Defining and Defending Biblical Christianity

Here is an essay I wrote while reading Knowing God, by J.I. Packer.
In <3 Christ, Kelsey Tungseth


_______Myself, and over one hundred other students were enrolled in a three month program when I realized I had let society define Christianity. Designed to disciple believers as Jesus had trained His followers, the school was called Discipleship Training School with Youth With A Mission. Sitting in a large auditorium, students had been asked to anticipate a response towards someone you could meet, “skeptically interrogating ‘The Church’, Christianity, and religion.” Hesitant with questionable definitions, we dwelled on the message the speaker had brought to the table. “Tell me what a ‘Christian’ is, and I’ll tell you if I am one,” missionary Pam Arlund voiced her personal comeback. As the University of the Nations seminar advanced, we focused on how to live lives to mirror the ways of Christ, opposed to functioning robotically, culturally claiming a religion only honored once a week. Sadly, the title Christian has left many a stranger feeling rejected and worthless. A blatant reality has come upon us; professing Christians able to define and defend a Biblical Christian worldview are few and far between.

_______As generations continue succeeding one another, each is less informed of scripture than the generation prior; the threat is that we constantly lose reverence for Biblical Christian worldview. The stories we learn in church as children are repetitive and seemingly inapplicable, but it is vital to teach believers how to connect “Bible Times” with today. In Knowing God, J.I. Packer states, “We cannot see how the two worlds link up, and hence again and again we find ourselves feeling that the things we read about in the Bible can have no application for us.” Unfortunately, people process the adventures without learning the lessons. However, modern-day believers can relate to the wisdom revealed to us in God’s Word, they simply need to be advised on how to look for and apply the Biblical Christian values behind the stories themselves.

_______A question many Christians need to learn to answer is, “Why do you choose to believe what you believe, and how does it affect the way you live?” The answer will vary, as it comes down to where you build your foundation. Packer says, “True Christians are people who acknowledge and live under the Word of God.” (pg. 116 line 5) As believers gradually lose interest and, without fail, lack proper instruction on the practicality of Biblical principles, we succumb to calling ourselves Christians merely by association. For years, I lived with the mindset Jesus is love, so He will forgive all my sins, and I continued to sin. This is one example of a Biblical principle taken out of context; I lived according to my own rules and precepts, and in turn, perverted the Truth of the Lord. God describes to us how we are to live, and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 reads, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (ESV)

_______These intimate and precious practices have been replaced with the unrelenting ideology of secular humanism. Presuming Christianity is old fashioned, this overwhelming worldview states we have the right to be in control of our lives. Packer counters this, saying, “We may be frankly bewildered at things that happen to us, but God knows exactly what he is doing, and what he is after, in his handling of our affairs.” (pg. 98 line 3) Biblical Christianity is that we believe and obey. We will have greater progress in defining and defending our faith as soon as we surrender to God’s statues, acknowledging that His ways are wiser than our own. “As such, [wisdom] is found in its fullness only in God. He alone is naturally and entirely and invariably wise.” (Packer pg. 90 line 5) The act of releasing from our minds unspoken limits and assumptions is vital, as it is written, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8 ESV)

_______Confronted more so today than ever before, we face a bold disregard for the Christian faith. Inevitably, most people limit God to our human capabilities, ruling out His command to seek His ways and thoughts above our own. In order to “be imitators of God,” (Ephesians 5:1 ESV) the focus of our lives needs to be re-directed to revolve around this Unchanging One and His Will and Purposes. The passage in Ephesians does not say, you be God; scripture is clear that we are to model our lives after Jehovah. As we implement these philosophies in the way we profess Christianity, we will see a greater number of believers capable of defining and defending their Biblical worldview.