Christ: A Component or Center of Our Lives?

Kenneth Boa, in his excellent book on spiritual formation, CONFORMED TO HIS IMAGE, says,
"It is impossible to progress far in our walk with Christ without a radical shift from an earthbound to a biblical perspective. Yet a surprisingly small minority of believers renew their minds on a consistent basis with the Scriptures, and this means that the majority are more likely to be influenced by their culture than by their Creator. . . . The phenomenon of compartmentalization compounds the problem, because so many people view Christianity as another compartment of their lives. It is something they practice on Sunday mornings and occasionally at other designated times, but it has little impact on the rest of their week.
"For many believers, Christ is present in their lives, but lordship is often resisted or rejected. For others, he is prominent in their lives, but there are still areas, such as work and finances, in which they hold onto the driver's wheel. This is usually because they think they are in control or because they are afraid to trust him in these facets of their lives. But there are also believers for whom Christ is preeminent as the focus of their being and pursuits. These people acknowledge his sufficiency and supremacy by relegating all areas to his rule and authority. For them, Christ is the hub who orders and integrates every spoke of life. If the claims of Scripture are true, this is the only realistic option for a follower of Christ to follow; the other options are based on the illusion that we are autonomous agents of our own destiny. The faulty assumption is that we have both the wisdom and control to accomplish what is best in our lives without complete dependence on the Lord."
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Comments

[Dr. Paul W. Foltz]

The sinner bows to Christ's Lordship under Holy Spirit conviction before he comes to know Christ in His Saviourship. No Lordship = no salvation.

[Alan Cross]

I don't like separating Lordship from salvation either. I get your point. But, the point that Boa is making is that there seem to be genuine believers who have attached their affections to other things. Perhaps they are not saved after all, but at what point do you draw the line? This is why a dependence on God's grace is necessary, not as a license to sin, obviously, but in a recognition that we are frail and fallible.