[Scripture:1 Corinthians 4:10-17; 6:19-20]
What would you say if I asked, “Who is in the driver’s seat of your life?” If someone asked me, “Who is the main person who takes responsibility for your thoughts and actions?” I would answer that I am the person who manages my life and makes it stay on the right track. The right track meaning under the guidance of the Word of God.
Nowadays, there is so much advice and so many different suggestions given about maintaining the faith and living with Christian values. Some people say that all Christians have their own way of life, and they tend to believe that their own way is the best way for themselves, which is true! No one has any authority to judge someone else’s lifestyle. However, Scripture gives us clear guidelines about freewill and responsibility. Every Christian is responsible for their faith and actions and will be judged according to the consequences of their choices.
The righteous shall live by faith
“The righteous shall live by faith” is a well-known phrase that describes what the mature Christian life looks like, which Apostle Paul always believed and taught to the Christians in Rome. In Romans 1:16-17 it says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”
In this passage, “the righteous shall live by faith” means living out the gospel in both faith and responsibility. Paul said having the power of the gospel should mean not only having it as theoretical knowledge but also taking action with responsibility. This was Paul’s understanding of “the righteous shall live by faith.”
Living by faith, Judged by deeds
In today’s passage, Paul wrote a letter to the Christians in the church of Corinth who are “sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy together” in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. Through the letter of 1 Corinthians, Paul urged them to be faithful and responsible Christians because he knew that the church of Corinth had many who were spiritually immature. He said that there were many who were mere infants in Christ. Paul believed that all Christians should be accountable to each other and keep the body of Christ strong and healthy.
Paul talked about four foundational biblical truths to help spiritual infants become mature and responsible.
- The foundation of the faith is Jesus Christ.
- All Christians are called to build their own building.
- All buildings will be judged.
- The buildings are not a house but a Christian’s life.
Two things are obvious in these passages
- Jesus Christ gave his life on the cross to bring salvation to us. This is the solid foundation. Whoever stays on this foundation will be saved.
- You and I should build a building with materials that we choose. This means that we have the freedom to decide how to live our Christian lives on the foundation of Jesus Christ. And each work you do will be tested at the end of your life.
Limitation of freedom
Once we are saved, we have the freedom to choose how to live our lives through our choices, but this is not unlimited freedom. There is an invisible boundary line. The boundary line keeps us on the foundation of Jesus Christ and his guidance. If Christians manage their lives outside of the teaching of Jesus Christ, there is no guarantee that they will receive the full reward, which is God’s glory and honor when Jesus Christ reveals himself again.
Matthew 7:24 shows the same principle of what a mature Christian looks like. “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” To build a house on the foundation means to obey the teaching of Jesus Christ in our daily lives.
Obedience to the word of God is the visible expression of invisible faith. Even though our faithfulness is invisible to our physical eyes, it will be revealed when Jesus Christ comes down from heaven to earth with his dazzling glory and when God’s righteousness covers up all the earth as white as snow. Our spiritual footsteps will be displayed before the throne of God.
Finding suspects
When I was in Petoskey, I put motion detector lights on my driveway because it was so convenient for me to have light shine on my driveway when I came home. I’m fascinated with modern technology like that. However, I had a problem with the motion detector. The light kept coming on around midnight when I was in bed. When I saw the lights come on around midnight, I would check to see if anyone was out there. But after checking countless times, it seemed like the lights had just come on by itself. I tried to find the reason why that kept happening, but most of the time, I couldn’t find anything suspicious. Finally, I figured it out. One morning, when it snowed a lot overnight, I found lots of wild animals’ footprints all over my driveway. I finally found some suspects.
The Footprints
Deer, skunks, dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits, and even snakes frequently came close to my house and passed through my yard and driveway. That was much more than I thought. How did I know it was these animals specifically? I saw many different kinds of animal tracks. The footprints could not be seen in spring, summer, and fall, but I could see them in the winter, the traces of various animals walking on white snow. The other exciting thing that I found is that every animal had unique track patterns and a separate walking gait. So, I could tell which kinds of animals came by.
In the same way, each of us who lives in this world has their own footprint, and each person’s footprint is also unique. Our spiritual footsteps are invisible to our eyes, but they will be seen in the eyes of the Lord when Jesus’ righteousness comes and covers the world like snow.
Robert Fulghum wrote the book “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” in 1986. The title of the book is my all-time favorite. In his book, he talked about 16 things everyone learned in kindergarten. The sixteen things are all simple actions like “share everything,” “play fair,” “don’t hit people,” “say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody,” and “wash your hands before you eat.” He said these are still true “no matter how old you are – when you go out into the world.” In the same way, faith always requires an action with your physical body, not just a verbal expression of one’s belief.
We gather together in our church to learn how to manage our lives and also to share spiritual guidelines with you. Let’s build responsibility with faith and actions as mature Christians.
2021.09.19. Pastor Cloud Poy
