In 2010 the theologian John Stott published a book called The Radical Disciple. The subtitle was Some Neglected Aspects of Our Calling. This brief book laid out eight aspects of Christian discipleship that Stott perceived as being “neglected” by and large in the modern, particularly Western, church.
The keystone Bible verse in Stott’s work was Luke 6:46 which reads, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” According to this verse, the call to Christian discipleship is, among many things, a call to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And for Stott, to neglect certain aspects of Jesus’ call on our lives is to live in a double-minded way where we confess Christ’s lordship with our mouths but walk in a different manner with our actions.
Stott is right on. He understands Christ’s all-consuming claim on the lives of His disciples. The Dutch theologian and political figure Abraham Kuyper famously said, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” This applies to the universe and it applies just the same to our hearts. When we enter God’s kingdom, through the resurrection of regeneration, we do not crown Him as King over half of our lives. He is King of the whole.
We ought to quickly note the care required here to not fall into legalism, believing that our main job as justified Christians is to obey Jesus perfectly and so secure our salvation. But obedience is called for. It is called for as the evidence of saving faith. There are two extreme dangers here: the danger of legalism and the danger of license. Legalism tells us that now that we’ve been freed from sin, set at liberty in grace, and born to a living hope, we ought to “return to the yoke of slavery” by living by a list of strict rules. License tells us that because of our freedom in Christ, we can happily live in freedom without a second thought to submitting to God’s authority. Both of these extremes are unbiblical.
In this article, I would like to present a list of my own; a list of “neglected aspects” of discipleship. Taking a cue from Stott, here are four more aspects of Christian discipleship that are clearly commanded but that we often find at the periphery of much discipleship.
Purity
Impurity has been around since the Fall. But God requires purity.
In a wide sense, this has to do with a clean conscience before God and unadulterated consecration to Him. However, it also has specific application to sexual purity and faithfulness.
I say that this sexual purity is a “neglected” aspect of discipleship primarily because of how widespread sexual impurity is in the church. And this is not a finger-pointing moment. It is a moment of recognizing that God’s call for purity has been trampled in many Western churches through the many scandals, affairs, and the widespread use of pornography. This is not a condemnation of individuals who are struggling with sin. It is an honest look at the situation and a reminder that purity is a tenet of Christian discipleship.
Paul makes an urgent argument against sexual immorality in 1 Corinthians 6. He appeals to the Corinthians to flee sexual immorality on the basis of two realities: our resurrection and union with Christ (vv. 14-17) and Christ’s claim on us as His subjects (slaves in fact) because He has bought us with His blood (vv. 19-20). “You call Him ‘Lord, Lord’,” Paul challenges, “and yet you commit sexual immorality.” The church today needs to hear this challenge too. I need to hear it today!
Jesus did not pull any punches in regards to purity. He taught that we ought to take dramatic measures to maintain purity in our lives (Matthew 5:27-30).
There is great reward for those who are, by God’s grace and through His Spirit, pure in heart:
- The pure in heart draw near to God, (Psalm 24:3-4, Hebrews 10:22, James 4:8)
- The pure in heart see God, (Matthew 5:8)
- The pure in heart receive God’s goodness, (Psalm 73:1, Psalm 18:26)
How does one walk in purity? Scripture tells us:
- By guarding one’s heart and life according to God’s Word, (Psalm 119:9)
- Through supplication for God’s Spirit, (Psalm 51:10)
- Through faith in Jesus Christ, (1 John 3:3)
Forgiveness
Another neglected aspect of our discipleship is forgiveness.
We live in a culture that values self-preservation and personal boundaries. Now, some boundaries in relationships are important. They are God-given. (I would like to develop this topic in much more detail in the future.) But there is a point where personal boundaries become selfish. We are told to “cut toxic people” from our lives. Is this in line with biblical discipleship?
Jesus’ call to forgiveness was radical. Jesus commands His disciples to forgive more often than they want to (Matthew 18:21-22), to forgive those whom they don’t want to (Luke 6:27), and to forgive without enmity in their hearts (Ephesians 4:32). What is at stake is quite substantial.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:14-15
I do not believe that this passage teaches us that we can lose our justification by withholding forgiveness from others. But the claim is a radical one nonetheless. It does teach that our fellowship with God is broken by our withholding of forgiveness to others. That’s why it’s so important to forgive and reconcile before praying to and worshipping God (Mark 11:25).
This element of forgiveness ties in quite closely with enemy-love. Jesus commands His disciples to love our enemies and to show favor to those who torment us (Matthew 5:43-45). This includes interceding for our persecutors. This is also quite difficult to wrap our human minds and hearts around and even harder to live out. Won’t we just become doormats if we love our enemies? This too is a question that cannot be addressed sufficiently in this short article. (But I intend to address it in depth when I address personal boundaries from a biblical perspective.) For now, we must conclude that loving our enemies gives us victory in the Kingdom (Rev. 1:9) and paradoxically, torments our enemies (Romans 12:20).
This is not something that comes naturally to any Christian, much less a Christian in the comfortable Western church. We would rather “cut” toxic people from our lives instead of loving them and forgiving them. Yet that is exactly what we are called to do as disciples of Christ. (This doesn’t mean that there isn’t a time to part ways with someone or to protect yourself from abuse.)
Self-Denial
Self-denial is at the heart of Christian discipleship.
We could quote so many passages here. Here are just a few:
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
John 12:24
For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Romans 8:13
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:11
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:5
The call of obedience in the Christian life is one of dying to our self and living in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. It is a call to self-denial and self-death.
Instead we see much of our culture, including many Christians, practicing a life of little self-denial. We see more self-indulgence. We see a spirit of the age that says, “If you want it, you should have it.” This is not the call of Christian discipleship. Once again, this is not a condemnation on sincere believers. It is an honest look at our Christian churches and a reminder that just as Jesus was the “seed” that fell to the earth and died, drawing all peoples to Himself through His cross (John 12:24, 32), we ought to follow Him in His self-denying road.
Perhaps this is clearest articulated by Paul in Philippians 2 when he says that we are to have the mind of Christ, who left Heaven and entered our suffering on earth in obedience to His Father’s will. This was the greatest act of self-denial in history. Jesus did not “count equality with God a thing to be grasped” but emptied Himself. He was not insistent on His “rights” but instead walked away from them and embraced the humiliation of human incarnation.
Again we ought to clarify that this is not a prohibition against enjoying the gifts that God graciously gives us. Self-denial doesn’t mean that we must live dour and joyless lives. Instead, we will find that denying our flesh will lead to incredible joy as we find full satisfaction in Jesus Christ.
Peace
Now we will examine this final, brief, aspect of discipleship: peace.
Peace is hard to find in American culture right now. There is much hostility and enmity. Sadly, some of this hostility is coming from the church. Christian disciples are called to be peaceful people of the Way, not pugilistic warriors for earthly empires. Of course, there is a time for holy battle. But that battle is against demonic forces, not flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12). There are too many Christians waging war against flesh and blood. We are called to a life of peace, not hostility.
Peace can become an idol, for sure, but that does not negate Jesus’ command: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) This command is re-emphasized by Paul: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Romans 12:18)
I am sure there are many more aspects of Christian discipleship that we neglect often. But these four stood out to me. I encourage you to think of areas in your own life, or areas of neglect that you see in the church at large. How does Christ’s claim of authority on our lives change us? Do we call Him “Lord, Lord” but not do the things He commands?
And let us close with the reminder that the Christian life, as Dane Ortlund writes, can be lived “either for the heart of Christ or from the heart of Christ” (Gentle & Lowly, p. 181, emphasis added). That to be a disciple of Jesus means to follow Him and walk in His power and in His Spirit, which enables us to do all these things and much more.