All For Christ

[Adapted from a chapel message given at Redeemer Classical Academy]

What does it mean to be a Christian in this world – to be a Christian institution, or Christian family, or a Christian businessman? Does it mean that in everything we do we make sure to pray first? Or if you were a Christian artist, you would make sure to add a cross onto all your paintings or a lyric about Jesus into every song. While these things would be fine, I don't believe that they are getting at what it means to be a Christian in this world. What makes us Christian isn't a mere external action or something perfunctory. The difference should be that in all of life we live for the glory of Jesus Christ. He is the supreme goal in everything we do and He is the ground on which we stand.

For from him and through him and to him are all things. (Romans 11:36)

In whatever we do we want to live under the lordship of Jesus Christ. He is supreme. He is the greatest. And more than that, everything is connected to Him. We want to learn and do all things in and through and for Christ. Everything is about Jesus Christ.

This is what our world and sadly many Christians as well don't understand. Christ is not to be compartmentalized. We don't have a worship life on Sunday's and in our quiet times, and then a secular existence throughout the week, in our schooling and in our work. Or at least that is not what we are going for. Right after the verse quoted above – from him and through him and to him are all things – we are commanded to present our whole lives to God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1). Now that means a lot of things, but one thing it means for sure is that the altar of our worship is not to be in a temple at one place and time, divorced from the rest of our lives. No, it is a living sacrifice. So, where is the altar for our worship? You're sitting on it. You're standing on it. The whole world, wherever you go, is the altar. Our lives are to be a continuous holy existence, a life of worship, a living sacrifice.

This teaching doesn't turn us into monks – cloistered away from the world either. We are called to live this life of worship in this very world. Paul goes on saying, Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind (12:2). Our life as Christians in this world is to be characterized by a holy difference. We have been changed. We once were in the world, and the world loved us as its own. But now we live for Christ. We are different. We are transformed and are being transformed more and more. And yet we still live here. We still do all sorts of things here. Well, how are we to do those things? For the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Do all for the glory of Christ. Whatever it is. Science as an offering of worship to the great Creator. The disciplined study of Latin for the Lord of language. Art for the Great Artist. History studied in wonder of the Lord of History. Literature as an echo of the Great Storyteller. Even in phys. Ed, using the strength of our bodies to please the One who knows our frame, who knit our bodies in our mother's wombs, who Himself became incarnate. Essentially, what we are saying is this: all of life is to be lived for Christ. Every good and lawful discipline is to be studied and explored and done for the glory of God. We can do this because Christ our Redeemer truly makes all things new. He redeems. He brings things back from the brink. He restores what was lost. He brings beauty from the ashes. Through Him all things find their rightful place. And in Him we find the centre of everything. Jesus Christ is the centre point of History. He is the Lord of all. Lord of Science, Lord of History, Lord of the good, the true and the beautiful. He is the way, the truth and the life. For from him and through him and to him are all things. And therefore, we ought to do all things for his glory, offering up our whole lives as worship to our great Redeemer.