In an article last week in The New York Times(March 15, 2106), David Brooks wrote of the way a ‘shame culture’ is replacing a ‘guilt culture’. ‘In a guilt culture’, he writes, ‘people sometimes feel they do bad things; in a shame culture social exclusion makes people feel they are bad’.
Paul the Apostle, in his Letter to the Ephesians sees a deeper problem within us: You were dead through the trespasses and sins2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else (Ephesians 2:1-3).
Our first response to this may be to think he is writing nonsense. We only have to observe the vigorous bodies of athletes, the agile minds of scholars and the charismatic attraction and perfect teeth of celebrities. How can he say that people are dead?
Clearly he sees life from a perspective we usually overlook – the issue of our soul. We all know that we are much more than the sum of our parts, that there is a spiritual dimension to our lives. When it comes to the real issue of life, Paul is saying that having a perfect body or a brilliant mind or the most charismatic personality will not help us. We have a soul problem.
And he tells us why we are spiritually dead: it is because of our trespasses and sins. Trespass is a false step, involving either the crossing of a known boundary or stepping away from the right path. Sin is missing the mark, falling short of a standard.
Trespass and sin highlight our predicament. We have done what we ought not to have done, and we have not done what we ought to have done.
CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE
Here in a sentence is the irony of our human state. Created in God’s image for relationship with him, we choose to live without him. God wants to give life and to love the life he has given. We, also having the capacity to love, turn our love away from the very God who has given us this gift. And, Paul tells us, this is our condition until the Good Shepherd finds us.
But, because God is who he is, Paul can go on to write: But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us… (2:4).
Paul moves here from speaking about us being condemned by God, to the mercy and love of God. He can hold both together because giving life and love is at the heart of God’s nature.
We need to think about this, for then we will realize that we need to pay careful attention to what disappoints and angers God. Like the Prodigal son in Jesus’ parable, we need to come to our senses and turn back to him and worship him, because his justice and love are perfect.
It is because we fail to recognize the gravity of our true condition that we tend to put our trust in other remedies – better government, better education, better laws, more acts of charity, more equal distribution of wealth. There’s no doubt these things are pleasing to God but they can never rescue us from spiritual death, spiritual captivity, or God’s condemnation.
This doesn’t mean that we should give up on providing better education or working towards a more just society, but the fact is we need a radical remedy – and this is just what God has done. God has given us a message of good news that offers life to the dead, freedom to captives, and forgiveness to the condemned.
These events don’t fit our model of the way the world works, but it doesn’t mean they are false.
Let me encourage you to set aside time this Easter to consider afresh the meaning of the cross and the amnesty God now holds out to us because he is rich in mercy. May you know afresh the hope of forgiveness and new life that God holds out to you – a hope that is grounded in the reality that God raised Jesus from the dead.
1 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else.
In a recent article in The New York Times(March 15, 2106), David Brooks wrote of the way a ‘shame culture’ is replacing a ‘guilt culture’. ‘In a guilt culture’, he writes, ‘people sometimes feel they do bad things; in a shame culture social exclusion makes people feel they are bad’.
Paul the Apostle, in his Letter to the Ephesians sees a deeper problem with us: You were dead through the trespasses and sins…
Our first response to this may be to think he is writing nonsense. We only have to observe the vigorous bodies of athletes, the agile minds of scholars and the vivacious personalities and perfect teeth of celebrities. How can he say that people like these are dead?
Clearly he sees life from a perspective we usually overlook – the issue of our soul. We all know that we are much more than the sum of our parts, that there is a spiritual dimension to our lives. When it comes to the real issue of life, Paul is saying that having a perfect body or a brilliant mind or the most charismatic personality will not help us. We have a soul problem.
And he tells us why we are spiritually dead: it is because of our trespasses and sins. Trespass is a false step – involving either the crossing of a known boundary or stepping away from the right path. Sin is missing the mark – falling short of a standard.
The two words highlight our predicament. There are our sins of commission: we have done what we ought not to have done. And our sins of omission: we have not done what we ought to have done.
CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE
Here in a sentence is the irony of our human state. Created in God’s image for relationship with him, we choose to live without him. In his essential nature God wants to give life and to love the life he has given. We, also having the capacity to love, turn our love away from the very God who has given us this gift. And, Paul tells us, this is our condition until the Good Shepherd finds us.
So Paul goes on to write: But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us… (2:4) .
With these words he moves from speaking about the wrath of God to the mercy and love of God. He holds both together because he understands that they are held together in God’s essential nature.
It is so important we think about this, for it makes us realize that we need to pay careful attention to what angers God. It makes us realize that it is only right that we should turn to him and worship him because his justice is perfect.
It is because we fail to recognize the gravity of our true condition that we tend to put our trust in superficial remedies – better government, better education, better laws, more acts of charity, more equal distribution of wealth. There’s no doubt these things are pleasing to God but they can never rescue us from spiritual death, spiritual captivity or God’s condemnation.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that we should give up on providing better education or working towards a more just society, but the fact is we need a radical remedy – and this is just what God has done. God has given us a message of good news that offers life to the dead, freedom to captives, and forgiveness to the condemned.
This is what the first Easter was about – God providing the means for his reconciliation with us through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
You may want to consider:
a ‘culture of shame’ and the real human tragedy;
the way we turn the gift of love to anything but loving the Giver – God;
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.
PRAYER AND CONVERSATION
We neglect three things when we’re too busy: prayer, Bible reading and talking about God. In Colossians 4:6 Paul exhorts us to action.
Talking to God about others – prayer. C.S. Lewis once commented: It’s probably truer to say that God invented both prayer and work for that purpose. God gave us, small creatures that we are, the dignity of being able to contribute to the course of events in two different ways. God listens to our prayers, and when he considers something is for the best, he will act on it. Prayer is very powerful: a potent force. This is why Paul urged the Colossians to be steadfast in prayer. He knew that effective outreach begins with persevering prayer. Prayer was one of the reasons for the terrific outreach success of the first Christians. Continue steadfastly in prayer…, Paul says. ‘Don’t give up! Your prayers may not be answered immediately, but don’t give up.’
The Bible tells us over and over again that God’s great passion is for people turn to him. This is one prayer we know he will answer.
Lifestyle and conversation – a potent combination. Paul’s advice to the Colossians has two parts – life-style and speech. We are all obliged to act wisely and graciously towards people with whom we live and work. We are also obliged to make the most of the opportunities to respond to people about matters of the faith. We are to cultivate our conversation so that it is kind and gracious and seasoned with salt – that is, conversation that is not insipid and puerile, but conversation that has substance.
PRIORITIES OF HOPE
In fact Paul is suggesting that all of us will have opportunities to talk to others about God – his reality and relevance, his amazing love and incredible goodness. Paul may have in mind a similar thought to Peter (I Peter 3:15). ‘When you speak,’ Paul writes, ‘introduce ideas that will stir and provoke questions about the larger issues of life’. All of us hear comments such as, ‘Religion seems so self-righteous’. ‘Everyone is right in their own kind of way.’ ‘I’m not a religious person.’ ‘I hate the rules and restrictions of Christianity!’ Or, ‘You have your ideas and I have mine!’
Have you considered how you might respond to such comments? Pray that you will be alert to these opportunities, and be prepared to answer. This may include a two-minute account of why you came to put your trust in Jesus Christ! Or, you may want to invite your interlocutor to church or a short course such as Christianity Explored.
You may want to consider:
one of the implications of giving an answer is to be able to tell your ‘story’ of how you came to the faith: you may want to think about this and learn to present it naturally and easily; a personal story recounted well holds attention and cannot be refuted;
how worthwhile it is to develop skills in answering questions people ask; resources are available to help us;
the need to provide opportunities for people to learn about the faith – plan to invite friends and family to church and courses such as Christianity Explored.
2 11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.
3 1Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.
THE EXAMPLE OF HOPE
Freedom is a very intoxicating word: all through history the world has produced heroes in the cause of freedom. The people to whom Peter was writing were suffering under one of the most powerful and ruthless dictatorships the world had known – the Roman Empire. These people had no vote; laws were imposed from hundreds of miles away; there was no such thing as free speech. How should professing Christians respond to such a situation? We might have expected Peter to respond to this by saying, ‘Christians of the world unite: cry ‘freedom.’ But he doesn’t.
Abstain: He refers to his readers as ‘aliens and exiles’ – words which emphasize the Christian status as a temporary resident in a world that is not their home – and says, ‘I strongly urge you’ or ‘I strongly appeal to you to abstain (present tense) from the passions of the flesh.’ That is, he is urging his readers constantly to be alert to longings, attitudes and actions that are inconsistent with their Christian profession – lust, greed, envy, covetousness, deception, to name some examples. Such longings, Peter says, wage war against our souls. To entertain these longings which may appear harmless, is to be spiritually naïve, for they make us spiritually weak and our witness ineffective.
Maintain good conduct. ‘Furthermore,’ he says, ‘in all relations with the unbelieving world, you are to maintain good conduct – so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation. This really is quite extraordinary – Peter is saying that even when we’re being slandered and falsely accused, the consistency of our life may still result in the salvation of others. The phrase day of visitation simply means, a day when God visits to bring either blessing or judgment. On that day, Peter tells us, unbelievers who are currently slandering Christians will glorify God. This is the voluntary praise of people who have been converted. Peter is not referring to the forced acknowledgement by unbelievers that God has been right, for the word glorify, which occurs 61 times in the New Testament, never refers to unbelievers who are forced unwillingly to admit that God or his people have been in the right.
That they may glorify God. ‘These people have come to glorify God,’ Peter says, ‘because they have seen your good works; they have been drawn to the Lord who has transformed your life.’ Peter gives us a specific example of hope in the first two verse of chapter 3, where he says that husbands may be converted when they see the good conduct of their Christian wives.
Significantly, 1 Peter 2: 11-12 is telling us that as we put away sinful longings and work at living an exemplary patterns of life, our changed lifestyle will be evident to others. Indeed, it may be because they have been personally touched and affected by some dramatic and unexpected act of kindness by one of God’s people that they come to hear of the gospel or the Lord Jesus Christ. Humanly speaking, somewhere along the way people need to hear the gospel.
You may want to consider:
the way in which God has entrusted his good name to those who profess to be his people: our actions can cause people to reject God or turn to him;
the way in which reaching out to others involves more than words;
practical ways in which we can adorn the gospel – see Titus 2:10.
14 Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”
LIGHT OF HOPE
We don’t think too much about light and darkness these days: we have light at the flick of a switch. But the imagery of light that Jesus uses here is not lost on us simply because we live in well lit cities: it is because we live in an age of relativism and tolerance. I’m told that some years ago the President of Cornell University addressed a meeting of educators at Harvard University. He was speaking of the need for educational reform and was stressing the need for universities to take seriously the students’ intellectual and moral development. As he said this there were astonished and angry gasps from the audience: ‘Who is going to do the instructing?’ one angry student demanded. ‘Whose morality are we going to follow?’ The audience applauded. The university president sat down: he had no reply.
In an earlier age the answer would have been to point to two thousand or so years of accumulated wisdom and to the moral law of God found in the Old and New Testaments. Today it is a different ball-game: few educators or political leaders would challenge the prevailing assumption that there is no morally binding objective authority or truth above the individual.
THE GOOD NEWS
‘How then do we reach this age with God’s good news?’ we ask. ‘How can we be the light of the world?’ The context of Jesus’ words in verse 16 gives us the clue: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven…”
‘Everything you are, everything you do,’ Jesus was saying to those who would follow him, ‘must reflect all that I have taught you. For that is how others will come to see the mind and the will of God. It won’t happen otherwise.’
It’s an awesome thought. It involves all of us: no-one who calls themselves a Christian is exempt. All of us as individuals are called upon to reflect the light of God in our lives to the world. Whether we like it or not, when people come to know that we go to church they look at us. They want to know whether we are genuine, whether what we profess is true; underneath the cry for freedom, the cry to do things ‘my way’, there is a cry for help.
Jesus is saying that his followers will be responsible for bringing others to the worship of the one true God. In fulfillment of the words of Isaiah 49:6 they will take the news of God’s salvation, light of the world, to the ends of the earth. Through the light of our lives others will be drawn to find out about Jesus. Through the words of our lips people will hear the good news, and come to glorify God on the final day. All of us have a part to play.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it like this: ‘Flight into the invisible is a denial of the call. A community of Jesus which seeks to hide itself has ceased to follow him.’
Consider:
the way in which the first followers of Jesus worked out his words – in the larger context of the Sermon on the Mount they worked at their marriages, loved their enemies, prayed for their persecutors, and cared for the poor (see, for example, Acts 6:1-7);
the fact that good deeds are not the gospel or a gospel tactic, but are the fruit of the gospel;
the way in which people drawn by good deeds will see the truth of the gospel.
And he tells us why we are spiritually dead: it is because of our trespasses and sins. Trespass is a false step – involving either the crossing of a known boundary or stepping away from the right path. Sin is missing the mark – falling short of a standard.
The Bible tells us over and over again that God’s great passion is for people turn to him. This is one prayer we know he will answer.
Maintain good conduct. ‘Furthermore,’ he says, ‘in all relations with the unbelieving world, you are to maintain good conduct – so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation. This really is quite extraordinary – Peter is saying that even when we’re being slandered and falsely accused, the consistency of our life may still result in the salvation of others. The phrase day of visitation simply means, a day when God visits to bring either blessing or judgment. On that day, Peter tells us, unbelievers who are currently slandering Christians will glorify God. This is the voluntary praise of people who have been converted. Peter is not referring to the forced acknowledgement by unbelievers that God has been right, for the word glorify, which occurs 61 times in the New Testament, never refers to unbelievers who are forced unwillingly to admit that God or his people have been in the right.
‘Everything you are, everything you do,’ Jesus was saying to those who would follow him, ‘must reflect all that I have taught you. For that is how others will come to see the mind and the will of God. It won’t happen otherwise.’ 