The Basics of the Christian Life
Christian Basics: The Sustaining Means of God's Love for His People
Introduction
Another new year is upon us, and if you are anything like me, you take the time to reflect on the previous year and make plans and goals for the new one. In some sense, this time of the year allows you to hit the "reset" button on your lives and adjust what needs to be changed related to your families, your relationship with Christ, and other essential matters. It is the second item, your relationship with Christ, that I want to focus on briefly, especially related to the fundamentals of the Christian life.
The basics are very important. If you watch sports, you will notice that when athletes competing at the highest level are in a tight spot and the game is on the line that their fundamentals are what gets them that hit that is needed or golf shot within feet of the hole, or the important pass to win the game. So much depends on the basics – the fundamentals. It is no different in the Christian life.
Three Fundamentals
So, what are those basics? If each of you were to make a list, I am sure there would be agreement on many items and perhaps some surprises. Allow me a few minutes to discuss three things of the utmost importance and ones that I encourage you to consider and reflect upon as you enter a new year.
I. Bible Reading and Bible Study
First, there is Bible reading and study. The Word of God is clear as to its purpose for the Christian. It tells you "what man must believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man." (WSC 3; 2 Tim. 1:13). Without the Scriptures, you would wander in this life without guidance or direction. The professing Christian who refuses to immerse himself in the Word of God will be a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (Jas. 1:18). The Word of God is profitable for the Christian. The apostle Paul reminds us of this simple truth in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. He writes, "All Scriptures is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work." There are four items that the apostle says are profitable for the Christian:
First, it is profitable for teaching. One commentator writes:
“This suggests that Scripture is a positive source of Christian doctrine. Paul used the term "teaching" (didaskalia) fifteen times in the Pastorals, and in the remainder of the New Testament, it occurs only six times. (In the Pastorals, cf. 1 Tim 1:10; 4:1, 6, 13, 16; 5:17; 6:1, 3; 2 Tim 3:10, 16; 4:3; Titus 1:9; 2:1, 7; 2:10. In the remainder of the New Testament, cf. Matt 15:9; Mark 7:7; Rom 12:7; 15:4; Eph 4:14; Col 2:22.) Because of the prominence of heresy among his readers, Paul emphasized the importance of sound teaching. In commending the Scriptures as a source for teaching, Paul was actually commending the Old Testament as a source of doctrine. Such doctrines as creation (Gen 1–2), the fall of man (Gen 3), and the nature of the atonement (Isa 53) have a foundational statement in the Old Testament.”[1]
In other words, the Scriptures are an infallible, inspired by God, source of teaching – essential doctrines related to the Christian for the Christian. Doctrines such as creation, the fall of man, the history of God's redemption of sinners through the promised seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15), the doctrine of God, man, the Holy Spirit, the Savior, the Trinity, etc. These fundamentals establish a sound foundation that can withstand attacks of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Without these foundations, the house of the Christian would crumble when dark providences arise. Thus, you must hear sound teaching, read sound teaching, and immerse yourself in sound teaching. The Savior was mindful of these important matters. He often quoted from the Old Testament Scriptures. He relied upon the Word of God – its teaching and instruction when he was under the attack of Satan (Matt. 4). How much more, therefore, do you need the teaching of the Scriptures? Thus, the Savior, as he built His church, gave to her teachers. He calls these men out to instruct His church faithfully. The apostle Paul urged his young son in the faith to "preach the Word" (2 Tim. 4:2). That is, teach what the Bible says to the flock of Christ. These men are "gifts given to men" (Eph. 4:8) and are used to edify and build up the church in knowledge and righteousness. Without these things, Christians would walk blindly in this world and be subject to every wind of doctrine that comes to them. Therefore, allow me to encourage you to make every effort to be in attendance whenever the Word of God is preached and taught. The church affords you those times each Lord's day and Wednesday night. Please take advantage of them! Do not neglect the gift that Christ gave to you.
Second, Paul says that the Word of God is profitable for reproof. Again, one commentator writes:
“The term (elegmos) may refer to a rebuke that exposes the errors of false teachers. It may also refer to the reproof in our personal lives. Whether the reproof is personal or doctrinal, Scripture can show sinners their failures, clarify the point of the mistake, and lead them to a new sense of peace and wholeness.” [2]
The Word of God is "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword" (Heb. 4:12). It exposes error because it is the perfect truth of the Creator who made you. The Savior stated, "God is "truth." This truth is without compromise or error; when it shines in the light of false teaching, it exposes it and reveals its errors.
You live in a day and age with many false doctrines — doctrines such as a denial of the deity of Christ, Arminianism, dispensationalism, easy-believism, and a host of others. Without a solid understanding of Scripture – the pure truth of God's mind and heart – these doctrines would carry us away like a fast-rushing river to our peril and destruction. Without a solid understanding of Scripture – the pure truth of God's mind and heart – these false doctrines would carry you away like a fast-rushing river to your peril and destruction. Therefore, the Word of God is profitable for exposing error and building God's people up in the truth of Scripture. Allow me to illustrate. Everyone is familiar with counterfeit money. The question is, "how do bankers know that a twenty-dollar bill is fake?" They know because they are very familiar with the actual item. They know a fake bill because they are very familiar with the real one. The same is true for you as it relates to the truth in the Scriptures. You know false teaching when you see it because you are immersed in the genuine truth of God's mind.
Reproof also relates to your personal Christian experience. It strengthens your knowledge and adjusts the things you are doing, bringing you to a place where you live consistently as a Christian. That leads to the third item that is profitable for the Christian: correction.
What does it mean that the Word of God is profitable for correction? Again, one commentator writes:
“The terms "correcting" and "training" show a positive use for Scripture. Negatively, the Scripture is helpful for convicting the misguided and disobedient of their errors and restoring them to the right paths. The term "correcting," used only here in the New Testament, suggests that Scripture helps individuals restore their doctrine or personal practice to a right state before God. Correction is one means God uses in order to restore people to spiritual positions they have forfeited. This emphasis frequently appears in the wilderness experience of Israel (see Deut 8:2–3, 5).” [3]
This item is the other side of the coin of reproving. It is the positive element of the profitable use of the Scriptures. It corrects your lives and your understanding of things. It directs you as to how you are to live and how you are to behave in this world. In other words, it tells you "what duty God requires" of professing Christians.
Fourth, the Word of God is profitable for training in righteousness. Again, one commentator writes:
“This positive purpose is expressed by a term (paideia) that also appears in Eph 6:4 ("training"). There it denotes a system of discipline used by a parent to develop Christian character in a child. Here it describes a system of discipline in Scripture that leads to a holy life-style.” [4]
Without this instruction and training, you would not know what God requires of His people. That is, you would not know how to live before your God, who redeemed you from sin. He has told you what to do in the Word of God. You have been given explicit instructions. The problem arises when God's people stop reading and studying the Scriptures. How can you know what to do and how to behave unless God tells you? Therefore, allow me to encourage you to examine your life as you enter a new year to see what needs to be corrected and adjusted as it pertains to your walk with Christ.
Some suggestions: first, commit to a daily reading of the Bible. What a gift you have in the modern world to have the Bible written in your language and widely available through the internet and apps on your phones. You can not only read the Bible, but you can hear it read to you! There is no excuse not to be immersed in Scripture. Read it for content and information. Keep in mind the four items Paul says the Scriptures accomplish every time it is taught, preached, and read. Look for those items each time you read God's Word.
Second, commit to studying Scripture more deeply than a mere reading of it allows. Ask yourself, "Are there any commands to obey?” "Are there any items that need to be corrected and adjusted in my life?" Use the five W's: who, what, where, when, and why. Make notes of questions about difficult passages and seek answers through your pastor or elders. They have been given to you to help you on your journey in this life.
II. Worship
The second basic is that of worship. Why is that significant for the Christian? First, it is commanded in the Bible. God's people were made for worship. That worship is not to be neglected or forsaken. You are to attend to it with great diligence and care. It is in the confines of corporate worship that God uniquely meets with His people. It is there that God is praised as the people of God lift their voices to Him and speaks to His people as the Word of God is opened and preached. In worship, the "authoritative word of the living God" communicates His will and mind to the people of God, the sheep of His pasture (Ps. 100). To neglect worship is to miss Christ! To neglect worship is to say that you do not need the living voice of Christ to you. To neglect worship means that you believe you can live the Christian life without other Christians. Therefore, make every effort to meet with Christ and His people each Lord's Day. It is a privilege to worship the living and true God with His people! Do not neglect this gift; instead, be diligent to come and worship. Consider that you are commanded to love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matt. 22:36-40). Do you realize that when you are not in worship for reasons that are not providential (sickness, travel, health, etc.), your brothers and sisters are discouraged by your absence? Let me encourage you to be diligent in this area and love your neighbor by encouraging them with your presence in corporate worship.
Second, God communicates the "means of grace" to God's people in worship. That is, preaching, prayer, and the sacraments. To miss worship is to miss out on these simple and ordinary things that God has given to you to build you up, strengthen your faith, communicate His love, and equip you with maturity and unity in the faith.
You live in a day and age that sees many churches neglect the Lord's day by not offering to the people of God what He wills for them. Many churches have eliminated the evening service. They have done so for pragmatic reasons. For instance, they will argue that "people do not attend"; therefore, it is pointless. Friends, it is never pointless to be obedient to God's commands. It is never pointless to come and worship God. God does not need your worship, but you do, and it is there that you learn to grow and mature in the faith. Besides, your worship on the Lord's Day is a snapshot of what awaits you in glory, in eternity. The Lord's Day, and especially worship, is your opportunity to come apart from the world and hit the "reset" button each week. Please take advantage of it!
Perhaps you doubt the need for evening worship. As a pastor, I am saddened to see the decline of this practice in our churches. Friends, we will never influence the world for Christ when we are not influenced and committed to the Lord's Day and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). Therefore, Providence Presbyterian offers you two worship service es on the Lord’s Day. Please take advantage of these times! Meditate on this gem from an article on this subject:
Further support for two services on the Lord's Day is found in the pattern of morning and evening sacrifices in the temple worship commanded by God in the Old Testament. In Numbers 28:1–8, we read that the Lord required that two lambs be sacrificed each day, one in the morning and the second at twilight. I must emphasize that these sacrifices were acts of worship. They reminded the people of Israel of sacrifice as the way of forgiveness; understood through the lens of Christ's first coming, this suggests the propriety of God's people having times set apart for worship at the beginning and end of the day. The same passage commands additional sacrifices and offerings on the Sabbath. Worship on the Sabbath was intensified, and it took place morning and evening.
“Psalm 92:1–2 reflects this practice when it speaks of morning and evening worship. "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Sovereign One; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night." Does this amount to an explicit command to Christians that they worship together twice each Lord's Day? It does not. But it does demonstrate that the pattern of morning and evening worship on the Lord's Day is not an arbitrary tradition, but a reflection of how the Sabbath was kept in the Old Testament.” [5]
III. Prayer
The third basic is that of prayer. I have never heard a Christian say that they pray too much. Let's be painfully honest: God's people do not pray enough. Yes, it is a time commitment. We have time for many things that are unprofitable in the long run. Some people say (not out loud, I hope) that they do not have time to pray. However, they have time to surf the internet and post on social media. People do what they want to do, and God's people should desire to pray more and plead with Him more for their needs and desires, we well as those of their brothers and sisters. There are many ways you can take advantage of the time that allows you to pray. Pray when you are driving (do not close your eyes!). Pray when taking a shower. Pray when doing other tasks that do not require much mental energy (cleaning the house, doing the laundry, walking the dog, mowing the lawn, etc.).
Prayer is effective. James tells us that a righteous man's fervent prayer accomplishes great things (Jas. 5:16). Although many in the church today believe in the power of prayer, these same people do not pray as they ought. Paul tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). Certainly, he does not mean that you should sit around and pray all day and do nothing else. What he is saying is that God's people should always be in an attitude of prayer, ready and willing to offer up their desires to God, for things agreeable to His will, with confession of their sins and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies (WSC 98; Ps. 62:8, Rom. 8:27, John 16:27, Dan. 9:4, Phil. 4:6). The example of prayer is offered all over the Bible. You see it in numerous passages, such as Nehemiah 9 and Daniel 9. The Lord Jesus taught his disciples to pray in what is titled "The Lord's Prayer." The Savior prayed. The Apostles prayed for the churches they planted. As God's people, we must pray.
Two aspects of prayer are vital and fundamental to the Christian life. First, there is private prayer. That is, the prayers you offer on your own, in your "prayer closet." These prayers are vital and necessary to building you up in the faith and pouring your soul out to God for the desires of your heart. Second, there is corporate prayer. That prayer is done within the confines of the corporate gathering of God's people. Sadly, like the abandonment of evening worship, God's people neglect this. Friends, how can you ignore the straightforward examples of corporate prayer in the Bible and absent yourself from it? It is in corporate prayer that many things happen to strengthen your faith. First, there is a sharing of needs from the people of God (Eph. 6:18). It is that time when your brothers and sisters open their hearts to their struggles and desires. There, you learn of other Christians who hurt, have pain, are despondent, struggle, and are weary. It is there that you witness God's answers to your prayers and praise Him. It is there that you can pray with and for others as we are taught by the Savior in the Lord's Prayer. It is there, in the confines of corporate prayer, that you edify your brothers and sisters as you pray for them and with them.
Second, there is a corporate expression of unity as we pray together. When one member prays, and you hear them, you agree with them as they pray and ask the Lord to hear and do what they are praying. That is why your pastor says "amen" at the conclusion of the vocal prayer of another member. Why? Because He agrees with them and wants what they have asked God to do.
Third, there is the aspect of God's people pouring out their souls to Him as His people. The examples of this in the Scriptures are too numerous to state here. However, corporate prayer demonstrates that God's people depend on Him and cry out to him for help and strength in times of need. As you do, wait on Him.
Allow me to encourage you in this area of prayer. Do you pray? What do you pray? How often? Do you attend corporate prayer meetings? Why? Why not? Ask yourself these questions and honestly answer them before the Lord.
Some suggestions for prayer: pray for the church, her worship, and preaching. Pray for your elders and pastor that the Lord would give them wisdom and guidance and protect them from the Evil One. Pray for the members by name, pleading with God on their behalf. Seek out your brothers and sisters and ask them, "what needs do you have" and then pray for them and with them. Attend corporate prayer meetings where you will hear the needs of your brothers and sisters in Christ. Come and plead with God for the establishment and growth of His church in our community. Refuse to make excuses but commit this year to concerted prayer. No one can say they pray "too much."
Conclusion
These are three fundamentals given to us by a gracious God. Friends, they are simple but not always easy. However, they are not complicated. These are gifts given to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you will not read and study your Bible, and if you do not attend worship faithfully and not pray, do not expect God to bless. If, on the other hand, you are faithful in these areas, then look and watch for God's blessing in your life. We do these things not for our glory or fame but for God's glory. He has promised to build His church and sustain His people. He has given you these simple means – the basics – to help you on your journey as His "goodness and mercy pursue you all of your lives" (Ps. 23:6).
[1] Thomas D. Lea and Hayne P. Griffin, 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, vol. 34, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 236–237.
[2] Ibid, 237.
[3] Ibid, 237.
[4] Ibid, 237.
[5] Michael Hutchinson, “A Case for Evening Worship,” Gospel Reformation Network, May 25, 2017, accessed December 28, 2018, http://gospelreformation.net/case-evening-worship/.