Thinking Not Rooted in the World: Part I
The world is all that there is: that is the message sent to all of us these days. Yet, despite that message there is a tension between what we know as real, and what we are told is real. That tension is the world vs. the Word.
In John 1:1-5 we find that the Word, the Logos, actually refers to the deity of Christ Jesus. Logos, in the Greek, refers to reason or logic - an abstract force that brought order and harmony to the universe, at least that is what the Greeks posited. John gathers all of these qualities and attributes them to Jesus. There are many other references to Jesus that are just as compelling. My point in this line of thinking is this: a mind focus on Christ is a mind that can think Christianly.
A mind focused on Christ must be oriented in several ways, and these ways are found in Romans 10:9-10. First, it must believe in the Word. In believing the Word, we who do so must believe what it says and live by what it says. Second, we must also live and believe the Word by way of the way we live. And finally, we must live, believe and think the Word.
But, this mind focused on above must live in the world. In order to do that safely, we must understand the world in which we live. In the same way a soldier can navigate a mine field with a map, so to we Christians can navigate the world with a better understanding of the landscape in which we live.
Reality is composed of three cultural spheres. The first sphere occupied is the secular sphere which represents the world by way of the current culture. This realm is composed of the cravings of sinful man and hostile to our Lord. The second realm is the Judeo-Christian sphere. Today, this only means that this sphere is some what moral and not necessarily Christian. And the third and final sphere is the evangelical realm of true Christianity. It is the smallest sphere. We live and worked in all three at once. We run the risk of being most influenced by the sphere in which we dwell most. What is the answer?
Thinking that is Christian is of course is our calling and our answer. This begins with living a life that is consistently Christian. How?
1. Avoid living a dualistic life of placing things in sacred and secular categories. Jesus is Lord of all.
2. Know Christ and Honor Him. The path to this is through His Word.
3. Think in Christian categories. Knowing your Bible and work to build a habit of putting your Lord first in all things.
4. Citizenship must be the kingdom first and foremost. A house divided can not stand. You must know Jesus as Lord and Savior. To do so takes a simple prayer between you and God asking to be a child of the King. Once you have prayed this prayer, go find someone to tell and then find a Christ-centered Bible-believing church.
What do we do with all of this now? We ask some questions.
Do you feel the tension in your life between the world and the truth?
Do any of us truly desire to fully think Christianly all the time?
How do we get to the point of thinking Christianly?
If you have some good answers leave them for the rest of us in the comments section. Happy Christian thinking!
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