Tuesday Theology Thoughts - When Not to Take the Bible Literally (?!?)

It is one of those verses that has always left me unsettled. I've heard it taught to be 100% true at face value for here-and-now and I affirmed that for a long time. 

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted," - 2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV) 

Suffering and being persecuted for our faith in Christ is a common theme in the New Testament. See John 15:20, Romans 12:14, 1 Corinthians 4:12, the entire books of Acts and 1 Peter for starters.   

These passages cause my unsettledness to rise up in my gut like spiritual acid reflux because I look at my 42 years on this earth and I don't relate. I committed my life to Christ at the age of 4-5 and as long as I can remember have loved Jesus and wanted to live for him. I have not been persecuted. I have not had to suffer for Christ. 

Is something wrong with me? Am I not doing it right? Do I not desire to live a godly life enough? Was Paul wrong? 

All are questions that flash into my head as I try to figure it all out. I can't just dismiss 2 Timothy 3:12 as a verse out of context because there are so many others that imply the same thing. 

In preparing for this past Sunday's message on 1 Peter 3:13-22, I think an answer revealed itself that solves the interpretive tension (for me at least). And it all paid off by going back to the basics.

Whether you are interpreting, studying, or just reading the Bible, it is essential to remember that the Bible was written to people living in a world much different than ours. It was written for our benefit, but it's not a 1:1 proposition. 

There are differences to be accounted for. Principles to be discerned and applications to be made at the end of the process.

The differences to account for with 2 Timothy (or any of these other passages)?

• Christianity was a new emerging faith at the time 1 Timothy was written (likely early to mid-60's AD). 
• Christians were the cultural minority by a large margin.
• Christianity was drawing widespread suspicion and social hostility in the Roman Empire. Outright persecution of Christians was beginning to occur and would swell in the coming years thanks to Nero. 
• Christians faced the loss of their freedoms, livelihoods, social relationships, and even lives because they worshipped Jesus.

None of the above are true of the USA in 2022. 

Can we scour the headlines of the past twenty years or so and find some exceptions? I will grant that it is possible, but rare.

So I am now quite comfortable in concluding that suffering and persecution are not prescribed for us right now like it was then. Things could always change of course. 

And more importantly, while we may not have to suffer for Christ, we are called to other acts of obedience that may prove painful. We need to sacrifice for Christ for one. Our time, money, attention, priorities, and lifestyle are all things we are called to as disciples (Mark 8:34-38). Secondly, we need to surrender things in our lives for Christ like sinful habits and activities that hinder our spiritual progress (Hebrews 12:1-2). 

These things are not unrelated to suffering. I would compare them to this:

Surrender would be the outer ring. It is a voluntary decision to "suffer" in a sense. But it is not exactly what the NT speaks about when talking about trials, persecution, and suffering.

Sacrifices are also voluntary choices, but are often things we do or don't do in addition to the fundamental things we surrender to Christ when we are redeemed. These can be tough to commit to and experience but have a positive intent.

Suffering is the center of the target. These are specifically things we must endure that are not self-inflicted or personal choices. They come from the outside and are not thrust upon us for redemptive purposes or intentions by those directly involved. God does use them for good ends of course.

So when I encounter a passage like 2 Timothy 3:12 or 1 Peter 3:13-22, I should have enough humility to understand that this doesn't directly relate to me. It may apply to our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan or China but I should not totally equate my sacrifices to their sufferings. 

You may still be thinking, "But Lee, Paul says 'all' Christians seeking to live godly lives will be persecuted. Don't you take that literally? Doesn't the Bible mean 'all' when it says 'all'?"

Remember, he's writing to a particular audience at a particular time in history that is greatly different than today. 

Also take note that he does qualify to an extent in 3:13. 3:12 is not a finished sentence, Paul's full thought is,

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived."  

He's not making a sweeping statement about the rest of history moving forward here. He is describing their current cultural climate and preparing Timothy to lead in it - see 3:14-4:5.

I find it rewarding when I can process through tensions I find in God's Word. I hope this all makes sense to you the intrepid reader who has made it this far. I may end up editing this later but I'd hope it might caution you from adopting the kind of "persecution complex" that is rampant in American Christianity today.