WHOLE AND HOLY FAITH

 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

                What does it mean for us to be both holy and whole as a person? That is an important question if we want to experience the fullness of our new life in Christ. I have been challenged recently by two books that both point to the reality that we have tended to separate our spiritual life from our bodily life. For many of us, our faith is far more intellectual than it is physical. We have placed our emphasis on believing the right things. We give lip service to doing the right things, but that is seen as secondary to what we think.

                One of the things that has led to this dichotomy is our proper rejection of works righteousness; the idea that we somehow have to earn God’s love and grace. In our efforts to distance ourselves from this false idea, we have rejected works altogether. This has led to an almost exclusive intellectual faith that has very little effect on how we live our lives.

                The Apostle James challenged this approach in his powerful letter.

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
James 2:14-17 (NIV)

                James was very bold to denounce a faith that was purely intellectual. If a person’s faith does not shape the way they actually live their daily life, then that faith is meaningless.

                Whole and Holy living is more than being a good, moral person. There are many people in our world who are good and moral people and do not place their faith in Jesus. So there needs to be something different, something unique about how we are to live.

                At the heart of this concept is the question of why do we do what we do? What is our motivation for living in a certain way? As a follower of Christ, our motivation should be to glorify God in all that we do. Our actions are not an attempt to get God’s attention or to win His favor. Our actions should be a response to the love and grace that God has already showered upon us.

                Both of the books I referred to earlier make the point that our habits shape our lives far more than our thoughts. Our habits are those things we do without thinking. Some habits are good and some are bad. We know this intellectually, yet we still yield to our habits when the circumstances of life come our way.

                I was vividly reminded of this just yesterday. The power company has come through our property and cleared a path to allow them to have access to the powerlines. As a part of this process, they have cut down a large area of brush and several trees. They cut one of the trees down yesterday, which happens to be in a lightly wooded area behind our house. Instead of taking the branches away, they cut them into small pieces and left them in a pile. I found myself getting angry over this. In fact, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. Then it dawned on me that I am allowing a sinful response to dominate my life. I was reminded that my anger, even if unexpressed to others, is a destructive response. As James writes: My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20 (NIV)

                My point is that I have a habit of getting angry about things that don’t go the way I want them to go. I have to recognize that and work to change my response. It is not that my emotion of anger is wrong, it is what I do with that emotion that matters. Do I stew on it, fondle it, embellish it, or do I acknowledge it and give it over to Christ. As Paul says: "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26-27 (NIV)

                The way we change our sinful habits is by replacing them with godly habits. This does not happen automatically or even easily. We have spent a lifetime honing our current habits. It will take time and effort to create new ones. The classical way that Christians have accomplished this is through what is called spiritual disciplines. These are activities that are intentionally entered into on a regular basis that re-program our minds and our bodies to respond in godly ways to life’s challenges.

                To put it all together, it is not enough to just think the thoughts of Jesus, we need to also do the actions of Jesus. Our outward lives need to be a reflection of the inward reality of our heart. In fact, they will be, in one way or the other. To be whole and holy we need to form godly habits that point people to Jesus.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)