A Comparison of Hebrews and Romans: The Role of Faith in Salvation History

THE ROLE OF FAITH IN SALVATION HISTORY

Salvation is a common theme found throughout scripture.  The whole of scripture paints a consistent picture of God’s redemptive work throughout history culminating in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Faith is also a topic commonly found in scripture and it plays a key role to properly understanding the nature of salvation under both the Old Covenant and New Covenant.  Hebrews and Romans present complementary information regarding the salvation found in Jesus Christ by faith.   This paper will explore the relationship between faith and salvation by examining Hebrews 11 and Romans 4.  While both books contain similar language and share complementary content there are differences in the thrust of the respective passages.  To gain a better grasp of how faith plays into both passages the meaning of the word and its use in context must be examined.

Πίστις

Πίστις is the Greek word most commonly used for faith.  In Romans 4 all instances of the word for faith stem from πίστις.  According to Danaker, the πίστις is most often translated into, “that which evokes trust and faith.”  The second definition listed is a, “state of believing on the basis of the reliability of the one trusted.”  This word and definition is also applicable to almost all instances of faith appearing in Hebrews 11.   There are only two instances in Hebrews 11 in which a word other than πίστις is used.  The first is found in Hebrews 11:4 where αὐτός is used in reference to Abel.  The second instance is Hebrews 11:11 πιστός is the word used in conjunction with Sarah.  All other times, faith functions in both passages primarily as a verb with God as the subject.  Faith is paired with God in such a way that suggests that God is a person worthy of trust.  God is “that which evokes trust and faith.”  God is the One who is being trusted.  The basis of the characters faith rests in the reliability of God.  Πίστις is an affirmation of the Holiness of God and a declaration of His worthiness.  (Revelation 4:8, 11)

The Object of Faith

            The object of faith found in Hebrews 11 and Romans 4 is God Himself, which is a peculiarity when compared with other parts of the epistles.  More typically the object of faith is Jesus Christ, however in these passages the object of faith is the One who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.  (Romans 4:24) “Paul contends that God puts the sinner right with him through faith.^[1]”  Throughout Hebrews 11, the author makes it clear that each of the heroes of faith place their trust in God regardless of the situation they find themselves.  They cling to the character of the Promise Giver.  In this way there is assurance of salvation because faith is not placed in human effort but in eternal God. 

Substance of Faith

            While both passages of scripture use the same word for faith in a similar context, Hebrews expands on the idea of faith by exploring the nature of faith.  It must be noted that the word ὑπόστασις  has been translated various ways.  Ellingworth brings up various areas of contention regarding this passage.  He brings up the point that part of the problem in rendering this passage is understanding verse 1 as being an objective or subjective statement. Some translations render the meaning as ‘having assurance or confidence.’  The other way it has been translated is to mean ‘substance’. ^[2]  While the former translation has gained prominence, Kistemaker argues that both interpretations work to complement one another.  “Even though the objective sense has validity, the subjective meaning is commended.^[3]” Kistenmaker proposes that the balance of both interpretations of the passage comes, “when certainty prevails, even though the evidence is lacking.^[4]” The subjective assurance of faith comes from the practical outworking of the substance of faith.  Because full certainty and assurance will not be fully realized until a future date perseverance of faith or patience is an essential component of the objective faith.  A.W. Pink argues that patience is an imperative that accompanies faith.  To properly understand the role of faith in salvation one must understand that, “faith directs us to things afar off which we do not as yet enjoy; it then necessarily includes patience.^[5]”  The role of patience and how that is paired with faith becomes the subject of the rest of Hebrews 11 shown in the actions taken by the biblical figures in the rest of the passage.

Faith is Active

The verse 2 of Hebrews continues to expound upon the assurance of faith found in the substance of faith.  The author sets up a basis for the faith each of the ‘men of old’ have in God by referencing the creation of the universe.  The entirety of existence was brought forth by the word of God.  That which is now seen was brought forth by the unseen. It is on the basis of this understanding of the power of God’s Word that the patriarchs place their trust in God.

 In both Hebrews and Romans,  faith describes a continual action, not a one time occurrence.  A character that appears in both passages is Abraham.  Hebrews describes Abraham’s faith as a hope in things yet unseen.  Abraham is called to action and obedience in God with the hope of a future promise.  Abraham obeys acting out in faith before being given what God has promised Him.  (Heb 11:8-14, 17-19)  Romans paints a consistent picture of Abraham’s faith citing how Abraham persisted in faith continuing to hope in the promises of God although the physical state of both he and his wife seemed to make God’s promise an impossibility.  Abraham continued to believe in God’s promises and became strong in His faith.  (Romans 4:16-22)  Here in Romans we see this idea of persistent faith played out in the life of Abraham leading to God crediting him with righteousness.  Abraham’s faith in the unseen led to the manifestation of that which is seen, namely his son Isaac.  Although even in Isaac’s birth the fullness of God’s promise to Abraham was not fully realized, but acted as a guarantee or assurance of God’s faithfulness and ability to complete what He promised. 

Faith Has Always Been Part of God’s Plan

Within the context of Romans, Paul is linking those under the old covenant with those under the new covenant.  Paul means to prove the consistency of God by stating that the method of salvation today is the same as it was in times past.  That is faith in God leads to being credited with righteousness.  To illustrate this point,

“He attacks the proponents of the opposite view—salvation on the basis of human merit—at the very fortress in which they deem themselves to be the strongest, namely, the story of Abraham, that great patriarch who, according to the thinking of the Jews, had earned his way into God’s good pleasure.^[6]

Most scholars agree that the contemporaries of Paul assumed that Abraham was justified by works.  Hendriksen cites the Prayer of Mannasseh 8 and the Book of Jubilees as works that were commonly referenced to show that the patriarchs achieved righteousness on the basis of obedience to the law of God.  However, Paul refutes this claim by quoting Genesis 15:6.  “Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. ^[7]”  Paul uses this passage to say that none, not even the great patriarch Abraham, father of many nations, was justified the merit of his works but by faith alone.  This pattern of justification is also established in Hebrews 11.  However the language in Hebrews departs from the legal language used in Romans using approval instead of justification.  Nevertheless, a list of biblical heroes, spanning from Abel to the prophets before Christ are all shown as having been given the approval of God based on their faith in Him.(Hebrews 11:4:34)  This establishes a historical record to say that God’s plan for salvation by faith is not something new after the coming of Christ.  Salvation by faith has always been part of God’s plan.  Paul clinches his argument t in Romans by quoting David’s Psalm:

How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

Here Paul restates his original proposition with a twist.  Man is not justified by the by his own merit, moreover man is not condemned by his unrighteous acts.  “The blessing is not concerned with someone who has good deeds to urge as meriting favor, but with one whose evil deeds are not imputed.^[8]”  Thereby both Hebrews and Romans not only show that faith has always been a part of God’s plan of salvation and points to its essentiality in salvation. 

Faith Essential to Salvation

            Salvation is not something that can be gained or achieved, salvation is a free gift of God.  Paul cites in Romans that Abraham was credited righteousness by God and that he was not justified by any work of his own.  Paul continues expounding on this idea by stating that to try and work for salvation is to reject God’s free gift of grace.  When a person works for salvation their deeds are not born out of love for God, they are now the wages of due to the debt we owe.  Unfortunately we cannot pay the debt we owe through our own merit.  However, God offers to pay our debt according to the grace found in Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:23)  All that is required of us is faith in God’s ability to pay our debt.  Coincidentally, God is the lien holder of the debt we owe, so it would behoove us to trust in God’s ability to cancel out our record of debt.  (Colossians 2:13-14)  In Romans 4, Paul makes the case that salvation is set apart from any act of human merit.  Salvation is only found by God justifying the ungodly.  The righteousness of God is credited to man by faith.  This concept of the essentiality of faith to salvation is echoed in Hebrews 11. 

The writer of Hebrews states, “without faith it is impossible to please Him.”(Hebrews 11:6)  Hebrews breaks from the legal language found in Romans and describes aspects of a relationship between man and God.  The latter half of Hebrews 11:6 goes on to state two acts of faith required to please God.  The first is to believe in the existence of God.  The second is to believe that God rewards those who seek Him.  The end of the chapter reaffirms the idea that the approval of God was gained by faith.  (Hebrews 11:39) 

History of Faith

            Although both passages present the idea that present day believers must persist in faith for the future hope of salvation, the authors of both books provide reassurance that faith in God is not misplaced.  Those who continue to persevere will be strengthened in faith and God will not disappoint them. (Romans 10:11, Isaiah 28:16)  Hebrews provides a list of ‘men of old’ who gained the approval of God.  (Hebrews 11:2)  The bulk of Hebrews 11 is a description of past biblical figures who shared two things in common the approval of God acquired by faith in God to fulfill His promises.  In both Hebrews and Romans we see a pattern of submission as a result of the faith placed in God.  Each of the people listed in both passages are said to have faith and what they do is affected by their faith.  Looking forward to the promise given from God they live their lives claiming what will be theirs.  Hebrews is far more explicit in expressing a life of faith based on what is to come.

For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. ^[9]

The purpose of examining the lives of the patriarchs serves the same purpose in both passages, which is to provide the present day believer with an exhortation to follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before persisting in faith.  (Romans 4:23-22)

Faith of Future Hope

            Another common characteristic of both Hebrews and Romans is that the reward for faith isn’t necessarily something experienced in the present but more often is something that will be experienced in the future.  This idea is expressed in both passages by citing Abraham as a patriarch who continued in faith looking forward to the future fulfillment of God’s promise.  Hebrews qualifies this idea with verse one saying, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”(Hebrews 11:1) While both Romans and Hebrews cite those who have died in their examples, the concept of faith in a future hope has ready application to those still alive.  Just as Abraham trusted in the fulfillment of God’s promise to make him the father of many nations, Christians must trust in God’s promise of eternal life with Jesus Christ.  For the believer this hope of eternal life with Christ is never fully experienced in this life.  The reward is yet intangible but requires our persistent faith.  The byproduct of persistent faith in God exemplified in the lives of the patriarchs is submission to the object of both their faith and ours, which is God.  Here at the end of both passages appropriate attention is redirected to , the author and perfecter of our faith in whom we have peace with God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

            An examination of Hebrews 11 and Romans 4 provide much insight into the role faith plays in salvation. The use of πίστις is not complete without an object of faith.  The object of faith in both passages appears to be God.  Additionally, the concept of faith appears to be tied into the idea of salvation.  The authors of both Hebrews and Romans appear to agree that salvation is not possible without faith.  Moreover, both passages agree that the nature of salvation is not an object that can be achieved but is given on the basis of faith in God.  Faith in God is persistent and not contingent upon the immediate provision of the promises of God but the future hope that God will fulfill His promises.  Faith for salvation is not believing or hoping in salvation itself(the promises) but in the One who provides salvation.  Faith in God is an affirmation of His character and Holiness.  Faith isn’t a static idea but an active process of submission to God. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Arndt, William, Frederick W. Danker and Walter Bauer. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New

Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.

Ellingworth, Paul. The Epistle to the Hebrews : A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids,

Mich.; Carlisle [England: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1993.

Guthrie, George H. The NIV Application Commentary:Hebrews. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan

Publishing House, 1998.

 Hendriksen, William and Simon J. Kistemaker. Vol. 12-13, New Testament Commentary :

Exposition of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001.

Kistemaker, Simon J. and William Hendriksen. Vol. 15, New Testament Commentary : Exposition

of Hebrews. New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001.

Morris, Leon. The Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leicester, England: W.B.

Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1988.

New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

Pink, Arthur Walkington. An Exposition of Hebrews. Swengel, Pa.: Bible Truth Depot,

---

^[1] Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, vol. 15, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of Hebrews, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 308-09.

^[2] Paul Ellingworth, The Epistle to the Hebrews : A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids, Mich.; Carlisle [England: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 1993), 565.

^[3] Simon J. Kistemaker and William Hendriksen, vol. 15, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of Hebrews, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 311.

^[4] Ibid

^[5] Arthur Walkington Pink, An Exposition of Hebrews. (Swengel, Pa.: Bible Truth Depot, 1954), 635.

^[6] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, vol. 12-13, New Testament Commentary : Exposition of Paul's Epistle to the Romans, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953-2001), 144.

^[7] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Ge 15:6.

^[8] Leon Morris, The Epistle to the Romans (Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1988), 199.

^[9] New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Heb 11:14–16.

Life History Template

Life History Worksheet

Significant people/Events/Circumstances	Struggles/Negative/Painful Experiences
Phase of Life	Events
Phase 1:
Phase 2:
Phase 3:
Phase 4:
Phase 5:
Phase 6:

Phase 1: 

Lessons/Insights :

Phase 2: 

Lessons/Insights :

Phase 3: 

Lessons/Insights :

Phase 4: 

Lessons/Insights :

Phase 5: 

Lessons/Insights :

Phase 6: 

Lessons/Insights :

Biblical Purpose Template

Biblical Purpose Worksheet

(Where am I Going)

To learn how to live a focused life that brings glory to God we must have a firm foundation.  Our foundation is found in the Word of Truth.  Scripture will allow us to live fully focused and fulfilled lives by streamlining our journey always pointing us in the direction we should go. We will take a look at several scriptures that:

1.        Declare the reason why we exist

-A Being Statement

2.       Reflects the Heart of God

-A Kingdom Perspective

3.       Clarifies what is Non-Negotiable

-True North: the way we should go

In the sections below:

1.        Reflect on the verses that have clarified your sense of purpose in the past

2.       Review some of the scriptures which have been meaningful to other Christians

3.       Follow the instructions for trying to capture your sense of your biblical foundation in your own words.

What Scriptures has God used to give focus, purpose, and direction in your life?  List those verses and summarize the insight(s) you gained from each verse.

Verses from Your Past
Verse	Insight

Review these familiar verses and summarize the insights they provide regarding the question of purpose for a believers life.

Matthew 22:37-40
Matthew 28:18-20
John 15:1-11
John 13:34-35
Romans 15:6-7
2 Corinthians 4:7-11
Philippians 3:7-10
Colossians 2:6-7
2 Peter 1:5-11

Reflection on your Study

Based on your study of these scriptures ask yourself the following questions to help you clarify God’s purpose for your life.

·         Why do I exist as a person?

·         Apart from what I do, what gives my life its deepest meaning?

·         Why did God create me?

·         What is my response to God’s work of grace and salvation on my behalf?

In single words or phrases what themes have emerged from your review and reflection on the Scriptures?

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Writing a biblical purpose statement

Our purpose is the foundation upon which we live our lives.  Purpose isn’t a list of tasks we must accomplish but is a statement of ‘being’ that captures the essence of our existence.  Based on our reflection through scripture, write up a draft of your biblical purpose statement.

Additional helps:

·         not a list of do’s and don’ts

·         should be concise

·         describes why a person exists based on scripture

·         being statement

·         describes our relationship with God

ex:

·         The purpose of my life is to know God and hear his voice so clearly that I live a life of obedience and servant hood. As a result, I will be a self-defined person with a non-anxious presence

·         I exist to live in authentic intimacy with Jesus and let him so shape my life that the people of my life will see him at work in me.

·         Understanding Jesus Christ is Lord of all creation, that He loves me, and by His grace rescued me from captivity so that I might be free to serve Him; I seek to know Christ and allow Him to shape me toward His purposes.

Your Biblical Purpose Statement

Bible Book Study Template

Book Study

Audience:

Purpose of the book/passage:

Rhetorical/Persuasive/parable:

Metaphor/Simile:

Similarity to other passages/books:

Within same text:

Within other book sof scripture:

Differences from other books/passages:

Parallel teachings(non biblical):

Word Study (different translations/original language):

Main points of each section:

Section 1: 

Inductive Bible Study Template

Daily Reading Outline

What does it say?

Commands:

Questions:

Exhortation: 

Warnings:

Promises:

Repeated Words/Ideas:

What does it mean?

How do individual phrases connect to each other?  Is there a cause effect relationship between phrases?

What does it mean to me?

What do I learn about God?  Jesus?  Holy Spirit?

What is God revealing to me? Weakness/sin?  Action/Change?  Preparation for something?

What can I do to apply this passage to my life?

How do I apply this passage to my life?  What actions do I need to take?

Individual application:

Application to Community:

Speaking Planning Template

Speaking Date:

Topic:

Key Passage:

Motivating scripture/idea:

What if anything does the bible say about this?

If nothing why?

Who in Scriptures faced a situation that forced them to interface with this topic/idea?

What did they do?  What didn’t they do that I might have expected them to do?

Did Jesus ever address this topic directly/indirectly?

What is my goal?

GLUE:(application/insight/principle)

Before Speaking:

What is the one thing I want my audience to know?

What is the one thing I want them to do about it?

What elements of my talk do not contribute to communicating my point?

STICKY Statement

Me

We

God

You

We

*This template is based off of the speaking method suggested by Andy Stanley and Lane Jones in "Communicating for a Change: Seven Keys to Irresistible Communication"

Goal Directed Discipleship(draft1)

Preface

Discipleship is a vast all encompassing topic, hundreds of thousands of volumes have been written about this topic from both a systematic and biblical theology approach.  Several more born out of practical experience, the nature of this document is of the latter and seeks to explain discipleship within the constraints of very broad categories and observations.  Moreover, this document seeks to provide a basic shell or outline for discipleship to assist people who have little or no experience with discipleship.  The following template and points are by no means hard and fast rules, rather the following are simple principles meant to help kick off a productive and intentional discipleship relationship.

Intentionally Developing Maturity

Typically, the dynamics in a discipleship relationship is one between an older more experienced Christian with a younger less experienced Christian.  However, this hierarchy of discipleship isn’t always determined by age.  Recognizing that Christ is the head of the church (body of believers)  and our true discipler should rid us of any notion of pride or arrogance in a discipleship relationship. (Col 1:28-29)  Every believer should seek to be like our Lord Jesus Christ in every area of our lives.  This view of Christian life should drastically alter how we think of discipleship. 

Christ has uniquely gifted every member of His body to build up and equip the rest of the Church. (1 Cor 12, Eph 4:1-16)  Growth in our relationship with Jesus Christ can’t be separated from our relationships with other people.  The proper way in which how we treat others is informed by the Word of God.  However, it isn’t simply enough to know something from scripture.  We must apply what we’ve learned in scripture to how we live.  This is where other members of the Body of Christ come into play.  Our relationships with the other members of Christ’s Body give us the opportunity to practice living out scriptural truths in relation to other believers.  Our persistence in faith and Christ allows the Holy Spirit to cultivate spiritual fruit within us. 

Each of us has different personalities and character traits that come naturally to us.  This means that certain habits and behaviors conducive to living a Spirit filled life will come to some people more easily than others.  None of us are perfect and none of us will have a handle on every aspect of our lives.  This is why we are asked to, “in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil 2:3-4)  We may struggle with sin in a particular area of our life, but someone we know might not.  So what we should do is seek out those who are strong in our weakness to help us grow. This eliminates the necessity of having an older person to disciple you.  We no longer pay attention to the age of a person but to the outworking power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers around us allowing Jesus Christ Himself to disciple us using other members of His body.

This model of intentional discipleship needn’t be limited to areas of sin we struggle in, but can also apply to growing in spiritual disciplines or character traits of the Spirit we lack.  The key to growth in a discipleship relationship is intentionality and intentionality is required on the part of both the disciple (Matt 6:33; Jer 29:33, 33:3; Jam 1:5) and the discipler. (Rom 5:8; John 3:16)

Disciple

If we profess to be disciples we must be willing to submit our lives to inspection by the Lord Jesus Christ through prayer and scripture.  Through this the Holy Spirit will reveal the areas of our life that are still enslaved to sin. (Heb 4:12)  This examination of scripture will also reveal to us how we can be more conformed to the image of Jesus by developing certain character traits that exhibit themselves through certain behaviors.  (Jam 2:14-26)

Once we’ve recognized the areas of our weakness, we should look to the example of members of Christ’s body that show strength in the areas that we are weak.  This act forces us to do two things: the first is that we must examine our interaction with the Body of Christ.  Who have we surrounded ourselves with?  Do we only know and spend time with Christians that completely agree with and act as we do?  Have we surrounded ourselves with people that are weak in the same area of sin as us?  Do we only spend time with people that are at the same maturity level as us?  If this is true then there are several problems that we face.  How can we expect to find help and accountability to overcome a sin that someone else hasn’t yet had victory in?  A slave can’t lead a slave to freedom. 

The second and natural outgrowth of our examination of how we interact with the Body of Christ is a decision to submit our life to the inspection and accountability of another believer bringing to light the sin that keeps us from living in the freedom Christ gave to us by His death on the Cross. (Gal 5:1; Jam 5:13-16, 19-20)

Discipler

To be a discipler requires more humility and maturity than a disciple, simply because there is a great deal more responsibility for what we say and do.  (Jam 3:1-2)  Some of the pitfalls that accompany discipleship is pride that clouds judgment, a pride that blinds us from pursuing our own growth and hurts the growth of the one we disciple.  One of the hardest things for a discipler to do is to recognize what areas they aren’t equipped or unable to help their disciple in.  We need to know our own limits and ‘in humility’ refer our disciple to someone that has better knowledge and maturity in the area of struggle. 

A discipler must also be an unselfish person.  Discipleship takes time and effort so consider the cost before being quick to answer yes to someone that asks.  Don’t be too hasty in trying to find someone if you aren’t prepared to make the necessary sacrifices of time to dedicate to pouring into the person.  However, don’t use the excuse of preparedness to put off discipling someone because to not disciple means disobedience to the command of Jesus Christ our discipler and Lord. (Matt 28:18-20; John 14:21)

Balance in Discipleship

A tenuous balance must be found in the burden the disciple and the discipler bears.  I think the nature of this equilibrium is best described by Galatians 6:1-6:

“Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. ² Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ³ If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. ⁴ Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, ⁵ for each one should carry his own load.

⁶ Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. ^[1]”

Relationship is a two way street and both the disciple and discipler should benefit from the relationship.  The picture we see in Galatians 6(and many other scriptures cited above) is one of mutual submission to one another that rests in a humility and surrender to Christ. (Col 2:9-19)  Both parties are acting out of mutual concern and love for one another keeping one another accountable.  The emphasis of family and team are shown in carrying one another’s burdens so that no part of the body is alone in what they experience.  Everyone in the body of Christ should be affected by what happens to another part of the body.  We should have concern for one another, this concern is born out of love and shown in how we act towards one another.  There is no room for pride or deceit in the body of Christ.  We are all humbled and stand equal in the shadow of the cross. Our goal isn’t to be better than the people around us; our goal is to be made into the image and likeness of Holy God.  Therefore, we should never be content or stagnant in our spiritual growth because there is always room to grow. The Christian life isn’t about competition to outdo other believers.  We are one team, one family all living for the same purpose of making Jesus Christ known through how we live our lives to bring Him glory.  Everyone should be pulling their own weight, we aren’t supposed to place all of our problems or the responsibility for our lives on someone else.  Each of us is responsible for our own actions and should carry our own load.  If we dump everything on others and never give thought to the issues occurring in the lives of those around us or think that our problem is more important than others then we are wrapped in a shroud of selfishness.  Acting selfishly contradicts the law of Christ by responding to members of the body of Christ without true love.  Relationship is a two way street and the disciple should encourage and edify the discipler just as the discipler teaches the disciple. 

Things to Consider Before Committing

The way we approach meetings/sessions in a discipleship relationship should be organic.  Several factors must be considered such as personality, spiritual maturity, goals, teaching and learning styles.  We can’t treat everyone that we disciple the same because they aren’t all the same.  Before committing to a long-term discipleship relationship it is best to have an initial meeting to give both the disciple and discipler the opportunity to feel each other out.  The disciple has to be willing to submit to instruction from the discipler.  The discipler must be willing to teach and spend time with the disciple.  The initial meeting will allow both parties to gauge compatibility as well as determine what kind of discipleship relationship they will share. 

There are three general roles a discipler plays in the life of a disciple: 

1.         Coach

2.        Mentor

3.        Counselor

Each of these roles may not be manifested in a relationship at the same time.  The role of the discipler really is determined by the life circumstances of the disciple.  It is up to the discipler to be attentive to the needs of the disciple and adjust to switching into the role that will best serve the disciple.  However, there is some responsibility on the part of the disciple as well.  Disciplers aren’t mind readers so if the disciple knows what type of help they need verbalize the need and make it clear to the discipler. 

*It must be noted that sometimes a disciple may think they need the discipler to act in a role that really wouldn’t benefit them.  This is where humility comes into play where the disciple must be receptive to the insight of the discipler.  Likewise the discipler must not be puffed up with pride thinking that they’ve nailed down exactly what needs to happen.  The discipler also needs to be receptive to the input of the disciple so that he is still serving the disciple and not himself. 

Coach

A coach is a developer.  A coach will see the possible potential of an individual to excel and begin to develop stratagems to allow and individual to capitalize on their strengths and compensate or grow their weaknesses.  A coach challenges and pushes growth towards excellence.  A coach gives a realistic and objective assessment of the performance of an individual.  A coach is quick to encourage and praise that which the individual does well, but is just as quick to point out areas of growth.  The coach comes up with a plan that he shares with the individual to help them grow.  A coach is a hands-on teacher that leads by example.  The success in the realm of coaching is both tangible and measurable. 

Mentor

A mentor is a resource of experience and wisdom.  A mentor is a subject matter expert ready to give sound advice to the mentee.  A mentor lends insight and clarity to situations and circumstances that are unclear to the mentee.  A mentor is an objective voice of reason combating the impulse and emotions that weigh in on decisions.  A mentor is a focused listener sifting through the random bits of information to piece together a comprehensive and realistic view of situations.  A mentor is an encourager.  Success in mentoring is totally dependent on the receptiveness of the mentee and only measured in feedback given from the mentee.

Counselor

A counselor is first and foremost a listener.  However, a counselor is an active listener reflecting everything the client says.  A counselor makes the best use of time by focusing discussion on one issue at a time until there is a resolution.  A counselor helps bring divine calm to a mind fraught with storms.  A counselor validates the emotions and intrinsic worth of a client.  A counselor is a guide toward reestablishing priorities by refocusing a client’s perspective within the context of the client’s relationship with God.  Counseling is time intensive and draining requiring the counselor to know his own emotional limits.  Success in counseling is determined by the health of a person’s relationship with God and how that relationship affects interactions with other people.  However, because of the qualitative and subjective nature of success/growth measurability is much more difficult to pin down.

Phases of a Session/Meeting

If after the initial meeting both parties consent to begin a discipleship relationship there are certain factors to consider so that proactive growth is pursued.  We want to be intentional in how we influence each other so there are certain topics we should address to ensure that the time spent meeting is productive.  For the sake of simplicity we will focus our exploration of topics to discuss around goals, positives, negatives, and prayer requests.

Goals

Goals are the business end of the meeting.  It’s the easiest thing to lead with because it is more concrete than positives and negatives.  Discussion around goals is very focused around measurable tasks and don’t necessarily require the discipler to process emotions or random bits of information in order to piece together a coherent picture.  If you lead with goals in your meeting you set the stage for more relaxed and conducive conversation.  More often than not the things that trouble people and cause lack of peace are things that can be addressed immediately and concretely.  If these things are not addressed first it may be difficult to begin conversation about more intimate and spiritual matters, handling the quantitative aspects of life make way to examine qualitative elements of life. 

Defining Goals

When we begin to set goals for ourselves or help others set goals for themselves, the goals must always be life-action oriented.  Maturity in our relationship with Jesus Christ isn’t wholly dependent on knowledge, but requires a marriage of information with action.[2]  The knowledge we have in Jesus Christ must affect how we approach our relationship with God and our relationship with people.  (Matt 22:37-40, Gal 5:14)  Therefore, when we begin helping our disciple set goals we must evaluate the role the goal plays in glorifying God, the result of a desire to demonstrate love, and serving people out of love.  Those two themes, love for God and love for people, should be the overarching premise from which all our pursuits and actions stem.  This mindset helps to guard against the tendencies of selfishness and pride. 

Qualitative and Quantitative Goals

The goals that we set should be both measurable and achievable, not vague undefined ideas.  Sometimes it is necessary to reshape or break down qualitative goals into quantitative goals.  For example:

Qualitative goal:  Feel closer to God

Quantitative Goal:  1. Read bible 15min a day

                                    2.  15 min a day in prayer

This isn’t to say that a person that reads more and prays for a specific amount of time every day will be more spiritually mature and closer to God than some who doesn’t; however, these disciplines are characteristic of a person who is regular fellowship with God.  If the person that wants to feel closer to God never seeks out God in His Word or prayer then obviously this person will never feel closer to God because this person is not seeking God.[3]  Moreover, it is difficult to help encourage or keep someone accountable on something that is subjective such as an emotion or sense of being.  Nonetheless, a pitfall to beware of in this type of setting is simply trying to practice behaviors or observe customs out of guilt or obligation towards a person (discipler), because this can lead to legalism.  When it comes to a matter of conscience in which the focus is on outward appearance instead of inward quality of relationship with God or we base our worth and strength of God’s love for us on what we do then this is unhealthy.[4]  We’ve forgotten the basic principle that God’s love for us is not contingent on what we have to offer God but an undeserved act of grace.  [5]

Specific Goals

Oftentimes when people set goals they have huge seemingly shapeless and impossibly massive goals.  To give our big goals form we set smaller goals that are component parts of our ultimate end goal. For example, if we have a goal of baking a chocolate cake there are several precursory steps necessary to achieve the desired end goal. 

Big Goal:  Bake Chocolate Cake

Pre-requisite steps/goals: 

1.       Buy cake mix

2.        Pre-heat oven to 455 degrees Fahrenheit

3.        Mix flour and cake mix

4.       Add eggs

5.       Add water

6.       Add vegetable oil

7.       Stir

8.       Bake in oven 20min

By setting smaller precursory goals it makes the seemingly impossible possible.  The task becomes less daunting and more manageable.  It also increases the likelihood of ultimate success.  By breaking up the big goal into smaller more manageable goals, an individual is more likely to continue pressing toward the end goal if they experience several successful consecutive completions. 

Positives and Negatives

Positives and Negatives are simply sections designed to allow a discipler to explore deeper issues in a person’s life.  These are exploratory tool that allows us to determine the passions and emotional state of our disciple.  Two tools the discipler must employ during this section are active listening and exploratory questions. 

Active Listening

Active listening requires the discipler to receive what the disciple says and categorize the information given into appropriate parts.  One way a discipler might utilize active listening is by processing what the disciple says about wanting to change their major to physiology, but will discuss how much they hate science classes.  After which for the next hour talk about their music classes and how excited they are about musical performance.  Given these two contradictory pieces of information it is now up to the discipler to decide which hat(coach, mentor, counselor) he will wear to best bring peace to the inner turmoil felt by the disciple. 

Exploratory Questions

When in this phase of the meeting we want to do the opposite of what we did in the goal setting phase.  We don’t want to ask questions that will produce yes or no answers.  We want to ask probing open-ended questions that allow our disciple to express emotion surrounding concrete topics.  By pairing emotions with tasks or circumstances we gain valuable insight into the true motivations and desires of our disciple. 

Qualifying Responses

We don’t want to assume that once we receive a response to a question that we totally understand what our disciple is trying to communicate.  Even if we think we know what our disciple is getting at we want to ask follow up questions that qualify the statements previously made.

EX: 

Discipler: How did the confrontation at school where you were punched in the face make you feel?

Disciple:  It made me feel angry

Discipler:  What were you mad at?  or What caused you to feel mad?

Disciple:  I was mad at myself for losing my cool and inciting the guy to hit me by taunting him

In the above example if we stopped at the first question we would most likely assume that our disciple was mad at the guy that hit him.  We would assume that he was mad because he was unjustly hit.  But by asking further questions that qualify the previous response we stumble on to a larger issue in play that may have roots outside of the altercation our disciple was involved in at school. 

How vs. Why

Once we think we have an accurate picture of our disciple and the situation he is in the next step is to lead our disciple out of a state of confusion or restlessness into a state of clarity and peace.  We are now moving our session back into the realm of quantitative discussion.  A “why” question produces qualitative responses that do not lead to resolution or growth.  “Why” questions are passive, not action oriented.  Growth will not occur from passivity, we must be proactive in pursuing the Holy Spirit to allow Him to transform us, and then be deliberate in pursuing the course of action required of us as we respond to the opportunities the Holy Spirit provides for growth. 

Prayer

To close out the session it is important to bring all the things that were talked about back into spiritual perspective.  Over the course of our dialogue about measurable tasks and emotions the natural tendency is to lose focus of how all of this is supposed to be related to helping us grow to become mature in our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Even though our actions and thinking are informed by our understanding of scripture it is still possible to try to effect spiritual growth through the sheer physical means of men.  However, we understand from scripture that true transformation and spiritual growth doesn’t occur without the power of the Holy Spirit.  [6]

The act of prayer is one of submission to the will and power of Jesus Christ.  It helps to clarify why we desire to grow.  It puts our motivations up to the scrutiny of scripture and the Holy Spirit. Prayer serves as a final hinge point of evaluation for all that we desire to do.  Because we are indebted to Jesus Christ and live to serve His purposes we must evaluate, through prayer, whether the things we are praying for are aligned to the purposes and desires of Jesus Christ. [7] 

Prayer is also an affirmation of our loyalty, a verbalization of our love for God by describing our understanding of His purpose and intentions for our lives.  Through prayer we show our love for Him in lifting up our concern, thereby demonstrating love, for the needs of others.  We affirm our agreement to the will of Jesus.  In other instances we yield to His purposes although at this time we do not understand the cause or reason behind certain events.  Within in the context of the relationship between discipler and disciple prayer is an outward demonstration of love by showing that we paid attention to what the other person said.  We demonstrate our maturity and love in the content of what we pray for one another.  When it comes to this section of the meeting I advise both parties praying.  I also advise allowing the disciple to first verbalize the results of what were just discussed so that we understand what might be going on in their head and to allow us the opportunity to clarify or expound upon ideas that the disciple brings up that might not have even been brought up during the meeting. 

Discipleship Session Template

Goals:

Positives:

Negatives:

Prayer Requests:

Tips for Meetings

Frequency:

Determine how often you will have to meet.  It varies from person to person and is affected by life situations that might occur in a person’s life.  Generally, the more mature a person is the less often you will have to meet.  Another factor to consider is shape your relationship takes and the role you play in the life of your disciple.  Mentoring and Coaching sessions are only necessitated by tasks, so if the volume of tasks is high then more meetings will be required, vice versa.  If you’ve taken the role of counselor or friend then you may meet more often just because you enjoy talking to one another.  Extenuating circumstances that cause high stress that might be the cause more meetings as well.

Posturing:

Body language and positioning play a big role into making a person feel comfortable in talking to us.  If we have a closed or avoidant body posture the disciple is less likely to trust us and will be less talkative.  We want to maintain a body position of alert attentiveness showing interest and care in how we listen.  We must also be careful to not be in a body position that might communicate disapproval or superiority.  Nods of the head and appropriate eye contact go along way toward making someone feel heard. 

Atmosphere:

Where you meet is totally dictated by the comfort of your disciple.  Some people like talking in places that are busy and full of chatter.  Other people prefer quiet and serene settings.  Where you meet is also affected by what you talk about.  A person’s sense of private varies according to the content discussed.  It might be easier for a person to talk about time management in a coffee shop, but very difficult to talk about pornography or substance abuse.  These factors should influence where we meet. 

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^[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version, electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), Ga 6:1–6.

[2] James 2:14-26

[3] Jer 29:13

[4] Romans 5:8

[5] Ephesians 1:3-9, 2:8-9

[6] John 14:26; 1 Thess 5:19; Acts 1:8; 1 Cor 12

[7] Ephesians 2:10; Col 1:9-14