"This Life Only"

I'm struck by the logic and power of God's sharp word in 1 Corinthians 15:19 (it's like a scalpel--sharp but good):  "If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied."

Not only is it pitiful to follow a kind of "Christianity" that denies or disregards the historical, bodily resurrection of Jesus and/or the promise of bodily resurrection into glorious future life for all who trust in Jesus, but it's pitiful as well when we say we believe these things but still live in such a way that our heart's passion and energy and attention is all caught up in the here-and-now.

And yet, that kind of pitiful state is so easy to fall into!  "Lord, awaken my silly heart from its dream of earthly bliss and from the illusion of the world's security, and focus it in on real joy, the lasting and infinite joy of knowing you--now and forever."

A Word of Hope

A message of God's transforming power--don't miss it:

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"My Chains"

Several of the letters God inspired the Apostle Paul to write were penned in prison.  In fact, it’s on account of declaring the message of Christ, Paul says, that “I am in prison” (Colossians 4:3), and he urges the church to “Remember my chains” (4:18; see also 1:24; 4:10).  Just imagine what it was like—chains on his ankles clanking, sores bleeding, rats scurrying, cold and dark … as he wrote!  Philippians, Philemon, Ephesians, and 2 Timothy are also prison letters.

I don’t know about you, but when my circumstances go south, I’m tempted to wallow in frustration over how things ought to go better for me—why do I have to put up with this?  It isn’t right!  (Etc.)  But that’s exactly what we don’t find in Paul’s Prison Letters.  Despite chains, he’s free to bless and encourage and build up believers as he shepherds them from a distance.  Just think what he says; consider the content and tone of this prisoner’s message as he writes the church at Colossae:

Colossians oozes with gratitude; Paul is grateful to the Lord for his brothers and sisters in Jesus, thankful for how they’ve learned and grown and given testimony to the Gospel in their mission (1:3; cf. 1 Thess 5:18).  How would my gratitude hold up if I were bound in chains?  How about you?

Colossians overflows with praise, with highest worship of the all-glorious, eternal Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator and Sustainer of “all things,” the Head of the Church, who is the very Fullness of God, the Preemi­nent Redeemer (1:15-20).  Praise from prison! (of course, we’ve seen this before [Acts 16:25]).

Colossians reports how Paul boldly, confidently rebukes the false teachers who propagate insidious error (2:8-23).  This is not a letter from a timid man, pining away with his chains, hoping someone might just pay attention to his “two cents” on the matter.  Rather, it’s a definitive, authoritative word, inspired by the God of the Universe, to defend and declare life-giving truth.

Colossians may speak from behind bars, as it were, but it pulsates with hope of Christ’s appearing in all his glory, and to our union with him (3:4).  The Apostle’s anticipation of his Lord’s future full victory will not be squelched.

Colossians looks right past the obstacles of captivity to the advance of the Gospel, calling for prayer that God would open doors, pave the way and help his ambassadors speak the word of Christ—to make it clear, so that many might find true freedom (4:2-4)!

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Picturing Heaven

How do you envision the life to come? Revelation 21-22 paints a picture of the glorious new heavens and new earth: the ultimate wedding celebration (21:2, 9); no more tears or grief or pain (21:4); we drink at the fountain of life (21:6); the New Jerusalem is radiant, massive, gleaming—and in that world there’s no night: the glory of God is its light (21:23-25).

As the Apostle John scrambles for images and metaphors to help us imagine what he saw in the definitive revelation of what’s to come (1:11, 19), it begins to dawn on us—if we’ll just be quiet and sit still and take it in—that the future world for all who eagerly await Jesus’ return (Heb 9:28) will be awesome beyond belief!

Romans 8:18 makes a similar point but from a different angle: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth com paring with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Today’s trials, even Paul’s manifold, gut-wrenching afflictions (see 2 Cor 11:23-29), are minimal-miniscule-inconsequential when compared to the glories of heaven. This is not to minimize the real pain of suffering—not at all. Rather, it’s to underscore how mind-boggling and category-demolishing are the wonders of the life to come.

Let this sink in. Think of our world’s most grave tribulations—as in Hebrews 11:35-38 (torture, scourging, stoning, being sawn in two). Think of AIDS and cholera and earthquakes and suicide bombings and serial murders… Let the sorrow and horror of these things wash over you like a great wave: yes, they’re wretched beyond words. But then remember that the degree of heaven’s splendor makes the degree of misery in such suffering seem like nothing. Do the math: if being sawn in two scores -10 on a scale of 1 to 10, heaven scores +1,000,000. That’s why Paul can call his mountain of trials a “slight momentary affliction” (2 Cor 4:17).

Are you facing pain, are your loved ones suffering? Let today’s adversity catapult your imagination God-ward—let it help you envision the joy awaiting all who love Jesus. Because today’s misery is not even worth comparing to the glories of heaven!

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Hope in Christ "only for this life"?

God’s word of Easter hope from 1 Corinthians 15 is glorious—hundreds of eyewitnesses confirming Christ’s resurrection, and as the “first-fruits” of victory over death the risen Lord prom­ises that all “who belong to him” will rise again to true, eternal life (v 23). This is “good news” (v 1)—the greatest news! But 15:19 still reverberates in my mind: “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.” Is it possible that we could fall back into that pitiful state?

“This life” stands in contrast to life beyond the grave (remember, you were made for forever, Eccl 3:11). Human experience includes our here-and-now “three score and ten” (or so) in which we walk this earth, but it also includes one’s eternal destiny (i.e., heaven or hell). All who are in Christ will put on imperishable, immortal resurrec­tion bodies for the everlasting joys of heaven (15:26, 54-57).

But what would it look like to hope in Christ “only for this life”? On the one hand, it would mean regarding Christ as being able to bring some relief of today’s troubles. But on the other hand, it would mean disre­gard­ing and devaluing (or even rejecting) his promise of resurrection life and all the wonders of heaven! How sad—pitiful, actually—that some at Corinth fell for this incomplete, twisted, unbiblical theology (vv 12-15).

In our day a hot trend in certain cutting edge church circles is to turn to Jesus for comfort and peace and justice and relief of earthly suffering. Sometimes this is called “kingdom” ministry (as if the kingdom of God had to do with improving our living situation here and now but had little or nothing to do with life after death). Frequently those who wave this flag think they’ve found the way to make Jesus “relevant” to a broken world. Typically they present Jesus as a model of radical justice and love to be followed, but not as the Sovereign Lord to be believed and worshipped. Commonly they divert the historic mission of the church from making disciples among all the people groups (Matt 28:18-20—loving whole people, body and soul) to meeting physical needs today.

God calls us to be discerning and courageous as we follow his Word, and thus refuse to limit Jesus’ message and ministry to present-world woes. Hoping in Christ only for this life would be pitiful! But can I point fingers without also being guilty of such offenses? Is the looming reality of heaven impinging every moment on my mind and my way of life? Is my hope in Christ riveted on the promise of resurrection? Or do I, too, shrink Jesus, ignore heaven, and live to maximize earthly comforts?

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Waiting for the Morning

We live in tumultuous times. Granted, a “Bubonic Plague” isn’t wiping out half our population; obviously, things could be worse. But the convergence of escalating campaign tensions, a “once in a century credit tsunami” (Greenspan’s expression), and the other life challenges we face can discourage and depress: this is a moment when our faith in Christ is on the stand. I urge you to find time today to let the life-giving, perspective-providing Word of God in Psalm 130 (NIV) speak to your soul [brackets indicate my comments]:

1) Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; [Let your weakness, fears and afflictions prompt you to turn to God and not just to stimulate greater self-motivation; “the depths” is a place of helplessness from which we need the Lord to lift us up. Can you admit to being there?]

2) O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy. [Of course, calling for mercy means confessing sin—we’re not just down or downcast because of bad stuff “out there” coming at us, but also because of our own wayward, rebellious hearts.]

3) If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? 4) But with you there is forgive­ness; therefore you are feared. [Notice this absolutely crucial connection—really important: awareness of God’s mercy and forgiveness does NOT lead to an attitude on our part of taking sin lightly (“You can always confess later…”), but to an attitude of deep awe and reverence: God is “feared.”]

5) I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. 6) My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. [Faith involves waiting—yet waiting has no meaning if all is well, if all is easy, sunny and smiley. God builds all kinds of “waiting rooms” into our lives, and he does so for our good: waiting is just what the Great Physician has ordered for us. How do you handle life in the “waiting room”?]

7) O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. 8) He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. [Notice the adjectives describing the Lord’s love and redemption: they are “unfailing” and “full.” Notice the reach of God’s redeeming love: from “all” their sins. Amidst the tsunamis of today, with our minor crises and even some major calamities, let the strong, unshakable love of God calm your soul and undergird your faith!]

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The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is an exciting yet very difficult topic. Difficult because the word “king­dom” has all kinds of distracting con­no­tations for us. First, we tend to think in spatial terms when we hear the word—a kingdom is a place, a territory. Second, the vast majority of today’s kings and queens are relatively impotent. By contrast, the New Testament envisions "kingdom" as dynamic, active kingship; it means the reign of God, the Lord in saving action. And further, the Bible’s conception of kingship involves serious authority (unlike that of figurehead royalty in many modern monarchies): if the king commands it, it is done. Period.

Yet it’s exciting, even exhilarating, when we realize God’s kingship is dynamic and powerful. When Jesus announces in Mark 1:15, “The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news,” it means he’s taking over and we’re invited to join in his bold, life-changing, victorious cause! Caesar can haul out all the spears and chariots he wants to, but the King of Kings is launching a greater, deeper, bigger revolution to transform people’s lives from the inside out. As they say in Narnia, “Aslan is on the move.”

But remember, Jesus also teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come” (Matt 6:10). Even though God’s reign is dawning, the fullness of his royal power is restrained until the Last Day. God’s reign is “now but not yet”; the end of times has been inaugurated in Jesus’ first coming, but it will only be consummated with his second coming.

It’s like we live between D-Day and VE-Day: the decisive blow has been dealt to the Enemy and the outcome of the war is now clear (in WWII it became clear after D-Day that the Allies would win; in spiritual terms, the death and resurrec­tion of Christ confirmed ultimate victory). But battles rage on, and in this age the Enemy fights us fiercely—all the more so as he realizes, with fury, that his doom is sure.

So let’s join together, fighting with weapons of love, resting in our solid hope, and seeking the fullness of God’s reign by going about his business for our times to make disciples among all peoples (see Matt 24:14; 28:18-20; 2 Peter 3:8-9), in the joy and for the glory of the Lord!