Optimism, pessimism and the Christian life
I am currently working on a book to help introduce a new Christian to the Christian life. And as I have been writing it, I have been wrestling with the question of what should a new Christian expect? In particular, what should they expect about the results of being godly in the world?
I must admit to struggling quite a bit with this question. On the one hand, 2 Timothy 3:12 tells me “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”. It's just a natural outworking of Jesus' own teaching isn't it? No-one is greater than their master, and if our master was nailed to a tree for godliness, what sort of response should we expect? Peter certainly expected that ‘alien’ living would result in being hated by the world: “[T]hey are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you” (1 Pet 4:4).
And yet for all the ‘pessimism’ of the Scriptures (if that's the right way to express it), the Bible also speaks very positively about godliness and its effects. Titus reminds his readers on no less than three occasions in Titus 2 that godliness adorns the teaching about God our Saviour. Lives that are genuinely different to the ways of this world say something about the importance of the Lordship of Jesus. I take it that Jesus is saying something similar when he talks about not covering our light, but placing it on top of the hill to shine in Matthew 5:14-16. What does he say? “[L]et your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
It seems to me that, once again, we find the great reality of the cross at work: it is only through suffering that glory comes. The same life that leads some to persecute us will be the very life that leads those that God has chosen to seek the truth. True love will always be met by both rejoicing and hatred; in a life this side of heaven, there can be no other way. The trick for me is to remain optimistic because of the grace and sovereignty of God, while being realistic: God promises that persecution will come.
Now if only I could find a way of helping others to be both optimistic and realistic while, at the same time, struggling to get it together in my own life! I wonder: how do you expect people to react to you being godly today?
It’s the aroma of Christ thing, isn’t it? To some my being godly will be the stench of death and to others it will be the fragrance of life.
I think there’s a significant difference between suffering experienced as a Christian and suffering experienced without the hope that Jesus holds out to us.
We are exhorted often in the Bible to ...rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. (Romans 5:3-4) So yes, a Christian should expect to suffer, but how much better it is to suffer knowing that we have ...been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name (Acts 5:41)! Our suffering as Christians is not in vain, but is part of God’s plan for our sanctification. Without Christ suffering is simply painful and meaningless.
I have just been reading Pilgrim’s Progress again… in a way this is exactly Bunyan’s subject. And he does it so simply and memorably too… There’s heaps of wisdom in it for the new Christian looking down the road of the Christian life and wondering what may come.
What about ‘joy’?
(What about it… I hear you say)
Well, if we have an understanding of what a relationship with God looks like; one where we respond to His love by seeking to act through love in a way that glorifies Him - then the expectation is that we will be filled with joy.
So I would expect that if a new Christian was to conclude that a relationship with God is the purpose of life, and start living a godly life, then they could expect to be filled with unspeakable joy.
I think we underplay the great wisdom gained when we recognise the hand of the Father of Jesus in the world.
We’ve been working through Ecclesiastes at our church. It’s fully convinced that sin’s presence in the world makes certainty of the future impossible and pleasure short lived. But it also gives grounds for using wisdom in a world made by God and under a theological conviction of God’s coming judgment. It really does offer a better life with realistic expectations.
Commenting rules
If you would like your comment to be considered for publication, please observe the following rules:
Failure to adhere to these rules will result in your comment being quietly deleted.
If you want to give us feedback but don't want your comments to appear on the blog, DON'T use the form below. Instead, please send us an email or click on the button below.
Your Comment
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.