The Crucible of Christlikeness
Dr. Ian Hamilton is a husband, father of four, and grandfather of six. He spent thirty-seven years ministering to local churches in Scotland and now continues to serve Christ and His Church as professor of historical theology and president at Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary, UK and adjunct professor of applied theology at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
We are privileged to publish his multimedia Bible study, The Nature & Practice of True-Hearted Discipleship, coming on Friday, November 15. This 8-week study guides you back to Scripture in order to examine Jesus’ descriptions of what it means to be His follower.
The following excerpt is from Lesson 6: “True Disciples Follow Jesus.”
Likeness to Jesus is forged in the same crucible that God used to perfect His own Son.
Jesus calls would-be disciples not only to take up their cross but also to follow Him. Cross-bearing is not an end in itself; its purpose is to conform us to the perfect, holy humanity that shaped and styled the earthly life of God’s Son. Likeness to Jesus is forged in the same crucible that God used to perfect His own Son (Hebrews 5:8). Just as Jesus grew in wisdom and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52), so every Christian disciple is to follow the “pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2, NIV).
A generation or two ago, it was common to talk about following Jesus, not just adhering to a creed about Him. However, Jesus is not “creedless.”
The Christian faith is a doctrinal faith, grounded in who God is and what God has accomplished through His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Christian faith is a doctrinal faith, grounded in who God is and what God has accomplished through His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Jude’s letter he speaks about “the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (v. 3). Christianity is not amorphous; it does not adapt its truths to fit the prevailing culture. God is unchanging, and His revealed truth in Holy Scripture remains constant. The gospel, like the Savior, is the same “yesterday, today, and forever.” Tragically, the church has allowed the godless culture of our times to reshape the gospel into its own image. The pursuit of relevance has frequently replaced the commitment to faithfulness.
It is true that we are not saved by agreeing with certain doctrines. You can accept the true statement that God justifies the ungodly through faith alone in Christ alone and still miss the fundamental truth of the Savior Himself, Jesus Christ. Assenting to a doctrine about the Savior and what He has done is not the same thing as believing in Him, trusting in Him. However, it is crucial that we understand that Jesus who saves—in whom alone we place our hope and trust—comes to us clothed in His gospel.
it is essential to understand that the Christian faith and life are relational, not merely doctrinal.
Jesus Christ is God the Son made flesh, the eternally begotten Son of the Father, the covenant Head of His people. Jesus Christ is our substitute—living the perfect life we could never live and dying the sin-atoning death we could never die. Jesus Christ rose bodily on the third day, ascended into heaven, and presently reigns as King of all kings and Lord of all lords. Jesus Christ will return at the end of the age to judge the living and the dead.
These truths about who God is and what He has done in His Son are doctrines that define and shape Christianity. They matter. Nevertheless, it is essential to understand that the Christian faith and life are relational, not merely doctrinal. Our faith is placed in a person—the One who is truth, the One who embodies these gospel truths. Our lives are to be lived out following this true and living Savior, Jesus Christ.