Practicing Righteousness

Becoming a christian is easy. Being a christian is hard. Having an encounter that changes you is easy. Walking the narrow road is hard.

One way the author of First John describes Christ-followers is as people who "practice" righteousness. That's an interesting way to describe our faith, and an interesting way to describe sanctification. We are to "practice" righteousness.

We don't use that word "practice" a lot in Christian circles; but maybe we should, as long as we're talking about it in terms of post-Jesus and not pre-Jesus. Because when we use that word practice, all we're saying is that we're trying to get better at something.

It is definitely true that practicing good works cannot make you a christian. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone. But practicing good works can make you a better christian, and that is what discipleship and formation is all about.

We want to improve, plain and simple. And how incredible it is that we can actually practice our faith, and that it can become richer and deeper with time.