I’ll never forget the first time that I boarded a cruise ship,we had to book our tickets months in advance so we had spent quite a while in eager anticipation. We got to the port, found our dock, checked our bags, waited for hours, got our ID cards. At last we climbed the ramp structure to board the ship, and then there came the final moment when we actually stepped from shore across the threshold and onto the ship! After all of the months of anticipation, with that one step we were finally onboard! There were people inside smiling and singing and welcoming us aboard. It was almost like a conversion experience.
But for all of the excitement of that final moment when we actually stepped on board, that experience was not the cruise itself. That all came later. The treatment like kings. The cabin stewards who were always at hand, ready to help and serve us any way they could. The ship’s activities. The gala atmosphere. The music and shows and games, and library, and ocean view. The leaving port to the blast of the ship’s horn. The three course gourmet meals. The soft ice/cream 24/7. Free room service . And then the ports of call and all of the excursions. That was “the cruise.” The last step across the threshold, as exciting as it was, was not the cruise; it was the first step.And so it is with conversion. When we put our trust in Christ, turn away from sin and darkness and the power of Satan, acknowledge Him with our lips, and are baptized into His death, burial, and resurrection. . .when we do that there is the peace and relief and fresh air of conversion, and there is dancing in heaven. There is nothing else in life that is like that experience. But. . . conversion is really like taking the final step into the ship so that the cruise can begin. After conversion the Christian life begins. After our conversion we begin to actually walk with Christ. And sadly, the churches have majored on crossing the threshold, but have very little to say about the voyage. Their advice is pretty much, just stay on the ship. Don’t jump overboard. Don’t break the rules. Show up for the safety drill. And have a good time. In Christian terms it amounts to: go to church regularly, put a tithe into the offering plate. Don’t sin. Make some Christian friends. And if you’re really serious read your bible and pray.
But that is not the picture in the scriptures. The apostle Paul writes:
God will render to each one according to his works: 7to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; Romans 2:6–7
Modern evangelical Christians have chanted, “salvation by grace through faith”, for so long, that they are shocked to read a passage like this. We have been taught a truncated gospel. But Paul (the very apostle who tells us so much about salvation by grace through faith”) describes the living of a godly life as the road to eternal life. It is not a contradiction. Paul knows that the “cruise” consists of walking with Christ and being conformed to His character, and that conversion is just the “stepping on board” part of the story.
Conversion and forgiveness of sins are absolutely essential. But they are the beginning; a means to an end. The Apostle Paul explains that Jesus “died for all that those who live, might live no longer for themselves, but for him.” Do you get that? The purpose of His death does not stop at forgiveness and conversion. Christ died for us to that we would live for Him.
So what does that look like? It’s probably not what first comes to your mind.
There is a type of “righteousness” that is thin and shallow and self-serving. It is proudly boasts about itself and does its deeds to be seen by men.[1] It is superficial and does not engage the heart. It is composed of a grudging, duty-driven compliance with specified requirements, whether they be of the Law or the traditions of Christian churches. This type of “righteousness” is practiced by people who think, (but may not be so brash as to actually say): “If it’s not specifically forbidden then I can go ahead and do it.” Or “If it’s not specifically required, then I don’t have to do it.” This “righteousness” is cold, heartless, self-serving, manufactured. Its chief practitioners were the Pharisees. And it is a counterfeit. Jesus says that unless our righteousness exceeds this type, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven.[2]
But there’s another type of righteousness—actually a righteous way of living—that is the opposite of all this. It is internal. It is empowered by the Holy Spirit living within a Christian. It comes from a grateful heart that is joyously surrendered to Lord who has saved me. It is motivated by love and gratitude. It is driven by the desire to please God and lives for that purpose. It occurs where the Law of God has been written on the heart. This is the kind of extravagant righteousness that would joyously sacrifice a small fortune of costly perfume to just to anoint her Savior’s feet.[3] This is the kind of righteousness that would cause a poor widow to give her last copper coin to the treasury of her God.[4] This is the kind of righteousness that could be beaten and imprisoned for the name of Christ and rejoice at having been found worthy to suffer for the savior. [5]This is kind of righteousness comes from the heart of a person “who by patience in well-doing seeks for glory and honor and immortality,” because that is what pleases God.[6] This is the kind of heart that wants to become the godly man or the godly woman that God delights in. This is the kind of heart that gives free-reign to the Spirit of Christ so that He can reshape our basic personality from the inside out, and lead us wherever He pleases. This is the kind of heart that will one day be given its highest desire: to see God and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”[7]
