CHRISTIAN LIVING

CHRISTIAN LIVING CHRISTIAN LIVING
Joe Malone

Without a genuine appropriation of the true meaning of the topic before us for study tonight into our own experience, personal evangelism becomes a sham, world evangelism becomes a mockery, doctrinal preaching becomes “as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal”, salvation by grace becomes an impossibility and brotherly love an outrage. The school which provides this lectureship recognizes the importance of the subject; on its letterhead and in its advertising, it stresses this statement: “A Senior College Emphasizing Christian Living.” No more important subject can challenge the attention of man than that which is ours on this occasion: “Christian Living.” Where Christian living is not, Christ is not, for Christian living is Christ in living. In Galatians 2:20 we read, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” That vital reading serves well as a text for this discourse. To have Christ in living, we must live in Christ. Paul declares in Galatians 3:27, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Let the heathen rage and let the people imagine vain things but, without baptism for the remission of sins which has been prompted by faith in Christ, no one can live the Christian life. Prior to that one is dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). Corrupted and defiled, the body, in such a state, is the instrument of unrighteousness and the lust of the flesh holds sway. In baptism, one dies to sin and the crucifixion of self thus manifested is thereafter to be reflected throughout life.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Now, my friends, may I ask if the death to sin referred to in the passage cited is automatic, absolute and impossible of frustration? If so, then we are nothing more than automatons. Just so many robots in which case Christian living would pose no problem and this discourse would have no purpose. But such is not the case! Quite some time after Paul was baptized into Christ, he made the statement that he must “buffet his body and bring it into subjection—lest he be a castaway.” So must we! And we find him posing this question, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Thus we are caused to know that God clothes man in the dignity of his own volition, not only in regard to man’s submission to baptism but also to the course which man follows thereafter. So, although one becomes dead to the old life in baptism, that one does not live in a bare, pure asceticism thereafter. Though our “old man” is conceived of as crucified with Christ—theoretically and potentially that is our position—yet our actual lives may be at variance with it; for we are still in our present “mortal body” with its lustful propensities remaining, and sin is yet a power, not destroyed, which could yet, if we let it, have domination over us. Hence, it remains true that to “walk in newness of life” after baptism, and thereby maintain the Christian life, demands a conscious, diligent, persevering effort on our part. Since only those of responsible mind are subject to New Testament baptism, all who submit thereto are not only capable of faith but of repentance and moral regeneration; it is to be concluded that they not only understood the significance of baptism but have been altogether sincere in seeking it. Therefore, such are ready to present their bodies a living sacrifice, recognizing that their body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is within them, which they have of God, and they are not their own. They realize that they have been purchased at a price, and therefore they glorify God in their bodies and in their spirits, which are God’s. This is the Spirit of Christ. This is a basic consideration in Christian living. This is appropriating the motivating force of the Son of God who, in contemplating his own crucifixion, said, “. . . Not as I will, but as thou wilt” as he addressed our heavenly Father in prayer. Yes, indeed, my friends, this is the Spirit of Christ. And if we have not the Spirit of Christ, we are none of his! (Romans 8:9). On the other hand, if we are truly moved in life by the altogether unselfish spirit of our Master, then we can truly say, “It is not I that liveth, but Christ liveth in me”. He thus becomes the center of our life; from which center he rules the whole life, filling us with his light, and strength, and peace, and joy, so that it is truly Christ living in us.

Thus, in our life as in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the earth, the will of God is assured of being done. How wonderful was the life of Christ as he submitted unreservedly to the Father’s will! How wonderful can be our lives when we surrender all to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! As it is, God is doing the best that he can with us. Do I limit the power of God when I make that statement? God forbid! Rather I simply point out what is, so often, man’s tragic failure to appropriate the power of God. Let me illustrate. In Php_2:12-13, Paul declares, “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Take note: Paul said for you to work out your salvation for it is Cod who works in you.

Now, if you will work out, God will work in. But if you don’t work out, then what? In answer to that question, how well do I recall an illustration used by the late and beloved Brother H. Leo Boles in his last gospel meeting in Dallas. In explaining the meaning of Php_2:12-13, he stated that, as a boy, he was one in a family of thirteen children, and bringing water to the house from the well was quite a problem in a family that large, especially on Saturday night. So he and his older brother suggested to their father that they d’g a well nearer the house. Their father consented. In fact, he suggested that, when the crops were layed by in the fall, they dig the well near enough to the house to run the roof out over it, and thus have water in the house—a thing unheard of in that part of Tennessee in those days. So, when the crops had been layed by that fall, the boys started digging the well. After they reached a certain depth, the boys rigged up a windlass and attached a bucket to the end of the rope. Then one of them got down into the well, and he would dig the earth and shovel it into the bucket. The other boy, outside the well, had the job of winding the bucket to the surface and emptying the dirt into a wheelbarrow, and then, when the wheelbarrow was full, he was to take it off and empty, and come back and repeat the procedure. Now, on the basis of that story, Brother Boles made this point: as long as the boy outside continued to work, the boy inside could work; but if, while taking a wheelbarrow full of earth to empty, he wandered off into the orchard to eat an apple, the boy inside the well would be forced to stop his work. So, please remember, if you will give yourself wholly to living the Christian life—thus working out your salvation with fear and trembling, God assures you that He will work in you. Being moved by the spirit of Christ, the Christian disciplines himself in thought, and word and deed.

Christian living, or Christ in living, does not depend upon outward circumstances, such as the color of a man’s skin, the place where he lives, or the nature of his occupation. A man may not be a rich man, a handsome man, a powerful man or an eloquent man, but he can be “a new man” in Christ Jesus. The obstacles to Christian living are not, essentially, to be sought without, but rather within man. They are found in his will, his attitude, his mind. Some men resolutely oppose the will of the Lord; others are unsympathetic toward it; others profess a sympathy for the Christian life but their passion for the world dissipates any real interest. Take a savage from his native setting, clothe him in civilized attire, place him in a mansion, surround him with books and music and paintings and flowers—does he thereby cease to be a savage? Not until his mind is changed! “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Men are not always what they think they are, but they are always what they think. The mind is the generator, so to speak, of whatever characterizes us in word and deed. The mind is that blessed faculty by which Almighty God has so sharply distinguished man from all lesser creatures of earth. You, alone, of all God’s creation can hear such a discourse as this, and weigh it, and reach a conviction concerning it. A few years ago, I read an article purporting to set forth, among God’s lesser creatures, those that are the most intelligent—if that be a proper term with which to describe them. It stated that in the animal kingdom those most keenly developed are the horse, the dog, the cat, the elephant, the bear, the orangoutan (a species of ape) and the sea lion. Isn’t it utterly absurd to think of them assembled in a setting like this? Yet, though God has blessed us with that remarkable faculty known as the mind and has so well suited heaven’s message—the gospel of Christ—to the capability of the mind that we might thereby live through faith in Christ (for faith comes by hearing the word of God), there are those who turn to the obscene, the lewd and the vulgar in their thinking and thus make a cesspool of their minds. As they think, they are! Jesus said, “. . . Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” If one lives the Christian life, one must discipline his thoughts. Paul gives positive instruction in that matter. Listen to him: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Php_4:8).

Beautiful thoughts make beautiful lives,
For every word and deed
Lies in the thought that prompted it,
As the flower lies in the seed.
Back of each action lay the thought
We nourished until it grew
Into a word or into a deed
That marked our lifework through.
Gracious words and kindly ways,
Deeds that are high and true;
Slanderous words and hasty words
And deeds we bitterly rue.
The garden of life, it beareth well;
It will repay our care,
But the blossoms must and ever be
Like the seeds we're planting there.
“Keep thine heart," the Life Guide saith,
“With daily diligent care,
For out of it are the issues of life,
Be they foul or be they fair."
On things that are pure and of good report
Our hearts must daily dwell
If we would see life’s garden full
Of blossoms that please us well.
For beautiful thoughts make beautiful lives
And every word and deed
Lies in the thought that prompted it,
As the flower lies in the Seed. To live the Christian life, one must bridle his tongue. James declares, “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain” (James 1:26). The tongue is the bucket that brings to the surface the water in the well of the mind. That water pours forth pure and clear and refreshing, or it comes out murky and stagnant and polluted. When you hear someone telling a blackish story or joke, just bear in mind that he is thereby exhibiting his heart which is of the same complexion. James tells us that, when you find the wisdom of people to he earthly, sensual, and devilish, you may know that tney have hearts of bitter envying and strife (James 3:14-15). A man, upon hearing a boy swear, asked, “What does Satan pay you for swearing?” “Nothing”, the boy answered. “Well”, said the man, “you work cheaply. To forfeit the character of a gentleman, to give so much pain to your friends and all civil folk, to wound your conscience and risk your soul, and all for nothing. You certainly do work cheaply—very cheaply indeed.” By examining the tongue, a doctor finds out the diseases of the body; and by examining the tongue, one conversant with the Holy Scriptures and respectful of the same finds out the diseases of the mind.

James, in instructing us concerning the tongue, has said, “The tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it de- fileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (James 3:5-10).

Someone, in reflecting upon that reading, might be prone to say, “Well, the Bible teaches that the tongue is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, and which no man can tame. Therefore, I can’t be held responsible should I go through life slaying people with my tongue and defiling their hearts with my stories.” The fact that the tongue is characteristically unruly does not give man license to use it abusively. Jesus has said, “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:35-37). Thus we can appreciate why our Lord further said, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man" (Matthew 15:11). Furthermore, we would do well to bear in mind that a thing might be unruly and yet controlled. The black panther is said to be the most difficult of all wild beasts to train. If, while going through his paces, he shows an ugly temper or becomes unruly, he can be forced back into his cage; there, though yet untamed, he is controlled. Just so, by the providence of God, the tongue has been placed in a box, so to speak, with but one door; when it threatens to misbehave, just close the door! James plainly shows that the unruly tongue can be restrained when he states, “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body” (James 3:2). And since the man who offends not in word is able to control his whole body, does it not follow that the acid test in living the Christian life is found in whether or not we have control of our speech? Talebearers, slanderers, backbiters, smutty story-tellers, sowers of discord and such like are guilty of the gravest intemperance!

Solomon said, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). Please focus your mind’s eye as clearly as possible on that picture: “. . . apples of gold in pictures of silver.” A word fitly spoken is like that. Christian living is distinguished by words fitly spoken. A Christian, when reviled, reviles not again. In the realm of truth, he speaks without compromise. In the realm of opinion, he speaks with charity. The doer of good, he commends; the lukewarm, he admonishes; the wicked, he rebukes. He blesses them who curse him and prays for them who persecute him. He praises God continually with his lips. All of this he does in love, and consequently, his speech adorns the gospel of Christ. Christian living gives him a zest for life and he sees good days because he refrains his tongue from evil, and his lips speak no guile.

Christian living not only disciplines our minds and speech, but it regulates our deeds. Jesus said, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). In our text of the evening, Paul said, “. . . The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God”. Hence, Paul understood with Jeremiah of old that “the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Those who live in Christ today understand that also. Their activity is directed by the gospel of Christ, whose author in three short years revolutionized the religious thinking of the world, set things in order for the official proclamation of incomparably the greatest mes-sage ever given to man, and, by the admission of his avowed enemies, he has left the greatest influence upon the earth of anyone who ever trod this mundane globe. And, consequently, anyone who follows him will have to be active. Paul, who declared that he lived by faith in Christ, said in the same book that it is a faith that works (Galatians 5:6). If you would know the true meaning and real satisfaction of Christian living, then “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed” (James 1:22-25).

Frankly, I think I know of no lesson that needs to be driven home with greater force to members of the church of Christ than the present aspect of tonight’s study. Despite the fact that we are making greater strides in preaching the gospel in this nation and abroad today than ever before and although we can say with joy and enthusiasm, “The church of Christ is on the march!” yet there are countless numbers among us who, even yet, are sitting on the stool of do-nothing and whittling on the stick of do-less! Because of that, let me quote further from James, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; not- withstandng ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:14-26). We very eagerly use that reading to show the folly of the faith-only religionist, and yet we would do well to bear in mind that such is written to those in the church, who propose to believe that it is the only faith which works which is acceptable to Almighty God!

Christian living is characterized by a continuing study of God’s word in deepest reverence and respect. Christians, in doing this, learn of the nature and extent of their responsibility. They have a keen awareness that their body is the earthy tabernacle of their immortal soul and that God requires that it be kept free from harmful practices and influences; therefore, those who live in Christ deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. They maintain the sacredness of the marriage relationship, and the sanctity of the home. They bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Christians realize that men be-come like unto the object of their worship. They love God, and they worship him regularly, not forsaking the assembly as the manner of some is. As a consequence, they grow more and more in godliness. Realizing the greatness of God and their utter dependence upon him, those who live in Christ pray unto the Father in faith with perseverance. Being attuned to the design and pleasure of their Creator, they seek to relieve the unfortunate of earth: the widows and the orphans; the happy folk who possess Christ in their living understand that the hungry body must be fed and the pain-racked body relieved, and thus the overwhelming obsession of the moment dispelled, if the spirit of man, in calm deliberation, is to weigh eternal values.

Further, Christian living is dedicated to the purpose of seeking to save the lost. Christ came for that purpose, and those who follow him enthusiastically embrace it. Friends and brethren, when you look at a person, what do you see? Merely an earthy body as transient as a vapor? Do you see only that which contains enough phosphorous to make about 800,000 matches, and enough carbon to make about 96,000 pencils, and enough sugar to make about sixty big lumps, and enough iron to make a spike strong enough to hold that body? Is that what you see? That earthy form, which chemically is worth about $2.57—is that what you see? Those engaged in Christian living look beyond that. They see within that frail earthy house a precious, never-dying soul; they see an intelligence made for eternity. Those who live in Christ “look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). As Christians view that soul, they are mindful of two eternal habitations: one a place of outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, where the variously impure, the rebellious, and the lukewarm members of the Lord’s church shall forever abide; and the other that beautiful city of God which stands foursquare, heaven itself, with walls of jasper and streets of gold like unto transparent glass, where there will be no sun nor moon for God and Christ are its light, where God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away, and there shall all the obedient and the pure in heart of all ages abide throughout the vast eternity of fadeless day. . . . Further, as Christians look upon that soul, they know that the gospel of Christ, God’s power to save, is wondrously suited to the intelligence of that immortal being. Those living 'in Christ further know that God has set them as watchmen. If they warn the soul in sin and such die in their iniquity, the watchmen have delivered their souls; but if they warn not the souls in sin and such die in their iniquity, their blood shall be required at the hands of the watchmen. Yes, indeed, all who are engaged in Christian living are fully persuaded that they are their brother’s keeper!

Lord, help me live from day to day In such a self-forgetful way That even when I kneel to pray, My prayer shall be for others.

Help me in all the work I do
To ever be sincere and true,
And know that all I do for you
Must needs be done for others.
Let self be crucified and slain
And buried deep, and all in vain
Its efforts be, to rise again,
Unless to live forth others.
And when my work on earth is done,
And my new work in heav’n begun,
May I forget the crown I've won,
While thinking still of others.
For others, Lord, for others—
Let this my motto be,
Help me to live for others,
That I may live like thee. In the text of the evening, Paul declares that Christ “loved me, and gave himself for me/' Friend, Christ also loves you, and he has given himself for you. Have you responded to his love? Have you appropriated his gift? Are you pursuing that wondrously happy course known as Christian living—that is, Christ in living? Can you sing this with all sincerity?
Buried with Christ, my blessed Redeemer,
Dead to the old life of folly and sin;
Satan may call, the world may entreat me,
There is no voice that answers within.
Dead unto sin, alive through the Spirit,
Risen with him from the gloom of the grave,
All things are new, and I am rejoicing
In his great love, his power to save.
Sin hath no more its cruel dominion,
Walking “in newness of life”, I am free—
Glorious life of Christ, my Redeemer,
Which he so richly shareth with me.
Dead to the world, to voices that call me,
Living anew, obedient but free;
Dead to the joys that once did enthrall me—
Yet ’tis not I, Christ liveth in me.