“It may well be a precarious undertaking to provide in a mere handful of pages a description of Christianity that is somewhat sufficient. The richness of [Christianity] is already in inverse proportion to the limitations of the available space. Christianity is a religion which, apart from its beginnings in Israel, has existed for more than eighteen centuries and has in this time gone through a very important history, taken root among various peoples and in distant countries, and has now spread to more than a third of mankind. However, anyone who gave a short and therefore unsatisfactory account of this history would have accomplished only a small part of the task that had been assigned to him in describing Christianity.
Herman Bavinck
For Christianity has an objective side in doctrine and church, in worship and church government. But it also penetrates subjectively into the human being himself; into his mind, heart, and conscience; and there it cultivates a new world of ideas, conditions, and dispositions which are difficult to know and to describe. And from within, the Christian faith again extends to all areas of human life, exerts its influence in all spheres, and leaves its mark on all elements of culture. A description of Christianity that would be satisfactory in any way would have to take into account this inner power and do justice to this hidden, spiritual activity.”
Reflection:
Certainly, there is a way of understanding the Christian faith in very simple terms: We place our faith in Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose again for sinners. For those made by God, marred by sin, and made right again through Christ, eternal life awaits forever with God.
But God has not designed that simple gospel to keep us in the shallow end of the pool. He calls us to live lives worthy of the gospel and to press out its implications. While we may be tempted to think this only relates to our internal lives, the Bible will not let us stop there. Throughout the New Testament, the implications of the gospel are explained in very public and interpersonal terms. The Christian faith encompasses our whole lives. Knowing Jesus, walking with Him, and living for Him doesn’t get compartmentalized; it has something to say about every area of our lives.
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