When you look through the titles at your favorite book source or pay attention to the subject matter of many Christian radio or TV programs, it becomes evident that living a better life consumes the thoughts of many believers these days. It reflects that, as a community, at least here in North America, we think that pursuing a more attractive lifestyle is a worthwhile activity and it might even be expected of us. That can only be possible if we also believe that Christians will not only be victorious at the end of time, but also destined to reign here in this lifetime, with the grace we’ve been given. Such was not the focus of the church throughout much of history when believers faced persecution or, like everybody else, various plagues and conflicts among the nations. There is bias against Christians in the American landscape in the 21st century but certainly not at the level our brethren experienced back in the day.
The pervasive eschatology seems to head in the direction of “the world is going to hell in a hand basket” and it’s only going to get worse and worse until Jesus comes riding in with the heavenly host to bail us out of our sticky circumstances, rapturing us out, and up, to paradise with the remaining miserable non-believers “left behind” to receive their just desserts. They, after all, wouldn’t receive our witness and were so debauched anyway, it’s good to know they’ll get what’s coming to them while we enjoy the fruits of our hard-earned goodness in the presence of the Lord who loves us precisely because of our hard-earned goodness. Or so the thinking goes with minor variations on that theme.
But there is an obvious paradox in this paradigm: how can we anticipate a world that will get worse in the days ahead and at the same time train ourselves to be better, more beautiful people if we expect life on this planet as we know it to come crashing down at any moment because of its own bad behavior based on its faulty philosophies? Could it be because deep down we believe that light overcomes any amount of darkness and that, in the end, the earth is ours to inherit, inhabit, and enjoy and that the end of the age could wind up being a bigger surprise than any of us can imagine?
Think about it. The pundits of the day were all mystified by Jesus’ first incarnation as a baby born in a place meant for livestock in a sleepy off-the-radar suburb followed by an inconspicuous upbringing in a region most self-respecting church folk wouldn’t be caught dead in, and then a ministry culminated by a motley collection of street people shouting hosannas as the King of the universe rode into the capitol city on the back of a jack-ass, and topped off by a brutal execution, then blowing everyone’s mind by his resurrection and ascension. Absolutely nobody was ready for any of that even though all of it had been prophesied and the prophets were looking for a sign. Even with all the New Testament clues mixed in the blender, are any of us really smart enough to unravel the mystery of how his next appearance will go down when we’ve been told not to think a whole lot about it in the first place?
But back to the self-improvement motif. The question is this: does spending so much time on improving our condition or lot in life have validity and kingdom value in this day and age? And is such pursuit relevant when there are so many pressing problems in the world including massive starvation and disease in third world countries, raw persecution of Christians in the Middle East and other places, and serious church needs in accomplishing its mission on a broken planet at war with itself?
At first glance, we could easily dismiss any self-improvement effort as self-absorbed and unjustified in the face of all the global complexities with which we have to deal. But it may not be as simple as that. It’s kind of like telling a new Christian or prospective convert, “God has a wonderful plan for your life,” stated as if once one accepts Jesus, life will be just a bowl of cherries and he or she will have the world by the tail on a downhill drag. That may be quite far from the truth as life plays out. Jesus himself didn’t promise his disciples a comfortable life. Quite the opposite. Yes, peace, joy, and abundance are ours for the taking and those are available in some sense regardless of our circumstances.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be a better husband, or wife, or parent, or employee, or employer, or be more proficient in any calling. There’s a plethora of role models in the Bible to help us along our journey with their good or bad examples. God’s people should always set the standard for right living and exemplary character. But we do it not out of a sense of duty but one of gratitude to the one who pulled us out of our wretchedness that we might demonstrate God’s eagerness to exchange beauty for ashes.
The snare we must be aware of is this: trying to use the Bible as a how-to manual for all of life’s problems and challenges, not that it’s not capable of being that, but understanding that wasn’t the main reason for which it was written. The reason for the Bible’s existence is primarily for the revelation of the mystery of God’s kingdom which ultimately points to Christ as savior and redeemer and the new creation in the here-and-now as well as in the future at Jesus’ appearing. So there are two considerations which need our utmost attention. One is the mystery itself. There is nothing wrong with things remaining a mystery to us. If we had it all figured out, we wouldn’t need God. There is a mystery about the relationship between a man and a woman in love and the living out of that love and all its nuances. My wife is more a mystery to me today than when we met almost fifty years ago. And a wonderful one at that! There is an equally mysterious character about the kingdom of God itself, the kingdom of heaven. Let it remain a mystery. You can’t figure it out anyway. Now we see dimly. But then, face to face. The Bible simply reveals to us that there is a heavenly kingdom and by all accounts, it is really far out!
The second consideration to be contemplated is Jesus Christ and his role in the kingdom, the world, and our lives. From Genesis to Revelation, the book keeps pointing to him. Paul told Timothy to study scripture (and he was referring to the Old Testament) for correct doctrine and instruction in righteousness, not how to be a perfect gentleman while courting his wife-to-be or how to be a more caring pastor or a more effective evangelist. “Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” Outside the gospels, the rest of the New Testament was written to correct doctrinal error (aimed mainly at Gnostics and Judaizers). When scriptural statements are made to women about being feminine, they weren’t intended to imply it’s a sin if she doesn’t wear the right color lipstick or that she wear any at all. Coloring ourselves beautiful is expressed from the inside out. The King and the kingdom are within us. The enemy wants to warp that desire of betterment out of proportion and prioritize it in a way that moves us to pride and prejudice. Jesus keeps our perspective pure and our motives clean.
Terry Everroad
lionsheadcafe.com 