Like Paul, Jeremiah
and so many other saints, we will not embrace a lie to escape suffering. We
look beyond the temptations and comforts of this life to the Truth that we find
in the Eternal Kingdom. Our hearts are there, our treasures are laid up there
and we understand that as pilgrims this life is but for a season. We have been
bought, saved by grace and thus we are happy to endure hardship and we can
count our sufferings as joy knowing that we are glorifying God and that through
these sufferings we are properly focused on what this life is in fact all
about. The world's offerings grow very dim indeed and like Paul we can despise
even the creature comforts of life and press on. Truly we can learn to be
content with very little and one of the secrets of that contentment is the
elimination of desire for things that crumble to dust and pass away. (See 1
John 2.17, 1 Cor. 7.31)
There are
some that abuse this teaching and seek to bring about this state through false
humility and ascetic practice. Paul speaks about this kind of false piety in
his first letter to Timothy. That is an ever-present danger that must be
avoided. But our disinterest in the world is in stark contrast to the
world-affirmation and power-seeking we observe at work in most Churches.
Paul
understood in verse 9 that our calling is not about a 'vocation' that
contributes to the building up of a cultural Tower of Babel, or creating some
Christianized version of it, but our calling or vocation is to be Christians
and suffer for the Gospel.
Though we in
the West are not overtly or violently persecuted at present, if we are being
faithful we will not only suffer the daily vexations of Lot living in Sodom,
but we will suffer in other ways. If we're being faithful we will not possess
the 'security' and 'respectability' afforded to those who fully participate in
the society and share in its goals and outlook.
If we're
faithful in our business and handling of money we will likely be on the poorer
side of the spectrum. Most of what passes for Christian financial teaching is
merely the world-affirmation and empowerment which in effect rejects the holy
calling to suffer that Paul speaks of. Does this mean all Christians are
necessarily poor? No, there are exceptions, but they are not the rule. The
Proverbs provide principles that will lead to a certain worldly prosperity but
the ethics of the Proverbs if followed will lead to us to a social status
wherein we will certainly be despised. We will not starve but because we put God
and family first above all else, we will never be able to compete with the
world and succeed at its game.
If we have
our eyes open we will realize there's much going on in the world that we can't
be a part of and if we reject society's values we will soon find ourselves at
odds and living as outsiders. Our concepts of money, possessions, time and our
devotion to family will place us in opposition to the world around us.
If we're
being faithful we do not put money, status or standard of living above God,
church and family. We refuse to accept the tempo and the demands for total
devotion that most jobs demands of us. If we are faithful we will indeed suffer
as outsiders. We can be thankful that it has not come to violence but we must
watch and be wary. We need not be afraid and it's much easier if we truly don't
care about our possessions and status in society. Are we willing like the
saints of old to forsake all and live day to day in order to maintain our
faith? No one is suggesting that it's easy.
And yet what
comfort we can take in having an eternal perspective. Like Paul we can
understand that God's purpose was established before the foundations of the
earth, before time itself as we know it even existed. In the mists of eternity
God's purposes were decreed and though this mystery is beyond us and not an
object for our speculation it is a great comfort and encouragement. Whether we
live or die we belong to Christ. To live is Christ and to die is gain.
Christ
brought the plan into history through His Appearing. The term transliterated
into English is Epiphany. We're not referring to a date on the so-called Church
calendar but the actual event... the Eternal breaking into History, the
Incarnation, the greatest miracle in the history of the universe, greater even
than the Creation itself.
He is the
Plan of God and in Christ death has been defeated. Paul gloried in this and the
fact that it was his calling in life to bring this message to the world.
While we
focus on Christ's death on the cross, His resurrection was in some ways even
more important. It demonstrated his sinlessness, that He as the Second Adam had
accomplished under more dire and difficult circumstances what the First Adam
did not do. Those of us who are 'in' Him are united to his work. Our sins are
not forgotten but forgiven and paid for. In Him we are already seated in the
heavenly places. We live a Dual Reality in This Age and The Age to Come. If we
grasp this reality our hearts are filled with wonder and joy. Even the angels
as Peter says desire to look into these things. God has shown such abundant
love and grace to sinners... a love and grace that surpasses even what He shows
to the angels who remained faithful.
Sometimes we
can only appreciate things when we understand them in contrast. Knowledge
itself functions this way. It is as sinners that we can really appreciate and
understand what Grace is. It ought to affect how we think and live.
These
Eternal Truths are brought to the world through the gospel... the Evangelion.
The word is related to the word Angel which means a messenger. It is quite literally
the message of Good News and it is a light to a dying world, a message of life
and immortality, reconciliation and forgiveness, the hope of blessing and the
threat of curse for those who reject it.
Christ came
to die for sinners and through his Person and Work death was defeated and a way
has been made so that fallen cursed men can be reconciled to God. Our sins can
be forgiven. Do we appreciate what that means? The burden that has been lifted?
Does it fill our hearts with joy? If not, then we haven't grasped how good the
news is.
Our sins are
forgiven and we can live in Truth and enjoy the blessings of fellowship with
God that will far exceed what Adam and Eve knew in the garden. The New Heavens
and Earth will be far more glorious than that which was created in Six Days.
The Rest which we will experience with God, and experience now through the
ministry of the Holy Spirit, will make all aspects of This Age seem but a
passing shadow.
Paul again
in verse 12 returns to the theme of suffering. He suffers because of the Truth
of this Gospel and though the world looks down on those who are the despised
and rejected of society, in this case the imprisoned, Paul is not ashamed.
Though not
ashamed, he is not proud either and doesn't use his lack of shame as a source
for political gain or to advance himself. His actions point to Christ and
that's far different from what we typically see at work today in the Church.
There are many who seek power and when thwarted cry foul and claim to be
suffering persecution. They are instead receiving the wages of their deeds.
It's not the same thing.
God's power
is demonstrated through weakness. He is glorified by the fact that undeserving
people who have had their eyes opened are willing to overcome the world through
the weapon of suffering. They do not employ the political and thus violent
weapons of war but their commitment to Truth is such that they would rather die
than embrace falsehood. It's a testimony to the Truth of the Gospel, the power
and love of God.
Our love
which will be labeled as fanaticism to the world demonstrates that we put Truth
and our gratitude toward God above and beyond our personal discomfort. Can we
do any less when we consider what Christ has done for us? Love isn't about
being happy or what we can get out of something and thus the more we get the
more affection we show. Love is placing your affections and energies into
something outside of yourself. This is why love (properly understood) and hate
are in fact closely related. Both are absorbing energies radiating outside the
person, focused on another object, person, group or idea. It's devotion either
to serve and build up or to destroy. It's devotion to the point of
self-deprecation and hurt.
Narcissism
the self-focus dominating our culture, finding satisfaction in self is
necrotic, shallow and self-defeating. It is the attitude of the church in
Laodicea and also represented in the baptized decadence of American
Christianity.
Paul's
office and the confidence and hope he had in it coupled with the sufferings he
was willing to endure all rested on the foundation of Christ, the one in whom
he believed. He had a vital living hope and confidence that God would not
abandon him and that he would endure the troublesome times ahead and the threat
of death. The Day of Judgment, the Day of Christ's Return, was but the
completion of the Appearance or Epiphany that had already taken place. All has
already been finished as Christ said. Why the delay? God is longsuffering and
merciful and for all of us we can be thankful that He is.
The delay
must not shake us. The fact that our faith continues even when the world mocks
us and scoffs at us, this also brings glory to Him.
Paul knew
that his life was not his own, nor was his destiny. All these things were in
God's hands. Paul was humble enough to submit and trust in the fact that
whether he died that day or lived another thousand years his hope was in Christ
and that on the day of the Judgment he and all those 'in' Christ would stand.
