The Hard Line
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If you have never studied the Rule of St. Benedict (known as the Father of Western Monasticism) you are missing a rich lesson in Christian discipline and living a dedicated life. But Benedict's code is not the only example of rigid adherence to discipline in our great religion by any means. There are a plethora of applications we can find in daily living that demonstrate clearly how we are to live dedicated and structured lives before God. The modern Christian man living in America has a general lack of self control, and a raging appetite for anything but religious discipline.
Most modern CINO (Christians In Name Only) have no concept whatsoever of religious discipline. With Millennials (I am one so calm down) one will be hard pressed to find a man who can even adhere to the standards expected of our fathers' generation in the workplace. Drunkenness is acceptable, and calling out sick from being hung over is the norm. Professionalism is optional and if an employer gets too demanding then, "He's just not accepting me for who I am."
A key theme which we will compare and contrast will be Steadfastness. Steadfastness is translated in the Authorized King James Version from the Greek word under Strong's lexicon entry G4740, stērigmos. Strong's simply defines this word as stability. Thayer's Greek Lexicon asserts the word describes a "firm condition". Please read II Peter Chapter 3 in it's entirety, then continue this letter.
Another word we will examine, found in Colossians 2:5 and transalted as Order in the AKJV from Strong's entry 5010, taxis. Thayer's describes this one as an arrangement, a fixed succession, a fixed time; post or rank inasmuch also as relates to character. Colossians 2:5 in particular is said to denote orderliness.
Pop culture certainly rails against stability and orderliness. These, however, have been fundamental tenets of the True Way since eternity past. When the Creator's spirit moved upon the face of the Earth tohu va bohu (in a state of chaos and waste) in Genesis 1:1, the beginning of the restoration of order began to be restored. Countless times throughout Biblical and the rest of history we see how God's presence invariably (eventually) restores order.
My pastor recently did a character study of Caleb in the Wilderness of Sin, and expounded on him in sermon. Br. Hayden emphasized the unwavering and composed nature of Caleb in varying circumstances. Caleb's reactions were level headed, from the adverse testimony of the fearful spies after the reconnaissance of Canaan, to the awarding of his land in his old age knowing he would yet have to battle giants before it was inhabitable. Caleb was not one to panic and he took orders well.
Being rooted and settled in state of mind is the beginning of Christian discipline. A man who is easily swayed by the mob, or adversely affected by circumstance, has little chance of living a steadfast and ordered life. These rather are those men who go about spouting more holy water off the tops of their heads than a sanctified whale on Sunday, but are found to be desperately wrestling with their own inconsistency on Monday. We hear their anthems of joy and their undying devotion to God's blessings, then see them wilt sheepishly the moment the music stops. These are the kinds of men who suffer consternation to the point of hemorrhoids at the mere speculation that their employer may be displeased about the Bible in their desk drawer; and, facing such opposition in reality, would comply readily and say they had been "persecuted". I struggle to refrain from violent digressions on this topic.
A man who is rooted and grounded in a steadfast and orderly frame of mind will invariably demonstrate a disciplined lifestyle. A professing Christian will never be capable of such a lifestyle as it applies to his religion. Only a practicing Christian will be truly passionate about steadfastness and orderliness in the faith. When we begin to examine the American masses through the scriptural lens of devotion it is evident that the majority who identify as Christian are professing Christians. I find that many of my generation, even if they do go to church, only hold solidarity with Christianity because their parents did.
What does steadfastness mean for the modern practicing Christian man?
It is difficult to answer this question universally, and as such you will have to do some soul searching on your own. However, certain equitable principles can be invoked. Many men look so desperately through pop-culture for role models, just as our ancestors sought out lords to whom they pledged their sword and blood. Millennial and X-ennial men are looking desperately for someone to follow. That is why enterprises like themanspot and other insta-sensations have exploded over the past few years. We no longer ride together on horseback and conquer new lands, we mimic each other on social media, championing causes and ideas. The mimicry is so deep that tens of thousands of young men who are professing Christians have littered their page with pagan refuse just because their lord posted a tacticool hand dump with some runes or Mjolnir. Today's feudal lords are called social media influencers. Steadfastness doesn't change for anyone (pun intended). A steadfast fellow will demonstrate consistent living. Norms will change, fads will come and go, and he will seem like an "old soul" as he remains in place through the changing tides. What young men must realize is that there are times that our allegiance must be in the Captain of our Salvation alone.
What does orderliness mean for the modern practicing Christian?
One thing that is severely lacking in my generation and society in general of this era is submission to authority. Men refuse to acknowledge their social status because that would require them to acknowledge the amount of work required to better themselves. Instead, entitled brats vaunt themselves as more than they are and acquire recognition they do not deserve. This is all too true in too many churches. There are times and places and ways of doing things. Young men of my generation must learn respect and submission to earthly lordship if they are ever to represent Christ and submit to his Lordship.
One of my greatest fears is that I will devote an entire life of toil to ensuring that my children have abundant access to pizza and YouTube. John Adams once said, "I must study politics and war, that our sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy." We are three (plus) generations deep into mathematics and philosophy: What has it gotten us, and what next? The world en banc is on the verge of abandoning religion for the causes and fulfillment of secular humanism. If human gratification is society's highest calling, and I risk my life so the fetid masses can wallow in their crumb-ridden couches consuming hour after putrid hour of sintertainment, then I want no part of society. But that is not the case. There is more. While I study mathematics and philosophy, let me not forget to teach my daughter politics and how to make war. While I tend my simple homestead and patrol my sleepy, rural town, I must keep my focus on the goal of a better day more pleasing to God and less stained by the pollution of wicked men. Peace and safety are the battle cries of the social revolutionaries who are bloodlessly killing untold hordes. The death of the soul is a brutal thing.
If you are wondering what else there is to do in our society, you are obviously a professing CINO and not a student of the Bible.
Are you a steadfast man? Do you recognize God's order? Or are you using social passivity and religious apathy to fortify your life of ease and entertainment? Whatever the case, you are training our children to replicate your lifestyle.
"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." - Tertulian
The Blue Shepard
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