Faith and Discipline—Reflections on Albert Edward Day, Part 1

The power of a life, where Christ is exalted, would arrest and subdue those who are bored to tears by our thin version of Christianity and wholly uninterested in mere churchmanship.

We have talked much about salvation by faith, but there has been little realization that all real faith involves discipline. Faith is not a blithe “turning it all over to Jesus.” Faith is such confidence in Jesus that it takes seriously his summons, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

We have loudly proclaimed our dependence upon the grace of God, never guessing that the grace of God is given only to those who practice the grace of self-mastery. “Work out your own salvation in fear and trembling for God is at work in you both to will and to work his good pleasure.” People working out, God working in—that is the New Testament synthesis.

Humans, working out their salvation alone, are a pathetic spectacle—hopelessly defeated moralists trying to elevate themselves by their own bootstraps.

God, seeking to work in a person who offers no disciplined cooperation, is a heartbreaking spectacle—a defeated Savior trying to free, from sins and earthiness, a person who will not lift his or her face out of the dust, or shake off the shackles of the egocentric self.

Real discipline is not a vain effort to save one’s self. It is an intelligent application to the self of those psychological principles which enable the self to enter into life-giving fellowship with God who is our salvation.

We must recover for ourselves the significance and the necessity of the spiritual disciplines. Without them we shall continue to be impotent witnesses for Christ [emphasis added]. Without them Christ will be impotent in his efforts to use us to save our society from disintegration and death.

—From Discipline and Discovery by Albert Edward Day

Wow. Day gives us LOTS to ponder in this excerpt above and I will attempt to address it a bit at a time over the next few reflections. Today I want to reflect on this power of a Christ-exalted life that Day talks about. I read on titusonenine today about the declining numbers in the Lutheran denomination, at least in West, and in the Presbyterian denomination. The numbers are both startling and disturbing to those of us who care about Christ’s church. What is particularly interesting about the Lutheran report is that their numbers appear to be growing in the Global South, as is the case with the Anglican Communion—growth in the Global South, decline in the West. Why is that? Nor is this trend unique to the Anglicans, Lutherans, or Presbyterians. It is the affliction of every mainline Protestant Church in the West. Again, why is that? This is a question that demands thoughtful and prayerful discussion.

In my Global Anglicanism class, we are also talking about how to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate missionary activities in regard to indigenous populations and their respective cultures, i.e., when does respect for meeting people (and their cultures) where they are end and syncretism (the combining of multiple faiths to form a new amalgam) begin? In my mind a syncretistic Christian faith betrays a lack of confidence and trust in the One who loves us and gave himself for us. It also indicates a tacit rejection of the “faith once delivered” and so this notion of a Christ-exalted life has been on my mind recently.

In Acts, Luke reports that where the Holy Spirit is present and active, there we find growth and power and so that seems to me to be a reasonable benchmark (but not the only one) to use when talking about a Christ-exalted life. So what does a Christ-exalted life look like that would be so “arresting” to others?

Several things come to mind. Does the person show compassion and respect for all persons, especially those most marginalized by a society? Does that person demonstrate a confidence in the power of Christ to raise all people up and free them from their sin? Does that person put his/her faith into action in the name of Christ for the betterment of Christ’s creatures? Does the person dare to be countercultural and desire a better way for God’s creatures and creation? Does the person but his/her culture to the test using the prism of Christ rather than vice versa? Is there something “above and beyond” the person that allows others to see a peace and grace that is not his or hers? Does a person treat his/her enemies with grace and compassion?

These questions certainly are not exhaustive, but a quick reading of the saints of Christ over time and across culture will surely identify a consistent pattern in their lives. The question then becomes, how do we become equipped to live Christ-exalted lives? I’ll continue with that question in my next reflection.

It’s your turn now. Do you agree or disagree with Day about the power of a Christ-exalted life? If you agree, what does a Christ-exalted life look like to you? Do you agree or disagree with my suggested list of characteristics above? Why? Does your own life exalt Christ? If so, how? If not, why do you think that is so and what do you need to do to live such a life? Do you even want to live such a life?

Share your stories and reflections with us so that we can better learn to recognize Christ among us.