LIVING THE SANCTIFIED LIFE — A SUMMARY

SUMMARY OF JACK COTTRELL’S “COLLECTED WRITINGS” SERIES:
VOLUME 14: LIVING THE SANCTIFIED LIFE, by Jack Cottrell

INTRODUCTION

The words “doctrine” and “theology” are not synonymous. “Doctrine” literally means “teaching” in a generic sense; it comes from the Latin word doctrina, which means “a teaching, a body of teachings, instruction.” (The Latin word doctor means “teacher”!) In the Christian context, the word “doctrine” stands for everything the Bible teaches to be true or false, and right or wrong.

That last sentence is important, because it distinguishes the two main categories of Bible doctrine, i.e., what the Bible teaches to be TRUE (and also false), and what the Bible teaches to be RIGHT (and also wrong). The former of these two categories is what we call THEOLOGY; i.e., “theology” is what the Bible teaches to be true. The latter aspect—what the Bible teaches to be right—is what we call ETHICS. Theology refers to the essence of reality; ethics refers to the moral aspect of human conduct.

Most of my seminary courses and written materials have focused on Bible doctrine, and most of these have been in the area of theology, i.e., what the Bible teaches is true about God, man, salvation, Jesus, etc. The first twelve volumes of my “Collected Writings” series are about theology. A significant number of my courses and writings, though, have been in the area of ethics, i.e., what the Bible teaches is right (or wrong) in personal, family, and social conduct. Volumes 13-15 in the “Collected Writings” series are about Biblical teachings on various ethical issues. The previous one discussed here was volume 13, The Gender Roles Debate.

In this present essay, I will try to summarize the contents of volume 14, which is composed of 25 distinct lessons on a wide variety of ethical subjects. It is titled Living the Sanctified Life: Studies in Ethics, and has four main sections: (1) Basic Ethical Concepts; (2) Sermons on Christian Living; (3) Christian Spirituality; and (4) Justice and Human Government. I will summarize the content of five of the essays in these sections, and will list the rest.

I. THE FOUNDATION FOR MORALS (pp. 13-26)

Why is there such a thing as “right and wrong”? What is the basic foundation, the ultimate starting point, for all morality? It is the first of the TEN COMMANDMENTS: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). I.e., the existence of the Creator-God of the Bible is the basis for everything that has to do with morality.

A. The Basic Meaning of the First Commandment.

The first commandment not only affirms the existence of God, but establishes His identity as the God of Israel, by whose power this chosen nation was delivered from Egyptian slavery (Exodus 20:2). This settles the issue of who has ultimate authority over all existence, and over every individual’s personal life.

The God of the Bible is everyone’s true and only authority, whether they admit it or not. This first commandment makes it our responsibility to admit it and to accept its reality.

In the New Covenant era we now know that Yahweh, the God of Israel, is three divine persons of equal essence and authority – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He (the three persons of the Trinity) as one God exercises moral authority and control over our lives.

How does He do this? Via His Word, the Bible. Thus to have Yahweh—the Trinity—as our God means to take the Bible—all of it—as absolute authority in all matters.

B. The First Commandment as the Foundation of Morality, the Basis of Ethics.

Why is the God of the Bible the foundation for ethics? Because He is the CREATOR of all things (Genesis 1:1). If there is no such thing as creation—if God is not our Creator—there is no basis for moral authority.

1. The Foundation for Ethical Knowledge. This is the question of ethical INFORMATION: “WHAT ought I to do?” Only the infinite mind of the Creator-God knows how to answer this question.

2. The Foundation for Ethical Obligation. This is the question of OUGHTNESS: Why OUGHT I to do what God commands? Whence comes His authority to tell us what to do? It comes from His role as Creator of all things. He has the RIGHT to order us around because He OWNS us, and He owns us because He CREATED us. Because we have a Creator, our ethical obligation is unconditional, inescapable, unchanging, and absolute.

3. The Foundation for Ethical Motivation. This is the question of WHY: granted that we ought to obey God, WHY should we actually make the decision to do it? What convinces us and leads us to submit to His authority? The basic motive is the FEAR of God—not in the sense of the fear of terror, but in the sense of the fear of reverence and awe for our Creator (Psalms 96:4-5). See Ecclesiastes 12:13. Right alongside this reverential fear of God as a motive for obedience is our LOVE for God based on the goodness His creation bestows upon us (Matthew 22:37).

II. THE HIGHEST GOOD (pp. 27-38)

One of the basic philosophical questions has been described with the Latin expression, the summum bonum, i.e., “the highest good.” I.e., what is the most important thing in the world that we as human beings are able to accomplish? What should we be trying to seek above all else? Jesus answers this question in Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Here Jesus answers three main questions about how we ought to live.

A. Life’s Main GOAL.

In this verse Jesus actually answers the summum bonum question: life’s highest goal is to seek “the kingdom of God.” It is crucial to know that the basic translation of the Greek word here (basileia) is not “kingdom” but KINGSHIP. I.e., our main goal in life is to do all we can do in order to magnify and exalt the lordship, dominion, power, honor, and glory of God. Paul sums it up in 1 Corinthians 10:31 – “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

B. The MEANS of Achieving This Goal.

Our main goal is to magnify God’s kingship and God’s reign in the eyes of the world. How can we do this? Jesus’s command adds that information by telling us that we must seek not only His kingship, but also His RIGHTEOUSNESS. In this context God’s righteousness means living a righteous life by obeying the law code that applies to all in this Christian era. This is the main means by which we bring honor and glory to God. See Matthew 5:16.

C. The RESULT of Seeking God’s Kingship.

When we seek this “highest good” for God’s sake, Jesus tells us what we will benefit from that: “And all these things will be added to you.” “These things” are explained in Matthew 6:16-32, especially the necessities of life, i.e., food and clothing (vv. 25-32). Jesus assures us that if we focus on the HIGHEST good, God will provide these lesser needs. When we devote ourselves to seeking God’s glory, our worldly needs will become a byproduct or serendipity.

III. IS YOUR WORLD TOO SMALL? (pp. 57-65)

In 1953 J. B. Phillips wrote a wonderful little book called Your God Is Too Small. Whenever I read Jesus’s parable in Luke 12:13-21, I conclude that HE is telling us – “Your WORLD is too small.” In the parable a foolish farmer illustrates this.

A. Is Your World DEEP Enough – Or Too SHALLOW?

This farmer’s life was too shallow because he was seeking only physical things: “Get more stuff!” – i.e., stuff one can harvest from a farm field or inherit from a human relative, stuff that can preserve and enhance our physical lives. Jesus wants us to realize that our lives are much deeper than our physical bodies. We should be living to feed and enhance our SOULS! For example, instead of “Get more stuff!” as our motto, we should say “GIVE more stuff!” instead.

B. Is Your World WIDE Enough – Or Too SKINNY?

The foolish farmer’s world view focused only on himself. His biggest practical problem was too-abundant crops! No room to store it all for himself! He could have given the excess to the poor, but NO! “I’ll just build bigger barns, and store it all for ME!” His philosophy of life is now seen to be: “Get more stuff, and KEEP IT ALL!”

When our world is only one person wide, it is not wide enough! It is too skinny! We cannot be like this farmer and think only of our own needs. We must be like the earliest Christians as described in Acts 2:44-45 and 4:32-35. Having a wider world opens our eyes to our responsibility to be missionaries – either personally, or through generous support of those in the fields of harvest.

C. Is Your World LONG Enough – Or Too SHORT?

By “long enough,” I mean in the sense of time. The foolish farmer was thinking only in terms of planning for his future physical life – “for many years to come” (v. 19). Now we see his full world view: “Get more stuff! Keep it all for yourself! Have fun and die happy!” See Isaiah 22:13.

Indeed! Many if not most of us live as if all that matters is our future life on this earth. But what about ETERNITY? If you are not especially planning for eternity, your life is TOO SHORT! Every human being continues to exist forever beyond physical death – some in heaven, some in hell. The popular world view today is “Retire early and live well.” But how well will you be living after you die? That is much more important than how well you can live UNTIL you die.

CONCLUSION. Don’t let your world be TOO SMALL! Think deeper: concentrate on the needs of your soul. Think wider: remember the needs of others. Think longer: plan for eternity. As a wise bumper sticker once said, “Christians have more fun – LONGER!”

IV. REASONS TO BE A TEETOTALER (pp. 119-126)

A “teetotaler” is someone who practices TOTAL abstention from alcoholic beverages. Though it condemns drunkenness, the Bible never specifically commands us to practice such abstention. It never says, “You shall never drink an alcoholic beverage such as beer, wine, or whiskey.” But I believe there are good reasons, based on general Biblical teaching, that should lead us to Always Avoid All Alcohol: AAAA instead of AA.

My case for this is two lines of evidence: ONE, we should consider all that the Bible says about the nature of alcoholic beverages; and TWO, we should also consider what modern science tells us about the effects of alcohol on our bodies and especially on our brains.

A. First, we must take account of Biblical teachings that show all the bad results of drinking alcoholic beverages. I will not list most of them here, but you can find FORTY such texts quoted on pp. 111-115 in the preceding chapter in this volume, i.e., “What the Bible Says About Drinking Alcoholic Beverages.”

In addition to such specific statements, here are three other ways that drinking alcoholic beverages interferes with our ability to obey what the Bible commands us to do in order to be holy. FIRST: as free will beings, we are responsible for maintaining CONTROL of ourselves, body and spirit (including mind, will, and judgment). We know from human experience in general that alcohol seriously affects all such control. Also, see these Biblical texts: Proverbs 23:29-35 (especially in the New Living Translation); Hosea 4:11; Habakkuk 2:15-16; Proverbs 31:4-5; and 1 Timothy 3:3, 8.

SECOND: as noted above, the Bible clearly condemns drunkenness. But any consumption of alcohol always involves the potential or danger of drunkenness, and even alcoholism. One study shows that the chances of even a moderate drinker becoming an alcoholic are one in ten.

THIRD: in all things we have the moral responsibility to have a positive influence on others (see especially Romans 14). Romans 14:21 applies this to drinking wine. It is implied that such drinking is something a “strong Christian” is permitted to do, which is understandable in light of the fact that in NT times wine was much diluted compared to modern wine. But this chapter says that such drinking is something that a strong Christian must be willing to forego if there is a possibility that it might cause a “weaker brother” to sin against his conscience. See also 1 Corinthians 10:23-24.

B. In addition to Biblical teaching, we must also heed scientific data that show how harmful alcohol is to our lives. See, e.g., Susan Brink, “Your Brain on Alcohol” (U.S. News and World Report, 5/7/2001). I.e., once the brain is exposed to alcohol, the more it wants and needs it. Brink says (p. 54), “The brain then demands more and more alcohol, regardless of reason and consequences.” See also a web article, “Blood Alcohol Information,” which sums up the general effects of alcohol on the brain, especially the limbic system and the cerebellum. E.g., “Alcohol destroys brain cells and unlike many other types of cells in the body, brain cells do not regenerate.”

My conclusion is this: in view of the relevant Biblical and scientific data, I do not understand why any Christian would choose to drink alcohol in any form or quantity.

V. LIVING UNDER AUTHORITY (pp. 135-149)

In the context of ethics, authority is the RIGHT to decide and declare what is right and wrong, and to enforce right conduct by punishing wrongdoers. I.e., it is the right to make rules, and the right to tell others what to do. Absolute authority belongs to God alone, by virtue of His being the CREATOR of all things. As Creator, He is the OWNER of all things, which is what gives Him the RIGHT to do the above.

However, God can (if He chooses) DELEGATE such authority to certain groups of free-will human beings within His creation. Within created humanity, God has distinguished several spheres within which He has delegated such authority to His designated representatives. All human beings within these spheres must submit to such authority, unless it conflicts with some aspect of God’s absolute authority, as in Acts 5:29.

A. Aspects of Delegated Authority. Here I will mostly just list these spheres within which God has established positions of authority:

1. Authority in Marriage: husbands have authority (headship) over their wives. See my book, Headship, Submission, and Authority: Gender Roles in the Home (College Press, 2007). See especially Ephesians 5:23-24; Colossians 3:18.
2. Authority in the Family: parents have authority over their children. See Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1ff.; Colossians 3:20.
3. Authority within the State: government has authority over its citizens. This is very important. See Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; 1 Peter 2:13-14.
4. Authority within the Church: elders have authority over members of the local congregation. See Acts 20:17ff., 1 Thessalonians 5:12; 1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 5:1-4.
5. Authority in the Workplace: owners have authority over their private property. This is different from the first four above. It involves authority over property (by virtue of ownership of it), but NOT authority (i.e., ownership) over the workers. The slavery to which the Bible refers is not the divine model for authority in the workplace. The relationship between employers and employees is a matter of contract (promise and honesty), not ownership. See 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12.

B. Developing the Spirit of Submission.

In a culture which denies a Creator God, the very idea of authority soon disappears and is replaced by its opposite – i.e., by the concept of autonomy: “I will make my own rules and laws.” Our culture is immersed in this false alternative.

It is crucial that we as Christians do our best to restore not just the concept of authority, but the very spirit of submission to that authority. This means that we must establish first of all the fact that we are creatures of the one true Creator-God of the Bible. Then we must accept the Bible as His Word to us, including His teaching about the structures of authority that He has established. Then we must devote our own hearts and spirits to a sincere and serious spirit of personal submission to all of these authorities. We must realize that rebellion against these authorities is rebellion against God Himself.

VI. THE REST OF THE LESSONS.

A. Section One: Basic Ethical Concepts.

1. Introduction to Ethical Problems – pp. 3-12.
2. The Nature of the Human Conscience — pp. 39-41.

B. Section Two: Sermons on Christian Living.

1. Blood, Sweat, and Tears – pp. 45-56.
2. 100 Percent Religious – pp. 67-74.
3. Flavoring the World – pp. 75-82.

C. Section Three: Christian Spirituality.

1. The Spiritual Discipline of Bible Study – pp. 85-89.
2. Practicing the Presence of God – pp. 91-93.
3. Religion Vs. Jesus? – pp. 95-98.
4. What Is Forgiveness? – pp. 99-102.
5. Who Are the “Cowardly” in Revelation 21:8? – pp. 103-105.
6. Is It Wrong To Eat Blood? – pp. 107-109.
7. What the Bible Says About Drinking Alcoholic Beverages – pp. 111-118.
8. Environmental Ethics – pp. 127-129.
9. Christians and Halloween – pp. 131-132.

D. Section Four: Justice and Human Government.

1. Does the Bible Tell Us How To Vote? – pp. 151-157.
2. The Church and Social Justice – pp. 159-162.
3. Justified Warfare and the Bible – pp. 163-168.
4. The Errors of Pacifism – pp. 169-189.
5. Is Capital Punishment Biblical? – pp. 191-194.
6. The Limits of Patriotism – pp. 195-203.