When Your Convictions Catch Fire

In theological circles, there is a joking term for a particular stage of spiritual growth: the “cage-stage.” The idea is that someone discovers a deeper understanding of biblical truth, gets tremendously excited about it, and probably needs to be kept in a cage for a little while so he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else. It's funny because there is some truth in it.

Maybe you've been a Christian for years, but something has recently changed. You started reading Scripture more seriously. You discovered theology that gave categories to things you had only vaguely understood before. You began thinking carefully about the local church, preaching, membership, leadership, worship, discipleship, biblical manhood, or any number of things you previously took for granted.

Suddenly, Christianity seems bigger than you realized. You're seeing things. You're asking questions. And you're fired up.

Good. Don't lose that.

There is something wonderful about watching biblical truth take hold of a man. Convictions start forming. Assumptions get challenged. He begins to realize that Christianity is not merely attending church, trying to be a decent person, and knowing enough Bible verses to survive a small-group discussion. God has spoken. His Word governs our lives. Christ has a Church. Theology matters. Holiness matters. How we live matters.

But there is a danger here too. When we first begin seeing things clearly, we tend to become acutely aware of how poorly everyone else sees them. That's where the cage comes in.

Good theology does not instantly produce maturity. Knowledge can puff up (1 Cor. 8:1). A man can be right about a great many things and still be proud, impatient, quarrelsome, foolish, and generally exhausting to have around.

So don't extinguish the fire. Direct it. Before you start reforming everything around you, let the truth of God's Word reform you.

Start With Yourself

The easier thing to do with newfound biblical conviction is point it outward. You begin noticing shallow theology, weak preaching, sloppy ecclesiology, consumer Christianity, unbiblical traditions, and things in the church that seem to have been established by little more than, “Well, we've always done it this way.” Some of those observations may even be right.

But the work of reformation should begin with you.

Paul urges Christians to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” and to “be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Rom. 12:1–2). A renewed mind changes what we believe, but biblical transformation does not end with having better theological positions. Truth gets down into the life.

Give your zeal first to knowing God. Give it to killing your sin. Give it to prayer and Scripture. Give it to learning obedience when nobody is watching. Give it to becoming self-controlled, gentle, courageous, patient, sexually pure, honest, generous, and faithful. Learn how to serve without being noticed. Learn how to receive correction without immediately preparing your defense. By the Spirit, Christians put sin to death (Rom. 8:13). We train ourselves for godliness (1 Tim. 4:7–8). We pursue holiness because Christ has made us his own.

A man passionate about biblical reformation should first be passionate about being biblically transformed.

It is possible to have a finely tuned ecclesiology while being a lousy husband. It is possible to argue for sound doctrine while having very little self-control. It is possible to identify everything wrong with the church while being proud, quarrelsome, lazy, or enslaved to secret sin.

Character matters. So before you start drawing up plans for fixing everything around you, take a good look at the man in the mirror. There is probably enough work there to keep you occupied for a while.

Then Look to Your Home

The next place your growing convictions should become visible is at home. A biblical man takes responsibility for what God has entrusted to him.

Husbands are commanded to love their wives “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (Eph. 5:25). That is not merely a theological position to defend. It is a command to sacrifice yourself for the good of your wife. Fathers are commanded to bring their children up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). That requires more than strong opinions about biblical parenting. It requires your time, patience, prayer, instruction, repentance, affection, discipline, and example.

If you are unmarried, don't skip this part because you don't presently have a wife and children. Now is the time to become the kind of man who could faithfully lead a home. Learn self-control now. Learn to serve now. Learn to keep your word now. Learn to repent now.

Our homes desperately need biblical men whose convictions are visible in the way they love, lead, serve, work, repent, forgive, and sacrifice. If your theology is getting better while everyone living with you finds you increasingly unbearable, something has gone wrong.

Strengthen Your Brothers

Then give some of that zeal to your brothers in Christ. You need biblical men around you, and they need you. God did not design Christians to fight sin and pursue holiness alone. Scripture tells us to bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2), exhort one another so that we are not hardened by the deceitfulness of sin (Heb. 3:13), and stir one another up to love and good works (Heb. 10:24). That is much more demanding than sitting around together cataloging everything wrong with Christianity.

Find brothers who want Christ more than comfort. Pray together. Read Scripture together. Talk theology. Confess sin. Ask uncomfortable questions. Encourage one another. Correct one another. Give men permission to tell you when you are being foolish. And when they do, listen.

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Prov. 27:17). Iron sharpening iron is not one piece of iron announcing how sharp it already is. There is friction because something is actually being shaped.

Theological zeal should produce stronger brotherhood, not merely a tighter circle of men who agree about what everyone else is doing wrong. Make one another stronger, holier, steadier, and more useful to Christ.

Love Christ's Church

Then look outward to the church. The church needs men who care deeply about biblical faithfulness. We should want healthy churches. We should care about sound doctrine, qualified elders, meaningful membership, church discipline, faithful preaching, biblical worship, evangelism, discipleship, prayer, and missions. Don't stop caring about those things. But remember what the church is.

The church is not a castle for young reformers to storm. It is not an organization waiting for the newest management philosophy. It is not a Rotary club that is baptized. It is not a political action committee with worship music. The Church is the Bride of Christ (Eph. 5:25–32). Christ purchased her with his own blood (Acts 20:28). She is the household of God and “a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Christ himself promises, “I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18). That should change the way we approach her.

Yes, churches can drift. Leaders can make mistakes. Traditions can become unbiblical. Cowardice, pragmatism, consumerism, and theological laziness can settle into a church. There are times when concerns need to be raised, and hard questions need to be asked. But loving the church means wanting her faithfulness, not merely enjoying the thrill of criticizing her failures.

If you want greater influence in Christ's church, good. Scripture says aspiring to the work of an overseer is a noble desire (1 Tim. 3:1). Then pay careful attention to what comes next. The qualifications emphasize the man. He must be above reproach, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, gentle, not quarrelsome, a faithful leader of his household, mature in the faith, and respected by outsiders (1 Tim. 3:2–7). Notice what Scripture is doing. Before entrusting a man with greater responsibility for Christ's people, it directs our attention to his character, his home, his maturity, and his reputation.

Christ's church needs qualified men. So become one. Become the kind of man whose life others can consider and whose faith they can imitate (Heb. 13:7). Become the kind of man who can increasingly say with Paul, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).

And while you are becoming that man, help the men presently shepherding you. Pastors keep watch over souls as those who will give an account (Heb. 13:17). They shepherd a flock that does not belong to them, serving under the authority of the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:2–4). Respect them because of their work. Pray for them. Encourage them. Ask good questions. Learn from them. Make their work a joy rather than an unnecessary burden.

That does not require blind loyalty. Elders remain under Christ and his Word. Scripture governs the church, not the preferences of leaders. There are times to raise concerns, appeal to Scripture, disagree, or call attention to serious problems. But there is a considerable difference between being a biblically serious church member and assuming that your growing convictions have made you the church's unofficial theological quality-control department. Learn that difference.

Don't Lose the Fire

The solution to cage-stage zeal is not apathy. I don't want men to care less about theology. I want them to care more. I want men reading good books, wrestling with difficult passages, recovering neglected doctrines, asking serious questions about the church, and developing strong biblical convictions.

We have enough passive Christian men. What we need are mature ones. So keep the fire. Just direct it well.

Let good theology drive you deeper into Scripture and prayer. Let it expose your sin before you use it to expose everyone else's. Let it make you a better husband, father, or future husband and father. Let it bind you to brothers who will sharpen you. Let it produce a deep love for Christ's church and patient service within her. And give it time. You do not need to fix everything by next Tuesday.

Become the sort of biblical man Christ can use to strengthen his church for the next forty years. Put your zeal and fire there: in your soul, in your home, among your brothers, and in Christ's church. In that order.