If Jesus Is God, Act Like It!

The Lord Jesus, during his earthly ministry, was apparently allergic to the application to himself of theological titles.  He refers to himself humbly as Son of Man, which is practically to say, “Just a Normal Guy.”  The Church later became fairly obsessed with talking about him and getting the words perfectly right concerning who he is and what he does.  What they came up with is not wrong.  I affirm the doctrines of orthodox Christianity regularly.  But these doctrines mainly articulate how and why Jesus is worthy of discipleship.     

What if we understand Christianity more as a Way of living in the world than a set of written doctrines?  What if Christianity were not a specific, discrete religion, even a complex of beliefs, but a lifestyle, a constellation of practices, that are (at least in theory) considered compatible with almost any religion?  

This is the way many people understand Zen.  I know of Zen practitioners and even teachers, who retain their Jewish or Christian faith.  Or consider a 12-step system like Alcoholics Anonymous, which does not require one to give up any other paths, whether medical or religious.  One only has to admit that one’s life is unmanageable because of addiction, and commit to the path of healing. 

Jesus’ calls himself the Way, and his followers use that term to describe their movement.  He is only rarely concerned with what his disciples need to think or say; but he is deeply interested in what they do.  Even when he talks about “belief,” it is clearly not about just harboring intellectual opinions, but a way of life, a practice, action, behavior.  

What if, instead of nailing faith in him down in detailed, doctrinal propositions, we expressed it in the quality of our life, what we do with our bodies?  What if we were less concerned with saying in words that “Jesus is God,” and more interested in acting in a way that bears witness to that confession?   We tend to think that our mission must expresses our theological statements.  Maybe our theological statements, what we say about Jesus, need to be a function of our discipleship.  Maybe doctrine needs to be less about what we think, and more about practice.  

It is not that we want to avoid giving offense, or that we are ashamed or reticent or compromised about proclaiming who Jesus is.  But as a matter of humility, grace, and missional fruitfulness, it may be a distraction.  Arguing about and explaining titles and doctrines can get in the way of actual discipleship.

 

Jesus understands that words often divide and confuse.  Words always come with baggage.  They have personal and historical connotations that are out of the control of the one using them.  But actions of love, compassion, forgiveness, and service almost always unite and attract.  Faith cannot ultimately be nailed down in words anyway; it is about the Spirit.  The point is that we be the right people: Christ in the world.  The fact that we follow him should be enough of an expression of Who we know him to be.  If we are not following him in our actions, our words are worse than meaningless, the are lies.

If Jesus is God, then act like it! 

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