Reasons for Good Behavior
What should motivate the faithful? One aim is to “grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.” (Ephesians 4:30) If God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and Word) is a real person to us, then we care about disappointing Him. Do we think, like when we were teens, that our parents will never find out? Our fear was not so much getting caught but about the shame in our parents’ eyes. So, the question is whether God is family or some long-ago-and-far-away story.
What should motivate the faithful? “We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Not “We love God,” but “We love.” We do what is best for others regardless of the effect on me because God showed that same level of care for me. The critical concept is selflessness. If my faith is about my benefit, it is not God’s brand of faith. Trusting God results in death of self, allowing God’s love to pass through instead of decomposing in ourselves.
What should motivate the faithful? “Let each of you look out not for his own interests but for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4) That is not as easy as it looks on paper. The previous verse ends with, “In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” Value people and selflessness happens.
What should motivate the faithful? “Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” (2 Corinthians 5:11) The faithful have an objective hope based on their own visible transformation through the power of the Spirit, resulting in peace. Having no fear for themselves, space for outsiders is created and selflessness begins. Rescuing outsiders from a terrible end becomes the primary objective.
“The love of Christ compels us.” (2 Corinthians 5:14) Jesus left heaven to live here. Would you? Jesus paid off the entire right-and-wrong economy to rescue us from moral bankruptcy, making it possible for us to enter the faith economy without debilitating debt. Jesus sent the Spirit to fix the damage we have done to ourselves. And all this before we cared, in hope that we would.
“He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” (2 Corinthians 5:15) The faithful no longer need to focus on hiding, excusing, or justifying themselves. But to where should the focus shift? Other people are as haphazard as ourselves. Comfort is one more dollar down the road. But Jesus proved His consistent love. The empty tomb anchors perspective.
“We regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.” (2 Corinthians 5:16) From infancy, we absorbed everything through our physical senses, so we learned to think in physical terms. Functional faith switches perspective and thinks as a spirit. The faithful see spirits: alive or dead, resurrected or entombed, vitally connected or hopelessly isolated.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things are new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) “Therefore,” – from the ideas earlier in the letter – because the faithful have the perspective of a spirit, because the faithful are being transformed into the character image of Jesus by the Spirit, the objectives and methods of the past are gone. Everything through which life was run became new. If that does not describe the walk of faith you were taught, dig deeper.
Good works are a result, faith is the reason. Emotions are a result, evidence is the reason, Eternal life is the result, love is the reason.
“…That now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places…” (Ephesians 3:10) The church is composed of faithful spirits. God tasked them with revealing to angels the wisdom of God’s plan accomplished in Jesus. Faithful people, as a group, are vitally important. Obviously, God also anticipated that we would mess this up. The flawed church is essential to the plan.
“Redeem the time because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:16) Left to itself, life falls apart. The faithful buy time back from the way it normally would go, which can be expensive. Faith is proactive, not reactive, building bridges, not walls. But which activities? Love implies choosing that which is best for another spirit, regardless of the effect on me.
“Understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17) In modern English, that would read, “Understand what the Lord desires.” To plot our course, we must comprehend the purpose of creation (an incubator for faith) and God’s objective (a big family that will last). Under law, the will of God becomes a command with repercussions. Under grace, we seek to understand God’s desires because we are family.
“Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” (Colossians 4:5 – 6) To buy back time that, left to itself, would fall to ruin, the faithful must be gracious and witty, with a message tailored to each situation and person. Obviously, such a goal is beyond my skill level, so I must pray for God’s wisdom to avoid canned religiosity.
“Eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23) “Lord, come quickly” is not, for many, a heartfelt sentiment. The faithful have no fear of not making the cut. But many fear being removed from the lives of children and grandchildren, as though God did not have that covered. Or, perhaps, we want a little more time to get serious about our mission. Or, our present relative comfort clouds our vision: cataracts of the spirit.
Practice conscious thought control. Peace comes from that which is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, honorable, virtuous, and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8 – 9) When those around you believe that you just don’t understand the gravity of the situation, you have an opportunity to share some really Good News.
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