Discipleship begins with the completed work of Christ. And a very natural response is to flee from what is sinful, even what might lead towards sin. This is not only a good thing, but it is essential. An increased awareness of God’s holiness leads to a deeper loathing of even the small sins in our life. That’s the way it’s supposed to work.
An unfortunate thing can happen in our relationship with Christ at this point. We can start to believe that discipleship is all about avoiding sin and temptation. And while sin is something that is dangerous, and temptation something to put concerted effort into controlling, God has a bigger vision.
Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.
2 Timothy 2:222 Timothy 2:22
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
22 Run from temptations that capture young people. Always do the right thing. Be faithful, loving, and easy to get along with. Worship with people whose hearts are pure.
WP-Bible plugin
Do you see that Timothy is given two directions? He is to run from those things that tempt to sin. But the absence of sin is not the goal. The goal is a life that is Christ-like. And Jesus was more than just sinless. He was interested in more than just the appearance of “cleanliness” – spiritual or otherwise. He ran after his Father. He ran after what was good and just, what was true.
But running after what is good can be hard. The possibilities for evil are limited, though they try to make themselves loom large. But the opportunities for good can be absolutely mind-boggling. What to do first? Feed the hungry? Take care of a widow? Befriend someone who is unloved? Serve in a menial capacity at your church? Though not meant to be exhaustive, the short list in 2 Timothy 2:222 Timothy 2:22
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
22 Run from temptations that capture young people. Always do the right thing. Be faithful, loving, and easy to get along with. Worship with people whose hearts are pure.
WP-Bible plugin is a great place to start.
So where does Paul start? Follow anything that makes you want to do right. That could mean swapping out one band for another on your playlist. It most certainly should suggest some time spent reading God’s word. There is so much in Scripture meant to inspire us about our place in God’s sight, the way God handles suffering, and our role as God’s agents. Certainly we can find some guidance about how to do right there.
Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. Faith, love, peace, companionship; these all speak to our place within the body of Christ. And though a lot of things could be said about this – I want to point out one. If you want to do what pleases God, and not just avoid what doesn’t, then you need to be around people. And a great group to start with is those who have experienced the same love and forgiveness – those in Christ. They have the best potential of responding to your failures with love and mercy. They can encourage you as you learn and experience God’s transformational power.
God’s vision is about pursuit of the good, as much as it is about guarding from the bad. It is about pursuing both the actions and character of Jesus. And God’s vision should be our vision!
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