Extreme Christianity

Extreme Christianity

We live in the age of the moderate Christian. What do I mean by that? I mean the Christian who attends church on occasions and continues to live their life unchanged. My question is how is it even remotely possible to know the truth and yet be unchanged? The truth of the Gospel is so radical, so revolutionary, and so contrary to this world's philosophy that we simply can't come to know it without seeing visible change. Those that view God's Word without change must truly believe in their heart that either they are not in need of salvation or they simply must not care. These are extremely dangerous positions to hold. In Revelation 3:15-17 we see Christ say, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. Because you say, 'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,' and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." Christ says it is better for us to be cold than lukewarm! At least those who are cold have an excuse, but what excuse is there for us who know God's truth? You see, the truth is we are in desperate need of salvation, we are utterly hopeless and full of despair if not for the Gospel. We are "wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked." To be redeemed of that, to be given life, to be given freedom from our oppressions is such an outstanding gift that we should not be able to contain the passion and fire that it sets within us. To truly understand the Gospel is to experience life for the first time, it is to feel hope for the first time, it is to see for the first time, it is to be drastically changed from the inside out. So I repeat, how is it even remotely possible to know the truth and yet be unchanged?
As I have previously mentioned in "Arguments for Morality and Purpose," there can not be any possible purpose without God, that is to say our purpose comes from God and God alone. How can anything other than living for our purpose be of any interest to us then? How can we go about business as usual? Granted these are rhetorical questions and the obvious answer is sin, but then that raises the question "why do we refuse the discipline of overcoming our carnal desires?" To live life for anything other than God is to live life as if it has no purpose. If we believe we do have purpose, why aren't we living like it? The brass tacks is that we need to start living our life as if it has purpose, we need to stop living for the things of this world that are fleeting and empty, we need to instill enough discipline in ourselves to do so, and we need to start taking the responsibilities and consequences of our actions seriously because it goes far beyond just you and me. We can affect eternity and the eternity of others, we can be the tools that God uses to lead someone to salvation, their life or death may very well depend upon our discipline and resolve to live for things that matter.
James says in James 2:14-17 "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,' and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." Do you have faith, our very assurance of life, or is yours dead?