The Ordinary Christian Life
There is a great problem. It is a problem with the idea of being ordinary. It has been noticed for sometime now that adjectives that emphasis greatness have found their way into the common lexicon, and when we hear them, we definitely turn our heads to see what has caused the latest discussion of the latest word.
It is tempting to see these adjectives and the words they qualify as something common and in frequent use by promoters of shows and events where their jobs require them to be as brash and loud as possible about the event they are about to host. This is to ensure that sufficient buzz circulates around the immediate vicinity or state and, where there is enough funding, across the nation about the impending show.
It can no longer be so. We can no longer see the idea of describing life and every event and situation that people are involved with grandiose adjectives as things limited to just institutions. It is now with us the people. The people no longer see anything that affects them or proceeds from them as things that should be described with “ordinary” words or to be seen as living the ordinary Christian life.
This idea of not living the ordinary Christian life seems to be a snipe at those who live the ordinary Christian life. We need to unpack that a bit. The ordinary Christian is one who obeys the word of God and serves as a slave to His Lord and not just as a slave but as a brother and friend as well.
He or she is the one who uses the ways God has given to us to walk with him. These ways are not hidden or shroud in mystery, they are means of grace.
We pray with the trust of a young child
We read the bible with trust of a young child
We are baptized in ordinary water used in the community for other purposes
We break bread and drink wine, simple ordinary food in obedience to our Lord.
When we share the goods of this world with one another, we do it through ordinary means.
When we gather together, we sing songs of worship and praise to our heavenly father with the help of our ordinary imperfect voices.
Care and love for one another as children of God is done through praying and support with our ordinary time and provision of our ordinary goods.
When we speak the gospel of truth, we speak to the ordinary people around us. We interact with them aware of the ordinary life they are living and using it as a pointer to our discussion of interest.
Ordinary does not mean mediocre, it does not mean lifeless, it does not mean devoid of value. It means habitual, routine, day-to-day.
It is by doing these things day by day and habitually and routinely that men who have gone before us cut their teeth and were able to live the lives we so endure.
The righteous life is one lived and expressed by doing the simple ordinary things correctly and faithfully.
Without the routine, habitual, ordinary things of Christ that has been given to us in the bible, we will not be living the life of the ordinary Christian. At that point, we can’t afford to pray that we refuse to live an ordinary Christian life. It is unbecoming.
The Reformation 500
October 31, 2017 by Jide Ajayi • Christian Living, Life, Thoughts • Tags: 95 Theses, Indulgence, Luther, Reformation •
This October 31 marks the 500th year Dr. Martin Luther knocked a document on the door of the church at Wittenberg in Germany. The document which had in it items for consideration in a debate was pasted (as was common among the academia in those days) for the faculty to read and see what was to be discussed. This document which is called the 95 theses detailed issues about the papacy in the matter of indulgences. The papal practice of indulgences was one which encouraged people to pay money to the coffers of the church to receive forgiveness for their sins rather than do penance. This request for debate was part of the result of the angst Luther had about his own sinfulness and what can take away that sin and sinfulness. The action by Luther followed the due process around the time but without his input or desire, the theses was all over Europe. The recently invented technology of the time, the printing press made all the difference. It enabled the quick and mass reproduction of the theses that everyone who could read knew what was happening and what was to be discussed. Though the debate never held, the document had caused something in the life of the people which eventually resulted in the Protestant Reformation.
The reformation did not start with Luther, it started with others before him. These folks were not looking for a split in the church, they were not looking to usurp the authority of the church leadership. Rather, they wanted things to change by going back to the teaching of the word of God and heralding the word of God as the sole authority over the church and the life of Christians.
These forebears of Luther in the desire to see the church go back to the word include men like John Wycliffe and John Huss.
The reformers wanted the focus to be on the work of God. They wanted the church to place the word of God on the pedestal which belongs to it. To emphasize this and ensure that the people remembered the purpose and the goal, the five solas slang was developed.
It emphasized that we are saved by grace alone (Sola gratis) through faith alone (Sola fide) in Christ alone (Solus Christus) to the glory of God alone (Soli Deo Gloria ) based on the scriptures alone (Sola Scriptura).
Today, the emphasis on the place of the scriptures is waning in a lot of Christian circles, some see the scriptures as a great book of ideas where one can pick anything and say what ever comes to mind. Others see it as a book where you hunt for blessings and claim them when you find them. Others think it is too much of a hassle to even bother about reading or preaching.
It means the intent of the reformation and what errors it wanted corrected and changes it sought to restore are still with us and the emphasis placed on the place of the word of God and salvation by grace through faith still needs to be preached as the word of God.
The law does not justify anyone (Gal 3:11) it is faith in Christ the one through whom we are saved and declared righteous before God.
The last five centuries shows how far we have come from the days of paying money for forgiveness of sin but in these days we still have issues which the reformation still speaks to.