Jesus + Nothing = Everything

What are the Spiritual Disciplines of a Christian life? Certainly church congregational worship service, prayer, and Bible study belong on the list. But how do these fit into how we live, act and think? The apostle Paul said you shall know them [ followers of Jesus] by their fruits (Matthew 7:16). 

Pastor Pedro Sims of the Vine Church, Flowery Branch Georgia,  delivered a fantastic metaphor in a recent sermon. The point of "Jesus + Nothing = Everything" reminds us that there is nothing we can do to earn salvation (Ephesians 2:8), and no one, not one person is better or more righteous than the other person you might encounter (Romans 3:10). The one thing we can do to attain salvation is through faith in Jesus [ Solus Christus] and what he accomplished on the cross (Romans 10:9-10).

If we apply this idea to living a Christian life, we will encounter the subject of spiritual disciplines, a topic that the Pharisees of Jesus's time widely misunderstood. Jesus demanded that love for God and the needs of others take drastic importance over spiritual disciplines (Matthew23). We must ask ourselves how well have we loved God and how many people have we helped this week?  Have we been kind and courteous for example? Spiritual disciplines exist to orient our thinking and actions to be closer to God. We do them to give joy to God as a part of worship. However they can't earn us salvation. And they shouldn't take priority over what is more important.

I enjoy the spiritual disciplines in order to pursue the pillars of the Christian faith and in fact I do feel closer to God when I do them. If you want to know more here are some great resources.

Whitney, Donald S. Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Revised and Updated. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2014.

Foster, Richard J. Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. Special Anniversary Edition. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2018.