The Immoral Ones

Last weekend marked the Fourth of July, the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Some 12 years later the Constitution of the United States was ratified. Two years after that the Bill of Rights, containing the first ten amendments to the Constitution, was also ratified. These are the seminal documents of our country and the ones looked to when laws are tested and rights are claimed by the citizens of this country. 

From its inception, Christianity has enjoyed a place of privilege in the United States. When the First Amendment speaks of “freedom of religion” it certainly had in mind the Christian religion in its various expressions. That right has been rightly extended to other religions, but Christianity has been the prominent religion in the history of this country. 

This place of privilege has allowed Christians to assume that our beliefs are not to be challenged. Any assault upon them are a provocation to press our rights. This is all well and good as long as the Constitution is interpreted in a manner that allows us the “free exercise” of our religion. But of late, interpretation has not been going in a way that supports biblical morals and, as a consequence, Christianity is no longer viewed positively. The belief system that historically undergirded the morality of our nation is now, for all intents and purposes, declared immoral, and the church is struggling to accept the new state of affairs.

But the apostle Peter says that we should not be surprised when a “fiery trial” comes upon us, and people “insult” us because we claim allegiance to Jesus and biblical teachings. Such is to be expected. He gives three reasons for it. First, it serves to test our faith, which when found to be genuine and lasting will be to the glory of God and the church (1:7; 4:12-13). Second, it comes with the territory of being brought under the sway of mores different than those that used to guide us. This pits us against the world and they do not like it. As a result, we have the joy of sharing in the sufferings of the one who was condemned by the world he came to save (4:1-5, 12-16). Third, God’s intention is to present to his son a holy bride so he turns up the heat to produce righteousness in her. This intentional purifying has been his practice among his people throughout his dealings with them (4:17; Malachi 3:1-3).

As we watch our neighbors increasingly embrace a morality that directly challenges God’s word, we should expect that all manner of insults and maligning will be forth coming. But if we “suffer according to God's will” we are to “entrust [our] souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.” His laws and judgment will prove eternally more reliable that any Constitution or panel of judges.

Full Disclosure

Perhaps you know the famous quote from President John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech, "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." The brilliance of the line is how it succinctly expresses the obligations of citizenship. It is a call to service, to sacrifice, on behalf of your country and its aims.

The intent of the phrase could well be adapted to the task of preaching the gospel. Too often the gospel is presented as a pretty gift, wrapped in bright paper and topped with a bow, that's handed to the listener in a manner that communicates, "Ask anything you want from God and he'll give it to you -- no strings attached!" Unfortunately, this does not accurately represent the enterprise given the church by its Savior. It's true that the price necessary for a sinner's redemption has been fully paid by the obedience of Christ. By faith and faith alone are the benefits of that meritorious work put upon the sinner's account. He need not add anything. That amazing grace needs to be preached and preached boldly. But Jesus says there is more to the gospel call. The other side of the coin is the call to discipleship. And this is where the enterprise gets challenging. It involves not just what God has done for you, but what he calls you to do for him.

Jesus taught that if one is not willing to be more loyal to him than to anyone or any thing else, even one's own life, then that one cannot be his disciple. And if one is not willing to bear the suffering and rejection contained in the cross, a cross that awaits each follower of Jesus, then that one cannot be his disciple. His suffering has, indeed, freely bought the sinner salvation, but faith in him will not be free from suffering, for faith in Jesus sets the believer against the world. It is inevitable, therefore, that at some point in the life of a follower of Jesus his or her loyalty to Christ will be tested, and when that happens whether or not that one is a disciple will be revealed. This is why Jesus asks those who would follow him to count the cost.

We want to be faithful to call people to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, but for the sake of full disclosure, we must also tell them all that that call entails. If they choose to follow Jesus they do so at the risk of losing everything they hold dear. It will not be a popular message but it's the one we are expected to give. After all, we've been commissioned to make disciples of all nations and a would-be disciple must count the cost.

The Priviledge of Persecution

Our Christian brothers and sisters in the 1st century had a very different perspective on persecution than we 21st century western Christians. For them it was a privilege (see Acts 5:41; Philippians 1:29), for us it is something to be avoided, almost at all costs. But can it be avoided? If Jesus and the apostles are any measure, it cannot. The scriptures clearly attest that persecution follows proclamation.

Why is this so? The message of the Kingdom of God runs smack up against the prevailing powers of the kingdom of this world making conflict inevitable. And because the gospel offers a stern critique of the nature of human beings and the works we produce, when a person embraces the gospel as true it necessarily aligns that one with that assessment, provoking persecution. The demand to the believer in the face of this inevitable enmity, notes Glenn Penner, the late director of Voice of the Martyrs, Canada, “is not so much a willingness to die for Christ but a readiness to die due to one’s unconditional obedience to the Crucified One.” If persecution is part and parcel with proclaiming and living the gospel, we must accept that we are “destined for this” and “not be moved by these afflictions” (1 Thessalonians 3:3).

But suffering for the sake of Christ is not an end in itself. Jesus spoke of his redemptive suffering when he taught, ““The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:23-24). Each disciple of Jesus is a product of the redeeming death to which he alludes. For this we are grateful. The startling news, however, is that he also envisions our own sacrificial fruit bearing when he explains, “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (v. 25). Our participation in the redeeming work of Christ through suffering for the sake of his name, has a redemptive purpose, not for ourselves but for others.

The power of the followers of Jesus united in the face of persecution offers a much needed testimony to the truth of the gospel. Ed Clowney notes: "“The very threats to the existence of the church in the twenty-first century show again our need of the church. The courage to stand apart, to be unashamed of Christ’s claims, is nurtured in the community of those who are baptized into his name. The church may not apply for a union card in a pluralistic establishment by signing away its right to proclaim the only Saviour of the world. Together we must make clear that it is to Christ and not to ourselves that we witness. In that witness we are not only individual points of light in the world, but a city set on a hill. In the ethnic hostility that ravages Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the church must show the bond of Christ’s love that unites former enemies as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Only so can the church be a sign of his kingdom: the kingdom that will come when Christ comes, and that is already present through his Spirit” (The Church. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995. 15-16).

As our Savior was persecuted because he stood against the prevailing selfishness and cruelty of a sin-racked, idolatrous world, so will his church. Persecution is something to which we have been called and for which we must give thanks. 

What's It Worth?

Christianity is not for the faint of heart. At least that’s the impression I get from reading the epistles or the teachings of Jesus. No matter what portion of the New Testament one reads it isn’t long before the subject of suffering for the cause of Christ becomes part of the discussion. It shouldn’t surprise me, I suppose, given the fact that the one we follow was executed.

Jesus provokes controversy. And it’s not unusual for those who follow him to find themselves in trouble. The litany of Paul’s troubles (see, for example, 2 Corinthians 11:24-27) testifies to the breadth of difficulties that can attend someone who has given his life to Christ. Yet, despite the fact that Paul finds himself in unwanted, even perilous circumstances, he rejoices (see Philippians 1:12). How? Paul’s ability to rejoice while enduring persecution grows from his profound appreciation of the gospel. Like the man who stumbled upon the treasure, or the merchant who came across a pearl of unprecedented beauty, he was willing to give up everything, including his life, in order to possess Christ.  Why is the gospel so precious to him? Because he knew that grace was just that, grace, and it had been extended even to him.

It’s notable how often Paul’s persecution of the church is referred to in his writings. The depth of this sinfulness seems never to have left him, at least on this side of glory. Even in one of his last writings he remarks, “I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent “(1 Timothy 1:13), an echo of a previous statement in which he confesses, “I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1 Corinthians 15:9). I think it’s this persistent memory that fuels his cherishing of the gospel. He knew that God had granted him an eternity that he did not deserve and rescued him from one that he did.

I haven’t participated in the arrest and execution of any of Jesus’ disciples, but my mocking and blasphemous tongue made me as worthy of condemnation as Paul. But God in his grace rescued me from myself. I pray I will treasure the gospel with the same warmth as Paul so that I can whole-heartedly serve him, whatever the circumstance, and confess with the apostle, “. . . to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

The Call of Christmas

From a blog post of Dr. Jennifer Myhre, of World Harvest Mission, serving in Kenya:

“Having spent 17 of the last 20 Christmases in Africa, the wind which blows in a drier hotter season now feels familiar, and the flashing spastic lights we bought in our capital a couple years back (our first electrified season) feel appropriately chaotic. Last year was our first in Kijabe (Kenya), and I remember the church Christmas pageant which included a band of skinny little camouflage-clad Kenyan boys as Herod’s soldiers marching in like a rebel resistance army, and Jesus’ parents fleeing before them like any other refugees. I don’t recall much focus on this part of the story in America as I grew up.  Our plays ended half-way through Matthew 2, with the gifts of the magi, while the scene was still serenely beautiful and triumphant.  

“The slaughter of innocent children gives the story a jarring, uncomfortable ending, dangling, unresolved, and terrible.  Rachel weeping for her children, because they are no more . . .

“We should not have dropped this part of the Christmas story all these years, because slaughter is the context of Christmas.  The whole story hinges on the presence of rampant evil. When masses of children are violently killed, it becomes hard to deny the reality of injustice and suffering, the horrible brokenness of our world . . .

“On this continent, it would be absurd to deny the horror and heartache of evil, just as absurd as it would be to do so in Newtown [CT], or in Bethlehem, when the bloodied bodies of baby boys were being buried.”

Matthew’s inclusion of Herod’s atrocity in his Christmas account, powerfully signals that God is not removed from our human condition. He understands that, as Paul states, “. . . the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God . . [for in that day] the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” After all, it is He who, in Revelation 21, puts before us the vision of an existence, an earth, a new earth, in which there is no more death, sorrow, and, therefore, no more mourning.

So, as Dr. Myhre acknowledges:

“Evil is real. Innocents suffer. But the story does not end there . . .

“The birth of the child, who is God, ushers in a turning point in the story. A foe capable of meeting evil, and defeating it, disguised and humbled in human flesh. The incarnation sets in motion a complete reversal of all that is wrong, all that is sorrowful, all that is painful, and in the course of this battle, a lot of people die. The baby survives and becomes the man who will refuse to ride against Roman powers as a King. That is a victory too small, a territory too temporary.  This King will choose a path of suffering, voluntarily taking on all that evil could throw at him, in his own body, nailed to a tree -- like the teachers at Sandy Hook who put their bodies in the path of bullets, trying to protect the children. This King will defeat evil. He will walk out of a tomb so that every 6 and 7-year-old gunned down, every starving baby, and even the Adam Lanzas of the world, can be redeemed.”

We who are followers of Jesus, while we look forward to that day in glory with him when mourning will be no more, must not ignore the path he trod to get there. His mission was a mission lived out in the real world, to overcome the evil let loose upon the real world. From first breath to last, Jesus bore the burden of sin and its evil evidences. Sin caused him to be greeted by the sound of weeping as he came into the world; he confronted its malevolence as he walked about the highways and byways; he succumbed to its power as he yielded up his life on the cross. He did not, however, overcome evil so that we would not have to confront it. He confronted evil so that we might join him in overcoming it. The call of Christmas is to pick up the cross and follow him.

This requires us to be more than passive, secret followers. Jesus did what he did in plain view, and those who had eyes to see, saw, and were overwhelmed by his love and sacrifice. While our work will not redeem anyone in any eternal sense, it will serve to expose others to Jesus and, with his help, push back against the effects of evil in the world. Dr. Myhre: “. . . it is not so much the power of armies that keeps evil at bay, but the ordinary acts of courage and kindness that preserve our world: the community outpouring of love which will heal hearts in Newtown; the tenacious pushing of a teenage girl who gave birth to a baby; and the steady painful walk he took towards death; the daily self-sacrifice of his followers who sweep streets, and teach children, and suture wounds, and defend the fatherless.” Such actions on the part of his followers celebrate the coming of the Christ, who came not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many.