Christian Living

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When you think of the term 'radical' what do you picture? I've heard the term radical used in the context of Christianity many times. Christianity is supposed to be radical, people say, and I agree.

But, what, though, do people picture when they think of 'radical' Christianity. Well, the first thing that pops into my mind, actually, is King David dancing up and down the streets in a loincloth, celebrating the return of the Ark of the Covenant. Also, I picture people giving all their money away to the poor, and people who go to the jungles of South America to preach the gospel to tribes there, or people jumping up and down and shouting for joy in a church here in the United States.

Those things certainly are radical, I'd say, but when I focus on them as examples of 'radical' Christianity, am I shifting the focus away from the way God wants us to be radical. In what ways are we supposed to be radical, first and foremost? If I think about that question, my mind drifts to the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5...peace, joy, gentleness, kindness..I can't recall them all right now. God wants us to be radical in those things? Radical peace? Well, I guess I can picture that...the hippies come automatically to mind, haha. But radical gentleness? It almost seems like an oxymoron given the way I tend to think of the term radical. Yet, this clearly reflects what God wants from us.

What, though, is radical gentleness, radical peace (it's probably not quite reflected by the hippie movement), radical kindness, and so on? Well, first and foremost, the terms refer to character traits, rather than specific behaviors. What God seems to want from us is a radical character more so than radical behavior. Not that David's action in dancing up and down the streets in a loincloth was bad (clearly God strongly approved of it), nor is giving radically to the poor, or shouting and dancing for joy in church (at an appropriate time). But also, say, in 1 Corinthians 13, God clearly indicates that these are not the things God desires above all. What matters is the heart and character from which the actions spring. David's dancing was not approved because he acted undignified, but because he acted out of the profound joy he felt in his heart, a heart after God's own. It is the radical character that God demands of us above all. Having that radical character results in actions that are pleasing to God, whether it be dancing for joy in the Lord without shame, sitting quietly with a friend who is grieving, studying the Scriptures, or holding your wife's hand simply to let her know you care.

This leaves me with a couple of questions, though. How does radical character manifest itself in everyday life, and how does one obtain radical character? I'll reflect on these questions in more detail another time, but a short answer to the second question may be this: we must truly know our identity in Jesus Christ.

In any event, may God's Spirit overflow into your lives and build in all of you that radical character He desires.

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