How are the great Christians of the past relevant to the Biblical worldview today? They lived in very different times, after all. Many things they practiced and believed are now considered “old-fashioned” and even “backward.” We understand they were great people, but should we pay much attention to them?
They are not relevant because of the times they lived in or the issues they faced. They are relevant because their worldviews were built upon the belief that Christ was who He said He was. The reality of Christ invaded their lives, bringing everything about them into service for the kingdom of God.
In all our striving for righteousness and standing up against sin in our world, we must make sure what we do is done because of our love for Christ. If our works are for any other reason, then our worldview cannot honestly be called a Biblical worldview.
Thankfully, we don’t have to guess what that kind of life looks like. So many have gone before us in the Christian walk and were used by the Lord to accomplish great things for His kingdom. In looking into their lives, seeing what drove them and what shaped them, we can then look inward at ourselves to assess if the same is true of us.
We do not desire to be like these great Christians. We desire to be like Christ. But like older brothers and sisters, we can look to them as examples and listen to what they said of our Christ. Christians such as Charles Spurgeon, A. W. Tozer and Amy Carmichael weren’t just do-gooders, passionate about helping or even loving those around them. They were sinners who were conquered by Christ, made trophies of His grace, and as such we can gain much by peering into their lives.
I have the privilege of exploring the lives of these men and women in a series of articles, taking a look at how God used them to further His kingdom and what it was about their Lord that drove them. With this perspective, hopefully, we can take an inward look at ourselves, our motives and desires, and deal honestly with God in those areas where we seem to fall short.
