In my Eastern North Carolina teenage and young adult years, there was a man who meant the world to me. I looked up to him and I wanted to be like him. He was very bright, he was “worldly” (in the good sense), he was well informed, and he was talented. He was well connected in that community, and he was a Christian. He was a faithful member of a good Baptist Church, and he volunteered his time each Sunday morning to teach Sunday School at a local Fire Station. He was a pillar of the community. And he cared about me. I thought a lot of him.
My friend is now with the Lord, but there are many things I remember about this gentleman that still bring good thoughts to my heart and a smile to my face. But I remember one comment in particular that causes me a little discomfort.
We were talking about church, about preachers, and how sometimes churches and preachers tend to push agendas that may reflect personal preferences and choices, not biblical or Christian principles. (And this happens frequently). My friend replied, “I love church, I love my pastor. It is important to me. But when the church starts telling me how to live my life we’ll have to part ways.”
On one level I get it. As Baptists we do believe that each Christian must be faithful to his or her conscience and scripture. There are choices I make about how I live my life that another Christian may not agree with. I get that.
But the reason I have remembered that statement is that I believed then, and I still believe, that our faith, following Jesus, affects everything about the living of our lives. Granted, my friend, if pressed, would have probably said that he looked to Jesus for his life’s example, not to another human. But his statement just struck me the wrong way.
The Christian Religion cannot and should not be reduced to pietism, Christianity is not simply a moral code. A practice of Christianity that is consumed with rules and behavioral standards quickly becomes legalistic. Our faith is a life and world transforming story about God’s work in the world in which God is redeeming all things to Himself through Jesus Christ.
But, our faith should, it must, affect how we live.
It should affect how we live.
And how we talk,
how we speak about others…
It should affect how we forgive (that we should do it AT LEAST 490 times),
and show kindness and compassion.
It should affect how we take care of everything God created,
including our bodies,
and all of the world around us.
It should affect how we keep our vows to our spouses,
and raise our children.
It should cause us never to bring harm to another person,
especially the most vulnerable.
Because of our faith, we should be people of integrity.
Okay, my list could go on and on. And what I also know is that we all fall short. I know I do. But as followers of Jesus we are called to a better way than what we see around us. Forgiveness is always there, we all need it. And yes, our faith should affect how we live our lives.