Tough Questions

A friend of mine recently told me that he was having some difficulty answering a set of questions posed by a non-Christian associate of his: 1) Which is more important for Christians - what you believe or how you live?; 2) If the point of Christianity is for us to live in accordance with certain virtues, why should someone who already strives for those virtues become a Christian?; and 3) Why would anyone aspire to Christianity when, if taken seriously, Jesus' teachings are so extreme that they would require more sacrifice than anyone in their right mind would be willing to offer?

I think each of these questions flow naturally from agnosticism because that they don't presume an actual calling from God to fulfill the mandates of Christianity (whatever those mandates are eventually determined to be). In response to the first question, I point to the example that Jesus gave us. While he naturally expected faith on the part of his listeners, and while his miracles were intended to produce a belief that he was specially chosen of God, Jesus' teachings were almost entirely about how God has called us to live. Jesus laid out the essence of Christianity when he pronounced the greatest commands: "Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength; love your neighbor as yourself." So in answer to the first line of inquiry, I'd affirm that no understanding of Christianity can be complete if it doesn't emphasize a distinctive approach to living life in love for others. In my mind, distinct metaphysical understandings are of significantly less importance than a commitment to live in the way that God calls us to live.

Tying these thoughts into the second question, I'd proceed to say that just as "faith without works* is dead", living a virtuous life in the absence of any faith (while admirable) fails to address the spiritual aspect of our lives. Humans are almost universally aware of Something greater than ourselves, though we have different ways of understanding and explaining what the Something is. It's what C.S. Lewis referred to as the "God-shaped hole", or the search for ultimate meaning. One can clearly choose to live virtuously without feeling impelled by your understanding of the greater Something (and I'm willing to say that people who do so are not necessarily in danger of Hell, based on Romans 2), but I believe if you carefully consider why you want to be a virtuous person it will eventually come back to the greater Something. The Judeo-Christian heritage understands that God is the greater Something, and correctly links our innate desire for meaning and direction to our souls - the spiritual part of each of us that makes us in the very image of God. Furthermore, Jewish and Christian thought comprehends that God has communicated to us through the ages, telling us that it is his will for us to live selflessly (which I think is equivalent to the idea of "virtue"). Anyone who chooses a virtuous life should be applauded, because they are abandoning (at least to an extent) their own good for the good of others - and that is admirable. But I firmly believe that their decision to live virtuously would be much more greatly appreciated and dearly held if they had an understanding of how the greater Something (God) is intimately related to the very idea of virtue itself. It is that broader spiritual understanding that (I believe) enables Christians to have a richer appreciation for friendship, family, and the pursuit of their own lives and goals.

This brings me to the final question - Why would anyone be willing to sacrifice as much as Jesus' teachings seem to ask of us? Well, honestly, very few people - even Christians - are so willing. While people all have a spiritual side, we are undeniably animal as well. Our primal, animalistic instincts are essentially selfish. They tell us to cling to what is ours, climb the social ladder, pursue comfort, and do what you must to protect your family and friends. These instincts are hard-wired into the human psychology, which is why what Jesus taught is so radical and so difficult to actually live. Not only did Jesus tell people to give up their possessions, he asked them to abandon their families if that was what it would take to live the life to which we are called. If one takes to heart Jesus' admonitions to turn the other cheek and to refrain from resisting evildoers, it might well mean giving up our own lives. These teachings are so difficult as to border on insanity! But they are the logical extension of a principle that always places the good of others before your own personal desires.

The important thing to keep in mind is that we don't have to incorporate this radical selflessness perfectly into our lives before we can acknowledge that it is what God desires of us. Christianity, in my mind, is about that acknowledgment and the continual, lived effort to bring myself closer every day to the ideals that Jesus taught. Individual Christians may have absolutely no hope of ever achieving those ideals, but by relying on strength that God can provide we can move in the right direction. Where we are weak and where we fail, we can trust that God is gracious and will continue to be with us. An explanation of how grace comes about and why it is needed is probably best reserved for another conversation, so I'll end my thoughts on that point. Let me know if y'all have anything to add or if you disagree with a point that I've made.