Stagnant Christianity?

A discussion with some friends this week about morality raised some interesting questions. What is morality? How does someone become a moral person? What is the basis for morality? What motivates someone to be moral? As contemplated here, “moral” has to do with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character.

Obviously, I cannot answer the questions in 500 words; philosophers and ethicists and theologians have been writing voluminously on these topics for centuries. But, there are a couple of points that really need to be understood.

Being a moral person is not synonymous with being a Christian. Most moral people who are not Christians understand this, and might even be offended by the idea that the two could be confused. But many who consider themselves Christians or who desire to be Christians do not understand this. A person who is “trying” to be a Christian is usually simply trying to behave according to a certain moral standard.
A person might be called “a good Christian” because he is known as a person of good moral character. Churches are accused of harboring hypocrites because some people who frequent them don’t display good morals in their lives. And some people who lack good morals may actually be Christians.

This leads to the second thing that is important to understand, especially for those who profess to be Christians. Christianity is never static. You are not a Christian because you live a certain way, do or don’t do certain things, or believe or disbelieve certain ideas. Christianity is a relationship with a person, and the goal of that relationship is to become more and more like that person by growing deeper and deeper in love with that person.

A person may have good moral character, and have no desire to know Jesus Christ and the Father. On the other hand, a person may begin a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ while living a life of immorality. The first person may live and die with little change; the second will constantly—though perhaps incrementally—change. And it is that change that is the stamp of a vibrant relationship, of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life, and the genuineness of the life of a Christian.

King David gave this profound advice to his son, Solomon, when he passed the kingdom to his reign:
“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the
thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever“. 1 Chronicles 28:9 Knowing, serving, seeking. Always ongoing, future. Dynamic. Relationship.
Solomon, in turn, described the life of God’s people this way: “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day“. Proverbs 4:18 Brighter and brighter. Clearer and clearer. Continually coming. But we haven’t fully seen it yet! The Apostle Paul’s image, used in several of his letters, is of a walk. Whatever our experience, our maturity, our knowledge, our position; our journey is not yet complete. There is more to see, to enjoy, to learn. We keep walking.

“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God“. Colossians 1:10 Being a Christian is not about being moral. Christianity should certainly produce morality. But Christianity is a relationship. And living, vibrant relationships are never stagnant.