Articles
Behavior Modification
When our children were younger, my wife and I would sometimes have to get on to them when they were not behaving as we would have liked, and tell them, “Behave!” More than once, the one being chastised would reply, “I’m being have!” Of course, we got a good chuckle out of their response, but we still wanted their behavior to change.
A good portion of our time in parenting is all about behavior modification — convincing our children to change their behavior based on rewards and punishment. In their younger years, our children are learning what is and is not acceptable behavior, and the parents will [hopefully] reward the good behavior and punish the bad behavior, with the aim of teaching the children how to behave — how to act — in ways that are acceptable to the parents and society as a whole. We want them to be good family members and good citizens but, more than anything, we want them to learn how to live a life pleasing to God.
it is for that reason fathers are instructed, “And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4. That “training and admonition of the Lord” is the teaching that points them to virtuous behavior and the corrections and rebuke when they stray from those behaviors. As parents, we should be enforcing the standard of behavior and not ever letting that standard or enforcement of it be neglected, else their behavior will reflect such.
And as parents, we have the responsibility of teaching and enforcing the standard of behavior because, as children, they are still learning that standard of behavior and need reminders [sometimes, for the “thousandth time”] until they get to the age and maturity they are responsible for their own actions. At some point, we all get to that point where our parents no longer teach and enforce, and we are left to our own choices — and the rewards or consequences of those choices.
For the Jews living under the Old Law, this was essentially their way of life; they were the children being instructed by Gd as to every aspect of their earthly life and what was and was not acceptable to Him. Paul described it this way: “the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Gal. 3:24, 25). The Greek word translated here as “tutor” speaks of the pedagogue who was with the child every waking hour, giving them instructions and guidance until the day they were then free to make their own decisions — hopefully guided in their minds by all they had learned under the pedagogue. Paul’s point was that, now, they did not live by that Old Law anymore, but were living by faith in Christ. Punishment was not immediate, as might have been the case under the Old Law, but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t come at all. Now, they were guided by their faith in Christ and their behavior, as Christians, should have reflected that.
A good portion of God’s instruction to the Christians was to give to them a standard of behavior by which they were to live, and that standard still stands today. When Peter wrote that we have been given “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3), he was referring to that instruction revealed to mankind about how we should live and behave [godliness]. This accords with what Paul wrote when he reminded Titus [and us], “the grace of God” teaches us that we should be living “soberly, righteously, and godly” (Titus 2:11, 12). And Paul urged Timothy to instruct disciples to pray for our government leaders, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Tim. 2:1, 2).
The point is, God has set a standard fr our behavior and He expects us to live by it. No, he does not immediately punish every misdeed; let us not see God as an strict authoritarian who is just waiting for us to slip up so He can punish us [the proverbial policeman behind the billboard], but a merciful, loving, gracious, and longsuffering Father who seeks our good. If anything, he is forgiving of our misdeeds [sins] and, if we are willing to acknowledge them to Him, “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). But the standard remains and rewards and punishment will follow — if not here on earth, after the final judgment.
God’s word plainly teaches us, “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ…then each of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:10, 12). Paul also adds, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). Obviously, there must be a standard of judgment that differentiates between what is “good” and what is “bad,” so this idea that we are not accountable to any law as we live for Christ is simply illogical and bunch of wishful thinking — nonsense! You see, if there were no standard and expectation of behavior, as some now teach, then why Judgment?
Becoming a Christian requires some behavior modification, from the very beginning! When one is baptized into Christ, he then “should walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). This change is described by Paul in other letters as the need to “put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man,” and “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:22, 24); this change means we “put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Col. 3:9, 10). Clearly, behavior matters!
God’s instruction is there for His people to know what kind of life they should be living — the behavior acceptable to Him. In the broadest sense, it is evident through one loving God with all the heart, soul, mind and strength and loving their neighbor (Mark 12:30, 31), and elevated by the “new commandment” Jesus gave (John 13:34) of loving one another as He loved us. It is worthy of noting that Jesus tells us here (John 13:35) that it will be our behavior by which the world will know we are His disciples — not just a vocal declaration!
But loving God like this means we adhere to His standards of morality — truly living godly and righteous lives. Peter admonished the early disciples to refrain from “fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles” (1 Pet. 2:11, 12). Again, our behavior before the world is a factor in whether or not God is glorified! To say, “It doesn’t matter who I live as a Christian” is either utter foolishness or self-deception or outright ignorance of God’s will — none of which will bring any positive outcome. Falling for the concept of “no law in Christ” will cause God’s name to be blasphemed and souls to be lost; this is not a light matter. Behavior matters!
God is not going to strike us dead if we err or make poor choices; the written word is our guide for our earthly lives and it is up to us to know and live by His standard while we yet live, and make corrections when necessary. But know this: That standard will be the measuring stick in the final judgment (John 12:48). How we live now matters.
Let us make it our aim to be more like Christ every day (cf. Eph. 4:13); following His example leads us to where He now is — in heaven. Let us live to please the Lord (2 Cor. 5:9). Behavior matters! — Steven Harper
