“The ultimate concern of most church members is not the worship and service of Christ in evangelistic mission and social compassion, but rather survival and success in their secular vocation. The church is a spoke on the wheel of life connected to a secular hub. It is a departmental subconcern, not the organizing center of all other concerns. Church members who have been conditioned all their lives to devote themselves to building their own kingdom and whose flesh naturally gravitates in that direction anyway find it hard to invest much energy in the kingdom of God. They go to church once or twice a week and punch the clock, so to speak, fulfilling their ‘church obligation’ by sitting passively and listening critically or approvingly to the pastor’s teaching.
[ . . .] Since their understanding of justification is marginal or unreal–anchored not to Christ, but to some conversion experience in the past or to an imagined present state of goodness in their lives–they know little of the dynamic of justification. Their understanding of sin focuses on behavioral externals which they can eliminate from their lives by a little will power and ignores the great submerged continents of pride, covetousness and hostility beneath the surface. Thus their pharisaism defends them both against full involvement in the church’s mission and against full subjection of their inner lives to the authority of Christ.”
- Richard F. Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal, 204-05
(HT: Timmy Brister)
When I read an extract like this I feel an inner ache……..
Surely what we do in our secular employment should be part of God’s kingdom, His rule?
Does not our Lord wish us to provide for our families? We need a theology of work.
Does he not wish us to boldly bring about His will on Earth as it is in Heaven? (Now but not yet).
Does He not wish us to work for righteous culture and for economies to flourish as part of His Creation Ordinances? Have they been withdrawn?
It took me years to escape from a dualism of the sacred and secular, church and professional life.
I gradually realised that when I walked down the steps to my place of employment, I could be doing His will as much as teaching in sunday school.
This is not limited to morality in work practice, or witness to workmates, but surely includes doing all things excellently for the glory of God fulfilling His Laws and Ordinances joyfully as children of God justified in His sight through Christ alone, by faith alone?
Amen and Amen!! Couldn’t agree more. In fact I was teaching this this morning.
But, I don’t think Lovelace is saying what you’re thinking he’s saying. It’s the hub! Is the centre Christ/gospel/kingdom (including church, obviously), or life (with what is ultimately valuable pushed to the margins)? If we really want to love our neighbour (in the work place or wherever) we must engage them from having Christ as our first love (then we’ll have something to love them with). This is not dualism – like you, I don’t believe in a definitive secular-sacred divide (as if so-called secular employment was second rate to service in the kingdom of God – it is all work in and for the kingdom of God!) – but the outworking of our love for God.
Thanks for the astute comment, as always!