in the west, and particularly the U.S.? How come so many seem to think Christians are not really living differently from others?

There could be various factors at work here. But, I want to consider the Bible’s expectations of what the Christian life should be like, and then consider our expectations in light of Scripture’s. I think we will find that there is a considerable disconnect between them.

Consider Scripture’s expectations. I think it narrates an overarching theme: God wants to be our God, we are to be His people, and He wants to dwell in our midst. For instance, repeatedly, the Old Testament announces God’s desire to be our God and make a people for Himself (e.g., Ex 6:7; Lev 26:12; Jer 7:23, 11:4, 30:22; and Ezek 36:28). He also wants to dwell in the midst of His people; e.g., Ex 29:45-46; Zech 2:10-11; and Ezek 37:27. God wants to be intimately personal with people. Consider Moses (Ex 33:7-20, 34:4-6a) and David (Ps. 27:4, 34:8). Those same themes continue in the New Testament (e.g., John 1:14; John 17:3; and 2 Cor 6:16). Finally, at the end of Scripture, these same themes reappear in great beauty (Rev 21:3 and 22:4).

Before the fall, Adam and Eve lived in this intimacy and deep unity with the Lord. His Spirit lived in them, and their hearts and minds were united with His. They knew and experienced the beauty and fulfillment of God’s love.

But, when they chose to listen to the voice of the serpent to be as God, they died spiritually – the Spirit no longer lived in them. Moreover, their hearts and minds no longer were united with those of God. Instead, they would listen to and follow the voice of their “father” the devil (cf. John 8:44), such that they would want to define good and evil (Gen 3:5), and even the rest of reality, I think.

But, God’s solution addresses these very needs. The Spirit of God lives in us and has given us a new heart. Biblically, the heart is the core of our being, that from which we really live, will, and trust. The old heart was desperately deceitful and wicked (Jer 17:9), but the new heart is to live in deep unity with God’s, trusting and loving Him and one another. We can live as God desired for Solomon, with a hearing heart (1 Kings 3:9, lit.) that listens to and loves God. Also, in the new birth, we have been given access to the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). What intimacy!

Now, this intimacy far exceeds what we need to know truths in Scripture. God also wants us to know Him – experientially, by intimate acquaintance with Him. But, we have expectations of the Christian life, too, and I think these have been shaped by factors other than just the Bible. I will consider some of them in subsequent posts.