WHAT KIND OF FAITH IS THIS?  

So, if Jesus, the Christ, did not come to start a new religion then WHAT KIND OF FAITH IS THIS?

If we, as Christians, see our relationship with Christ as the cornerstone of religion, then we miss the point.  A.W.Tozer  described it as follows: “If your Christian conversion did not reverse the direction of your life, if it did not transform it, then you are not converted at all.  You are simply a victim of the ‘accept Jesus’ heresy!” 

Jesus described it as follows: “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good deeds and moral excellence and recognize and honor and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”  (Matthew 5:16 AMP).

We are, in a sense, painting Christ on the sidewalks of life.  Ours is a faith of ‘light’ that needs to be seen in times of darkness; when farmers are murdered, when elections seem to divide, when race becomes an issue, and when people are hurtful, revengeful, aggressive, and slanderous.  These are times for good deeds and moral excellence to surface so that our enemies can honour and recognize our Father who is in heaven

No, the Christian faith is not only about “being born again” into the Christian religion.  It is about embracing a Christ consciousness.  It is changing the proclamation of truth into the practice of truth.  It is turning the information in the heart to the transformation of the mind.  It is deeply rooted in the words of Christ where he declares that truth is not a philosophy but a person, not a concept but a consciousness.^[1]  Christian faith is not a set of rules to obey but a person to embrace.  Truth was never based on principles prescribed by God but on a consciousness revealed by the Christ.

• “I am the way the truth and the life” ^[2] was His HABITATION.  Christ is inseparable from the truth in word, deed, and attitude.
• “Follow Me” ^[3] therefore becomes our VOCATION. Not the duty of repeating truth, declaring truth or protecting truth, but the joy of being incarnated and inhabited by the Christ consciousness of truth.
• “Come and see” ^[4] is His INVITATION.  An invitation to exploration and intimacy; to explore the truth through the “logos” Word and not only to believe the truth.
• “Taste and see” ^[5] provides His EXPECTATION.  Not listening and hearing, Sunday after Sunday,  but venturing into an indulgence of our senses.   Consciousness comes by tasting the cake, not by reading the recipe.
• “Deny yourself” ^[6] is the only FOUNDATION that leads to forgiveness, servanthood, harmony, and peace.  Denying yourself is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself (your culture, your interests and your preferences) less.  Only when we become less important in our own eyes will we be able to see others through the eyes of Christ.
• “Take up your cross” ^[7] points to our PARTICIPATION as we seek redemption, for friend and foe, celebrating the cross of Christ by becoming the crucified.

The Christian life is not about inviting Jesus into our hearts – whatever that might imply.  It is inviting Christ to take hold of our hearts, become Lord of our lives, purifier of our minds, sanctifier of our souls, reshaping our attitudes, transforming our world-views, and reinventing our ambitions.  This Christ-life will take us beyond the understanding of truth into the consciousness of truth.  It will compel us to defend the prostitute while addressing impurity, to forgive the enemy while addressing injustice, to sit with the tax collector while condemning corruption, to speak blessing while addressing slander.

The challenge on the journey of faith is, therefore, to return to the non-negotiables of the One we call Teacher – not to view faith through the prism of Christianity but through the lens of transformation.

Progressing on the journey of faith and implementing Kingdom principles are inseparable. Jesus declared that He had come to earth to advocate the message of His Father’s Kingdom.^[8]  He was the Word of the Kingdom. It is the reason He was sent. It is why He came. Jesus Christ preached the Kingdom of God, incarnated it, and then died for it.

In every generation, God has called His followers to be witnesses of a transformational faith, turning hatred into love, curses into blessings, dualism into harmony, prejudice into reconciliation, and fear into faith.

In you and me, the Gospel of the Kingdom will reach a point of inescapable significance or evaporate. It will either give life or drain life – there will be no neutral exchange.

Two questions to consider in this regard:

Firstly, if Jesus looks through my eyes, how would He see the world?

• He would probably see my victories but forget my victims.
• He will probably forgive my sins but remember those who sinned against me.
• He would probably love my friends but ignore my enemies.
• He would probably agree with my truths but judge those who think differently.
• He would answer my prayers even if it meant harm to someone else.

BUT, if I look through the eyes of Jesus, how will I respond differently?

No doubt, I will change by:

• Seeing people’s potential more than reminding them of their weaknesses.
• Seeking reconciliation more than making judgments.
• Being kind more than wanting to be right.
• Meeting actual needs rather than maintaining institutions.
• Finding peace rather than pursuing power.

Christianity is all about transformation: turning sinners into saints, darkness into light, enemies of God into sons and daughters of the Almighty, despair into hope, ashes into beauty, and mourning into joy.[9] For those who choose Christ, transformation through the renewal of the mind is a natural consequence on a journey of faith.  It will draw the line between conforming to the familiar patterns of the world and transforming into the ‘unfamiliar paths’ of the Kingdom. It requires a rejection of the norm and a desire to explore the invisible.

In this context, Romans 12:2 sets the scene for a Christian metamorphosis. The flow of behavioural change starts with our thoughts. Thoughts lead to actions, actions lead to habits, habits lead to discipline, discipline builds character, and character determines destiny.  Every step is a metamorphose and every stride leads to another transformation. It is impossible for a caterpillar to metamorphose into a new caterpillar,  it should become a butterfly or die.  The same is true for every follower of Christ.

[1] John 14:6  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. 

[2] John 14:6  Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. 

[3] Matthew 4:19  “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 

[4] John 1:39  “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”  So, they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. 

[5] Psalm 34:8  Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. 

[6] Luke 9:23  Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 

[7] Luke 9:23  Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 

[8] Luke 4:43 “But He said, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.’”

[9] Isaiah 61:1-3 “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,  and provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”