ARE YOU PASSIVE?

“So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” – 1 Peter 1:13-16.

Having summarised the position and privileges of the believer and the glory of our salvation, the apostle Peter exhorts Christians to live their lives in a godly manner and points out the responsibilities and duties that are incumbent on all who have been saved by grace through faith in Christ. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. We know right from wrong, but that doesn’t mean we do what’s right or wrong. Sometimes we procrastinate. We put the fix in on our decisions. Paul says it best in Romans 7:15, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”  

When we are submissive to God’s will, passivity is needed. Jesus demonstrated this kind of passivity on the night He was arrested. Rather than allow His disciples to fight for Him, He willingly submitted to the abuse of His captors. “He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly” (1 Peter 2:23). The Son of God allowed Himself to be mocked, beaten, and insulted by men—and He did nothing to stop them. He had earlier told His disciples, “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?” (Matthew 26:23). There was a reason behind His inaction.  The Lord was actively giving Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

Throughout the Bible, we see a picture of Jesus who is strong, focused, resolute, unafraid, calm in the face of danger, and compassionate, gracious, and merciful. This is the standard that He holds us to. There is no such thing as “let go and let God.”There is no place for just going through the motions when God has called us to action. There is no place for complacency.

To avoid being a passive Christian, one must cultivate a strong prayer life, study and apply God’s Word, follow Jesus, and actively serve in the body of Christ. The Christian life is a call to action, not complacency.

Faith is essential to salvation. It is what saves us and what God gives us to see Him more clearly. However, He is clear that having faith is just the beginning. Faith is the precursor to action. Faith causes you to change. The world will believe based on what you do. Jesus shows us that. Your faith is truly living when it is demonstrated through action. James 2 :17 says, “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”  True faith requires action.

Discussion Questions:

1. What’s one area of your life where you struggle with passivity or fail to act?