We have spent the last few articles in the “gymnasium” of Christian Stoicism, learning to wield specific tools: the Dichotomy of Control to steady our hands and the Ordered Affections to steady our hearts. We have seen that the Christian life is not a retreat from reality, but a disciplined engagement with it, fueled by the Spirit and grounded in the character of God.
Now, we must address the marching order of the Stoic life. If you were to ask Zeno, Cleanthes, or Epictetus for the summary of their ethics they would all give you the same answer: “Live in agreement with Nature.”
To modern ears, this sounds harmless, perhaps even trite. It evokes images of camping trips, organic food, or perhaps a Rousseauian “noble savage” running wild in the woods. But for the Stoic, this phrase was a rigorous theological imperative. It meant bringing one’s individual will into perfect alignment with the rational, cosmic order of the universe.
For the Christian, this maxim presents a challenge. On the one hand, we know that “nature” (in the sense of our fallen instincts) is broken and sinful. Paul tells us that we were “by nature children of wrath” (Eph. 2:3). To “do what comes naturally” to a sinner is to sin.
On the other hand, we know that God created the world and called it “good.” We know that there is a Natural Law written on the heart (Rom. 2:14-15) and a created order that reveals God’s glory.
So, how does the Christian Stoic “live according to nature”? He does so not by following his fallen impulses, nor by worshipping the material cosmos, but by aligning his life with the Design Specifications of his Creator.
The Stoic maxim to “live according to nature” is a profound insight that, when redeemed and redefined by Scripture, exhorts the Christian to live in accordance with our true nature as God’s image-bearers, as revealed in creation, ordered by God’s law, and restored through our union with Christ.
The Stoic Maxim: Harmony with the Whole
To understand the refinement, we must first understand the raw material. When the Stoic said “Nature,” he meant two things simultaneously:
- Universal Nature (Cosmos): The rational, providential order of the universe. Since the universe is governed by the Logos, everything that happens is “natural.” To live in agreement with this nature is to accept reality as it is—to not chafe against the weather, the economy, or death itself. It is the embrace of facts.
- Human Nature (Anthropos): The specific constitution of a human being. The Stoics believed that what distinguishes man from beast is Reason. Therefore, to live “naturally” is not to act like a beast (following appetites), but to act like a rational agent (following virtue).
Thus, for the Stoic, the “natural” life was a life of supreme rationality, self-control, and social duty. It was a high calling.
The Christian Corrective: The Four States of Man
However, the Stoic view was fatally flawed by its optimism. They believed that a man’s nature was essentially sound—that if he just used his reason, he could achieve perfection. They had no doctrine of the Fall.
To “live according to nature” as a Christian, we must view human nature through the lens of the “Four States of Man” (as articulated by Augustine).[1] For our purposes, we will focus on three: Created, Fallen, and Redeemed.
Nature Created: The Standard of Design
God designed humanity with a specific nature. In the Garden, Adam represented human nature as it ought to be. He was rational, relational, vice-regent over creation, and in perfect communion with God.
- The Insight: When we speak of “Natural Law,” we are referring to this original design. Marriage, work, Sabbath, and the distinction between male and female are not cultural inventions; they are “natural” because they are part of the blueprint.
- The Christian Stoic Practice: To live according to nature is to ask, “What was I designed for?” A screwdriver is designed to turn screws; used as a hammer, it breaks. A man is designed for worship, work, and fidelity. To live in sin is, in the deepest sense, unnatural. It is a violation of our own operating manual.
Nature Fallen: The Distortion
The Fall (Gen. 3) shattered the integration of our nature. Our reason became darkened, our will enslaved, and our desires disordered.
- The Danger: This is where the modern (and sometimes Stoic) idea of “following your nature” becomes deadly. If I follow my current, fallen instincts, I will destroy myself. My “natural” inclination is now toward selfishness, lust, and pride.
- The Christian Stoic Practice: We must be suspicious of our “natural” reactions. As we discussed in the article on Apatheia, our immediate impulses are often liars. To live according to true nature, we must often deny our fallen nature. We crucify the flesh (the distortion) to liberate the human (the design).
Nature Redeemed: The Restoration
Salvation is not the destruction of our nature; it is the restoration (and eventual perfection) of it. Grace perfects nature. In Christ, we are being “renewed in knowledge after the image of our creator” (Col. 3:10).
- The Goal: The Holy Spirit is at work to make us truly human again. Jesus Christ is the only fully “natural” man who has lived since Adam—the only one who functioned exactly as a human was designed to function.
- The Christian Stoic Practice: To “live according to nature” ultimately means to live like Jesus. It means checking every thought, word, and deed against the Perfect Man.
Practical Application: The Argument from Design
How does this theology hit the pavement? It gives the Christian Stoic a sturdy, objective foundation for ethics in a world of subjective fluidity.
Sexuality and Gender
We live in an age that argues gender is a feeling and biology is irrelevant. The Christian Stoic stands on the “Nature Created.” We argue, as Paul does in Romans 1:26-27, that certain behaviors are “contrary to nature” (para physin). This is not an argument from hate; it is an argument from design. We honor the physical body and its teleology (purpose) as a revelation of God’s will. We live as men, not because we “identify” as men, but because God created us as men.
Work and Vocation
The Stoics believed that man was made for action. Christians agree. Work is not a curse; it is a creation ordinance (Gen. 2:15). To be lazy is unnatural. To be productive, to build, to protect, and to provide is to hum with the grain of the universe. The Christian Stoic attacks his work not just to make money, but because he was built to be a sub-creator under God.
Reason over Appetite
To live “naturally” is to let the higher faculties rule the lower ones. In a fallen world, the appetites (belly and groin) try to enslave the mind. This is an inversion of nature. It is a king serving a slave. The Christian Stoic exercises self-control (temperance) to restore the natural order of the soul: Spirit-led Reason guiding the Will, which in turn commands the Appetites.
Conclusion: The Only Sane Men
In a world that has rebelled against its Creator, rebellion against nature inevitably follows. We see this in the confusion over gender, the breakdown of the family, and the celebration of irrationality.
The Christian Stoic, by committing to live “according to nature” (that is, according to God’s created design), becomes a pillar of sanity in an insane world. He accepts reality. He honors the body. He fulfills his duties.
He understands that the most “natural” thing a creature can do is obey its Creator.
The Stoic Sage tried to live according to nature to find peace. The Christian lives according to nature to find God, for the heavens declare His glory and the moral law reflects His holiness.
In our next article, we will tackle the concept of “Things Indifferent” (Adiaphora). How do we handle the things that are neither commanded nor forbidden? How does the Stoic concept of “indifference” mesh with the Christian conscience?
Key Terms
- Natural Law: The objective moral law that God has written into the fabric of the universe and the human conscience (Rom. 2:14-15), accessible to reason even apart from special revelation, though often suppressed by sin.
- Para Physin: (Greek, “Contrary to nature”). A term used by Paul in Romans 1:26 to describe sinful sexual behavior. It implies that morality is grounded in the objective design and teleology of the human person, not merely in social convention.
- Teleology: The study of design and purpose. A teleological view of nature asserts that things (like the human body, marriage, or the state) have a specific end or goal for which they were created.
- Grace Perfects Nature: A classic Reformed maxim (gratia non tollit naturam sed perficit). Redemption does not scrap our humanity to make us something else; it scrubs the sin from our humanity to make us what we were always meant to be.
[1] See Augustine of Hippo, “The Enchiridion,” in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. J F Shaw, vol. 3 of Series 1 (Buffalo: Christian Literature Company, 1887), 118.