Peter you are asking wonderful questions!
Jesus said the truth shall set us free.
Discipleship comes from truth because truth sets us free.
Notice what Jesus says next...
Because Whom the Son sets free IS free indeed.
Discipleship (truth) replaces lies that release Kingdom of God. And it works because we are free. It is the truth though that reveals it.
Why is this important? Because the "mystical side" is actually what allows us to receive the "practical side".
I personally have not written about discipleship because I believe once the eternal side (or new creation) is accepted. The discipleship side comes with it, because it is the Spirit of God who disciples us, either for ourselves or with others. In fact, if we have ears we can hear Him speaking through each of us even in this forum. This is called, honor, when we honor others we can receive from the Spirit in them.
But yes, my friend, I agree with you. These are mere words and discipleship does help us walk out the reality of what Christ did pay for us. Think of it like this:
Whom the Father loves He "chastens"...
The interesting thing about this word "chasten" or even "discipline" is that it has an eye for what we are becoming, but not for what we did. It's not about punishment, but about conforming. Yes in this world, we are being conformed, we are being shaped and molded (this is Earth), but also remember the Kingdom is being manifested here on Earth.
So it is who we are in Christ that is being seen here on Earth. This is the Kingdom of God coming forth. Where His will will is fully manifested.
The error is, if we see that we are finished works in Christ (which is His Kingdom), but we forget that this reality is being carried out here on Earth as well (conforming, discipling, teaching, etc.)
The key to this apparent tension I believe is this Scripture here:
1 Co 2:12 What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may
understand what God has freely
given us.
There is a link here between "understanding" to receiving what God has freely given. I can show you the parallels if you want to go down this rabbit hole.
But in 1 Co 2:12 do you notice the comparison of the spirit in the world and the spirit of God?
Compare that with this:
Jesus asked for us to be IN the world, but He also declared we would not be OF the world.
John 17:16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
So you see we are in the world, but we are not of the world. Understanding this is how we begin to manifest the reality here on Earth. Accepting we are a saint is actually how we begin to see it lived out.
The problem is that people think they are sinners trying to be saints. And this is called behavior modification, but it forget the power of grace to actually perform what He asks of us.
You are right in your questioning of how this is "practical" and hopefully you see that the "grace of God" that Paul so often asks that his listeners would have is actually what produces holiness from a practical stand point.
The issue isn't that God hasn't given it, but that people don't understand and agree with it. So they see the works of the flesh instead of the fruit of the Spirit.
Do we agree with what our flesh sees and says or what His Spirit says and declares? The difference can be seen in our lives. This is what James was referring to when he said show me your faith and I'll show you my faith and my works. But that's another post in itself.
Hope this clarifies and thank you for your wonderful heart to see God's holiness manifested on Earth. I desire to see it also, I've just found this to be the most Biblically accurate, God exalting, and transformative path to seeing it.
C.
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
1 John 5:2
Love one another as I have loved you
Love your enemies
Love God
Love your neighbour
Taking the idea we are a perfect new creation, at the point we put our faith in Jesus, repent and confess our sins, does all the above suddenly appear over night? Answering honestly, not a chance. It is a vague outline, words on a page, a few glimpsed experiences.
So you have to grow into these realities, or be sanctified through discipleship.
Now as most here belong to the mystic side of faith, how did they achieve this without discipleship? Because I have never met anyone who has not had this experience, but I have met a lot of people who say stuff so sound big, but fail at the basics of life and spirituality.
One cc member told me Christ would blow my socks off. She had some serious issues with forgiveness and harm, so though I do not doubt the work the Lord had done in her life, she seemed to lay too much emphasis on the mystical and not real life practical obedience. We are called to be righteous, pure and Holy. Do you agree or is this just religious language?