Yes, Jesus does exist at the office, at school, and at home. He is in the darkest hole of depression. He is not ignorant of our struggles with sin or our most vile addictions. He does not leave us in our most desperate hours of grief. While most Christians affirm that Jesus is concerned about the details of their lives, in practice it is not easy to live out this truth. Disappointments, failure to gain victory over persistent habits, and the grid of daily life settle many of us into a place of spiritual mediocrity and hopelessness.

If the Scriptures describe the lives of real people living godly and righteous lives, what hinders us from experiencing the same kind of life? If the Scripture describes spiritual resources that are available to God's children in this life, why do the studies show little difference between those in the Church and those outside of the Church? If the Scriptures show the healing of the sick and the release of those bound by Satan, why does the Church rarely extend these gifts toward its members and the world?

While it is not the purpose of this article to focus on the failings of the Church, it is necessary to address at least two blind spots, which have contributed to the gap between our claims and our condition. First, the way we invite people to Christ often gives the impression that Christianity is simply about getting into heaven. Coupled with this is the practice of getting the lost saved and then sending them out into the world for the how-to's of daily living. It appears that the Church has more faith in a secular counselor to provide life skills and healing, than in the ability of the message of the Gospel to address daily issues. To those who would disagree with me, answer this: is the Bible the authority which determines the goal and procedure of treating those who are broken and enslaved, or does the Bible have to find its validation from the secular authorities of psychology? While I have no problem using some of their insights, I want to be sure that I am not allowing them to blind me to the biblical truths about the make-up of the human being, the nature of our problems, and how God says they are to be solved.

Secondly, the Church has so emphasized grace and mercy that a serious call to obedience, righteousness, and godliness are now being invalidated with the branding of 'legalism'. We believe we must tolerate sinful actions and life patterns in the name of love. We cite the harshness of a previous age and warn that the only way to avoid their legalism is to allow each individual to design the look of their personal obedience. Challenging one another to a counter-cultural obedience is no longer valued; in fact, the Church herself often ridicules a serious call to obedience. In light of these concerns, allow me to take a moment to defend a call to character, spiritual growth, and healing which will change the way we act.

Jesus Calls Us to Godly Character

Jesus calls those who follow Him to live differently from those in the surrounding world. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus challenged His followers to live a radical life. It is radical in at least two ways. First, Jesus' followers are called to act contrary to how people naturally act. It is not normal for the person who is injured to return love and goodness to his attacker; the more normal response is to attack the attacker. Secondly, Jesus refuses to allow His followers to be content with simply doing the right thing. He calls believers to do the right thing from the right place - their hearts. The pursuit of a biblically informed lifestyle, which affects every detail of our lives, was not optional in Jesus' teaching. The New Testament authors all echo the same truth. Paul claims that to live is Christ and to die is gain. John, James, and Peter all address the need to allow our faith to produce a radically different life. We are to be a peculiar people, lights in a dark world, and salt confronting the corruption of this world.

This call to obedience could easily lead us to legalism and the Pharisees perspective except that Jesus teaches us that the power and resources to reach this lofty goal come from outside of us - from Him, through His death and resurrection. Jesus, quoting Isaiah 61:2-3, outlines His earthly ministry. He claims that He has come to preach the good news to the poor (afflicted); bind up the brokenhearted; release the captives; and heal the blind. Jesus came so that we could be freed from the evil that infiltrates the details of our lives. Paul tells us that the death and resurrection of Jesus put the flesh to death and has empowered us to live a new quality of life (Rom. 6:1-11). Empowerment is the promise of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-25. The characteristics of love, joy, peace, etc. are the result of the Holy Spirit working within the heart of the believer.

Legalism, on the other hand, attempts to gain approval from God by obedience to a list of stated or inferred rules. The "Good News" is that no man can do enough good to pay for even one of his sins. Ephesians 2:8-10 reveals the pattern: We are dead in our sin; that is, we are unable to resolve our sin dilemma. God sent Jesus to provide a solution. His death and resurrection handled the condemnation we were all under because of our sin. This then frees us to do good deeds; not for salvation, but because of salvation.

The Pharisees were guilty of legalism, but in addition they missed God's heart by believing that external obedience was enough to save them. Jesus repeatedly confronted the gap between their external obedience and the condition of their hearts. The well-known title of "White-washed Sepulchers" described the error of using behavior to cover sin in the heart.

I hope that these brief paragraphs have demonstrated that the Bible teaches that the call to character is both valid and possible through the resources released through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Next, I would like to emphasize why the Church cannot be content with the solutions offered by the world. Jeremiah 2:13 and 8:11 warn us of the danger of any paradigm that does not have God at its center. At its best, the world only offers broken cisterns and false peace.

American culture has failed to construct a meaningful and workable plan for character, life skills, and healing of the whole person. A casual look at the last thirty years of U.S. history challenges anyone who would claim that secular society has been successful in creating healthier individuals and a better culture. Just this last week a six year old killed a classmate simply because he did not like her. The stats on divorce, abuse and random violence are startling. The dead, abused, and hopeless of our culture rise up in judgment against the secular social engineers who demanded that God be removed from the equation. God warned ancient Israel, along with us today, against going to the secular world for our resources in living a godly life. If we do anyway, we will find the same two traps the Israelites found: powerlessness and deceptive solutions. First, man's efforts without God are like broken water tanks. While it looks like they should hold water, their cracks drain out whatever water they might have held. This is in contrast to God Who is a fountain of living water. He is a reliable source of water and not a broken storage tank. It is not that the secular world has the solution and is withholding it; rather, it does not have the strategic tools for deep healing, though it thinks that it does.

Mike comes to the counselor in deep depression. Though good, the counselor is limited by what he can see and touch in a natural way. He can affirm Mike's value, help him surface repressed memories, and give Mike new coping skills. All of this is valuable, but God would say that there is an eternal fountain providing unending resources for Mike, and these resources go to the deepest level of Mike's struggle. While the counselor can address some of the root issues for Mike's depression, there are others that the counselor, who is outside of God's kingdom, cannot know. Mike has lost his center, and without God as his center, he will turn his hopes to one frail object after another.

The secular counselor is not equipped to address these basic human dilemmas because nothing but the God of the Bible is able to heal all parts of the human heart. The secular counselor also falls short when it comes to the tools he uses. Because of a materialistic and non-Christian philosophy, the resources of regeneration (being brought to life spiritually) and the indwelling Holy Spirit are not used and many times are even mocked. Such deficits in the secular approach result in broke cisterns. While they were intended to hold healing water, their godless approach causes the precious little water they do hold to leak out, leaving the client still thirsty for the water only Jesus can provide.

In addition, when secular man is unable to reconcile to reality, he will attempt to reinterpret reality. That is the warning of Jeremiah 8:11. The world has cried peace, peace when there is no peace. When we cannot cure a condition of the heart, we say that it is not really a problem after all -"peace, peace." The secular healers could not heal the broken homosexual, so they proclaimed that homosexuality is not a problem -"peace, peace, but there is no peace."

The Church has played into this secular setting in two destructive ways. Because of our emphasis on heaven, we have not understood the incredible resource for healing, obedience, and character development that we have in Jesus for today. The world, and even our own members, has had to go looking outside of the Church to find answers for the most troubling of their struggles. Rather than returning to the Book for a course correction, we have anemically conceded to the world, believing that they have the answers and solutions we have failed to offer. It is time to reclaim our rightful position as healers in our Lord's creation. We have been called to be priests to God on behalf of the world.

We want to provide concrete answers and practical solutions to these and other struggles we face on a daily basis.

As we prepare for this incredible journey with our Lord, we need to embrace and commit to two values: honesty and the pursuit of the presence of God. God exists and works in reality. When we hide from the truth of our condition, like Adam and Eve, we wall ourselves off from God and His resources for our healing and healthy growth. It is true that God is pursuing us as the hound of heaven, but there comes a time when we must come out of the shadows. When we come in humility to the light of Reality, we are in the place of healing; the shadows are the place of deception and death.

I never tire of dwelling on the truth that God chooses to enter into our world. Whether it was the visitations of the Old Testament, the incarnation of Jesus, or the indwelling Holy Spirit promised to the Church unto the end of the age, my mind explodes with the possibilities implied in this truth. Any approach that restricts itself to the information of the Gospel and avoids the presence of the God of that Gospel will be no more than nice words and wishful dreaming, wholly without the power that is needed to transform. God challenges each of us to risk entering the Holy of Holies, to take our shoes off, and dare to gaze at the unconsumed bush as God touches us with His cleansing and healing light.

As we begin this study, let's pose the following questions to get us thinking:

1. What are your beliefs about life after salvation? Is there a specific lifestyle that is Christian? What would be some of its characteristics?

2. If you agree with the thought that being a Christian changes how I am to live, think about the following issues: How do I know what it means to be a Christian in my life? Why do I not live up to the ideal I see presented in the Bible?

3. Is Christianity simply a system of beliefs, practices, and ceremonies, or does it teach and require the presence of a Being we call God?

If you have questions you would like me to respond to, please e-mail them to me. May God break into your world and into your heart, bringing growth and healing in the name of Jesus and for His glory!

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Copyright© 2000 by Roger Hornbeck, all rights reserved