The Function of Faith
So how do we maintain spiritual health throughout our lives, in the face of opposition?
Faith is the key—not an idle or casual faith, the kind Bonheoffer called “cheap grace,” but faith that is foundational to our existence, our reason to be. If we are to grow past the point of spiritual reproduction, we must grow in our experience of Christ through faith.
Faith performs eight basic functions:
- intellectual challenge;
- emotional engagement;
- behavioral reinforcement
- supportive relationships;
- higher authority;
- life interpretation;
- connection to history;
- and a realistic hope.
A healthy faith system will involve all eight of these functions in a consistent, interrelated whole. Many people, believer and nonbeliever alike, derive these eight functions from more than one source. They may, for example, intellectually accept the doctrines of Christianity, but receive their emotional engagement from music, sports or entertainment. They might experience an emotional high, but separate their faith from their intellectual life, becoming emotionally Christian, but intellectually brain dead. Or to give another example, they may seek their community in worldly friendships, while going through the motions of Christian ritual. When these eight functions are divided, we become practical polytheists, looking to a pantheon of worldly gods to cover up the deficiencies in our relationship to the true God. Sooner or later, however, we will discover we cannot serve two masters. In a time of crisis, divided faith cannot stand.
Let us look at these eight tasks of faith one by one.
(1)Intellectual challenge.
There is a mistaken assumption that just listening to preaching or going to Sunday school will give the mature Christian all the spiritual answers he or she needs. We may have the answers, but the questions keep coming. If we rely on simplified versions of spiritual answers, and do not exercise our minds, we will be ill equipped to respond to the new situations life constantly puts before us.
Not all Christians are intellectuals, but all Christians are sometimes expected to justify and rejustify what they know to be true. Every mature believer should be challenged to understand theological issues and have a comprehensive knowledge of the Bible. Without these, the mature believer becomes ineffective in his own self-examination and in discerning how to counsel others. Most Sunday schools and cell groups are not intended for this kind of study but for fellowship, worship, and many other things. Christian churches need to rethink their curricula when it comes to the needs of mature believers.
(2) Emotional Engagement.
David Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence points out that emotional sensitivity rather than intellectual abilities are the best predictors of success.[22] Goleman writes that the portion of the brain governing our emotions is much larger than the portion devoted to reason, that the path from the intellect to the emotion is like a cow path while the path from the emotions to the intellect is like a four lane highway.[23] The heart influences the head more than the head influences the heart. It does little good to strengthen our faith intellectually unless we concurrently deepen our passion for God. Just as a relationship between a husband and wife becomes complacent, so does our relationship with Christ. We need to be challenged to deepen our emotions toward God, just as we must with our spouses.
One only has to read the writings of the great intellectuals of the faith such as Luther, Calvin, the Puritans, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas to see that these men were as passionate in their writings on God as the wildest Pentecostal or Charismatic. The deeper our emotional attachment the greater our intellectual understanding is likely to become.
(3) Behavioral reinforcement.
Perhaps the greatest contribution behavioral psychology has given to the world is to demonstrate the link between action and emotion. We do not just smile when we are happy; smiling makes us happy. We do not just react angrily when we are upset; shouting gets us more upset. The things we do and the rituals we follow reinforce our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The church’s emphasis on the “means of grace” helps us to deepen and enhance our relationship to God. As James wrote “faith without works is dead.”[25] Inward faith without outward behavior quickly disappears.
Behavioral reinforcement of spiritual beliefs take three forms—inner disciplines, outer rituals, and the practice of a Christian lifestyle.
Inner disciplines include prayer, fasting, Bible study, confessing, meditating, praising, and silence. Donald Whitner says “God’s people have always been a spiritual people. . . . I have never known a man or woman who came to spiritual maturity except through spiritual discipline.”[27]
Outer rituals are practiced publicly in God’s house among God’s people. The early church devised a wide variety of corporate disciplines—morning prayers, evening prayers, regular times of fasting, the Eucharist, confession, weekly worship, prayers before meals, family devotions, liturgy, litanies, and benedictions. They enable us to fulfill the Scriptural command to “pray without ceasing”—not prayer every moment of every day, but prayer regularly performed throughout the days, weeks, and years.
Rituals and spiritual disciplines though are meaningless without a Christian lifestyle. A Christian lifestyle is not defined so much by what we do not do, but by what we do. Refraining from sexual immorality, intoxicants, gluttony, greed and sloth may fulfill the commandments of the Old Covenant, but it does not rise to the level of the New. Loving others, feeding the poor, sharing our faith, showing compassion for our neighbor and turning the other cheek are the heavier duties that Christ called His disciples to perform. Ethical Christian behavior is absolutely necessary for Christian maturity.
(4) Supportive Relationships.
If there is one overwhelming deficiency in our cybernetic world, it is for intimate community. We need a community that stirs us each to deeper spiritual expression. Mature believers need to be with people who can nourish and encourage them while they in turn encourage others. As Bonheoffer famously said, “Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. . . . Let him who cannot be in community beware of being alone.”[28]
Being in a church, even serving in a church, is not the same as being in community. Many of us serve on boards and committees so pointless and soporific that St. Peter himself would no doubt repeat his weakness at Gethsemane and once again fall asleep. Churches are often the worst place to discuss struggles. Even in churches with a well-functioning small group ministry, only a portion of the church are involved in small groups.
(5) Life interpretation.
Faith equips us to interpret our life story. Whether our lives are on an upward slope or a downward slide depends entirely on which direction is up or down. Whether our history is the work of a benevolent God working all things for good or whether it is a random accident determines our life course in the future.
The only way to know and interpret our story is to tell that story. We must put it into words. The simple act of talking or writing about events helps us to come to terms with them.
In 1 Samuel 7:12, after God routed a Philistine army bent on Israel’s destruction, the people of Israel erected a stone monument to the occasion, calling it “Ebenezer”—“thus far has the Lord helped us.” A testimony is a similar memorial in our hearts, reminding us of the goodness of God in the past, which He has promised will continue in the future. Mature believers should be encouraged to remember their personal past, so they may remain steady in the future.
(6) Connection to history.
The church that ignores the past also cuts itself off from the present. The church may be faithful to the Scriptures (which is a product of the past), but its understanding has become disconnected and disjointed from the great thinkers of the past. It need not hide from history by concealing denominational connections, or throwing out every tradition. Believers need to understand their roots so they can understand where they belong.
We stand on the shoulders of giants, Sir Isaac Newton once famously observed. Connecting to history is a primary task of faith. We need to understand how we fit into the historic continuum. History assures us of our place in the universe.
Older believers are often upset by the rapid change in society. We should not be—change is a part of life. But if change does not help us reinterpret the past, it will be involuntary and unwelcome. Taking time to provide mature believers with a historical perspective will make change more palatable and manageable.
(7) Unquestioned authority.
For us to build and maintain a personal world view, we must have some authority we deem to be true. Faith gives us something to believe and follow without question or compromise.
The rapid decline of the mainline church is not due to its unwillingness to change, but to its denial of its past authority. The church must stand firm on what it believes, and stick by it.
The real issue is not authority so much as submission. Christ gave us an example of voluntary submission. He submitted Himself to the Father willingly and joyfully. He submitted out of love. Paul submitted himself to the corrupt authorities of the Roman empire and the Jewish establishment by choice, not by force. In Romans 13, he encouraged Christians to submit to the Roman empire out of choice.
It is counter intuitive but nevertheless accurate to say that only unquestioned authority allows us to freely pursue what is greatest in life. Scientists cannot do research without believing in empirical evidence. A high court cannot question the standards of a lower court without some basis in constitutional law. A grammarian cannot grade papers unless she regards dictionaries and grammar textbooks as authoritative. The constitution may need changing and grammar textbooks may need to be rewritten, but until they are we need them. We could not function without authoritative standards. A church which does not speak with authority cannot provide a solid foundation for individual faith development in its members.
(8) A realistic hope.
The eighth work of faith is to assure us of a worthwhile future, making the struggles and privations of this world capable of being borne. Without positive hope, positive change is not possible. If we cannot expect a positive outcome for our labors, we will cease to labor.
Hope does not have to be a positive outcome for us personally. A terrorist may blow himself up out of hope for seventy virgins in heaven, or he may do it out of hope of starting a political movement that will usher in a new Communist state. A philanthropist may give money to be rewarded in heaven, or to make the future world better. Either way, we do what we do for hope of something better.
For Christians to be balanced and healthy spiritually, we must take into consideration all eight of these works of faith in our lives. As a church, we must make sure to meet these needs and to equip Christians to meet these needs for themselves. If we want the church to be healthy, then believers of all stages—new, young, and old,—must be equipped for a lifetime of Spiritual growth and development.
Summary
The track of an individual Christian’s spiritual life is unique, but there are common stages along the way. Seekers are new believers, who have just come to trust Jesus. Learners or catechumens are those who are developing as believers, discovering their spiritual gifts, and discovering God’s direction for their lives. Mature believers are Christians who have a sense of God’s vision for their lives, and are seeking to follow Him in a complicated, challenging world.
Historically the evangelical church has done a better job with the discipleship of new believers than they have with maintaining the spiritual health of mature ones. By treating all believers the same, the church may either fail to reach new people, or sustain the old ones. Christian discipleship programs aimed at leading new believers into maturity leave the mature believer desiring more.
Mature believers need to be challenged to go deeper into the faith, instead of repeating the same teachings again and again. This challenge needs to come through eight aspects of faith—intellectual challenge, emotional expression, rituals and habits, intimate community, life interpretation, a connection to history, definite authority, and a realistic hope.
Clearly, maintaining our spiritual lives in maturity cannot be forced from without; it must be pursued individually with all zeal. Nevertheless, the church must provide opportunities for continued spiritual growth, while not forsaking the lost, or ignoring the discipleship of the young. The church must have a multi-leveled approach to discipleship. Though this may be difficult, with God’s grace and the Spirit’s help it can be done.
[1] I John 2:12-15. All Biblical quotations will be from the NIV unless otherwise noted.)
[2] I John 2:1,2:28, 3:18, 4:4, and 5:21.
[4] (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
[5] Ibid.
[6] I Cor 3:1-4 NKJV
[7] Strongs, op. cit.
[9] Geoffrey J Cuming Hippolytus: A Text For Students: (Grove Books, LTD.,Bramcote, Nottingham,England,1987), p. 16.
[10] Ibid.
[11] The Confessions of St. Augustine, trans. By E. M. Blaiklock, (Thomas Nelson,Nashville, Tnn.) 1986, pp. 220-221.
[12] Hipplolytus, p 18.
[13] This is the probable beginning of the tradition of Lent.
[14] Hippolytus, op. cit. p. 19.
[15] Ibid.
[17] Adapted from Marks of a Disciple, by Lorne C. Sanny, © 1975 by The Navigators. The complete booklet is available from NavPress at: www.navpress.com
[19] Billygrahambookstore.org
[20] Matthew 28:19-20
[25] James 2:20
[27] Donald Whitner Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Navpress, Colorado Springs, Col.) 1991, p. 17.
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