The Whole Gospel for the Whole of Life

Christian faith is not just for Sundays, to be dusted off once a week! If we think it has nothing to contribute to the nitty-gritty affairs of life, or the needs of an ordinary everyday world, that is because we have not grasped the radical life-changing nature of Christian faith.

We are called to a down-to-earth faith which seeks the radical transformation of the world around us. We are to be transforming the world, not transformed by the world.

These verses urge us not to be conformed to the world, but through having our mind renewed to be transformed instead.

1. What does it mean to have our mind renewed?
   
   
2. How does this lead to being transformed?
   
   
3. What should we be transformed into?
   
   

Here we read some more about having our minds renewed. It speaks about the attitude of the mind being made new, and spells out in terms of everyday life what that means.

The Ephesians were to put off the old self, corrupted with evil desires, in order to be made new in the attitude of the mind, so as to be able to put on the new self: one of righteousness and holiness, that is, like God.

1. How does this affect our thinking and study?
   
   
2. Is the transformation of our thinking only with regard to morality?
   
   

Christian faith provides us with a vision and goal for the whole of life. Often our perspective is narrowed down to the activities of the church and personal piety. Valid though these are, if that is all Christianity means for us, then we have missed seeing its true meaning.

The Christian faith guides and directs us to engage in obedient service before the Lord in every area of life. There are no part-time Christians! No area of life can be cut off from God except as a delusion under the influence of sin.

Serving the Lord in every area of life means that education, art, music, economic activity, social life, politics and media, both work and play - everything we do is to be radically transformed by Christ.

1. Every person is serving god(s) in his or her life.
   
   
2. Every person is transformed into an image of his or her god.
   
   
3. Humankind forms a structure of society in its own image.
   
   

1. 1 Kings 14:22-24
   
   
2. 1 Kings 15:11-15
   
   
3. Psalm 115:2-8
   
   
4. Romans 1:22-25
   
   
5. Romans 1:28-29
   
   
6. Romans 12:2
   
   
7. 2 Corinthians 5:15
   
   
8. Ephesians 4:20-24
   
   
9. Philippians 3:17-21
   

The Scriptures do not give us a collection of ethical commands or theological doctrines, but the perspective which is to shape how we are to live as God's obedient and faithful stewards.

If the Scriptures were simply a collection of ethical commands, these would be limited by the culture in which they were given. For instance, what would Moses have made of In Vitro Fertilisation? Is this an important issue for Christians? If so, what help can the Scriptures be if they never mention it?

The Scriptures present us with a transforming vision of the relationship between God and human beings as his creation, and how that relationship has been distorted through sin. As a consequence the relationship between human beings and other creatures is also distorted. From Scripture we learn how we should view ourselves, the world around us, God, and the relationships between all these things.

The Scriptures give us the only true and faithful presentation of how we should view the world and every aspect of our lives, that is, a distinctively Christian "world and life view" or more commonly, simply "worldview."

1. What does Paul mean when he says that the Scriptures are able to make us "wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus"?
   
   
2. What is "salvation" in this context?
   
   
3. What are the "good works" that the Scriptures are given to equip us for? Compare this passage with Ephesians 2:10.
   
   
4. If we limit the teaching of Scripture to doctrinal and moral issues, where do we find the direction we need for other areas of life? What authority can such alternatives have in comparison with Scripture?
   
   

Why have we been put on this earth? Some Christians see concern for the environment as a "worldly" issue, and that we should not make ourselves at home here. After all, our true home is in heaven, isn't it?

God created the earth as a home for an abundance of living things, including human beings. God made the earth to be our home, and we are called by God, as the head of the creation, to care for and develop the earth, the home in which we live, which God has entrusted to us. We are not placed here to serve our own interests, or as a preparation for heaven, but as the stewards of God, called to care for and develop the earth that he has created for himself.

It is not our possession. So while we are called to develop the earth, mining its minerals, cutting down its trees, building roads and cities and factories, we are to care for the earth and treat it with respect. It is entrusted not simply to our generation but to all humankind, for as many generations as we live upon the earth until the return of Christ, whenever that may be.

So if we pollute and contaminate and exploit the earth, we will come under judgement from God for violating his world and violating the trust he placed in us. The earth is not ours to do with as we like. It belongs to God, and we must treat it with care, preserving its many creatures and enabling them to live in the earth that God has given them for their home. We must also enable human beings to live with freedom and dignity and thus be able to carry out their part in the task of nurturing and exploring the earth. The whole realm of creation is his concern, and by destroying God's creation we are showing contempt for the Creator, and denying the Lordship of Christ.

1. How are we to carry out our tasks as God's stewards as expressed in these passages?
   
   
2. Does it mean we have to be "greenies" or is there more to it than that? Does it mean something other than that?
   
   
3. How can we today care for this earth and its creatures and develop its riches in the service of God?
   
   
4. Why does the New Testament not seem to give the same attention to "environmental" issues?
   
   

It is a false spirituality which seeks to be released from the earth to be in heaven instead. Being at home on this earth in which we live is not incompatible with Christian faith. This world is God's world, and God has placed us here to care for it and love it. It is not wrong to love what God loves! Any desire to avoid caring for the earth is a desertion from the post God has appointed for us.

Nothing in God's world can lead us away from God, or interfere with our relationship with God, unless we treat it as an idol - as a god in itself which gives meaning and purpose to life. All creatures are servants of God and have meaning and purpose only because God gives it to them. They cannot serve as the source of meaning themselves.

In Scripture idols are false gods that are no gods at all, a sign of the rejection of the living God, and his replacement with a substitute god of our own devising. An idol is not simply something we are too involved with, into which we put a lot of time or energy. What makes something an idol is its substitution for the living God. To elevate one of God's creatures to the source of meaning, purpose and direction in our lives is what it means to worship an idol.

1. What can we learn from this passage about the dynamics of paganism?
   
   
2. What is going on in pagan religion? Why do people worship idols?
   
   

The Scriptures ridicule those who worship idols, because of the powerlessness of the idol, and because of the folly of worshipping a perishable creature. These idols can't even hold themselves up: they have to be nailed into position so they don't fall over [Isaiah 41:7].

1. How do passages such as these unmask the power of idolatry in our lives?
   
   
2. In what way(s) can idolatry be a delusion?
   
   

Instead of Christians being at home on the earth, many of them wish to have as little to do with it as possible. They mistakenly see earthly activities as "unspiritual."

But we cannot avoid being involved in such activities as eating, building houses, making clothes, organising banking systems, and so on. Do we then simply do these as "necessary evils" and regard them as distractions from the real purpose in life? Are they essentially meaningless and a waste of time?

If not, how should we be carrying out such activities? Is our Christian faith at all related to such things, or are we free to act as we like when doing "unspiritual" activities? What does this imply for the Lordship of Christ in our lives? Whose rules do we follow in such cases?

1. Why are the Israelites told to discuss the laws of God with everyone and everywhere they go?
   
   
2. Why should they write them on the gates and door-frames of their houses? Was this simply a superstitious attempt to get God to protect their houses? Was it a pious sentiment?
   
   
3. God promised to give them houses, fields, vineyards and olive groves so that they would have enough to eat and be satisfied.
   
   
4. Would God promise such unspiritual blessings if these were a distraction to a truly spiritual life?
   
   
5. What does it mean today to remember the Lord in these situations?
   
   

God placed us on this earth to care for it, and to explore and develop it. But he also gave us this earth to enjoy and delight in. Why should this not be the case - after all, God himself delights over the world he has made.

The book of Proverbs speaks of Wisdom participating in the creation with God. This Wisdom is another way of speaking about Christ, through whom all things were made. He is himself the Wisdom of God [1 Corinthians 1:24]. This Wisdom says in Proverbs 8:30-31,

Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world, and delighting in mankind.

This Psalm speaks of the place of humankind in God’s creation, and the task which God has given us.

1. What does this Psalm teach us about our relationship with the rest of God’s creatures?
   
   
2. Why is God’s name majestic in all the earth? What is the connection between this phrase in the first and last verses and what comes in between?
   
   

This Psalm speaks of the way God cares for the earth he has made.

1. Why should the provision of food for wild animals and humankind, and God’s sovereignty over the weather, be important in a psalm of praise? Should we not rather praise God for more spiritual blessings?
   
   
2. Why would the Old Testament Israelites find such a theme more natural than many Christians?
   
   
3. Why does knowledge of God’s laws make a difference in this area?