In an age of the church when popular theology, fed by numerous best selling Christian books and consistent messages from various pulpits, holds that God wants to bless us beyond our wildest imagination, and that he is the "Wish Fulfiller" and the "Dream Giver", the message of the martyrs still stands in stark contrast. The martyrs remind us that God's blessings are not always in this world. The following quotation is from the seventh century Father Maximus Confessor who, for all of his faith, piety, and devotion to God, had his tongue cut out and his right hand cut off:
"Pray through the Lord that God might perfect his mercy with our lowliness, and that He might teach us that those who sail along with Him experience a savage sea, like a ship which is driven about by winds and waves but stands firm and unshakable."
I also keep a quotation from Francis Asbury near my desk that challenges me on a daily basis:
"The more troubles I meet, the more convinced I am that I do the will of God."
I don't imagine that this kind of theology will ever be popular or will ever make the best seller list, but I do believe that it is true.
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This is certainly a tough issue and I did not mean to make it so black and white. Of course I believe that many of the good things that happen in this earthly life can be attributed to God. However, I think we often take this too far and make the equation that when good things happen to you, it is a sign that you are being faithful and when bad things happen to you, it is a sign that you are being unfaithful. This is simply not the case as witnessed to by Jesus and by the martyrs, all of whom died precisely because they were being faithful.
The reason that there is not a one to one correlation is that we live in a fallen world that is not entirely in submission to God. God allows humanity to go its own way, and as a result many of the systems of this world are corrupt and the fact is that if you do live by the principles of faith, you are not always rewarded - on this earth. Psalm 73 suggests that it is often the opposite - "Behold, these are the wicked and always at ease, they have increased in wealth. Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and washed my hands in innocence. For I have been stricken all day long and chastened every morning."
In America, where Christianity has so long been the dominant religion and still it seems that there are advantages to claiming the faith, it is hard to see how being a Christian can actually be a source of rebuke from the world, as the NT suggests. This may be a blessing in one sense, but it may also be a curse, as people can begin to equate the church with America and assume that if you are a good American, than you are a good Christian. Point of fact, however, the values of capitalism and America are not identical to the values of the Gospel and are often the very opposite. Thus, we are lulled to sleep by our comfort and assume that our comfort is a blessing from God.
A day might be coming however when it no longer is profitable to be a Christian in this land, and then we might be forced to choose between our comforts and our faith, as the early martyrs were forced to do. Will we be able then to see that Scripture witnesses that is the true way of conformity with Christ, or will we be so ensconced in our comfort that we will convince ourselves that God would never want us to suffer? I can only hope - because I like comfort as much as the next guy -that in my own case i will choose the former.
Does any of this make sense?
Might I also add that I don't believe that every time bad things happen to a person that it necessarily means he or she is doing the will of God. Bad things could happen as a result of bad choices.
I guess the crucial thing - to sum up my rambling comments here - is that we resist the temptation to make a one to one correlation between perceived blessings and faithfulness and hardships and unfaithfulness. The martyrs show us that one can be faithful and still experience suffering.
I don't know if I can foresee a time in America where Christians will be outright persecuted as they are in Africa or China right now. However, I can definitely see a time and it may even be happening right now, where true Orthodox Christianity is challenged and if you maintain the historic doctrines and convictions, you will be thought naive and intolerant. This is certainly happening today and it may be an increasing sentiment.
Though this will make things harder, I do not necessarily think it is a bad thing as it will force the world to see a difference between Christians and those professing belief in some higher being. The world needs to see a difference for Christianity to have any positive influence.
Thanks for your probing questions and helping me to think through this more clearly as well -it is a nice break from studying!
God does want me to live a full and abundant life -- the question is: what does that mean?
In this culture, we equate the words full and abundant with "good" and "happy" and "prosperous" -- free from tragedy, want or hardship. And we define being productive and fruitful by earthly standards.
It is hard for us to imagine that a good and loving God would equate full and abundant with a life that includes sacrifice, toil, set-backs and sadness. But, we need to consider that just maybe he does. To us who know just a little, this lifetime is so huge, so we want for it to be "good". But to God who knows all, this lifetime is but a small part of our eternal lives.
We know that there exist many many people who suffer poverty, want and hardship but exhibit more love and joy in their lives than you and I. You hear about a cancer diagnosis being a blessing, causing a person to appreciate every new day with joy never experienced before. We also have seen that to be wildly successful by the standards of this culture (to have a "good" life) often results in emptiness, self-centeredness and self-worship, OR self-loathing and the pursuit of all sorts of false Gods. Through the ages, it has been experienced and witnessed to, that growth -- in faith, in character, in knowledge of God -- comes, not in the times when the goodness of life elevates us, but when the troubles of life lay us low.
Like I think you said, Jackson, I like to be happy as much as the next guy, and I find myself striving, even praying, for alot of things that will "make me happy". Even when my prayers are for the joy and fruit of the Spirit that come from his indwelling, I am still making it all about me, when I should be praying for the faithful life that is all about God.
Nowhere does the Bible call me to be "happy" - actually I'm not even sure that my happiness is high on God's list of priorities. God calls me to be holy and faithful. I believe that God's idea of full and abundant is what I get when that is my yearning, my prayer and my goal - not to be happy, but to be holy.
Love your blogs, Jackson, AND all of the great comments.....MomK
I think the Book of Psalms is a good representation of what Jackson is talking about here. One of my favorites is Psalm 71. The psalmist is talking about his troubles and asking God to deliver him, acknowledging his troubles. But chosing anyway to "yet praise Him" in the midst of it all (v.14). That is true joy...no matter what.
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