The Monastic Option
Today, few Christians recognize the names St. Anthony, St. Basil, and St. Benedict. And fewer still live the monastic life of solitude and asceticism they espoused. To be fair, though, it must be said that the Bible doesn't require such of us. However, the ideals these men represented are as valid today as ever. Therefore, while Christians may not be required to follow strict monastic rule, they are, nonetheless, expected to follow the dictates of scripture. And the keystones of the monastic life are also keystones of the Christian life.
Self Denial
To begin with, "self-denial" was a cardinal doctrine of monasticism, and it remains so today. After all, Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Great, what does this mean? It means several things, but, first off, it means just what it says—a follower of Christ must “deny himself,” i.e. deny those desires at odds with scripture and at odds with God’s will for one’s life. The Apostles are perfect examples, as all of them gave up everything to follow Messiah, and tradition tells us that eleven of them were martyred for the Gospel. Next, we must take up this difficult cross of self-denial “daily.” It is not enough to practice our faith on Sunday or Wednesday night. We must master the discipline of self-denial in every area of life and at every moment be willing to submit to His will, whatever it entails. We must be willing to put our needs and desires aside for the cause of the Gospel. Finally, we must be willing to “follow” Jesus. And, today, this may be the ultimate act of self-denial, as it seems everyone everywhere is trying to squeeze as much into life as possible. In fact, I don’t think I know anyone who could stop at a moment’s notice and do something else without consulting his daytimer. Yet, to truly follow Jesus, this is what is called for, the desire and ability to hear and obey Holy Spirit, moment by moment, and submit to the will of the Lord. Consider Matthew, who immediately left his station to follow Jesus.
Sacrifice
Monks were also called on to “sacrifice,” which really goes hand-in-hand with self-denial, and so are we. In Romans 12:1, Paul put it this way, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, which is your reasonable service.” A “living” sacrifice is an interesting concept. We are not a sacrifice consumed in a moment, like those on the altar in the tabernacle, but a sacrifice that is continually being offered up for the Gospel (Romans 8:36). But what is it we are to sacrifice? It is our lives, our wills, and our goods, everything. Simply put, since He (Christ) gave his life for us, we are to give our lives for Him, which Paul says is “reasonable" service. How do I sacrifice my life for Him, though? First, by determining His will, His calling, for your life. You have been given a spiritual gift (I Peter 4:10), and you are expected to minister in that gift within the church. And oftentimes (which I think is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God), this gifting flows into our vocations. For example, my primary Spiritual gifting is teaching, and I teach for a living. In this way, then, I am sacrificing my life for Him by functioning as He created me. Then, I sacrifice my will to Him whenever I submit to His leading, as opposed to my own desires. For instance, in the last few years God has given me a ministry to other church leaders, especially those no longer in ministry and many much older than me, who I come along side to support and validate. It's not something I ever thought about or asked for; it happened by the Spirit, and I embraced it; I submitted to God's leading in this ministry. Finally, I sacrifice my goods (money/treasures). I'm talking here about those times when, led of the Spirit, my wife and I gave guitars, birthday parties, couches, washing machines, dryers, vehicles, and money (even paying others' debts), sacrifices all, for the good other others.
Service
A third monastic essential was "service," and, again, it is still a core value in the church. Jesus said this in Matthew 20:27, "And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant." In this verse, the word for servant is from the Greek doulos, meaning "a slave; frequently, therefore, in a qualified sense of subjection and subservience." He also said, speaking to the twelve, "If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all" (Mark 9:35). In this verse, the word for servant is from the Greek diakonos, meaning "to run errands; an attendant; a waiter." It should be clear from these verses how important service was and is to Christ. After all, He was the ultimate servant, giving His life for many. And so the Gospel calls us to serve as well. But whom do we serve? According to Galatians 6:10, "Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters" (NLT). Colossians 4:5 says, "Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity" (NLT). I believe these verses tell us to serve both within and without the church, as we have opportunity. For example, about twenty years ago a coworker of mine was suddenly told by her husband, without any forewarning, that he wanted a divorce, so he moved out of the house. She was left with their two children and all the bills. Of course, I counseled her and tried to help the best I could. About a week later was her daughter's birthday, but she had no money, so my wife and I gave her a birthday party at our house. We not only went all out with gifts and goodies, but also my wife gave her daughter a doll that she had been given by her grandmother. To make a long story short, through this simple act of kindness (service) both mom and dad came to the Lord, and their relationship was restored within weeks. Whatever the form, service is a key to the kingdom, and we should desire to serve because of the Love of Christ that has been shed abroad in our hearts by Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).
Separation
Finally, "separation" is probably the most obvious and radical ideal of the monastic life, as these ascetics tried as much as possible to separate themselves from society. And while most present-day Christians would protest, according to scripture we are not of the world (John 17:16) and we are to be holy for He is holy (I Peter 1:16). Clearly, then, the principle of separation from the world is still valid. And today, sadly, this is where the church (Christians) most often fails in her witness. And this is exactly why the idea of separation is so important because we cannot have a credible witness if we act like the world. However, it should probably be said here that we don’t have the advantage first century Christians had. That is, their separation was so obvious because the distinction of their day was much greater. For instance, they no longer participated in the Roman pagan religion or its practices, e.g. feasts, sacrifices, emperor worship, etc. Also, they no longer participated in the rampant sexual immorality (much of it required by ancient idolatry) of the ancient world. Furthermore, they met in homes to worship, not in the temple. In other words, their new behavior was completely opposite of the world around them, so it was obvious who the Christians were. It was a simpler time, with less choices and distractions; therefore, those who shunned the common customs really stood out. Yet, we cannot use this as an excuse; we have to be as radically different as our first century forebears.
But how do we do that? Number one, "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (2 Corinthians 6:17). Previously Paul had been talking about the relationship between the righteous and unrighteous. He asked several rhetorical questions, e.g. "what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness?"; "what communion has light with darkness?"; "what concord has Christ with Belial?"; "what agreement has the temple of God with idols?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-16). Then he concluded with "come out from among them and be separate." So then, since there is no fellowship between the righteous and the unrighteous, come out from them, separate yourselves from them. Simply put, separate yourselves from the world, from worldly people and practices. You must make the break; it is a choice you must consciously make and practice. Second, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world…" (I John 2:15). Again, the onus is on us Christians not to be taken (captured) by the things of the world. These appetites should have died with Christ in baptism (Romans 6:3-6) and must be mortified by the Spirit (Romans 8:13). Again, we must consciously put to death the desires that would overcome our bodies, and we can by the power of the indwelling Spirit. Finally, we must be "trained to recognize the difference between right and wrong, and then do what is right" (Hebrews 5:14 NLT). The King James reads, "…even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." In other words, we must practice making right decisions and good habits that sensitize our spirits to what is right. This then, in turn, will make it easier to discern right from wrong and practice the right. If we do these things consistently, then we should be demonstrably different from the world, separate from the world.
Conclusion
Clearly, these monastic ideals are as relevant today as they were seventeen-hundred or five-hundred years ago. We all may not decide to cloister in order to fulfill them, but we must practice them if we are put on Christ and impact the world. In that sense then, monasticism should be alive and well today, as the whole church engages in self-denial, sacrifice, service, and separation. Whether in a monk's robe or street clothes, these ideals were modeled by Christ and should be embraced by us. How about it?
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