I tried to find the origin of the phrase, Christian Living. I failed. It’s not overly surprising to me. However, I have seen it in many avenues over the last several months, so I thought there was a chance. But the art of Christian Living may be one of the most important in our current (or any) age.
I think that’s the nutshell synopsis of Edwards’s first resolution.
Jonathan Edwards Resolution 1
Edwards’ Resolution #1 (in my modernized language) I will live to bring God’s glory before my own reward regardless of the challenge it takes because it’s my duty to share his grace with all persons.
Why Christian Living is a Vital Concern
If I had to wager a guess, I suspect the idea of “Christian Living” is an invention of the publishing industry. It’s a nice tidy category to stock titles that are Christ focused, but not all that theological.
Based on my own observations, it’s a gap filler to appeal to everyday Christ followers. They are the people who want to have a closer relationship with God, and grow in their faith, yet desire not to be academic about it. And they have zero desire to root deep into theology.
With that sort of understanding, it is easy to also surmise that there are way more in this population than in academic or theologian circles.
The phrase, Christian Living is probably a publishing industry invention. But it may be one of the most important disciplines of our age. I think Jonathan Edwards’s first resolution captures this ideal for becoming more like the character of Christ and in frequent communion with God.
World Christians… not Worldy Christians
In the book, “In the Gap” by David Bryant, we are presented with the concept of a “gap” between God’s world-wide purpose and fulfillment of it. These individuals, he calls “world Christians.”
The term “World Christian” may have been coined first by Daniel Fleming in a 1920 YMCA book entitled Marks of a World Christian. (The Traveling Team)
This is much different from what we might call a “worldly Christian.” Such a Christian is someone putting faith into Jesus Christ while clinging to an old way of life. It’s the very sort of behavior that the Apostle Paul addresses with the church of Corinth.
It may be a matter of stubbornness. Or, it might be a lacking of trust by putting more faith into what is known than in Jesus. Often, though, it’s a sign of spiritual immaturity.
The Matter of Spiritual Immaturity
I can identify, as I became a Christian shortly after graduating high school and entered college thinking “God and I would just have a type of understanding” about how I would live.
I foolishly thought the only thing that needed to change was my belief. So I continued much of my old ways. Unfortunately, that life of worldly Christian thought was not Christian living. And it was far from being a world Christian.
A world Christian commits to their Christian living and walk with God even as they live far from their homeland in Heaven. As D.A. Carson says in the The Cross and Christian Ministry:
Their allegiance to Jesus Christ and his kingdom is self-consciously set above all national, cultural, linguistic, and racial allegiances.Their commitment to the church, Jesus’ messianic community, is to the church everywhere, wherever the church is truly manifest, and not only to its manifestation on home turf. They see themselves first and foremost as citizens of the heavenly kingdom and therefore consider all other citizenship a secondary matter.
In short, the world Christian, also called a “Global Christian,” thinks and loves like God, seeks out God’s heart for the world, and aims to reach the lost for him. Karen Coleman shares some further reading about World/Global Christians on Randy Alcon’s website in this post.
Continuous Christian Living
“You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
and they exist because you created what you pleased.” – Revelation 4:11
While pondering this resolution and concept of Christian living, as well as world Christians, more, I kept thinking about Dirty Glory by Pete Greig. Through his narrative, Greig provides a worldwide tour of spiritual encounters, significant spiritual lessons and awe-inspiring, God-driven stories.
All the while, he strives to be in a continual relationship with God. We should challenge ourselves to do the same!
I also can’t help admiring this wonderful planet God has provided to us. Sure, he created us and it for his pleasure, but we get the joy of enjoying while learning and growing in our walks. As we grow in our experiences and spiritual maturity, we extend our wisdom, grow closer to God, and reach new souls for his kingdom.
Through our daily living in persistent pursuit of God’s will, our spiritual formation leads us to become more like Jesus. As Christians, in union with Christ and the Holy Spirit, we should strive to become more like the character of Christ and frequent communion with God.