Chapter One
No good
deed ever goes unpunished.
Over the years my wife has claimed
that I am a pessimist for stating this.
But as I grow older in the Lord I see more and more the truth of this
statement.
Many people will do good things to
get good in return. We give money on
Sunday in order to get more blessings from God.
We help others so we can get help one day when we need it. Our actions are often an investment in good
that carries the expectation of a return of goodness in our lives.
This becomes so dangerous as a
theology because each of us must face sickness, loss, hurt, pain, and in the
end, death. When we build in this
expectation of good we can become despondent when the troubled times come. We are warned by our Lord, “Remember
the word that I said to you. ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute
you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.” John 15:20 (RSV)
In these days when personal security
and pleasure are the chief aims of the world, it is to be expected that this
will affect how we see the Bible and the Gospel. We expect of God what we expect of our
political leaders, that they will protect us from trouble and make our lives
comfortable.
This is most clearly seen in the
current theology about the rapture. Most
today accept a pre-tribulation rapture which will get us out of town before
everything falls apart. I must admit
there is a part of me that hopes this is true.
But the verse listed before and 2,000 years of history seem to go against
that.
The
seed of the Church
Looking back over the history of the
Christian Church one can see where the “blood of the Martyrs is the seed of the
Church.” Most of the times of great
spiritual growth have come during, or just after times of great suffering and
pain by the Church. At times of great
persecution the Church goes through seems to extend itself as well as grow
deeper.
During times of great prosperity and
wealth the Church tends to grow weaker and lose its focus as we settle into the
comfort the world offers.
The belief in a pre-tribulation
rapture also seems an affront to not only those who have suffered, but who are
suffering now. How do we joyfully tell
them they won’t have to go through the tribulation, when they are already? Many today give their lives, their jobs, and
their freedom for the love they have for Jesus Christ. The pre-tribulation rapture has come too late
for all those from Stephen on down through today.
The fact is that we are called to a
Gospel that more often than not has brought ridicule, loss of status, family
strains, and even death. We are called
to live out and fulfill the ministry of Jesus Christ and that leaves us with a
cross to bear, as well as a message to share.
Now this is not all negative. Many will see blessings and joy as they
minister. They will reap harvest and
celebrate the good things they see God doing.
But others who are just as faithful will find hardship and even death
waiting as the reward for their faithfulness.
They will discover the greater joy in this. As Stephen Curtis Chapman asks in his song What
Kind of Joy.
“What
kind of joy is this, that counts it a blessing to suffer?
What kind of joy is this, that gives
the prisoner his song?
What kind of joy can stare death in
the face and see it as sweet victory?”
The
next words answer, “This is the joy of a
soul that’s forgiven and free!” Then he
states, “I’ve found this joy for my soul is forgiven and free!” 1
It must be remembered that we serve
a God of whom scripture states,
“Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him; he has put
him to grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his
offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his
hand;” (Isaiah 53:10 RSV)
Some versions even state, “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him:” God’s pleasure is not in the pain or the
suffering, but in the blessing and eternal hope that comes through it. Because of sin, and the evil of Satan, often
those who seek good are bruised and this shows both the weakness of evil, and
the strength of God and the Church.
From the days of
the Roman persecution we have the story of Christians being taken to the
Coliseums to die for their faith. The
women and children were tied to poles and the men were allowed to be free to
protect their families from the wild animals which were turned loose with
them. The crowd anticipated good
sport. But the Christians started
singing and the crowd grew still. Even
as some of the Christians died the others continued singing praise and faith in
Jesus. Then something wondrous
happened. Some of the people got up
from their seats and started moving toward the arena itself. They climbed over the wall and went into the
arena with the Christians. When one was
asked why he was going to his death, the response was that these people have
something worth dying for, while he had nothing worth living for. 2
Christians are a
people who can make places of worship in Catacombs (basically where the entire
cemetery is underground and the bodies are up close and personal) and honor the
God of life there.
Works righteousness
Another great
danger is that this is too close to works righteousness. If I am good enough, then God will bless me
and then God must save me. Yet scripture
is very clear that no one is good enough, or can ever be good enough except
Jesus Christ.
Whether our lives
are good enough or not has little to do with the blessings or trials of
life. We are told in the Bible.
“so that you may be sons of
your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the
good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” (Matthew 5:45 RSV)
God’s grace is
extended to all, THANK GOD! It is not
because of how good we are, but because it is God’s very nature to love and to
bless. Jesus shows us the nature of God. Or in other words, it’s because of how good
God is!
“But I say to you that
hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those
who abuse you. To him who strikes you
on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat do
not withhold even your shirt.” (Luke 6:27-29 RSV)
This is not God
commanding us to do what He wants. It is
a glimpse of the very character of God.
When Adam and Eve chose their own way and wanted to be gods themselves,
God had compassion and made a way back for them and us.
How did God respond to Adam and Eve
rejecting God and seeking to become god themselves? “Then the LORD God called to Adam and said
to him, "Where are
you?"” (Genesis 3:9 NKJV)
That is the true
heart of it. That we do good because God
has been good to us. That we give
because God has given so much to us.
We are told to
give a tithe, a tenth, of all we receive back to God. How much is the tithe of salvation? How much should we tithe for God’s love? How much can we give to be a tithe of our
very life which is a gift from God? To
be totally honest we never could offer even a tithe of all the blessings God
has already given us. Our attempts to do
so only become a source of guilt to us.
So we learn that we must accept the grace of God with thanksgiving and
praise.
So, you see, this
is not a pessimistic doctrine, but a glorious message that the love and grace
of God are more than sufficient to give us the victory in life, as well as from
life! As my favorite song says, “Victory in Jesus!”
1 From the CD For the
Sake of the Call by Stephen Curtis Chapman.
Produced by Sparrow.
2 This is an old story for
which I have not been able to find the source.
Why did God ask "Where are you?"” after Adam and Eve fell?
Why
do you think God leaves us here when we are saved? Wouldn’t it be better for God to take us to
heaven after we are saved?
Why do some Christians suffer and others seem to live secure
pleasant lives?
How does the sacrifice of Jesus affect how you face your
suffering?
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