Why does following Jesus “work” 1

PragmaticFaith Matters
Written By Edward Wolfe

Happiness

We want to know if there is a good reason why living in a relationship with the living Jesus “works” to bring meaning, joy, and abundance. 

When we discover a new medication that seems to provide curative power, we also want to know how it works—at least some of us do.  How, we wonder, does the medication affect the bacteria, for example, or does it stimulate certain organs in the body or does it replace a hormone that we can no longer produce on our own in sufficient quantity?  When we speak of how a medication works, i.e., what changes it makes to the body, we are referring to the “mechanism” of the medication.

In the same way, what is the “mechanism” at work in the lives of believers that results in joyful, meaningful life?  While I couldn’t pretend to know the complete answer to this question, I can suggest six possibilities—and one why it shouldn't!  I leave it to the reader to explore further.

The fruit of the Spirit

In one of his letters to first-century Christians, the Apostle Paul contrasted the “acts of the flesh” with the “fruit of the Spirit:”

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:19-23)

Isn’t it obvious that living according to the fruit of the Spirit is a happier way to live?  Intuitively we know that if our life is filled with love and joy and peace and even self-control, we are bound to be happier, even as we face difficulties.  Bitterness, jealousy, and fits of rage, while all too easy to indulge in, are not the way to happiness.  I doubt if most of my readers wake up in the morning thinking, “Oh, boy!  I’m really looking forward to experiencing as many fits of rage as I can today!”  On the contrary, wouldn’t we rather think, “I hope today is one of peace and joy?” 

Continued in the next post, Why Does following Jesus “Work” 2

This blog post is an excerpt from my recently published book, Is Jesus Real? available on Amazon in print and Kindle.

Edward Wolfe

Edward Wolfe has been a fan of Christian apologetics since his teenage years, when he began seriously to question the truth of the Bible and the reality of Jesus. About twenty years ago, he started noticing that Christian evidences roughly fell into five categories, the five featured on this website.
Although much of his professional life has been in Christian circles (12 years on the faculties of Pacific Christian College, now a part of Hope International University, and Manhattan Christian College and also 12 years at First Christian Church of Tempe), much of his professional life has been in public institutions (4 years at the University of Colorado and 19 years at Tempe Preparatory Academy).
His formal academic preparation has been in the field of music. His bachelor degree was in Church Music with a minor in Bible where he studied with Roger Koerner, Sue Magnusson, Russel Squire, and John Rowe; his master’s was in Choral Conducting where he studied with Howard Swan, Gordon Paine, and Roger Ardrey; and his doctorate was in Piano Performance, Pedagogy, and Literature, where he also studied group dynamics, humanistic psychology, and Gestalt theory with Guy Duckworth.
He and his wife Louise have four grown children and six grandchildren.

https://WolfeMusicEd.com
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