A Christian’s Code of Conduct

Living by a Code

Companies have found that they can be better if they create and abide by a code of conduct or ethics. Communicating these to their leadership and all the employees helps create a culture and raise the level of excellence. For example, Kellanova (Kelloggs), has crafted these statements:

o Integrity – We do what’s right, the right way.

o Accountability – We are empowered, take ownership, and deliver.

o Courage – We think big, we speak up, and we fearlessly pursue opportunities.

Even in our own church, I adopted what we call our “Principles”

1. We are stewards and servants first

2. We create environments that are full of it – Faith, Family, and Fun

3. We embrace change by being flexible and prepared

4. We cultivate black gold – (The soil where people plant their seeds of time, talents, and treasures.

5. We are thermostats, not thermometers

6. We are faithful in small things

7. We believe ministry is a “Get To” NOT a “Got To”

8. What I’m a part of is bigger than the part I play

9. Excellence increases influence

10. We speak life

These codes of conduct or ethics remind us of our North Stars. In Romans 12, Paul provides the church with a Christian Code of Conduct.

A Christian’s Code of Conduct

Romans 12:1–2 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

“Therefore” …maybe you have heard this too. “When you see the word, therefore, check to see what it is there for. We don’t have time to begin again at the beginning of Romans, but we should be reminded:

· We need a Savior

· We have a Savior in Jesus

· It is by faith that we are saved

· God’s grace is amazing

· God has given us the Holy Spirit

· We are justified by God’s grace and called into living a sanctified life

With those things and more in mind, Paul tells us what a Christian’s life should look like. Our lives should be sacrificial, holy, and pleasing to God

Sacrificial, Holy, and Pleasing

Salvation is obviously vitally important. Paul has laid out the need for salvation because of sin. He has shown us the availability of salvation. He has shown us the Person of Holy Spirit. But he still has something yet to give – it is a call to sacrifice, holiness, and pleasing God. Too many well-intentioned people today, even ministers, want to bring people to Jesus and are content with salvation – Paul shows us the code of conduct into living as Christians…sacrifice, holiness, and living in a way that pleases God.

Sacrificial

“God wants us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices—daily laying aside our own desires to follow him, putting all our energy and resources at his disposal, and trusting him to guide us (see Hebrews 13:15–16; 1 Peter 2:5). Our new life is a thank-offering to God. Offering our body as a living and holy sacrifice to be completely set apart for God and dedicated to his service.”[1]

Holy

People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated. —D. A. Carson, For the Love of God (Crossway, 1999)[2]

Disagree with me? I will show you a history of God’s people who were given His presence and witnessed His miracles but time and time again they drifted away. Even so much that at the time of Christ they missed the promised Messiah and crucified with him. As we cross into the Church Age the letters of men like Paul, James, and John called the new believers back to the truth. That is what we are doing today – consecrating ourselves to God again, fresh, believing for revival.

Pleasing to God

Paul says that our minds need to be transformed. Bruce Barton in his notes in The Life Application Bible explains it this way:

Believers are to experience a complete transformation from the inside out. And the change must begin in the mind, where all thoughts and actions begin. Much of the work is done by God’s Spirit in us, and the tool most frequently used is God’s word. As we memorize and meditate upon God’s word, our way of thinking changes. Our minds become first informed, and then conformed to the pattern of God, the pattern for which we were originally designed. When believers have had their minds transformed and are becoming more like Christ, they will know what God wants and they will want to do it for it is good, pleasing to God, and perfect for them.[3]

Those first 2 verses are loaded, but let’s move on…

The Code’s Impact on Others

Romans 12:3 NIV

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Humility

Christians are humble. In verse 3 Paul gives us the reason… “think of yourself…in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” This refers to “the spiritual capacity and/or power given to each person to [live our lives] Let us consider our [lives], then, in the light of our God-given spiritual capacity. Since God is the source of our abilities—our spiritual capacity or power—, we have no reason to exaggerate our value, to boast, or to compare ourselves with others.[4]

Cooperative and Collective

Our prayer ought to be, “Lord help me to take on today in Your power and ability”! This includes the gifts that each of us have uniquely received.

Romans 12:4–8 NIV

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

This is why we are so much better together! Each of us is uniquely gifted to do God’s work – prophesying, teaching, encouraging, giving, and leading. I don’t believe that this is a complete list of gifts and these giftings, of course, extend outside the walls of the church.

Loving in Our Actions

Romans 12:9–21 NIV

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

1 Corinthians 13 tells us what love should look like. We apply it to ourselves and encourage one another by those verses. Romans 12 shows us what it means to be saved…to be a Christian. [I’ve highlighted themes].

Self Checks

I believe this is what Paul wanted us to do with this passage.

Am I living as a daily sacrifice?

· Do I consciously surrender my plans, body, and time to God each day?

· Would my daily schedule say “I belong to God,” or “I belong to myself”?

Am I being transformed or just informed?

· Is my thinking being reshaped by Scripture more than by culture or media?

· Can I identify ways I’ve actually changed how I think or react because of God’s Word?

Do I see myself accurately in relation to others?

· Am I humble in how I speak about my gifts and successes?

· Do I value others’ contributions as much as my own?

Am I serving within the Body of Christ?

· Am I actively using my spiritual gifts to build others up?

· Do I see church as a place to serve or a place to be served?

Is my love genuine and without hypocrisy?

· Do I love people for who they are, not for what I can get from them?

· Do I act loving even toward those I don’t naturally like?

Do I hate evil and cling to good?

· Have I grown comfortable with sin or compromise?

· Am I as passionate about righteousness as I am about avoiding wrong?

Do I honor others above myself?

· When was the last time I encouraged or elevated someone else’s success?

· Do I celebrate others, or secretly compete with them?

Am I spiritually fervent in serving the Lord?

· Is my relationship with Christ vibrant or lukewarm?

· Do I still serve with joy, or has it become duty and habit?

Do I persevere in hope, patience, and prayer?

· How do I handle trials—panic, or prayer?

· Is my hope anchored in Christ or in changing circumstances?

Am I generous and hospitable?

· Do I open my home, wallet, or heart to others in need?

· Is my giving a reflection of gratitude or reluctance?

Do I respond to mistreatment with grace?

· When wronged, is my first impulse revenge or blessing?

· Do I leave room for God’s justice, or try to take it into my own hands?

Am I overcoming evil with good?

· Does my conduct make darkness retreat or spread further?

· Am I known for what I’m against or for the good I bring?

Live the Code!

In basic training we stood in lines reading the manual, memorizing the code of conduct among other things. We memorized it, then began to demonstrate it in our actions.

The Christian life is not about earning God’s favor—it’s about expressing it. We live this code not to become Christians, but because we are Christians.

Romans 12 is our visible testimony to an invisible God.

So today, let’s recommit to living out:

· A surrendered life,

· A humble service,

· A genuine love,

· And a gracious spirit.

This is the Christian’s Code of Conduct—signed by Christ, sealed by the Spirit, and lived out by us.

[1]Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 623.

[2]Craig Brian Larson and Phyllis Ten Elshof, 1001 Illustrations That Connect (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2008), 131.

[3]Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 623.

[4]William F. Lasley and Richard Dresselhaus, Romans: Justification by Faith: An Independent-Study Textbook, Third Edition (Springfield, MO: Global University, 2010), 184.