The Established Path of Discipleship

I love to wander on woodland trails, admiring the beauty of nature and not thinking much about anything. There’s a certain freedom in hiking and an unhurriedness that is appealing to me. I suppose I’m one of those guys who would wear the T-shirt with the epigram: “Not all who wander are lost.” Wandering, however, is not a good strategy for life.  Wandering through life will leave you asking the questions: where have I been, and where am I going? Moreover, wandering puts you on an uncertain trajectory.         

The trajectory of the Christian life is categorically different. It is specific. The trajectory of the Christian life is set in Romans 8: 29-30:

For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those who he called he also justified, and those who he justified he also glorified.

Usually, this trajectory is presented as follows: predestination, conversion (calling), justification, progressive sanctification throughout life (being conformed to the image of Christ), and glorification.

Now, I can say much about each of those stages in the trajectory, but I want you to focus on the end of this trajectory for a moment. The goal of the Christian life is glorification. The Apostle John describes glorification this way: “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Glorification is the final state of the Christian. It is a state of complete conformity to the image of Christ. It is difficult to imagine such a condition; nevertheless, imagining fills us with hope. Michael Horton outlines this hope:

Not only regenerated, forgiven, justified, adopted, and sanctified, God’s elect will one day be raised bodily to inherit the everlasting kingdom won for them by their head. As Jesus is now, we will be also together with him: head and members joined in unending joy.^[1]

Here, we struggle with the world, our sinful desires, and the devil. There will be no such struggle in glorification. It will be “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Pet. 1:8) when our earthly bodies are resurrected in that imperishable state (1 Cor. 15:51-55).

Since the final state of the Christian is glorification, we often describe ourselves as “not having arrived.” Or, perhaps someone will say, “I’m in process.” None of us wants anyone to think we have it all together, or even worse, that we believe we are “holier than thou.” We all struggle, have issues, and are broken; these sentiments are true. Yet, could it be that sometimes these Christian catchphrases are smokescreens to cover a lack of personal holiness and, in some cases, no desire whatsoever for personal holiness? A concerned Christian friend seeks to hold you accountable and lovingly brings your attention to a particular sin, to which you reply, “I’m broken. I’m in process.” Maybe you deleted Hebrews 12:14 from your list of memory verses. “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

So, it appears we have a dilemma. If complete holiness (i.e., full conformity to the image of Christ) is not possible on this side of glory, then what is possible? What is our path in this earthly life? This path certainly includes progressive sanctification, which steadily grows into the image of Christ, but are there any achievable goals along this path? I believe there are stages along the path that are indeed achievable and expected. The Apostle Paul lays out the process in Colossians 2:6-7: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”

This passage speaks of the beginning point in the Christian life: “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord.” This passage notes the continuation of the Christian life: “So, walk in him.” This passage also describes a process: “Rooted and built up in him.” The wonderful thing about this process is that it has a goal in mind: “And established in the faith.” This goal is expected of every Christian and achievable; hence, we do not have a dilemma after all—God commands us to strive for holiness throughout our lifetime, but he also gives us the power to become “established in the faith.” This is the Established Path of Discipleship.

This blog aims to equip and encourage you on the Established Path of Discipleship. No matter where you are on this path, I pray that upcoming posts will contribute to our mission of glorifying God by making disciples. See my book, The Established Path of Discipleship, for more information on this mission.

     [1] Michael Horton, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 688.