The Mission Is to Multiply

On August 9, 2023August 9, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life1 Comment

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18, ESV)

Every major company in the world today has a mission statement. Mission statements tell us the company’s purpose, the reason they exist in the world, and what they seek to accomplish. For example, Amazon’s mission statement is “to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

When the Lord Jesus gave those first disciples the Great Commission, He was giving them a mission statement for the church. That mission is to multiply: to go and make disciples.

Just like every corporation has a CEO at the top calling the shots, King Jesus gets to call the shots for the church. He purchased her with His own precious blood. He is not just a shareholder; He has every right and authority over every aspect of the church’s life and mission.

And lest we forget the obvious: Jesus is alive! He’s not merely the founder from ages past. He is the alive and active Owner, Lord, and King of His church. You didn’t get to decide what the church’s mission is when you became a Christian, and neither did I. We receive our marching orders from our Lord. He tells us what the church is to be about. But the first thing we must recognize is that Jesus is reigning at the right hand of the Father and actively leading His church, even as you read this sentence.

Let’s consider the full context of Christ’s Great Commission.

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20, ESV)

It’s essential for us to understand that this is the mission He gave to His whole church throughout history, not just a select few in the first century. We can know this because the mission is comprehensive. The command was to make disciples of “all nations” or people groups,[1] not just those in the Mediterranean world. This is the mission that every disciple of Jesus is called to and has been called to for the last 2,000 years.

This last week, I had the privilege of getting to know a missionary couple with three kids serving in Africa. It was encouraging to hear about their passion for reaching those who don’t yet know Christ, particularly among the Muslim population where they live. It is right for us to praise God for the miraculous work He is doing through them. At the same time, they reminded us that we are all called to this mission.

This calling will take different shapes and forms and require a variety of gifts, but the mission remains the same. As a follower of Jesus Christ, your mission is to go and make more followers of Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Risen Lord of the Universe

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18, ESV)

The resurrection gives Jesus the authority to make every demand of us that He wishes.[2] If You have just conquered death itself, then it’s only right that people sit up and listen to you. And here Jesus is speaking not only as the risen Messiah, but as the eternal Son of God. And God the Father has bestowed on Him all authority. Look at how comprehensive this claim is: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”

Who talks like that? Think of this from the perspective of someone who is investigating the claims of Christ for the first time. Wouldn’t this sound like the most egocentric claim you can possibly make? “All authority in the entire universe belongs to Me! I rule the entire cosmos! I am the resurrected King of all reality!” Wow. If you were one of the disciples, wouldn’t you be trembling before Him at this point? Wouldn’t you be in awe of Him? The only other option is to wholesale reject Him.

This is why C. S. Lewis made the case that no one intellectually honest can really conclude that the biblical Christ is just a good moral teacher. Why? Because “good moral teachers” don’t make claims like this. Socrates didn’t make a claim like this. Buddha never made a claim like this. Jesus says everything belongs to Him. We can either utterly reject Him and His claim, or we can fall on our faces and worship Him. Those are the only options for us.

This is the same Jesus who said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matt. 24:35). The great irony with Jesus is that He makes claims that are so audacious that if uttered by anyone else would sound ridiculous. “All authority in heaven and on earth belongs to Me.” Have you ever heard your boss talk like that? What about a United States president? No, because in anyone else’s mouth, it sounds ridiculous. If Napoleon or Genghis Khan had said “All authority in the universe has been given to me,” we would immediately know they have a bloated sense of self-importance.

Yet, with Jesus, when He makes these claims, somehow we believe Him. Scripture says that’s because the Holy Spirit has opened our eyes to the truth that we would otherwise think ridiculous.[3] The great paradox with Jesus is that while His claims were immeasurably lofty, His character was equally humble and compassionate. This is what makes the truth that God has become a man so powerful.

One day every politician, religious leader, CEO, dictator, and citizen will have to give an account of their lives to Jesus. He will be their judge, and they will bow before Him (Philippians 2:9-11). As the risen Lord, Jesus has been given all authority to judge the world (John 5:22; Acts 17:31)

The Mission is to Make Disciples

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20a, ESV)

Now that we know who is giving the mission, we come to the mission itself. Jesus says that this is what His church is to be about. This is the purpose for our existence, and this is how we bring glory to God the Father. It’s all about disciples making disciples. It’s about Spirit-empowered multiplication.

The original Greek can be translated, “Disciple as you go.” In other words, as you are going where God calls you—school, family, workplace, another country, etc.—disciple those you meet. But it’s implied that we will be going into the world, not hiding from it. It’s easy for us to want people to come to us. I sometimes think of how nice it would be if that person I’ve been wanting to share the gospel with came up to me and said, “Hey, can you tell me how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ?” Wouldn’t that be great if it worked that way? But here’s the thing. It usually doesn’t work like that. We must be willing to go.

The moment we surrender our lives to Him, Jesus recruits us for this Great Commission to reach the world for His name. We start where we are, but we’re always to be looking beyond where we are. This is a global mission that includes “all nations.”

Elsewhere Jesus tells His disciples, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

Jesus is saying something like this: “This good news of great joy that I’ve been telling you about… this news that there is forgiveness of sins in My name… you are going to proclaim this to the whole world, you and believers who come after you. Together, we are going to reach every dark corner of the world with the brilliant light of hope. Before I come back and bring a final end to Satan’s rule, I’m going to see to it that this good news of a Savior reaches every nation.”

This is how Christ’s kingdom will advance. Not by mighty armies that leave a trail of blood, but by mighty, Spirit-empowered proclaimers that leave a trail of love. Jesus said that the Kingdom would grow, not like a tank that levels everything in its path, but like a little mustard seed eventually blossoming into a beautiful and vibrant tree. It’s a kingdom that will grow out of love, sacrifice, and hope. And it’s a kingdom that will eventually outgrow every kingdom and empire that came before it.

Jesus said we are commissioned for a worldwide discipleship program. Again, we are to start where we are, but we are always to be looking beyond our tiny sphere, because God is up to something much bigger in the world than just what He’s doing in your hometown.

What Is a Disciple of Jesus Christ?

Jesus said to go and make disciples, but just what is a disciple of Jesus Christ? It’s a very Christian word, and by that I mean it’s not often used in other contexts outside of Christian circles. But it’s an important word, used over 260 times in the New Testament. The basic definition of the Greek term disciple (mathetes) is “learner.” A disciple is one who learns, but not just for the sake of learning but to follow in the steps of the master they are learning from.

And we can see this when Jesus says things like, “It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master” (Matt. 10:25a).

So, the idea is that a disciple of Jesus is one who both learns from and follows after Jesus with the goal of becoming like Jesus. Therefore, when we talk about growing in discipleship, we’re talking about growing more and more like Jesus in your character, attitudes, and actions. And that’s the goal of the Christian life: to be molded and shaped by the Holy Spirit at work within you to become more and more like Jesus. To love like Him. To think like Him. To be pure like Him. To care about the things that Jesus cares about. This is all contained in that idea of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And Jesus says we disciples are to go and make disciples. We don’t just sit on our hands and wait for God to bring people to our doorstep. We are to go. Remember, Jesus didn’t stay in the comfort of heaven and wait for us to climb up to Him. He came down to us. And His going down to us set a pattern for us. We are to go out and engage with the lost world around us. We aren’t to shut them out, ignore them, and pretend they aren’t there. We aren’t called to be a holy huddle cloistered off from the big bad world. Jesus tells us we are to go and make disciples.

To become a follower of Jesus Christ is a spiritual transformation. It can only happen as one puts his faith in Jesus, asking Him to forgive him of all his sin. It’s at that point of conversion—or radical inward renewal—that one first becomes a disciple. From that point a life is transformed, but it’s not automatic. That’s just the beginning point.

“…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19)

Baptism is meant to be a public declaration that you have begun a life of following Jesus. You’re saying to the world, “I’m His. I belong to Him, and my new aim in life is to live for my Lord and Savior.”

Does baptism save? Going into the water is not what gives spiritual life, since there’s nothing we can do to save ourselves. Salvation is all by God’s grace through faith—not good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). It’s a gift we receive, not a reward we earn. But baptism is often used as a synecdoche—a term for our union with Christ and the public confession that accompanies faith. At a wedding, the bride may say, “With this ring, I thee wed,” but everyone understands the ring to be a symbol of the commitment to love “till death do us part.” If the ring slips off later that day, the marriage is not thereby annulled because the ring was always a symbol of the marriage itself.

Baptism is that first act of obedience where you affirm on the outside what has already taken place on the inside.

When an athlete is first signed by a team, it’s official when the contract is signed. He’s a member of the team from that point on, but to celebrate that, the athlete puts on the jersey and announces to the world, “I’m with this team now.” That’s what baptism is. What God has done with you in the private of your own heart, you are taking public. You’re telling the world what has already happened, “I’m with Jesus now.”

And we are baptized in the name of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—because all three persons of the one God had a part in our salvation. The Father elects and draws you. The Son redeems you with His blood. And the Holy Spirit gives you new life in Christ, sealing you as one of His own.

“…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…” (Matthew 28:20)

Since a disciple is a learner, the follower of Jesus needs to be taught. They need hear the words of God from Scripture. They need to be in the Word regularly so that they are encountering God on a consistent basis, knowing what God envisions them to be.

A follower of Jesus Christ is not a lone ranger. The best way to grow is by becoming a part of a community that lives together under the authority of the risen Lord. When Christ is confessed as the Head, the church functions as His body. That’s why it’s so important for Christians to read Scripture together, study it together, sing its truths together, and be shaped by Scripture in personal devotions. We need the Word of God to cleanse our mind of wrong thinking. We need God to speak into our situation and give us direction. This is what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

The Mission is Accomplished through the Power of Christ

This is such an important point. We need to see that the risen and reigning Lord of the universe has called us to be world changers. He has called us to make a difference in the lives around us. He wants us to engage the lost, love the unlovable, and be about a higher purpose than our own self-centered desires.

Jesus wants us to have a kingdom mindset, where we look at the world as something that needs to come under Christ’s reign and authority. To be merely concerned with our own personal welfare is to live in disobedience. But—and this is essential—all of this can only be accomplished through the power of Christ.

We can only accomplish the mission that God has given us as disciples of Jesus Christ if we are living in dependence on the Holy Spirit. That’s why I love the way Jesus ends the Gospel of Matthew. He says, “And behold [i.e., now don’t forget this] I am with you always, to the end of the age” (v. 20).

Let’s be honest. We need this reminder that Jesus is with us. We can’t see Him today. We don’t have Him physically on earth. He’s in Heaven right now. But at the same time, He is truly with us. In fact, He’s closer to us now than He ever was with those twelve disciples on earth.

Jesus told His disciples in the upper room, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7).

If I’m one of those disciples, I’d be thinking, “What? Jesus, how can it possibly be better that You go away? We want You here. We want You to stay with us. Don’t leave us.” Have you ever wondered why Jesus ascended into Heaven? Didn’t it seem kind of strange that just as His church was just about to really take off, Jesus, quite literally, takes off?

I can’t explain it all, but Scripture teaches us that in God’s plan, the Holy Spirit could only indwell us if Jesus first ascends to Heaven from where He could send Him. So how is Jesus with us to the end of the age? He’s with us through the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes inside, Jesus comes inside through Him. He’s present by the power of the Spirit. That’s why to depend on the Holy Spirit is to depend on Jesus. The two work in tandem.

As long as we are left on earth, our mission is to multiply. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to go and make disciples of Jesus Christ, and we can only do this through the power of the Spirit at work in us. That’s why we need to plead with Him to do a mighty work in us and through us. We need to plead for God to send out harvesters into the fields. So who is God calling you to pour into today? What part do you have to play in God’s global and local mission?

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] The Greek term is best translated as “ethnicities” or “people groups,” but also generally means “Gentiles” (non-Jewish peoples).

[2] In the book of Acts, Peter says, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:38).

[3] See 1 Corinthians 12:3 and 2 Corinthians 4:4-6.

Experiencing the Reality of the Resurrection

On July 26, 2023July 27, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life, Why I Believe1 Comment

It is remarkable to consider the numerous testimonies of skeptical scholars who set out to disprove the whole story of Jesus and His resurrection, and, like the hotheaded Saul of Tarsus, were knocked from their high horse only so they could gladly bow the knee to Christ.

“The Book that Refused to Be Written.”

One example is Frank Morrison. Morrison was a skeptical historian utterly convinced that the whole resurrection story was nothing but a hoax that had duped a great portion of the Western world and beyond. In his mind, the resurrection could not be true, simply because it proposed the impossible: that a lifeless corpse laying in a tomb had truly come to life. In Morrison’s mind, such an idea was preposterous from the start. It was ludicrous! Evangelical appeals to believe such a tale were an insult to his intellect.

And yet…

It did bother him that so many people had bought into this story—some of whom were no intellectual lightweights.

How is it, he wondered, that so many people could believe something that was so manifestly impossible? It would be one thing if a small crowd in Jerusalem back in the first century had been taken in by the resurrection tale, and that movement had fizzled and died long ago. But how is it that such a vast number of intellectual giants in the last 2,000 years (Augustine, Aquinas, Galileo, Kepler, Newton, and C. S. Lewis, to name a handful) have taken the claims of the New Testament seriously?

It was this question that drove Morrison to a detailed study of the resurrection accounts in the Gospels. He set out to disprove it all. But in a twist of providential irony, while he was meticulously seeking out holes in the Gospel accounts, he kept coming away from his study with the strange feeling that it all had the ring of truth. He had imagined himself writing a book detailing all the logical flaws and historical errors on the part of the Gospel writers. Instead, he found himself writing a very different book.

In fact, in his best-selling book, Who Moved the Stone?, which chronicles his investigative journey, the name of the first chapter is “The Book that Refused to Be Written.” In his own words, Morrison said that his historical investigation of Jesus’ resurrection kept taking him “in a new and unexpected direction.” He said, “It was as though a man set out to cross a forest by a familiar and well-beaten track and came out suddenly where he did not expect to come out. The point of entry was the same; it was the point of emergence that was different.”[1]

By the end of his research, it was not the whims of wishful thinking but the stubborn facts themselves that convinced him. Jesus Christ truly had risen from the grave!

The Greatest News on Earth

Can you remember the first time it really registered for you? Jesus is alive! He’s the Lord of the universe because He has defeated death! I remember experiencing something similar many years after I had become a Christian. I was reading a book called The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, and I remember the truth washing over me in a new way. Jesus really is alive. He’s defeated death. That means I have nothing to fear in life or death!

The following Sunday morning I remember tears of joy coming to eyes as we sang about Jesus as the living Lord, and I just kept thinking, Yes! Jesus is alive! The tomb is empty! I live for a resurrected King! Sheer happiness coursed through my veins. I wanted to sing His praises for the rest of the day.

What could possibly be better news than this? Learning your application was accepted at an Ivy League school? Landing the ideal job you’ve been working tirelessly to get? Getting married to the girl of your dreams? As amazing as each of these are, none can compare with knowing deep in your bones that Jesus really has defeated death for you.

I was experiencing Paul’s words in Romans:

“This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5, CSB)

The resurrection really does change everything. All other religions and faith systems are built on the teachings of dead guys. No matter how fancy and pristine their tombs might be, their bodies rotted away long ago. Buddha is dead. Muhammad is dead. Krishna is dead. Confucius is dead. Moses is dead. They’re all dead! But Jesus? He’s alive.

“But the one God raised up did not decay.” (Acts 13:37, CSB)

And what’s more is that from the very beginning of the church, Christians have always claimed He is alive. This is the truth that propelled the early church forward with boldness, declaring that “Jesus is Lord! Above all earthly gods. Above Caesar. Above the most powerful people on the planet. Jesus is Lord!”

It’s no surprise that the book of Acts shows the earliest disciples making the resurrection the hub of their whole message. They claimed they had seen the risen Jesus in the flesh. “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it,” said Peter (Acts 2:32). Peter and Paul called the resurrection a clear fulfillment of what God had promised through the Hebrew prophets (Acts 2:29-31; 13:34-35). Philip said that when you’re reading Isaiah 53, you’re reading about Jesus (Acts 8:30-35). From the start, their message was all about Jesus’ sacrificial death for the forgiveness of sins, and how Jesus’ resurrection proves that His death was sufficient.

“Now when David…fell asleep, he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay. Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.” (Acts 13:36-38, NIV)

No sacrifice for sins is needed after Jesus, because He made the payment in full.

“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:12-14, ESV)

And the Father raised Him from the dead because He was satisfied in the Son’s payment.

“Because of our sins he was given over to die, and he was raised to life in order to put us right with God.” (Romans 4:25, GNT)

This was no esoteric message about a transcendent Heaven that had no bearing on our lives today. Everyone who encountered the risen Lord suddenly had a new direction in life. And sometimes, this got them into trouble with the local authorities. That’s why wherever the gospel goes in Acts, a mob quickly follows.

Responses to the Resurrection Message

But why would a message of life attract angry mobs? How did various groups respond?

The self-righteous and political elite were threatened and enraged.

“These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (Acts 17:6-7, ESV)

The proud intellectuals debated and mocked the message.

Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” (Acts 17:18, ESV)

But some, like the Bereans, were noble and humble seekers of the truth.

“The people there were more open-minded than the people in Thessalonica. They listened to the message with great eagerness, and every day they studied the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was really true.” (Acts 17:11, GNT)

But one thing was clear. You cannot hear the full truth about the risen Jesus and then shrug your shoulders and walk away. There is no neutrality when it comes to Jesus. How could you ever be neutral about One who has left behind an empty tomb? Whether you love it or hate it, this message will do something to you.

It’s the reason why Paul could say, “To live is Christ! And to die is gain!” He meant something like this: “As long as I’ve got breath in my lungs, I’m living for Christ and sharing the news that Jesus is the Savior. If I get killed, that’s okay with me, because then I get to be with my Lord face to face.” Paul could talk like that because he had met the risen Lord already.

That’s what happens when you are truly gripped by the greatest news on earth.

A. W. Tozer said, “The Christian owes it to the world to be supernaturally joyful.” I agree, and this can only happen as we experience “the power of the resurrection” (Philippians 3:10). The more the reality of Christ’s resurrection has gripped our hearts, the more we see we can no longer face life’s difficulties without reference to this world-changing event.

If you have not yet surrendered to the resurrected King, I urge you to do that today. Only through trusting in the living Jesus is your eternal salvation made secure.

“If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved. For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10, GNT)

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Frank Morrison, Who Moved the Stone? (1930).

The Coffin Is a Better Teacher than the Crib

On July 18, 2023July 20, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life5 Comments

The Bible’s message could be boiled down to this: Live every day in light of the end. Everyone dies, but most people live in denial of that fact.

God wants us to see how foolish it is to deny our own mortality. He urges us to look death straight in the eye. Face up to it. Because only when we come to terms with the fact of our own death will we be prepared for it.

Better to Be at a Funeral than a Feast

People love to argue about what is better.

We do this all the time. This book is better than that book. This vacation spot is better than that one. This political candidate is better than that terrible one. In the Book of Ecclesiastes, the Preacher (likely Solomon) gives a list of comparisons, to make us think about our own mortality. It begins this way:

A good name is better than precious ointment,
    and the day of death than the day of birth. (Ecclesiastes 7:1, ESV)

This is a theme that comes up in Proverbs, too, which gives us another reason to think Solomon wrote this book.[1] He’s saying, “Who cares if you smell like a bed of roses, if your reputation stinks!” In other words, far more important than coming into a room smelling like Chanel No. 5 is putting on a character that others want to be around.

So far, so good. This makes sense. But then Solomon says something strange: He says “the day of death” is better “than the day of birth” (v. 1). What could he possibly mean?

When I first read that, I was confused. The day of birth is filled with rejoicing and gladness. But the day of death? That’s always marked by emotional pain and mourning because you’ve lost someone rather than gained someone.

So, what does Solomon mean? It’s probably a good idea to keep reading.

It is better to go to the house of mourning
    than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
    and the living will lay it to heart. (Ecclesiastes 7:2, ESV)

Solomon says, “It’s better to be at a funeral than a feast.” But why? “For this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” That’s another way of saying, “Attending a funeral reminds you that one day it will be you in the coffin, not someone else.”

Sorrow is better than laughter,
    for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
    but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. (Ecclesiasts 7:3-4, ESV)

At first, this sounds so morose, something akin to the cute little star in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, who spouts nihilistic statements like, “The only hope is the sweet relief of death.” But Solomon is not a nihilist. Here’s the key: “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning.” What’s the point? When you’re at a funeral, you’re coming face to face with reality. This life doesn’t go on forever. All who came before us have died. And—unless Jesus returns first—you reading this will one day die. That’s not being morbid. That’s simply the truth.

Death, Our Teacher

So why would the day of death be better than the day of birth? Let’s think about this. The day a baby is born, it’s exciting, but no one really knows anything about that little one. No one knows what kind of person they will be. There’s not a lot to say about the baby herself other than, “Look at how cute she is” or “She looks just like her mother.”

But on the day of someone’s death, you have an entire lifetime to reflect on. You can consider what the person’s character was like. You can think of all the memories you shared, their laugh, their personality, their accomplishments, their failures, and whether they lived for their Maker.

The coffin is a better evangelist than the crib.

Solomon’s point is that the man at the funeral has an opportunity to stop, look death in the eye, and consider his own end—where everything is leading. When you’re at a party, you’re just living in the moment. You’re having fun. That’s not bad in itself. Celebrations are a gift from God. In fact, God is supremely happy and wants His children to be happy.[2] We are even commanded to rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 4:4). But parties don’t prepare you for what comes next.

Death can be our teacher, reminding us to live in light of the end.

The thought of death focuses the mind. It forces us to think about meaning – what is it all for anyway? It compels us to ask the question, “What comes next?” and “How can I be sure of where I’m going?”

If you’re going on a rock-climbing expedition, the time to learn how to climb isn’t when you’re there on the edge of the precipice. You must learn ahead of time and prepare yourself.

And Solomon’s point is this: “If we always avoid the thought of death, we won’t be prepared when it comes for us.”

The coffin is a better evangelist than the crib.

Why Deny the Obvious?

Ernest Becker wrote a book called The Denial of Death. As far as I know, Becker is not a Christian, but he observes that people tend to deny the reality of death in their daily lives.

He says:

“… the idea of death, the fear of it, haunts the human animal like nothing else: it is the mainspring of human activity—activity designed largely to avoid the fatality of death, to overcome it by denying in some way that it is the final destiny of man.”

He goes on:

“All culture, all man’s creative life-ways, are in some basic part of them a fabricated protest against natural reality, a denial of the truth of the human condition, and an attempt to forget the pathetic creature that man is.”

He’s starting to sound a bit like Ecclesiastes, isn’t he? What’s he saying? When you consider human culture and behavior as a whole, you see that man is constantly trying to distract himself from the thought of death. Why? Because he’s afraid of death.

Becker is actually agreeing with the Bible. Jesus came to rescue us from this fear.

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Hebrews 2:14-15, NIV)

When Jesus came to bear our sin and guilt on the cross, He was allowing death to do its worse to Him. And by dying in our place, He broke the power of death and the devil, so that we would no longer have to live like slaves haunted by the thought of death.

People deny death in a myriad of ways. One of the ways we do that is through our self-made “immortality projects.” These “immortality projects” are ways people try to live on—symbolically—apart from Jesus.

For some, the whole idea is to live on through children. They figure, “Even if I can’t live forever, I can live on through my kids.” Or some people will try to leave a big enough mark on the world by writing books, running for office, or building a corporate empire. Even atheists long to live on in some way.

That’s why so many long for fame and fortune. In the back of their minds, they’re thinking, “I can’t live forever literally. But I can at least become so famous that people will remember me.” Even during their lives, celebrities are worshipped. The hope is that if they can just get people to know and remember their name, it’s a way for them to live on.

P. T. Barnum, of circus fame, was often criticized early in his career. His response was: “I don’t care what the newspapers say about me as long as they spell my name right.”

People long to be remembered, but the big question is Why?

Their Deeds Follow Them

Every one of us has this desire to be immortalized, to know our lives count for something greater and longer lasting than 70, 80, or 90 years.

This is one reason people think so much about their legacy—how they will be remembered—especially when they’re getting older. People hope to be thought of well by others after they’re gone.

This idea is at the heart of A Christmas Carol, the little book by Charles Dickens. Scrooge has lived selfishly for much of his life, but then the Ghost of Christmas Future leads him to a graveyard and points a long finger at the headstone that reads “Ebenezer Scrooge.”

Scrooge shutters and says, “Hear me! I’m not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been.” It is only when Scrooge faces up to his own impending death that he suddenly realizes he has no legacy. And from that moment onward, he vows to change and live a generous life.

That is the effect of facing up to our own death. And that is one way we live wiser in light of our own death. But leaving a good legacy still doesn’t change the fact of death.

Here’s the point. If you reject the God who gives you eternal life, you still try to live on in other ways. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says “eternity” is still in your heart. You still long for immortality, even if you turn away from the God who can give it to you.

Wanting to leave a good legacy isn’t wrong. The problem is that it can put the emphasis on the wrong thing. When we care about leaving a worldly legacy more from self-preservation than from love, then it won’t last. Along with the worldly trends, it will eventually be forgotten.

Consider what the Apostle John writes in Revelation:

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Revelation 14:13, ESV)

For those who die in the Lord—who have trusted in Christ as Savior—their deeds follow them. The world will eventually forget them, but they aren’t forgotten in Heaven. God keeps a record of what you do for His glory.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Proverbs 10:7; 22:1

[2] See Nehemiah 8:10

Photo from the Jim Carrey’s 2009 film A Christmas Carol.

The Grace Opportunity

On June 22, 2023June 23, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

Many are familiar with Jesus’ famous words: “First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5, NIV). His point was that we tend to see the faults in others before we see them in ourselves.

For example, when you’re on the freeway, have you ever noticed it’s always the other guy that doesn’t know how to drive? Those who drive faster than you are the maniacs that are trying to get themselves killed. Then, there are the slowpokes. It’s always their fault for making you late! But notice from this example that everyone is judged by you. You are the gold standard of good driving, and everyone else is measured by you.

That reminds me of the woman at an airport who, while waiting for her plane to arrive, sat down with a book and a package of cookies she’d just purchased. After she’d become engrossed in her novel, she suddenly noticed the man sitting next to her fumbling to open the package of cookies on the seat between them. She was so astonished that a stranger would help himself to her cookies that she wasn’t sure what to do. So, she grabbed a cookie and ate it. The man said nothing but reached for another cookie himself. Well, she wasn’t going to let this guy eat all of them, so she grabbed another. When they were down to one cookie, the man reached over, broke the cookie in half, and got up and left. The woman was appalled. Where did this guy get the nerve? The announcement came to board the plane, so she gathered up her purse. Still angry at the man’s audacity, she reached in to grab her ticket. It suddenly dawned on her that she really shouldn’t judge others too harshly—for there in her purse lay her still-unopened package of cookies.

What is your gut level response when you’ve been wronged? How do you respond to derisive comments about your appearance, ability, or beliefs?

The greatest example of all in this respect is the Lord Jesus Christ. How did the One who reigns supremely over the entire universe respond to insults?

“Indeed this is part of your calling. For Christ suffered for you and left you a personal example, and wants you to follow in his steps. ‘Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in his mouth’. Yet when he was insulted he offered no insult in return. When he suffered he made no threats of revenge. He simply committed his cause to the one who judges fairly.” (1 Peter 2:21-23, J. B. Phillips Translation)

Seek Reconciliation, Not Retaliation

When Saturday Night Live comedian, Pete Davidson, crudely mocked Congressman-elect Dan Crenshaw because of his eye patch and glibly remarked, “I know he lost his eye in the war or whatever,” no one anticipated how Crenshaw would respond. Instead of firing back in anger, Crenshaw showed incredible humility and compassion for his mocker. A torrent of comments came in from SNL fans who criticized Davidson, calling his remark “disgusting” and chewing him out for his disrespect for a modern war veteran who had been injured in the line of duty defending the country.

In response to the backlash, Davidson spiraled downward into a pit of depression and self-loathing, even to the point of contemplating suicide at one point. Davidson wrote on Instagram, “I really don’t want to be on this earth anymore. I’m doing my best to stay here for you but I actually don’t know how much longer I can last. All I’ve ever tried to do was help people. Just remember I told you so.”

Many might have expected Crenshaw to join in the criticism and even say something like, “Serves him right for mocking a veteran.” Instead, Crenshaw did the unexpected thing. He reached out to Davidson in a friendly and encouraging way. He told the comedian that everyone has a purpose in this world and that “God put you here for a reason. It’s your job to find that purpose. And you should live that way.”

Instead of firing back, Crenshaw built a bridge. And instead of getting defensive, Crenshaw showed humility. Crenshaw, the Navy SEAL trained in military strike and defense seized the grace opportunity. He put Davidson’s own well-being before his pride and chose to show unconditional love. Interestingly, when Crenshaw reached out to Davidson, he learned that Davidson’s own father was a firefighter who had been killed in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks when Davidson was only seven years old. When they later appeared on SNL together, Crenshaw offered high praise for the sacrifice that Davidson’s father had made. When the segment was over, the humbled comedian leaned over and whispered, “You are a good man.”

When we seize the grace opportunity, we can actually win over even our enemies. It all begins with not retaliating when someone belittles us.

Confront without Condemnation

“Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.” (James 4:11, NIV)

Isn’t it interesting? James says that when you retaliate by verbally tearing someone to pieces—especially your own Christian brother–you are not just judging that person, you’re judging the law! You’re becoming a critic of God Himself, because you’re essentially telling Him, “You need help in judging the world!” But God never needs our help in judging others. He can do it just fine on His own.

This doesn’t mean there’s no place for confronting someone caught in sin. But when you condemn others, you’re essentially putting yourself in the Judgment Seat reserved for God.

For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.” (Romans 14:9-10, ESV)

Paul’s argument works like this. Have you died and returned to life? No? Then who are you to make any kind of final judgment about a person? Never forget that it’s not just the person who wronged you, but you too who will stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

So even when you confront others in sin, don’t condemn them with your words or actions. Do you really want to be the one who says, “God’s judgment isn’t severe enough”?

If you study human history, it is remarkable when you consider how much bloodshed, battles, and wars have been caused by this deep personal desire to get even—to settle the score. Because of vendettas, the Capulets war against the Montagues, and the Crips war against the Bloods. When the mighty Samson was bested in a game of riddles, his desire for personal vengeance sent him into a fit of rage, in which he slaughtered 30 Philistines and torched a grain field. And today, we are tempted to torch one another with our words, instead of taking the opportunity to show grace.

The cycle of retaliation and slander can even happen in the microcosm of a family, where one brother is always seeking to one-up another.

Romans 14:4 says, “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls.”

Honor Your Opponent

The great evangelist Dwight L. Moody once had his own grace opportunity when preaching the gospel to a large crowd. One young, headstrong theological student in the crowd began to publicly challenge the things that Moody, the veteran preacher, was saying. The student rudely interrupted him several times and tried to trip him up. Finally, Moody got fed up with this ill-mannered student. The evangelist, who was well-known for his eloquence, used his gift with words to punish the young man, sharply putting him in his place in front of everyone.

Thinking that the young man got what he deserved, the crowd applauded. However, later in his talk, Moody stopped himself and said, “Friends, I have to confess before all of you that at the beginning of my meeting I gave a very foolish answer to my brother down here. I ask God to forgive me, and I ask him to forgive me.”

In that moment, Moody could have chosen to go home satisfied that he had soundly defeated the insolent opponent. Instead, he chose to take the grace opportunity. Even though his was the lesser sin, he was the first to repent and ask for forgiveness. Moody recognized that too often it is easier to tear someone down because it gives us a momentary victory. But the real victory is to lay aside our pride and not sit in judgment on someone. Otherwise, their arrogance becomes our arrogance, and we haven’t really won anything more than the applause of men.

It’s not always the case, but sarcasm is often deployed to cut an opponent down. One area I want to grow in is responding to those who mock me with gentleness and warmth. In one sense, I want to score more grace points than put-down points. How many times am I choosing to show grace when a quick put-down feels more natural? If I’m calling myself a follower of Jesus, I better look like He did when He was mocked and attacked by others (see Luke 23:34).

A quick word of clarification: There is a difference between making moral judgments and making a judgment of condemnation on someone else. Christ never discourages us from making moral judgments. While we cannot totally separate the sinner from their sin, there is a way to say, “I am utterly opposed to what you are doing, but I am totally for you as a person made in God’s image.” To say “abortion is evil” is a moral judgment, and it’s right to make that judgment because I’m agreeing with God’s condemnation of murdering innocent humans as stated in the Bible.[1] But what God forbids is slandering or condemning our neighbor, because only God has the right to pronounce final judgment on our lives. This means I can refute the arguments of an advocate for abortion choice, but I can also show that very person dignity as someone created and loved by God.

Our world is characterized by outrage, anger, and retaliation. “Getting even” and “Giving people their due” is even encouraged. But God wants us to rise above the selfish response. He calls us to treat others better than they deserve. Jesus has treated us infinitely better than we deserve, and He calls us to seize the grace opportunity.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] https://lampandlightdevotionals.wordpress.com/2022/03/03/what-does-the-bible-say-about-abortion/

A Gay Man Surrenders to Jesus

On June 14, 2023June 14, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life, Why I Believe2 Comments

“What about homosexuality? What is your church’s stance on it? Is it a sin or not?”

This is the question that Becket Cook, a Hollywood set designer, asked a young man studying his Bible at a coffee shop in Los Angeles. It wasn’t the first question he asked, but the young man’s friendly and thoughtful demeanor when Becket first approached him opened the door for the bigger question brewing below the surface.[1]

How would you respond to Becket’s question? Do you have an answer ready if someone asked this simple yet pointed question? In one sense, this might be the question of our generation: Is homosexuality a sin? Wherever you come down on this issue, I would urge you to think through what the Bible and your church believe about this. When asked directly if homosexuality is a sin, I have heard numerous Christian celebrities and pastors hedge and stumble through an answer. They don’t seem to realize that because of their influence, their non-answer only adds fuel to the fires of confusion. If you haven’t carefully prepared for when this question comes—and be assured it will—it could prove incredibly detrimental in your own life and the lives of those with whom you interact. Out of love for family and friends, we cannot afford to get this one wrong.

Embracing the Truth No Matter What

If homosexuality is a good and God-honoring practice, then we ought to be joining in all the pride parades, waving pride flags, and celebrating it along with the crowds. However, if the truth is that, despite increasing cultural approval, God’s Word reproves homosexuality as a distortion of God’s good design, we should humbly accept this. Whatever is true, we should embrace out of love for God and others.

Thankfully, the young man in the coffee shop was ready. Becket writes, “His answer didn’t shock me. He didn’t beat around the bush, and very matter-of-factly stated that both he and his church agreed homosexuality is indeed a sin.”[2] What a refreshingly clear response! No complex answer filled with a thousand qualifications. After calmly explaining the Bible’s teaching on the matter, he proceeded to invite Becket, who was openly homosexual, to his church.

Initially, Becket hated the thought of going to a church where homosexuality was condemned. And yet, something was pushing him to go anyway. Maybe it was the way this young man gently but firmly held to his convictions. Maybe the Lord was drawing Becket despite his atheism.

A Change of Affection

Somewhat reluctantly, Becket went to the church service and heard the pastor proclaim the gospel of God’s infinite love for broken sinners for the first time. He learned that God had come in human flesh and was known as Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus went to the cross as a sacrifice for our sins and rose from the dead in triumphant glory. This gospel touched Becket at the deepest level. After going forward for prayer, something happened in Becket’s heart.

“All of a sudden, a giant wave of God’s presence came crashing over me… I was utterly overwhelmed, and I started bawling uncontrollably.”[3]

Becket surrendered his life to Jesus Christ. According to the Bible, when this happens, we are born again and become a child of God (John 1:12-13). We are made new inside.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

At conversion, God sovereignly gives us a new heart with new affections and desires, and He puts His Spirit within us, claiming us as His own.

“And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26, ESV)

Along with a new and intense desire to honor God, Becket immediately came to understand God had a new direction for his life—one that included leaving his gay lifestyle in the dust.

“I had finally come to the realization that homosexual behavior was a distortion of God’s perfect design for human sexuality and flourishing… Surprisingly, I was perfectly fine with this realization. The complete reversal of my opinions and pursuits in this area worked like this: I had just met the King of the universe!… How could I hold on to anything that didn’t bring me closer to Him?”[4]

Only the living God could transform the way Becket looked at homosexuality and everything else. Today, as Becket says in his book A Change of Affection, he lives life free of guilt, free of what others think of him, and free of the fear of death. As he put it, he has met the King of the universe! What could possibly compare?

As Christians, we need to remember that every last one of us is sexually broken apart from Christ. Without His grace and wisdom, our desires are disordered and not in line with His perfect design. We all are desperate for His transforming work!

Embracing Christ and Forsaking Sin

In spite of powerful testimonies such as Becket’s, many in our world want to deny that this kind of change can happen in someone’s life. We have an enemy who is bent on deceiving people about the transforming power of Christ. He wants us to imagine that if one is “born this way,” they have no choice but to live according to their homosexual desires. But true life is found in saying no to anything that would conflict with God’s best.

While giving people designations according to sexual orientation, such as “gay” or “straight,” might be a modern concept, the Bible is concerned with the sexual practice itself. And the simple fact is that homosexual behavior is always viewed negatively in Scripture.

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality; nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, ESV)

But praise God that’s not the end of the matter! After this clear warning on what marks the lives of those outside the kingdom, we are given this word of hope:

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (v. 11, emphasis added)

God cares about what we do with our bodies, and our bodies can only flourish according to His good design. To live contrary to His design, is to flout the authority of the Designer Himself.

Just like we cannot pour Gatorade into our vehicle’s fuel tank and not expect engine problems, we cannot ignore God’s stated design for human sexuality and not expect negative consequences.

Consider again how you would respond when asked what you believe about homosexuality. In that moment, will you be more concerned with the approval of others or the God who made us all? Just imagine if that young man in the coffee shop had told Becket he and his church had no problem with people living whatever way they wanted. What if the pastor had avoided preaching the gospel? How we speak about homosexuality really does matter, and God will hold us accountable. God used these men to draw Becket into the kingdom. He no longer identifies as a “gay man,” but as a child of God.

So let’s commit to speaking the truth of God’s Word with clear resolve, but also with a gentle and invitational love that says, “There’s room at the table for all who embrace Christ and forsake sin. I hope you’ll join us.”

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Becket Cook, A Change of Affection (Nashville: Nelson Books, 2019), 8.

[2] Ibid, 6.

[3] Ibid, 19.

[4] Ibid, 23.

Is Christianity a Force for Good or Evil?

On May 10, 2023May 10, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life, Why I Believe2 Comments

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16, ESV)

In 1971, the popular Beatles singer, John Lennon, sang of a dream he had where no religion existed in the world. In that dream, not only was there no such thing as religion, but also no heaven or “hell below us,” and “above us only sky.” Such a world, he sang, would bring about world peace and unity since there’d no longer be anything worth killing or dying for.

Many today hold on to Lennon’s dream. In 2020, when most of the world was in isolation during the COVID-19 outbreak, Lennon’s song “Imagine” was sung by 25 celebrities in a compilation video posted on YouTube. Many still believe that a world without religion would be preferable. More specifically, many people have thought it better if Christianity didn’t exist in the world.

The so-called New Atheists, such as Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens, have argued vociferously in their books The God Delusion and God Is Not Great that “religion poisons everything.”

However, only 8 years before Lennon recorded that song, another dream was expressed across the pond by Martin Luther King, Jr. In that dream, he imagined that one day “little black boys and black girls [would] be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.” The irony is that while Lennon’s dream envisioned a world where there was no Christianity, King’s dream was firmly rooted in biblical Christianity. His iconic speech appealed to his Christian faith, which holds that every person was made in God’s image and has sacred value in God’s sight. King even deliberately quoted Scripture like Isaiah 40 to make his point.

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”

After quoting this passage, King declared, “This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with… With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.”

So which worldview is right? Is religion—and more importantly—is Christianity a force for good or evil in the world today?

Is Christianity Headed for Extinction?

In a 2016 survey, 30.9 percent of freshman college students claimed no religious affiliation, which is a 10 percent rise since 2006. Many have noticed this growing trend to be non-religious and have predicted that Christianity and the other religions are destined for extinction. This has been called the secularization hypothesis, because it predicts that religion will be pushed more and more to the fringe as secular values advance.

But is this true? Actually, no. In contrast to the thinking of many academics, the reality is that Christianity has never had a wider reach. Right now, Christianity is the largest belief system in the world, with 31.5% percent of the world’s population identifying as Christian. While it’s true that those identifying as religious in Europe and North America has declined in recent years, on the global scale, Christianity is growing stronger than ever.

Many sociologists have been forced to admit that the whole secularization hypothesis has been totally debunked. Robust Christianity is globally on the rise, and the trend is actually toward a more religious rather than secular world.

Biblical Christians would expect nothing less. Not only did Jesus promise that His gospel would be proclaimed to all nations (Matthew 24:14; Mark 13:10), but He also promised that the church He built will prevail “and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18, NIV).

But the question remains: Is Christianity a force for good or evil in the world? After all, just because something is believed by many doesn’t make it true (also, many who claim to be Christian don’t follow Jesus’s teachings).

Joy in Knowing Jesus

A 2016 article in USA Today was entitled “Religion May Be a Miracle Drug.” The authors begin by asking, “If one could conceive of a single elixir to improve the physical and mental health of millions of Americans—at no personal cost—what value would our society place on it?”[1]

They go on to lay out all the correlations between mental and physical health benefits and consistent religious participation. According to their research, Americans who are actively involved in a local church tend to be more optimistic, have lower rates of depression, are less likely to commit suicide, have greater purpose in life, are less likely to divorce, and even tend to live longer! There is also good research showing that those who live out a robust Christianity—including having a regular prayer life, active Bible reading, consistent church attendance, and meeting the needs of others in the community—tend to be happier in life.

In fact, in his book The Happiness Hypothesis, even atheist social psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, makes the case that devout Christians tend to be happier than secular atheists like himself!

He writes: “Surveys have long shown that religious believers in the United States are happier, healthier, longer-lived, and more generous to charity and to each other than are secular people… Religious believers give more money than secular folk to secular charities, and to their neighbors. They give more of their time, too, and of their blood.”[2]

Obviously, sociological research isn’t the ultimate reason to surrender your life to Christ. We are to surrender to Christ because He is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15). But it’s worth noting that objective research done by secular scholars inadvertently agrees that there really is joy that comes from knowing Jesus. Non-religious scholars like Haidt have begun to realize there really is something to what Paul taught: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).

The truth is that when the Bible is taken seriously and faith in Christ is lived out, there is a positive impact—both personally and in society. Christians first started universities to educate the mind, launched hospitals to care for the sick, and built orphanages to house those whom the world had rejected as a lost cause.

It is because of their Christian faith that William Wilberforce worked to abolish slavery in England, Dietrich Bonhoeffer spoke out against the Nazis, and Martin Luther King marched for the civil rights of black Americans. Today, many speak out boldly for the life of the unborn, largely due to their faith in Christ.

From Atheism to Jesus

This happened for Dr. Sarah Irving-Stonebraker. Sarah was an atheist, known by her friends at Cambridge for being “politely hostile” to Christianity. She passionately believed that one should defend the human rights for the hurting and underprivileged. But something happened while she attended a series of lectures given by the well-known atheist, Peter Singer, who was trying to make the case for human rights from an atheistic worldview.

As Sarah listened, it slowly dawned on her that despite Singer’s best attempts to prove otherwise, the godless worldview of the atheist gave no explanation for why humans should have any rights at all. If we are nothing more than a bunch of organized cells in a mindless universe, how could anyone really speak of human rights at all? She later met a group of Christian students whose lives were deeply shaped by Jesus. They were a joy-filled community that lived out their faith “feeding the homeless, running community centres, and housing and advocating for migrant farm laborers.”[3]

As Sarah considered this issue, she realized that it was none other than the biblical worldview—which she had rejected as a teenager—that made the best sense of humans having value and therefore, having rights worth defending. A human being, she realized, whether born or unborn, is not just another organism to be disposed of, like a worm or a beetle, but had intrinsic value because he or she had been made in God’s image, and thus was a neighbor deserving her love. Sarah gave her life to Jesus and today she fights for the rights of the underprivileged from the solid standing of a biblical worldview.

This is just one of countless examples of how the light of God’s truth can pierce through the darkness of this fallen world and bring about the dramatic transformation of a single individual.

I began by asking whether Christianity is a force for good in the world today. Consider that Christianity alone—of all the world’s religions—not only offers a reasonable explanation for why human beings have value in God’s sight, but that it also declares the truth that everlasting life is found in knowing this great God. Christ-centered Christianity is without question the greatest force for good this world has ever seen, because it alone points to the free offer of eternal life found in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23).

But this is only the case as Christians have held tightly to the Word that their Lord gave them. When Christians have conformed to the world around them and lost touch with the biblical worldview, they have ceased being a force for good, because they no longer have brought hope to the world. And I think we can all agree that this world desperately needs hope.

Because Jesus is the ultimate Light of the world, His followers are called to be lights shining in the world (Matthew 5:14-16).

Consider what this means for you personally. In what areas of life is it hardest to bring the light of Christ? In whatever area that may be—at home, in the workplace, with family—ask God for courage to hold fast to the Word of life in this dark world.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Tyler VanderWeele and John Siniff, “Religion May Be a Miracle Drug,” USA Today, October 28, 2016, https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/10/28/religion-church-attendance-mortality-column/92676964/

[2] Jonathan Haidt, “Moral Psychology and the Misunderstanding of Religion,” Edge, September 21, 2007, https://www.edge.org/conversation/jonathan_haidt-moral-psychology-and-the-misunderstanding-of-religion.

[3] https://believersportal.com/former-atheist-prof-sarah-irving-stonebraker-shares-incredible-story-of-conversion-to-christianity/ Accessed on May 3, 2023.

Strangers in Our Own World

On April 27, 2023April 28, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

In October 2019, the Pew Research Center released a major new report called “In U.S., Decline of Christianity Continues at Rapid Pace.” The research said that while 65% of Americans still nominally identify as Christian, the alarming thing is that this was a 12% decrease in only ten years.

This may be hard for Christians to hear, but it really will be to our benefit when we face up to the reality of how hostile our world is to biblical Christianity. When we downplay this, we are only making it harder for ourselves to know how to respond. The simple fact is, we may enjoy certain legal protections as Christians still, but our world is increasingly hostile to our faith, the values we stand for, and the Christ we proclaim as Lord. Rather than putting our head in the sand like an ostrich, we want to be like the men of Issachar who “understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chronicles 12:32, NIV).

Strangers and Exiles

In the Book of Hebrews, the author recounts the incredible faith of godly men and women who stood out from the world around them because of their serious commitment to God. He then sums up their lives like this:

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” (Hebrews 11:13, ESV)

When he calls them “strangers and exiles on the earth,” he’s not only talking about the likes of Noah, Abraham, and Sarah. He’s talking about all who belong to the one true God. Similarly, the Apostle Peter uses the word “exiles” to describe all his fellow believers scattered throughout modern day Turkey (1 Peter 1:1; 2:17).

So this is not a designation for a select few. This is us. As followers of the risen Jesus, we too are strangers and exiles in our own world. The Greek term for “exile” (παρεπίδημος, parepidemos) usually referred to a traveler from a foreign land, only staying in a certain place for a limited duration. So Peter calls Christians “elect exiles” (1:1) and “sojourners” (2:17) to remind us that we are not permanent residents of this world.

As the old hymn goes, “This world is not my home. I’m just a-passin’ through.” Some Christians might object, “But aren’t we destined to live on a restored earth in real resurrected bodies?” Absolutely, we are! But Peter’s point is that the world as it now is—fallen and corrupted by sin—is not our home. This is an identity statement.

When Christ sets you free through faith, you come to see that your new identity in Him will never be embraced by the world. You’ll never fully fit in with the world. You’ll never be totally at home here. We are strangers. It’s essential for us to recognize this because too often we can forget our calling. We can forget why we’re here. We’re not here primarily to soak up as many worldly pleasures as possible. God has a much bigger view of joy than we do.

Citizens of Heaven

So what does that mean for us? We shouldn’t let our roots go too deep. We should keep a loose hold on the things of this world. We need to remember and embrace the truth that “this world in its present form is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31, NIV).

If we think of this world as our permanent residence, we will begin to live like citizens of the world rather than citizens of Heaven. We’ll start to live like the world, embrace the world’s values, and forget our purpose here is not merely to “live it up because you only live once,” but to live for Christ.

I want to encourage my Christian brothers and sisters to be mindful of this and not be caught off guard. Following Christ makes you different in this world—you are a sojourner and an alien in a world that rejects Him.

We tend to think that if we are living faithfully for Christ, people will automatically be drawn to us. The sober truth is that when you live for Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit and faithfully obey His commands, you will be at odds with the world around you. On the night before He was crucified, Jesus told His disciples:

“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:19, NIV)

What was true of the disciples then is true of us today. “In fact, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12, CSB).

Between Two Worlds

Peter calls the church “God’s elect exiles” (1 Peter 1:1, NIV). In other words, believers have been chosen and set apart by God. That is something to marvel at: that God would graciously choose us who were once His enemies. On the other side of the coin, being God’s elect—or God’s chosen people—inevitably estranges us from the world around us.

To live as an exile means you’re living between two worlds—the world you are inevitably enmeshed in and the world to come, the world to which you now belong.

But what does it mean to live between two worlds?

Let me illustrate this principle. When Whitney and I had our firstborn, Logan, our world became very different. In one sense, we still lived in the old world. We were still married. We still had the same friends and other interests. But, on the other hand, we had just entered the very new world of parenting. We now had a new schedule, with much of our time and interests wrapped up in the eating, sleeping, crawling, and babbling of our little bundle of joy. Oftentimes, new parents find themselves a bit alienated from their other friends who don’t yet have children, because they suddenly have less in common and their schedules are totally different from what they used to be. You are still you, but your life has totally changed.

Peter was writing to former pagans who worshiped dozens of gods who have now become followers of the one Lord, Jesus Christ. And that is a much bigger change than entering the world of parenting. Peter is writing to assure them that their new identity as followers of Jesus will set them apart from the world they inhabit.

In chapter 4, Peter will tell them, “You used to live like pagans, but you’re different now.”

“You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead.” (1 Peter 4:3-5, NLT)

Those first Christians Peter is writing to had entered another world. And because they had committed themselves to Jesus, their worldviews were now diametrically opposed to their pagan friends. In the same way, your old party buddies might wonder the same about you. “What’s with you now? Why don’t you like to get drunk with us anymore? Why do you take sexual purity so seriously? And why have you become a Jesus freak? It’s like you can’t stop talking about Him!”

Every follower of Jesus should come to terms with this. It doesn’t matter what your upbringing might be. There are certain practices, groups, and lifestyles we are called to leave behind. There are many things where we must, in personal conviction from the Spirit, say, “I can’t be a part of that anymore.” As strangers in our own world, there are times we have to say, “I won’t entertain myself that way.” We must never forget that we have been set apart because Jesus shed His blood and atoned for our sins.

What about you? What is Jesus calling you to leave behind? Let me encourage you, whatever it might be, if it’s contrary to the faith, give it up for Jesus. There is blessing in embracing your new calling. While many will reject you, God will use your living testimony to draw others to Himself.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

Photo of Portland, OR taken by Matthew Bacher.

Are We Living in the End Times?

On March 29, 2023March 30, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Theology for Life2 Comments

“The end of all things is near.”  (1 Peter 4:7, NIV)

Many Christians today are asking the question: “Are we living in the end times?” They look at how much of our society has lost its moral bearings, how godlessness is growing, and how it is becoming increasingly a challenge to live faithfully as a Christian in the Western world. So they wonder: Is Jesus coming back soon?

My answer, based on Scripture, is yes, we are most certainly living in the end times. However, I don’t base that conclusion on any recent turn of events in American society or on the international stage. Strange as it may sound, I believe that the church has been living in the end times ever since Jesus died and rose again. Why would I say that? Because all through the New Testament, we see this plainly taught. For example, the author of Hebrews could speak of living in the “last days” in the middle of the first century:

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:1-2, ESV)

Writing around AD 54, the Apostle Paul told the church of Corinth that Old Testament scripture was written “for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come” (1 Corinthians 10:11, ESV). When the Holy Spirit was given to the early church at Pentecost, Peter interpreted this event by quoting the prophet Joel:

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…” (Acts 2:17, ESV)

Even more remarkable is Peter’s statement in his first epistle: “The end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7, ESV). Of course, we might reasonably wonder, If Peter in the first century could say “the end of all things is at hand,” why on earth are we still here 2,000 years later? That’s a fair question. There are other passages where the Bible says something similar. James even tells his readers that Jesus’ coming is so soon that you can already think of Him as “standing at the door” (James 5:9)!

Were the Apostles Mistaken?

Many have wondered, Did the Apostles get it wrong? Did they assume Jesus was coming back right away but were mistaken?

I think this type of question is resolved when we stop to first remember that the Bible claims to be the word of God Himself (2 Timothy 3:16-17). So, we aren’t just reading what the Apostles thought; we are reading the very words of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 3:15-16). Furthermore, Jesus promised His Apostles that the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all the truth… and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13, ESV). So to assert that the Apostles might be in error in their teaching is actually to cast doubt on Jesus’ integrity.

But let’s consider something important about how biblical prophecy often works. Many have termed this “prophetic telescoping.” The idea is that when you look at biblical prophecies, it is often like looking at a mountain range. A single prophecy might appear to be fulfilled in that first mountain you can see, but what is not always explicitly stated is that there also may be greater fulfillment in the next mountain behind it and so on. In other words, when a prophecy is given, there are partial fulfillments, which tend to happen sooner. And then there are ultimate fulfillments which happen farther down the timeline.[1]

Another thing is that the Bible talks about the “last days” or the “end times” in terms of a phase in redemptive history. So, if you were to ask the Bible, “Are we living in the end times?” The clear answer is, “Yes, we are.” But that’s more a statement about us living in the final phase of redemptive history than it is about the precise timeline of Jesus’ return. The Messiah has come. He has suffered, risen again, and sent the Holy Spirit. The message of salvation is going forth.

The Bible views history as split by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He’s the central figure, and His resurrection was the central event. Before Christ, God’s people lived in anticipation. We could call those the “former times,” when the prophets anticipated a coming Messiah (Hebrews 1:1). But after Jesus came and accomplished redemption, a new era began, an era when God’s people are permanently indwelled by the Holy Spirit. This is the church age, but it’s also the final phase of redemptive history.[2]

Ready and Alert

Now, you might say, “It’s awfully confusing for Peter to say ‘the end of all things is near’ if there was still at least 2,000 years to go.” Well, not if you see it as a call for vigilance. God was intentionally ambiguous about the timing of Christ’s return. It’s a fixed date on His calendar, but He wanted every generation of Christians to live with the expectancy that Christ could return very soon. And even today, we should live with that expectancy. Jesus could come back very soon. That’s what the Bible means when it says we are living in the “last days” or end times.

We are called to faithfully and expectantly await His soon return, knowing it always could be just around the corner. Regarding His return, Jesus called His followers to “Keep alert at all times” (Luke 21:36) and “be ready” (Luke 12:40). He said, “Keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42).

Here’s something else we should consider. The Bible hints at the fact that Jesus would seem to take a long time to return, but each generation should anticipate His return with alertness.

In God’s eyes, Jesus’ return will be right on time, but there are indicators from Scripture that Jesus would seem to take a long time from our perspective. Why else would Jesus tell the parable of the ten virgins who waited for the bridegroom to come for the wedding? Five were wise and brought oil, and five were foolish and unprepared.

Jesus says, “The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.” (Matthew 25:5, NIV)

The foolish virgins who are not ready for the bridegroom’s sudden arrival end up excluded from the wedding feast.

In the chapter before that, Jesus talks about the faithful servant who is ready when his master returns and then compares that to the wicked servant who grows negligent when his master takes longer than expected.

“But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:48-51, ESV)

In both cases, there is a hint that Jesus will take longer than expected to return. But it doesn’t go so well for those who start to live like Jesus is never coming back. That is why Peter says “the end of all things is near,” and Jesus said He was coming soon (Revelation 22:20). From a divine perspective, He is coming soon (2 Peter 3:8-10). These are calls to be ready. Christians are to live as servants expecting their master’s soon return.

Sober and Effective Prayer

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. (1 Peter 4:7, NIV)

It’s fascinating how often drunkenness is contrasted with being filled with the Spirit in Scripture. The priests of Israel were not allowed to drink alcohol if they wanted to enter the Tabernacle. Samson’s mother is told not to drink alcohol during her pregnancy so that her son can be filled with God’s Spirit for his life’s mission. An angel prophesies that John the Baptist “is never to take wine or other fermented drink,” because “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Peter has to correct people on the Day of Pentecost who assume that he and his fellow believers are drunk when they are actually filled with the Spirit.

And then there’s Paul’s explicit command: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18, BSB)

Drunkenness is primarily about escapism. People get drunk to avoid the troubles of life. They run from the battle and resort to the bottle. People look to the bottle to calm their fears, dull their senses, and relax.

But being filled with the Holy Spirit is about rescue from our old way of life. It’s not about running away; it’s about overcoming. Rather than encouraging us to hide from challenges, the Holy Spirit urges us to face our problems in reliance on Him – and overcome.

If being drunk dulls our senses, being filled with the Spirit sharpens them. People run to alcohol when they want to have a good time. But it is the Holy Spirit who brings the true joy and peace we are craving.

That’s why, contrary to what some think, Christians actually have a lot of fun together. The Spirit Himself creates the joyful atmosphere that we share together. While the Bible doesn’t forbid us from ever drinking alcohol, we don’t need alcohol to have a good time. And it’s worth noting that four out of the six sins that Peter mentions in 1 Peter 4:3 refer to abuse of alcohol.

So Peter is saying in verse 7, “Keep the gunpowder dry, so that you can fire off those effective prayers that can radically change circumstances. Tune in to what the Spirit is doing rather than tuning out.”

On September 17, 1788, the Austrian army achieved the unthinkable. They managed to lose the Battle of Karansebes before the enemy even made it to the battlefield. When the Ottoman army was delayed in arriving for the battle, the Austrian army got bored and decided to try the local Schnapps. After getting wildly drunk, the Austrians suddenly mistook one another for the enemy and began firing on each other. When the Ottoman army finally did reach the battlefield, all they found was an encampment of 10,000 wounded or dead Austrians.

Let’s not be like the foolish Austrians at the Battle of Karansebes. Let’s stay alert and sober, because there is a real spiritual war taking place right now. We are right in the thick of it, and the devil would love for us to begin turning our muzzles on one another and forget that he is the real enemy.

When you’re thinking deeply about Christ’s return, you will be moved to pray more effectively, renounce hidden sins, and demonstrate sacrificial love for others. Live expectantly in these last days. Anticipating His soon arrival compels us to live both soberly and passionately for the glory of our coming King.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] One clear example of this in Scripture is the prophecy of the coming “day of the Lord,” which had immediate partial fulfillment in the days that prophecy was given, but will one day have ultimate fulfillment on the day the Lord returns to judge and to save. For example, when Zephaniah writes of the day of the Lord (Zephaniah 1:7-8, 14-16), he describes it both as a coming event in history when Jerusalem will be destroyed (1:4, 10-12), but he also talks about it as an event at the end of history when people are wiped off the face of the earth (1:2-3, 17-18).

[2] This doesn’t rule out what the Jewish rabbis have called “Messianic Age,” which I believe will be fulfilled in the Millennium spoken of primarily in Revelation 20:1-10. I would simply incorporate the Messianic Age as a time of greater realization of blessing and peace with Christ’s reign on the earth in this age. I get this from passages like Ephesians 1:21, which speaks only of “this age” and “the age to come,” which I believe is the new creation and eternal state (Revelation 21-22).

The Kind of Person God Blesses

On March 14, 2023March 15, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life1 Comment

Those immersed in the modern world of dating are often encouraged to look for the ideal man or woman of their dreams. Online dating applications often use algorithms to match users with those who meet certain criteria, such as age, location, and a host of other preferences. While most everyone agrees that romantic connection could never be reduced to matching two sets of data points, the idea is that the algorithm will at least narrow the field to those who are at least potentially compatible with you.

I don’t have much of an opinion on online dating. I am happily married, so thankfully I’m already matched up with my dating partner. The point is that most people still seeking a romantic match have some idea in their minds of what that special someone might look and act like. The same thing could be said of an employer seeking a certain type of employee. They have a particular set of experiences and qualifications that they are looking for.

Supreme Happiness

Psalm 1 gives the description of the kind of man (or woman)[1] God is seeking, the type of person He intends to bless. It’s a basic summary of one who has the ideal characteristics God is looking for. When the Bible speaks of someone being “blessed” (esher in Hebrew), it’s describing supreme happiness. While some have likened Christianity to a moral straitjacket, the Bible actually urges its readers to pursue genuine happiness. Granted, this is a happiness that doesn’t always align with our natural inclinations. But it’s a joy that is deep and abiding, not fluctuating with the ups and downs of life. The psalm begins by telling us what the blessed man is not like.

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers.” (Psalm 1:1, ESV)

The psalmist describes the downward spiral of sin. He’s warning us about how sin gets its talons into us. First, we are influenced by “the counsel of the wicked.” Then we grow accustom to “the way of sinners.” Lastly, we are so comfortable with sin that we begin to laugh at corruption alongside other “scoffers.”

Examine Your Habits

Most Christians are far more influenced by the world than they would care to admit. They spend far more hours watching TV or YouTube than they do in God’s Word. They are constantly joining conversations that make light of sin or listening to music that makes immorality sound fun, but rarely listening to the voice of their Lord. Although they would probably deny it, they are regularly walking “in the counsel of the wicked.”

Examine your habits and you will see the kind of person you are becoming. The Apostle Paul offered a similar warning: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’” (1 Corinthians 15:33, ESV).

As a father of three boys, this is something often on my mind. What kind of friends are they making? How are they spending their time? What are the things that most influence their thinking? Are they growing in their love for the Lord or for the things of this world?

Don’t misunderstand me. Christian parents can’t isolate their children from the world. If you try to raise your children in a bubble, that bubble will eventually pop. I want to live in faith, not fear. But at the same time, one of my goals as a dad is to train them to think differently from the world they are immersed in. I want them to learn to be respectfully critical of godless ideas. I pray that they learn to be wise and discerning. Every Christian parent can turn Romans 12:2 into a prayer for their children:

“Father, I pray that my son (or daughter) would not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but that he (she) would be transformed by the renewing of his (her) mind. Then he (she) will be able to test and approve what Your will is—Your good, pleasing and perfect will. Amen.”

Rather than pretending sin always appears gross from the outside, I want them to know that sin can sometimes appear attractive. But I also want them to know that the pleasure of sin is always empty and fleeting (Hebrews 11:25) and that the consequences of sin always outweigh the momentary thrill. I want them to know that they will sometimes need to stand alone as scoffers try to make following God look foolish.

Fruitful in Each Season

As for the blessed man, “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Rather than seeing God’s law as an obstacle to self-expression, the blessed man loves the law because he delights in God Himself. He wants to please his Lord, so he spends each day reading and reflecting on His Word.

Unlike a wild tree growing randomly in the forest, the blessed man is like a tree intentionally planted in fertile soil by streams of water. His roots go down deep in the Word of God, so his life “yields fruit in its season” (v. 3).

What does it mean to produce fruit in its season? I take it to mean that the fruit of a blessed man will show up in various ways and seasons of life. When trials afflict him, he shows the fruit of patience. When good things happen, he grows more thankful and generous. When called to lead, he shows both courage and humility. When slandered, he responds with love.

The Truly Blessed Man

If I am honest, however, I must admit that I don’t always look like the blessed man of Psalm 1. There are times when I have listened to “the counsel of the wicked” rather than meditating on the law of the Lord. In fact, no Christian can say they have perfectly listened to God’s voice over the siren’s call of the world. That’s a problem because, as Willem VanGemeren has observed, the perfect mood of the Hebrew grammar in Psalm 1 “emphasizes that the godly are never involved with anything tainted with evil.”[2] So where does that leave us?

Ultimately, only Jesus has perfectly lived as the blessed man of Psalm 1. He alone never followed the path of sin and perfectly obeyed the Father’s will. The good news of the gospel is that when we repent and trust in Christ, we get to share in the blessing that Jesus alone deserved (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Not only that, but as we walk with the Lord, we become more like Him. The more we are emptied of our own selfish desires, the more we can be full of Christ. The more we seek joy in His will for our lives, the more we will be fruitful and prosper (v. 3).

“The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.” (Psalm 1:4, ESV)

I think of a combine harvester in the Willamette Valley where I live, separating the grain from the husks. The psalmist says the wicked are like empty husks, with no kernel inside. They are weightless and driven by the wind. The righteous, by contrast, are like a solid tree that can withstand even hurricane force winds.

As I think about such a blessed person, I can’t help thinking of my wife’s grandmother, Ruth Bell, who recently died. Despite living as a widow for several years and struggling with various health challenges toward the end of her life, she always exhibited the fruit of someone whose roots go down to the waters of life. Knowing her Savior and His Word deeply made her increasingly like Him.

This is the Lord’s goal for all of us, that we would be shaped by His Word and that we would have the blessing of being known by Him (v. 6). True success and blessing is found in living a fruitful life for the Lord.

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] The Hebrew uses a term that can speak of both men and women.

[2] Willem A. VanGemeren, Psalms, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 79.

The Rich Will Fade Away

On March 2, 2023March 3, 2023 By Jason SmithIn Devotional, Theology for Life2 Comments

As a society, we tend to revere the wealthy even while denying that fact, don’t we? Sure, some may say, “Down with the rich!” But even then, their actions demonstrate they actually want to be the rich. Think about how much focus is on the wealthy in our news media. If a wealthy couple walks into a restaurant, don’t they tend to get special treatment? Even closer to home, isn’t this often the case in a church?

Many churchgoers today assume that wealth is an inherent sign of God’s blessing. Some will even assume that those who have great faith will have great wealth. But the Book of James says nearly the opposite:

“Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” (James 2:5, ESV)

Shattering Expectations

Certainly, this is a general statement, not particular to every case, but we shouldn’t let that diminish the force of what James is saying here. Contrary to expectations, God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith. This is ironic, because isn’t it our natural tendency to look down on the poor? Of course, we see great importance in supporting and caring for the destitute. But who are you more likely to ask for advice: a wealthy man or a poor man? How many times have you come to a street corner, seen someone holding a sign asking for something, and immediately thought: Man, I sure wish he would just get a job and contribute something to society?

Isn’t that how we tend to think?

Earlier in James, we read something else unexpected:

“Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.” (James 1:9-10, ESV)

You see what James is doing here? He’s flipping the script. He says it’s the little guy of little means who really has reason to boast. Why? Because his confidence is in God. Without money, it has to be! He knows full well that he can’t count on his financial resources, so he’s truly rich because he’s relying fully on God. Meanwhile, the rich will fade away like the wildflower.

Fading like the Flower

“For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.” (James 1:11, ESV)

If you consider yourself a gardener, you know how much work is involved with the endeavor. You might spend hours just in preparation. After weeks of waiting, you finally see those buds of your favorite flower first begin to open. You’ve given much time and effort to reach this moment, and now you get to see that beautiful chrysanthemum open up, with all its beautiful and tiny petals reaching out.

Or maybe you’re more into peonies, and you see your flowers bloom in May, with all the soft pinks and whites. It’s exquisite. But then what happens? The summer heat of June and July comes and that once-glorious flower ever so quickly wilts, turns brown, and fades away.

What a picture. All the beauty and glory of that flower lasts for only a very short time – sometimes only a handful of days – and then it’s gone.

In the Middle East, where James is writing, this is even more evident. There will be times in the spring where you can look out over a hillside and see all kinds of wildflowers in bloom, a beautiful sea of purples, oranges, and yellows. But in a very short time, that east wind will come and the desert sun will beat down on them and those beautiful flowers will fade, just as quickly.

James says that those who put all their stock in their material possessions are like those flowers. They are certainly beautiful; there is a glory about them. But it’s oh so temporary.

And the image of a flower is perfect because flowers are so flimsy and fragile aren’t they?

My boys will often pick flowers for my wife Whitney from the park or our backyard. Their intentions are great. They want to give their mom a flower. But sometimes, before making their floral delivery, they will climb the slide or roll around in the grass. By the time they give the flower to Whitney, it’s limp and pulled apart. Why? Because they are boys and flowers are fragile.

In God’s economy, the rich and powerful of this world are like that flower. Although there is a beauty and glory to their wealth and luxury, they are actually very lowly because nothing they own will last. In reality, their lives are so fragile.

It’s been said… Money will buy:

A bed, but not sleep.
Books, but not brains.
Food, but not appetite.
A house, but not a home.
Medicine, but not health.
Amusement, but not happiness.
Finery, but not beauty.
A crucifix, but not a Savior.

And notice James says, “the rich will fade away” even while they are going about their business, even in the midst of their spending endless hours studying the stock market, coordinating deals, or spending many nights away from home. The world has taught them to define their lives by their financial gains, but it all will eventually fade away.

This is a warning to all of us about the dangers of relying on material wealth. Of infinitely greater value are the spiritual riches that come from reliance on Christ.

The True Riches of Christ

Way back in the 1890s, Youssuf Ishmaelo, was an international wrestling sensation known as “the Terrible Turk.” Ishmaelo was a man of enormous proportions, known for his incredible strength. And of course, as his popularity rose, so did his wealth. At one point, he demanded his winnings in gold and strapped them into his belt, which he never removed.

On his way back from a victory match in America, he was sailing across the Atlantic and his ship sank. According to the surviving eyewitnesses, Ishmaelo was “like a wild beast,” barreling through crowds and knocking people out of his way. At one point, he jumped onto one of the life boats already full of passengers, and the force of his enormous weight capsized the boat and knocked everyone into the water. Ishmaelo was an incredible swimmer, but he alone sank under the waves, dragged to the bottom by the weight of his $10,000 gold belt.[1]

Many people have eternally sunk because they were clutching so tightly to their wealth and looking to money for the security that only our sovereign God can give.

But this isn’t just a warning for the rich. It’s a warning for anyone who would bank all their hope on how much they have. When things get tighter financially, our hearts are being tested, aren’t they? Are we really trusting that God can provide for our every need, or does our confidence in God rise and fall with the stock market or the amount in our bank account?

But in the midst of this warning, God wants to encourage us. He wants us to see that we who have Christ are truly wealthy. We have eternal riches in Him, and He is worth more than anything that money could buy. As Jesus so memorably put it:

“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36, BSB)

If you have Christ, you really do have everything. He is the mainspring of all true joy. You can find your identity in Him. And when you are in Christ’s family, the new heavens and the new earth are your future inheritance. God’s children are headed for nothing less than unhindered access to the unfading glory and beauty of God Himself. Even today, God promises to care for His own.

Keep your lives free from the love of money; and be satisfied with what you have; for God himself has said, “I will never fail you or abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5, CSB)

Have thoughts on this post? Feel free to comment below!

[1] Randy Alcorn, Giving is the Good Life: The Unexpected Path to Purpose and Joy.