The words “aggressive” and “Christianity,” when paired together, bring to mind hard-to-swallow moments in Christian history. It is very easy to picture moments such as the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. We picture denominations splitting over varying opinions on nonessential doctrine. We think of protesters who say hurtful things and hold vile signs, all in the name of God. Many of us can recall a church business meeting filled with hard feelings toward church leadership. Those images have created a reactionary worldview that has caused many within the church to go from what can be described as aggressive to what can be described as passive and docile.
While I certainly think denominational splits and protests are things Christians should distance themselves from, have we let passivity seep too far into our faith? Is the passion and fervor of the church the same as it was in previous generations? That is a question I do not think I can answer with any certainty, but I do want to point out the aggressive, passionate faith God has laid out for us in Scripture.
With regard to sin, God has called us to aggressively flush it from our lives. Ephesians 5 calls us to live in a way where there isn’t a hint of sexual immorality in our lives. Eliminating any doubt of sexual immorality in our lives is something that cannot be taken lightly. Paul takes living without a hint of immorality one step further in Colossians 3:
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Put to death the actions of the flesh. Kill sin in your life. We dare not be passive toward the sin in our lives, or it will wreck our Christian witness and even our families. Scripture describes our lives as Christians as being in the midst of a war:
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. — 2 Corinthians 10:3-5
No man casually walks into war. He trains, prepares and readies his weapons for battle. Is that the approach I take in my spiritual battle? I ought to live with a mindset aimed at being proactive in my faith. I have to trust in and count on the weapons and armor God has provided me in Ephesians 6. God’s pursuit of us is deserving of more than just a passive faith.
He sought us out. He loved us even when we hated Him. He bought our lives with the horrible pain and wonderful power of the cross. His love and pursuit of us are completely passionate and aggressive. He deserves an equally passionate, aggressive pursuit of Him.
May we have the heart of the psalmist as he cries out, “My soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the Lord.” May the church no longer be characterized by halfhearted fans, but by fully devoted followers. May we find our hope, strength and identity in Him. Day in and day out, may we pursue Him as passionately as He has chased after us.