Discipleship Letters 91-92

Discipleship Letter 91                                                June 13^th, 2010

“Becoming a Christian is one thing; being a Christian is another” [John Stott, Basic Christianity (Downers Grove: IVP, 1971), p. 130.).

We become Christians through faith in Christ. We confess our sins. We believe in His death and resurrection. We declare Christ as our Savior and Lord. We have a right standing before God in Christ.

Being Christians is more complicated than becoming Christians. Becoming goes through an instant moment; being enters into a life-long journey. Becoming is entirely based on grace. Being is also grounded in grace, and yet human responsibility is in view.

John Stott said that the great responsibility of Christians is growth (p. 136). Christians’ great responsibility is not to evangelize, to tithe, to serve, to worship, to make disciples, etc…Rather, our great responsibility is to grow. When we grow, we will do all the things above. “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 Jn. 3:2). “We shall be like him.” This is every Christian’s mission before we carry out His commission (Matt. 28:19-20). In this sense, our mission always precedes His commission.

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Discipleship Letter 92                                                June 20^th, 2010

The seriousness of sin has at least three consequences for humanity [See John Stott, Basic Christianity (Downers Grove: IVP, 1971), pp. 71-80.].

The first consequence is alienation from God. Knowing God is every human being’s greatest purpose. Due to the presence of sin, God cannot be known, for human mindset is distorted and corrupted. Our relationship with the heavenly Father is no longer there. The sonship is gone; the fellowship is broken. “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear” (Isa. 59:2).

The second consequence is bondage to self. “We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Rom. 7:14-15). “Because sin is an inward corruption of human nature we are in bondage” (p. 76). God is dethroned; the Self is enthroned. The Self determines the whole course of life. Moral choices are made according to the Self. The Self is our internal golden calf.

The third consequence is conflict with others. “The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other” (Gal. 5:14-15). Sin reverses the order. Conflict is present; harmony is gone. 

“This exposure of our sin has only one purpose. It is to convince us of our need of Jesus Christ, and to prepare us for an understanding and an acceptance of what he offers” (p. 80).