Study Guide: Being Beautiful

Sunday August 20, 2006 | Greg Boyd

Focus Scripture:

John 12:32
And I, when I am lifted up "> from the earth, will draw all people to myself."

Brief Summary:

There are various opinions about what it means to be a Christian. One thing that does not get mentioned often is the idea of being "beautiful." The truth is that the Kingdom of God is a reality of beauty. And Jesus, who is the King of that Kingdom, is also beautiful. When Kingdom reality is lived out by people who have completely dedicated themselves to God, there is an obvious attractive quality to it. God is calling all of us to be beautiful...just like he is beautiful!

Extended Summary:

There are various opinions about what it means to be a Christian. One thing that does not get mentioned often is the idea of being “beautiful.” The truth is that the Kingdom of God is a reality of beauty. And Jesus, who is the King of that Kingdom, is also beautiful. When Kingdom reality is lived out by people who have completely dedicated themselves to God, there is an obvious attractive quality to it. It’s as attractive as it is different from the way that people generally live their lives. As people are empowered by the Holy Spirit in the ways of faith, hope, and love, they live in a way that almost compels people to wonder how such loving behavior is even possible.

Jesus made it plain in his teachings that as he is lifted up that he would draw all people to himself. But what does that mean? How is he lifted up? One way is by his followers demonstrating the beauty of the Cross in their lives. When people allow the Holy Spirit to form the character of Christ within them, they have more power to live loving, self-sacrificial lives in healthy relationship with others. They are able to “strip away” much of the ugliness of our world from their lives, as they move the Kingdom of God forward.

What are some of the characteristics that one may see in one who is “being beautiful”?

Kingdom Priority

Though the work of God’s Kingdom involves serving others, the Church is not just about social activism. Social healing is an outflow of the Church putting it’s single focus on seeking unity with Christ and allowing Kingdom life to flow from that center.

Kingdom Love

Christ’s life and ministry demonstrated a self-sacrificial type of love that was only possible because of his freedom from the world’s offerings. As we follow Christ, we find ourselves less and less mired in what the world things. At the same time, we then have more energy to give outrageously love to others.

Kingdom Humility

Scripture says that we can do nothing without Christ ( ). As we really understand how much we all rely on God’s grace despite our own ignorance, we can become less sure of our judgments about the world. We truly begin to honor differences of opinions and convictions in the Body of Christ.

Kingdom Faith

Followers of Christ must continually grow in faith. There are many harsh things in our world that attempt to push our attention away from God. Sometime, these things make us overly focused on purely practical concerns. We must fight this impulse to be simplistically pragmatic and instead focus on being faithful to the life and calling that God has placed before us.

Reflection Questions:

When you think of the word “beauty”, what comes to your mind? Let your mind wander with this.
Think about your life right now. What elements of your life would you feel are “beautiful”? What elements of your life do you feel are not so “beautiful”?
What are some challenges to “living in love”? What are some ways that you can think of to help those challenges?
There are many times that it is hard to focus on God’s kingdom in the midst of all of life’s issues. What are some concrete ways that you can take time out to focus on God’s beauty?