The "Doing of Christianity"

The "doing of Christianity" has largely become Christianity.

In a recent conversation with a friend I tried to explain my position on this. I keep coming back to Love. Love is what is foundational, everything else comes from Love. To make the point more relevant, consider a marriage - an analogy often used in the New Testament.

I love my wife, therefore I want to please my wife. She is my passion, therefore I want to know my wife. Because I want to please my wife and I want to know my wife, I talk with her, I try to understand her and her wants and needs. It doesn't happen that I watch "dancing with the stars" on the television because I enjoy the program, I do it because my wife enjoys it and I know that to do things she likes is well worth the time. It brings her joy, and through that joy, I find happiness. Because I love my wife, I will throw out that favorite pair of jeans that have more holes than a good swiss cheese but fit me so well. I know she does not like them and prefers pants that have a minimum of damage. These things did not come first. My wife loved me as I was. I adopted these specific manifestations of our love over time, just as she has learned to understand me more over time.

The salient point here is that Christianity should resemble this process. We fall in love with our God and He loves us where we are. He loves us in our brokenness. As we grow in our love for Him, our lives begin to reflect the changes. The "Works" are an outward manifestation of our love for our God.

Here is a point on which I may part ways with some of you still with me... I believe that these "works" will differ among believers. I believe that cultural influences will dictate manifestations of our love. What may be right for an American in Philadelphia, PA may not be right for a Chadian in Balimba. That being said, the constants provided in the New Testament serve as a good starting point for a normalized baseline regardless of local.