Another year has passed, and I think we can all see that the road ahead looks anything but smooth. In worldly terms, hope is scarce to non-existent. Chaos rules, and since people hate chaos even more than they love justice and freedom, violence and the resulting authoritarianism seem inevitable, barring a miracle of God’s grace.
What does “The Way” look like to a follower of Jesus in times like these?
There are many ways to look at the times we are now facing. One is to compare it to our experiences of the last few decades. (If we are old enough to do that.) Another way is to look back at church history and see how the Church has responded to upheaval and opposition at other times. Yet another way to gain perspective is to look forward to the promises of God, the coming full realization of the kingdom of God, and the return of the King.
Faith to Endure
Let’s begin by looking back. A big-picture look through the Bible and Church history shows us, first of all, that Christianity is not a utopian religion. The world of the early Church was as far from Utopia as a world can be. And yet, the Church grew and even thrived in this unjust and brutal environment. It survived through the same power that gave it birth: the power of God. As Jesus once said,
With man, it is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.
Faith in God gives us strength and direction for the road ahead. The encouragement to remain faithful till the end is a recurring theme in both the Old and New Testaments. Trying times test our faith, but history teaches us that these trials will not break our faith but rather, as James tells us,
My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything. But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways. James 1:2-8[NET]
There is a lot to take in here regarding our trials and faith, but it’s clear that our faith grows stronger by overcoming the troubles of this world. History tells us that James maintained his faith through to martyrdom. So, I think he knew what he was talking about. We have the same God and the same Spirit James had, so we can be sure that our faith will hold. John gives us a similar encouragement in his first letter,
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John 5:4-5[ESV]
This passage speaks not only of a faith that endures but also of a faith that overcomes or conquers. So, let’s examine this aspect of faith as we look toward the uncertain road ahead.
A Faith that Conquers
In our current culture, words like “conquer” are seriously out of vogue. However, the Bible does not shy away from this aspect of faith, and neither should we if we understand it correctly. In modern circles, Christianity is too often imagined as passive and harmless. Aggression is almost universally seen as sin, or at least, the road to sin. But evil is aggressive and relentless, and we are repeatedly told that we must conquer it. Kindness toward people who mistreat us is a good thing, but a passive attitude toward evil is an entirely different matter. We need to conquer evil, not passively watch it grow. We must speak the truth in love, but to do that, we must tell the truth to others. If Jesus had remained silent, he would have never had any impact. If John the Baptist had remained quiet, he would never have been imprisoned and ultimately killed. The truth has consequences, but so does allowing lies to spread unchecked.
The idea of aggressively dealing with evil begins with God’s advice to Cain in Genesis 4,
Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry and why are you scowling? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin crouches at the door and desires to control you, but you must rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7[Unlocked Literal Bible]
Unfortunately, Cain did not listen and ultimately murdered his brother rather than aggressively deal with his sin. Being aggressive with evil actually would have prevented him from doing violence to his brother. This encouragement to take an aggressive attitude toward sin and evil continues all the way through the Bible to the book of Revelation, where “conquering to the end” is a repeated phrase.
So, what am I saying? Perhaps this year, more than any other in recent memory, we will need to stand strong together in faith. We need faith in God and His ability to do what no human could ever do. A faith that does not waiver in the face of opposition. A faith that does not take a casual approach to evil. A faith that loves our enemies but does not sit idly by refusing to speak the truth in places where the truth is so desperately needed.
This may seem like a dark way to approach the coming year, but I don’t think it is. In good times, we tend to forget our absolute need for God and each other and become careless. A careless attitude toward evil is the opposite of conquering to the end. And being passive and indifferent to those around us is the opposite of love.
Trying times are nothing to look forward to, but they are nothing to dread either because, in Christ, we have everything we need to endure and conquer. Remember what Paul told us in Romans 8,
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39[ESV]
Together, we are the body of Christ, the physical manifestation of Jesus to this present age. Remember what Jesus said in John,
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.
In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33[ESV]
This Week(and this year)
Our first victory for the coming year must be over hopelessness in ourselves and those around us. If we are going to make resolutions, let the first one be to speak the truth in such a way as to inspire faith in everyone we meet. Faith conquers hopelessness in ourselves and those around us.
To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’ Rev 2:7b[ESV]
The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Rev 3:21[ESV]
This week, this year, let’s resolve to be agents of faith and hope, thereby conquering this world's evil, lies, and hopelessness.
And let’s have a Happy New Year together! (In faith!)
Have a great week!
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