Image bearers 2 - Biblical lifestyle

Website designed by

Australian sites

Bully's Blog

Christian Family Study Centre

CultureWatch

Issacharian

Pilgrim Hill - News & Notes

Latest News

SNOW OFF THE BEN

The Australian Federation for the Family

The Drew Patch

International sites

American Vision

Biblical Horizons

Blog and Mablog

Chalcedon Podcast

Corrigenda Denuo

Doug's Blog

Family Reformation

Home Education Foundation

Kata Iwannhn

Peter J. Leithart

timgallant.org

Image bearers 2 - Biblical lifestyle

Written by Mr. Trev McCallum
Tuesday, 12 January 2010

Views

279

Favoured

1850_hungarian_-_jozsef_molnar_-_abrahams_journey_from_ur_to_canaan.jpg

My wife and I have been blessed with four children. Through the expansion of our family the once blurry Spiritual battle lines are becoming clearer. As our children grow up the point of the “great war’s” engagement is slowly coming more into focus. It seems like the more we seek to apply all of Scripture to our family life, the greater the opposition. I suppose this is to be expected. It is surprising however to discover where the conflict originates. But as our little ones grow we begin to see things “through new eyes.” Once peripheral concerns have become more central. Through all of this the central role of families in the Scriptures has come to the forefront of our thinking. Don’t get me wrong, we are battling through reshaping our lives as we seek to raise godly offspring. This is most difficult. Old habits die hard. Humanistic thought is like a well developed dandelion. The flower may seem pretty to an untrained mind, but it is a weed with a far reaching root. It often takes many attempts to pull the whole thing out. Likewise, worldviews are imbedded in our consciences. They run deep. Our thoughts, actions and words are shaped by how we view the world. I suppose changing worldview is like an insect shedding its skin! New life comes through a death and resurrection experience/pattern; and it hurts! Family life should be an integral part of our world and life view. Nations rise and fall upon the strength or otherwise of the family unit. When families seek to apply all of Scripture to all of life churches are strengthened, which in turn develops strong communities and nations. It has been aptly said that; “[n]o church, community, or nation will rise higher than the spiritual condition of its families.”^[1] Note the causal effect between family, church and state. Modern Christendom has forgotten this effect. We only dimly recognise that the “family is…central to the Biblical way of life.”^[2] But it is so much so that four of the ten commandments deal with the family, three of them directly ( Exodus 20:12,14,15,17). Biblical family structure and functionality rests upon the sovereignty and centrality of God. Christianity’s antithesis chides this. “The humanistic doctrine of the family is man-centered and society-centered.”^[3] All anti-Christian worldviews hate Biblically minded families. Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood) informs that; “[t]he most merciful thing a large family can do to one of its infant members is to kill it.”^[4] Linda Gordon is also blunt; “[t]he nuclear family must be destroyed, and people must find better ways of living together.”^[5] Family structure has been the battle line for decades now. Humanists have always known that if they break up the Biblical family, society is theirs. The opposition comprehends the power of God-centered families. Simple, faithful obedience to Christ’s Word strikes fear into the hearts of our enemies. They realise the potential of God-centered families. As in the past, strong families can change the world. We must understand that our opposition presents a family and world view of death. Ideas have consequences. Humanism leads to anarchy and cultural death. Simone de Beauvoir declares; “[n]o woman should be authorized to stay at home to raise her children. Society should be totally different. Women should not have that choice, precisely because if there is such a choice, too many women will make that one.”^[6] The world knows the simple fact that strong, Biblical families forge powerful cultures. Biblically faithful lifestyles develop thriving, blessed cultures of life and abundance in the long term. This is not achieved through power and might; rather by death to self and suffering. Life and blessing flow from death to self and being resurrected by God. All people bear the image of God ( Genesis 1:26); which is born either in obedience or disobedience. All people know the God of the Bible ( Romans 1:19-20); either in mercy (e.g. Lot in Genesis 19:16) or judgment (e.g. Egyptians/Pharaoh in Exodus 14:18).

This series of articles (click here for the first) seek to ignite discussion on what the image is that we are to reflect. As creatures fashioned by our Creator we are image bearers. Members of the body of Christ reflect this image to varying degrees of clarity. And as families we either reflect the image of Christ and the church well or poorly. Either we allow Scriptures to shape our theology and practice or the popular culture of our day. Lives are shaped by the Bible or autonomous man. God or self/man is crowned king over your life. There is no neutrality, no other option is available. You either glorify God by obedience to His ethical standards or man through neglecting your responsibilities. This brings the legalism question to the forefront. I hear the statement all of the time; “but that is just an Old Testament text; therefore what I am doing is perfectly ok.” Consider what is wrong with this type of thinking: 1. man is decreeing right from wrong (conforming to sinful Israel in Judges 17:6); 2. man is assuming Christians are to neglect two thirds of the Bible (contra Matthew 4:4, Romans 3:31, 1 Timothy 1:8etc); 3. Jesus explicitly teaches that the Old Testament is relevant in the New Testament ( Matthew 5:17-19, John 14:15, etc); 4. the false assertion of ethical neutrality – a view that asserts actions (etc) can be spiritually neutral (contra 1 Corinthians 10:31). Christianity is not about a list of laws or rules which follow unto salvation. The core of the Gospel is salvation by God’s grace alone, through faith alone. Biblical Christianity follows a death then resurrection pattern. Life flows from death ( John 12:24). Our first resurrection is spiritual. The Holy Ghost resurrects us from the dead ( Ephesians 2:1, Colossians 21:13). Through the work of the Holy Ghost (i.e. God’s grace) we are brought to repentance and faith and are thus brought into the kingdom of God. Every sovereign decrees an ethical mandate. No kingdom survives in anarchy. Once we are resurrected into the body of Christ we are free to live unto and serve God. In other words; our rebirth and subsequent faith are accompanied by works that are good in God’s sight ( Ephesians 2:10). The God of Christianity is still an all “consuming fire" ( Hebrews 12:29), He does not change ( Hebrews 13:8). The Lord of the New Covenant demands His decrees shape our faith and lifestyle ( Luke 6:46-49, John 14:15).

Careful Biblical consideration is needed. We are not seeking to simply be conservative in lifestyle and doctrine. This has failed western Christendom. Our Christian heritage is undergoing God’s covenantal judgment for accepting these “conservative values.” Western, Christian, nations are being refined. God is burning up the remaining chaff of historical Roman-Greco philosophy and lifestyle in our cultures. “Bible eyes” are necessary, not mere conservative mindsets. Christianity is a faith that is joyful and triumphant; even in death and suffering. RC Sproul highlights that; “[t]he practice of godliness is a practice that is to be informed by Scripture and tempered by the work of the Holy Spirit within us.”^[7] Our theology impacts how we live and our lifestyle impacts our theology. It is heartbreaking to look into and observe many of the lifestyles of those within the Australian church. Many younger and older persons’ way of life seems to be in antithesis to their profession of faith. In general Christian dress, language, attitudes, ethical standards, relationships, family structures and many other things seem to reflect societal norms not the image Scripture paints. Some difficult questions need to be raised and discussed. These articles seek to bring the discussion to the table. Why do many Australian Christians talk and behave like those of the world? Often we cannot visibly discern between the children of God and those who hate Him, why? For what reason do so many modern Australian evangelicals (conservative through charismatic) look, act and speak like the children of the prince of this world? The answers are very complex and interwoven. The easy way out to these questions is to point to an individual stitch behind the tapestry. Creation/evolution, eschatology, Sunday school in worship services and many other issue are parts of the whole. These questions need careful consideration of the beautiful tapestry of an entire Biblical world and life view. At core we need to discuss who we are and what our responsibilities are in the kingdom of God. I will commence with a look at the family, central them of the Bible.

God works in history by covenant (see my article “ethical monsters” for a brief overview of the covenant). He has established an order for all of life. This order is ethical and can be found in the pages of the Old and New Testaments (Covenants). As God’s people we are to turn to these Scriptures to see how we ought to live. To look elsewhere is to build our “house on the sand” ( Matthew 7:26). Every detail of our lives, how we live, should be molded by the Word of God ( 1 Corinthians 10:31). Why? We have been bought for a price ( 1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23). Our minds are transformed by the Holy Ghost ( Romans 12:2) and we are now kings and priests to our God ( 1 Peter 2:5-10, Revelation 1:6, 5:10). Jesus entered and opened the way to the Holy of Holies; and so we now serve as royal slaves of God ( Romans 6:14-22). Royal slaves are expected to abide by the commands of the King ( Luke 6:45-47, John 14:15). In reading the Scriptures you cannot escape the covenantal, familial emphasis. Within this structure God uses families to move His kingdom onwards and upwards. So much so that Biblical revival is brought about via the means of families ( Luke 1:17, cf. Malachi 4:4-6). God covenanted Himself to bless and work through; Noah and his sons ( Genesis 9:1), Abraham and his seed ( Acts 3:25, Genesis 17), Moses and the households of

Israel

( Deuteronomy 6:4-9), David and his descendants ( 2 Samuel 7). The Lord perpetually remembers His covenants ( Exodus 2:24). He deals graciously with His people because of His promises ( 2 Kings 13:23). The covenantal climax is seen in the New Covenant, between Jesus and His Church. In this covenant we see a continuation of familial emphasis. God continues to work via families ( Acts 2:38-39), who become heirs of Abraham via adoption in his seed ( Romans 9:6-13). Jesus is the archetype of whom Isaac was the shadow. Abraham faithfully believed that God would resurrect Isaac on the mountain ( Genesis 22:5). Likewise, the Father sacrificed the Son, knowing that Jesus would lay down and take back up His life. Thus the family model is central to God’s salvific plan of redemption and dominion. Our church growth and discipleship mentality must be grounded in a Biblical familial paradigm. We should not be seeking to break up the family; through children’s church, Sunday schools and exclusive youth groups. Rather we ought to involve the entire family, as a unit, in the life of the church.

I will seek to build upon this over the coming weeks/months and will try to look at the “dangerous” lifestyle areas of clothing, piercings, tattoos etc along the way. These are tough issues that generally invoke a diverse emotive response. What I am interested in is seeking to understand Biblical culture from the imagery we obtain in the Scriptures. What does a Biblical culture look like? There are clearly cultural out workings that are sinful; and we are to hate these things ( Proverbs 8:13). Generally sin is enjoyed (at least at the outset). But when our lifestyles are challenged we are usually quick to respond; “you are being judgmental, that is not Christian love.” Dear reader, please remember that beauty and love are objective, not subjective. There is a pattern of life and its cultural outworking which is beautiful in they eyes of God. Beauty is not defined by the beholder but by the Creator of heaven and earth. Likewise love is defined by the God of our forefathers. Our God has defined love, beauty and Christian culture in the pages of Scripture. And when we go to the authoritative Word of God we are challenged. One of greatest challenges of 21^st century Christianity is a lack of Bible knowledge. Friends, we are to open the Bible and all of it to define and mould our doctrine, faith and lifestyles.

End Notes

^{^[1]} Rainey D (editor), 2002, Building Strong Families, Crossway Books, Wheaton, p. 15.

^[2]Rushdoony, R J, 1973, The Institutes of Biblical Law, Volume One, The Craig Press, p. 159.

^{^[3]} Ibid., Rushdoony, 1973, p. 163.

^[4] Sanger, M, Women and the New Race, as cited in Botkin, A S & E, 2007, So Much More, The Remarkable Influence of Visionary Daughters on the Kingdom of God, 4^th printing, The Vision Forum Inc., San Antonio, p. 329.

^[5]Gordon, L, Functions of the Family, as cited in Ibid., Botkin, A S & E, 2007, p. 329.

^[6]De Beauvior, S, 1974 interview in The Sunday Review, as cited in Ibid., Botkin, A S & E, 2007, p. 332. Emphasis mine.

^[7]Sproul RC, Parrish A, 2008, The Spirit of Revival, Discovering the Wisdom of Jonathan Edwards, Crossway Books, Wheaton, p. 39. Emphasis mine.

Published in : Worldviews, Worldviews

Keywords : Image bearers, worldview, Biblical family, theology, covenant theology, Australian families, Australian church culture, church culture, Christian lifestyle