In today’s culture, living as a disciple of Jesus can imply a different meaning than living as Jesus’ disciple. It could be nitpicking over words but I think this distinction is crucial.
Both disciples believe:
- God became a man
- He lived the life we should have lived
- He died the death we should have died
The variation is in the implied response of the disciple:
A disciple of Jesus:
- emphasises me following Jesus. This can lead to:
- I am saved by grace, and live by works.
i.e. Jesus saved me and has given me commands to follow in order to be pleasing to God.
Jesus’ disciple:
- emphasises Jesus owning me. This means that:
- I am saved by grace, and live by grace.
i.e. Jesus saved me and continues to save me as I strive to follow in His obedience.
Paul writes in Colossians:
Just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him
To paraphrase:
Follow Jesus in the same way that you believed in Jesus
Living as a disciple of Jesus or living as Jesus’ disciple can mean the same thing, although the latter more clearly shines the beauty of the gospel.
9 July 2008 at 9:25 |
Nice work Joel, I found this helpful. Like the new look blog too!