The Nature of Biblical Christianity, Part 1
A Disturbing Question: "Do I know what Biblical Christianity is?"
It is very possible for an earnest Christian to be so
poorly taught and to so misunderstand the truths of
Christianity that he is unable to adequately practice the
Christian life.
One of the major sources of weakness, disappointment, and
frustration in the life of the Christian stems from failure
to understand the nature of Biblical Christianity. What we
do not know we cannot practice or enjoy. True worship is
governed by truth and the truth must be learned.
Those who work with the laws of physics must know their
field. They must learn the nature and characteristics of the
laws which pertain to their area of specialization. It is
not sufficient to guess. There is no substitute for
knowledge in the life of the engineer, the physicist, the
mathematician, or the physician. Nor is it enough for the
young man to have a desire to build a bridge. He must learn
the laws which govern bridge-building and how to put these
laws into practice.
The Christian, likewise, must have more than a desire to
live successfully. The desire, no matter how great, is not
enough. As the engineer, he must learn the truths of
Christianity and how to put them into practice. Only then
will he have the conditions which will enable him to live
successfully.
One important factor which has led to a misunderstanding of
Christianity is the failure to distinguish between Biblical
principle and "Christian" practice. What Christians and
churches practice is not necessarily the Truth. One must
learn to evaluate even the proclamation of Christians and
churches by the principles and truths of the Bible. Many
Christians and non-Christians have been confused by poor
teaching and poor practice.
It is well to ask the question, "Do I know what Biblical
Christianity is?" There are many who are not willing to ask
such a question and there are many more who cannot give an
adequate answer.
Any hesitancy in this area can only lead to failure.
A Basic Assumption: Christianity Is Based On Divine
Revelation.
Christianity has not been given to us as a lump of clay
which may be molded into innumerable shapes. God has
revealed Himself to us in and through Jesus Christ. This
revelation forms the foundation, the structure, and the
content of genuine Christianity. It comes to us as final
authority.
Since genuine Christianity is the result of an authoritative
revelation, it is evident that any tampering with, or and
faulty interpretation of, its basic message can only result
in the production of a false Christianity. It is obvious, as
one looks about the religious world today, that this is
exactly what has happened.
The importance of this assumption can hardly be
over-emphasized. The authority for belief and practice is
divine revelation. This authority, therefore, does not reside
in the church, nor in religious experience, whether it be
personal or corporate. God is Truth and He has made Himself
and His will known. This revelation has been authoritatively
recorded in the Scriptures. To be a genuine Christian and to
live a successful Christian life, we must begin, as an
engineer, with the acceptance of a final authority. We must
bow in complete submission before God and His revelation. No
engineer may select the laws which meet his approval and
reject the rest. To be successful he must accept all the
laws and their authoritative demands. And so it is with the
Christian.
Untold damage has resulted due to the negligence of
engineers, physicians, and men in similar professions. Far
greater damage is to be found in the spiritual realm. Men
and women have based their lives and destinies on false
interpretations of the Bible. Life, talent, time and money
have been wasted. Freedom, power and progress follow the
knowledge and practice of the Truth. When Truth is not known
and ignorance is practiced, only harm can follow.
God has made Himself known to us in Jesus Christ, through
history, as recorded in the Scripture. This is where we must
start. We must be willing to go to this final authority and
to test our belief and practice.
As portrayed in diagram 1, God has revealed Himself in two
ways: General Revelation and Special Revelation.
By general revelation we mean those evidences within the
creation such as design, stability of law, human values, and
conscience which point to the Creator, (Psalm 19:1; Romans
1:20; 2:14,15.) God has revealed Himself in His work.
By special revelation we refer to the many communications of
divine truths whereby God has revealed Himself as the
Redeemer of His people. This process of special revelation
culminated in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ as the Living
Word, and the completion of the written Word, the Bible,
(Hebrews 1:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Unless otherwise
stated, the term revelation is used in these lessons to
indicate special revelation.
The Key To Success: Accept And Obey The Revelation Of God As Final Authority.
An Important Perspective:
Christianity Revolves Around a Person, Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament days it was the pre-incarnate Christ
who said to Abraham,
"...I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward" (Genesis 15:1).
He said to Moses, "certainly I will be there with thee..." (Exodus 3:12).
He spoke to Israel by Hosea and said,"... in Me is thy help" (Hosea 13:9).
Through Jeremiah He spoke to Judah and said, "...they have forsaken Me the fountain of living water ..." (Jeremiah 2:13).
The message of the New Testament is the same. The Lord Jesus Christ said to Peter and Andrew,
"...follow Me..." (Matthew 4:19).
He said, "Come unto Me...and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).
He also said, "... I am the light of the world,..." (John 8:12);
"...I am the resurrection and the life ... " (John 11:25);
"... I am the way, the truth, and the life ... "(John 14:6);"... without Me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).
The same emphasis is found in the Apostolic interpretation of Christianity. John said,
"But as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12).
It was Peter who said,
"According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him ... " (2 Peter 1:3).
Paul taught that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings
"... in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3), and he prayed
that the Christians might be illuminated and grow,
" ... in the knowledge of Him" (Ephesians 1:17).
Of his own spiritual life Paul said,
... Christ liveth in me ... " (Galatians 2:20);
"For to me to live is Christ ... " (Philippians 1:21); and
"That I may know Him ... " (Philippians 3:10).
The identical message is proclaimed in the doctrinal explanation of Christianity. Jesus Christ is
- the object of faith (Acts 16:31);
- the source of all wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3);
- the Savior of mankind (1 John 4:14);
- the Head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22);
- the believer's peace (Ephesians 2:14);
- his wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30);
- his power (1 Corinthians 1:24);
- and the One in Whom all believers are complete (Colossians 2:10).
Christianity is surely
- a belief,
- a group of doctrines,
- a relationship,
- an ethic,
- a way of life,
- a form of service,
- a living hope,
- a demanding imperative, and
- a transforming deliverance
But all of these are rooted in and revolve around the Person
of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Christianity is first of all
Jesus Christ.
Christianity is first of all the Person of Jesus Christ. All
areas of life must revolve around Him. As demonstrated in
Diagram 2, Jesus Christ is to have preeminence in all things
(Colossians 1:18).
The Key To Success: Accept And Obey The Will Of
God.
A Serious Warning: Christianity is Often Perverted.
Religious perversions are not produced by agnostics or
atheists but by well-meaning Christians. In the attempt to
cure some failure in practice, one facet of Biblical
Christianity has often been overemphasized. When this facet
is made the central factor in Christianity, a perversion
results. There are at least four common perversions taught
in the church today.
(1) One of the most common perversions is the misconception
that Christianity revolves around the church. Though even a
casual reading of the New Testament will indicate the
importance of this divine institution, God did not bring the
church into existence to be the center of our lives. That
place must be reserved for and filled by Jesus Christ, the
Head of the Church. There are many today who have given the
place of Christ to the church. In misplaced zeal these have
taken that which is secondary and made it first.
When the church is made the central factor in Christianity
it is utilized in at least three ways.
The church is used as a source of spirituality, as the means
whereby spirituality is maintained, and as the basis of
measuring spirituality.
In reply to the question, "How can I become a spiritual
person and then maintain my spirituality? The answer is
given, "Attend church regularly."
Spirituality is not the automatic by-product of church
attendance. Nor is it, in itself, the measuring rod for
distinguishing between those who are spiritual and those who
are not. The church has its divinely ordained place of
importance. It is not, however, a panacea. One may be
constantly in church and yet miss Him who is the Head of the
Church.
(2) A second popular perversion of Christianity is legalism.
In this zealous misinterpretation of the Bible, rules are
placed at the center of Christianity and all must revolve
around certain practices of life. The "don'ts" of this type
of "Christian" life receive undue emphasis. The Christian is
one who has stopped doing certain things!
The key to spirituality, for this way of thinking, is the
wholehearted acceptance of certain rules as absolutes.
Obedience to these rule is a guarantee as well as the mark
of spirituality.
There is no question about the emphasis of the Bible upon
obedience. And there are many commandments in the Scripture
which the Christian must obey. However, these commandments
are not an end in themselves. They have been given to us as
the means whereby we obey God. The Christian is not to obey
the commandment alone. He is to obey God — by keeping the
commandment. This is the reason why love and obedience are
inseparably related in the Bible (John 14:15, 21, 23;
15:10; 1 John 2:5; 5:3; 2 John 6).
The legalist is almost never content to stop with the
commandments of the Scripture. New rules must be invented
which are somehow twisted into becoming the application of
Biblical principles. God, love, and personal freedom are
soon eclipsed. It is frightfully easy to obey all the rules
of the legalist and even the commandments of the Bible and
yet not give first place to one's Lord.
(3) A third perversion of Christianity may be called
emotionalism or the overemphasis on religious experience.
A
certain type of experience may be proclaimed as the secret
of spirituality and as the distinguishing mark of spiritual
people. In this way a personal subjective authority is
substituted for the authority of divine revelation. To have
an inner feeling of spirituality and to be able to produce
at will some manifestation of religious zeal may be a great
comfort to some people but it is not described in the Bible
as being of the essence of Christianity. Religious
experiences and emotional feelings are surely a part of
Biblical Christianity. These, however, are the results and
not the causes of the work of grace. A person is not
necessarily right with God simply because his emotion so
testifies. Non-Christians have been known to produce
elaborate and sustained religious experiences.
When Christianity is made to revolve around emotionalism or
religious experience, and not around the Person of Jesus
Christ, there is the ever present danger of shifting the
standard of authority from God and His revelation to
ourselves and our experiences. One may be so preoccupied
with his experience that he may bypass Christ, the
believer's sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30).
(4) A fourth illustration of how Christianity may suffer
from perversion is the over emphasis on Christian service.
A
certain type or types of service may be placed at the center
of Christianity. Here Christian service becomes the source
of spirituality and the manner whereby it is maintained. The
spiritual people are those who perform a stereotyped service
which usually revolves around the church.
There is no question but that the Scriptures pronounce a
commission over every Christian. To be a Christian is to be
a worker. However, what was said above about obeying God may
be said here. Christian service is not an end in itself.
This is only one way whereby God is loved, worshipped and
obeyed — in practice. It is all too easy to be intensely
engaged in service and yet not be serving God. Many times it
is the church which is being served, or the pastor, or even
our own conscience.
Christianity does not revolve around a form of service; it
revolves around the Person of Jesus Christ. It is possible
to be taken up with a great variety of Christian services
and yet not be committed to the Lord of the Harvest Field.
As Christians we must take a very firm stand against
ourselves and against the perversions of Christianity. It is
sinfully easy to transfer our love and devotion from God to
something associated with God. When this happens we are more
in love with religion than with God! Only He may be the
object of our affection.
See Diagram 3:
The church may not be at the center of life in that Jesus
Christ is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 1:22).
Rules may not be at the center of life in that Jesus Christ
is our Lord, (Luke 6:46).
Religious experience may not be at the center of life in
that Jesus Christ is our Sanctification (1 Corinthians
1:30).
Christian service may not be at the center of life in that
Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Harvest Field (Matthew
9:38).
The Key To Success:
Give Jesus Christ His Rightful Place (Romans 12:1, 2).