Chapter 3. Naysayers and Half-and-Half Christians. Sadly, ever since the time of Constantine, Christians who have wanted to live the kingdom life have typically received most of their opposition from other church members, not from the world. In the first 300 years of Christianity, living the kingdom life was the norm. Not everyone lived it, but no Christian was viewed as odd by his fellow believers for living such a life. Living the kingdom life meant going against the flow of the world, but not of the church.
However, in the 4th century, the church made enormous compromises with the world. As a result, before long, living the kingdom life meant going against both the world and the church. Living the kingdom life posed a grave threat to the status quo of religious mediocrity that enveloped the church. Back in the 16th century, Francis de Sales warned those who wanted to live the kingdom life, "They will predict your premature old age and the ruin of your material prosperity.
They will tell you that in the world you must live as the world does, that you can be saved without all this fuss, and much more of the like nature." Today, other Christians will label you as being legalistic or fanatical. They'll claim that you're no Christian at all because you're practicing works righteousness. They will try in vain to elevate the worldly life above your kingdom life.
John Wesley made this observation, "This is liberty, true gospel liberty, not freedom from the law of God or the works of God, but from the law of sin and the works of the devil. See that you stand fast in this real, not imaginary, liberty wherewith Christ has made you free. Do not stupidly and senselessly call this legalism a silly, meaningless word. Do not be afraid of being under the law of God, but of being under the law of sin." Allow me to warn you of another silly, meaningless phrase.
Do not say, "I can do nothing." If so, then you know nothing of Christ. Then you have no faith. For if you have faith, if you believe, then you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you. You can love him and keep his commandments. And to you his commandments are not grievous. Grievous to them who believe? Far from it. They are the joy of your heart. Show then your love to Christ by keeping his commandments, by walking in all his ordinances. Trust in Christ to live and reign in your heart.
The Half-and-Half Christian. To live the kingdom life takes enormous faith. So most Christians go in only halfway. They give parts of their life to God and keep part for themselves. They obey some of Christ's commands but ignore others. They reject half of what the world offers but imbibe the rest. They are half-and-half Christians. The anonymous author of The Kneeling Christian notes, "The half-and-half Christian is of very little use to either God or man.
God cannot use him, and man has no use for him, but considers him a hypocrite." Wanting to enjoy the benefits of both God and the world, such Christians miss out on both. Half-and-half Christians can appreciate the fact that if we are totally absorbed in worldly pleasures, our lives will surely be empty. But they imagine that complete self-denial would make for a dull, miserable, melancholy existence. They realize that an excess of pride makes for a despondent life.
However, they imagine that if they fully empty themselves and live in total humility, this would be a wretched life as well. The half-and-half Christian imagines he's getting the best of both worlds, when in reality he's getting neither. A salvation unworthy of our God. One of the problems is that so many Christians think of salvation only in judicial terms, being admitted into heaven and escaping eternal punishment. Obviously, we all want judicial salvation. However, mere judicial salvation is unworthy of our God.
Jesus didn't come to earth merely to add Christian ordinances and theology to a non-surrendered life. Christ wants to do more for us than simply admit us into heaven. He doesn't want to save us in our sins. He wants to save us from our sins. He wants to rescue us from our fallen nature and enable us to be partakers of his nature. He doesn't want to do this after we get to heaven, but now. His commandments are given to help us become more like him and less like the world. That's what the kingdom life is all about.
If we find Christ's commandments burdensome now, we're going to find them burdensome in heaven. Now is when we must surrender to God, not after we die. A Life of Joy. 19th-century preacher Andrew Murray observed, "To many Christians, the thought of a life wholly abiding in Christ is one of strain and painful effort. They cannot see that the strain and effort only come as long as we do not yield ourselves unreservedly to the life of Christ in us." Living the kingdom life is not like undergoing a prison sentence.
In surrendering our lives to Jesus, we find true freedom and joy. It is only in the kingdom life that these words of Jesus find their ultimate fulfillment. "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.
A few years ago, the German luxury car maker, BMW, ran ads in various magazines that featured a picture of one of their beautiful sedans with a single word beneath it, "Gelassenheit." Knowing this word only in the spiritual sense, I couldn't fathom what possible connection there could be between Gelassenheit and a luxury sedan. However, after digging further, I finally discovered that BMW was using the word to mean serenity. Ah, now I could see the connection. For the world, serenity is a BMW.
For someone who loves God, serenity is the kingdom life. To be sure, the kingdom life comes with many sacrifices. "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God." Acts 14:22. But the non-surrendered life brings far more woes. So much of human suffering and misery is caused by sin. At the Last Supper, Jesus warned his disciples about the persecution they would receive. Yet he also told them that living their lives for him would bring great joy.
"These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. You now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." John 15:11 and John 16:22-24. Jesus specifically mentions joy four times in that combined passage. The kingdom life is not a life free of sacrifice, but it is truly a joyful life.
As strange as it seems, the more we deny ourselves, the easier Christ's yoke becomes. The only way to experience more of Christ's joy is to have more of him, not less of him. Carrying a heavy cross turns out to be a light burden. In fact, the answer to the great paradox is living the kingdom life. The more of our lives we surrender to God, the more we partake of the divine nature and live in accord with what God originally intended for mankind.
The more we live in harmony with his goodness, the more content and thankful we are, and the more joy we receive. Early Anabaptist writer, Leonhard Schiemer, noted, "Worldly living starts out joyfully and ends in eternal sorrow. But our kind of living begins in sorrow, then soon the Holy Spirit comes and anoints us with the oil of inexpressible joy." Of course, it's fine to describe the joys and rewards of the kingdom life. But what we really need to know is how to live it.
So let's start looking at some of the secrets to living the kingdom life.