Several years ago in a philosophy class I was taking, a fellow classmate gave me a list of three books he suggested that I read. Well, I finally got around to reading one of those books. It was a book about the Existential philosophy. This branch of philosophy emphasizes that we must deal with the reality of human existence, with “the concrete life of ordinary mankind” [1] and not just some theoretical concepts. The author defines Existentialism as the attempt to bring the whole man, all of him, into philosophy. [2] He also criticizes mainstream philosophy because it teaches detachment as a path to wisdom instead of the Hebraic tradition which teaches commitment and “the passionate involvement of man with his own moral being”. [3] The existential philosopher Kierkegaard states that religious truth is not a truth of the intellect but a truth that “must penetrate my personal experience or it is nothing”. [4]
The philosophers called the Greco-Roman moralists had the same view. They were more concerned about what it means to be human and how we should live than they were about theoretical concepts [5]. They thought philosophers should teach as much through the example of their lives as their words. [6]
That is what we have been emphasizing in this blog. The concept of salvation in Christianity involves the changing of our soul so it is like God; it is not just some theoretical exercise. It is more than a set of beliefs—our doctrine. It is more than finding reasons for the validity of our faith—apologetics. Does not the Bible tell us it is a changed life? “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come”. (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV).
A few Sundays ago our pastor summed it up when he stated that the only way we can truly say we are Christians and the only way we can truly know our sins are forgiven is if we have a changed life. Christianity must impact our entire life or it is not Christianity. The same can be applied to any philosophy or religion. If our philosophy or religion does not have an impact on our lives, what is the purpose of holding those beliefs?
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[1] William Barrett, Irrational Man. New York: Anchor Books, 1958, p. 135.
[2] Barrett, p. 275.
[3] Barrett. p. 77.
[4] Barrett, p. 171.
[5] Luke Timothy Johnson, Practical Philosophy: The Greco-Roman Moralists (Part 1). Chantilly, VA: The Teaching Company, 2002, p. 9.
[6] Johnson, p. 67.
