Belief and Behavior

Rector's Rambling: July 2009
I’ve been reading John and Paul over the last few weeks, and have noticed an entirely predictable pattern. Both of them consider belief and behavior to be very important. What we believe, especially what we believe about Jesus, defines whether or not we are Christians. How we behave is the proof of what we believe.
The Christian believes that Jesus is the only begotten Son of the living God, who lived among us, died for our sins, and was resurrected on Easter to prove forever that God’s power and love are greater than sin and death. Since his glorious ascension into heaven, he is seated in heavenly session, interceding for us and awaiting that day when he shall return to meet us as his own and to vindicate the claims of God forever and ever. There may be some wiggle room about how we interpret and apply these doctrines of the Christ, but they are mandatory components of the faith of the people called Christians. To believe otherwise and yet call oneself “Christian” is somewhat akin to calling a dog a horse, or a chicken a boy. They may have the same number of legs, and may resemble each other in several important ways, but they remain nevertheless separate species. Definitions do matter, and we as individuals are only kidding ourselves if we reject commonly agreed upon definitions in favor of our own wants and desires. To do so is to install ourselves as the arbiters of truth, and such an installation is fraught with dangerous results, including arrogance and exaltation of ourselves to the place of God.
Behavior, the second teaching of the Apostles, has an equally important role in the life of the Christian. Both John and Paul preach that if God has truly transformed our lives, if he has truly brought us from death to life, it should show in the way we interact with each other. While none of us are perfect in this world, we should be drawing closer to the ethical example of Jesus every day. Right belief which is true must inevitably lead to right behavior in ever increasing amounts. Our attitudes should be characterized by love for each other, by humility, by a sincere appreciation of our strengths and our weaknesses, by a willingness to prefer others before ourselves, by a desire to serve God by serving others, and by genuine joy. Such attitudes mean that I will respect the property and opinions of others, even when I believe they are wrong. They necessarily instill in me a strong work ethic and a desire to provide for my own needs and contribute to the relief of suffering in the lives of others. They certainly lead me to exercise restraint and self-control over all of my passions, whether they impact my finances, my relationships, my sexuality, or any other appetite that I may have.
To believe aright and to live in accordance with God’s will are twin indicators of how deep our Christianity really goes. During these dog days of summer, I hope we all might find some time to honestly evaluate how we are doing with our faith, that we might offer ourselves more perfectly to the Father, and become more like Jesus, in the power of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.

Bill+