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.

OMG (?) - Music Mondays

We like our pop music simple. Give us a snappy chorus, a memorable beat, fun lyrics and we're good to go. Most of the time, we like our music to give us an escape.

The above is true of both secular and Christian music. CCM can venture into serious subjects and tackle hard questions, but it is still more peppy than profound.

Therefore, it is not surprising then that one of the deepest songs of the new millennium never got popular traction even within CCM circles.

When Jars of Clay released their final big-label album "Good Monsters" over 11 years ago, it was met with critical praise and had decent commercial success. Re-listening to it recently, it's a solid album beginning to end. The fanfare it received was deserved, but the best song, "Oh My God", was overlooked. 

Here's a non-official music video:

It is a song that has stops and starts with emotions varying from melancholy to desperation. It observes how "oh my God!" is found on the lips of many people in many different situations - both in sincere pleas and in crassness. It agonizes over the really discouraging aspects of life and crescendos to urgent cries of "oh my God!"

This interview captures the artist's story behind the song. It confirms what we would suspect, that this song is about wrestling with tough questions of faith and life. 

In the interest of space, I'm giving a link to the lyrics, rather than copy them all here. They are abundant but startling in their depth.

One more thought though. In the 11 years since this was written, I find it interesting how much more prevalent "Oh my God" has become in our cultural vocabulary. It's abbreviation - OMG! - is everywhere now that texting and messaging are the main methods of communication for our younger generations. 

I do find it gratifying to return to this song because it takes a flippant, second-commandment-breaking phrase and turns it back on us. I rediscover the heart of this song all over the Bible, like in passages such as James 5:7-12. Maybe I'm giving to much weight to one song, but maybe this one song has prophetic value. I can say that seeing and/or hearing OMG (or one of the variations) just won't sit right with me anymore, thanks in large part to this song. 

And I think that's good. I'll listen to the peppy, snappy songs that give me some escape. But give me more of this - deep theology and deep questions.

Music Mondays

I had a couple songs I considered featuring today. Both from favorite artists, both getting radio play, and both actually feature guest vocalists on the track. The tie-breaker essentially came down to the mood I was in.

This song fits my emotional space a little more, just given the last couple weeks at our church. 

So here's Lecrae, with Tori Kelly:

Just fight a little longer my friend
It's all worth it in the end
But when you got nobody to turn to
Just hold on and I'll find you

The Problem with Suffering - 9/11 Remembered

Like any self-respecting college student who didn't have a morning class, I slept in that day. On September 11, 2001, I got some extra rest only needing to attend the 9:30 am chapel (or was it 10?/10:30?).  When I arrived in the basement of McClain for that morning's service, I found some friends and one of them mentioned an attack on the World Trade Center. I responded with outright disbelief. "No way," I thought, they are trying to pull some weird prank."

It was no prank. Moments later our dean of students would take the platform and describe the horrors that were taking place in New York City. Soon after we were dismissed and I returned to my dorm in Lamp Post to watch the rest of the morning's events unfold. 

Events like that one twelve years ago stick with you. We are all forever impacted by the tragedies of that day. As Christians, times like those force us to deal with age-old questions like, 'Why do bad things happen to good people?' and 'Where is God in all of this?'

The answers aren't easy nor are they easy to come by. As this pastor searches the Scriptures for help, the story of Job seems more pertinent than any other.

Before we delve into the lessons we can take from Job's life, we ought to heed C.S. Lewis' words regarding human suffering:

"The ancient man approached God (or even the gods) as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man the roles are reversed. He is the judge: God is in the dock. He is quite a kindly judge: if God should have a reasonable defence for being the god who permits war, poverty and disease, he is ready to listen to it. The trial may even end in God's acquittal. But the important thing is that Man is on the Bench and God in the Dock."

C.S. Lewis, "God in the Dock" as quoted by Philip Yancey The Bible Jesus Read. Zondervan Publishing House. pg. 53

When we take the position of judge and put God on trial, we have completely reversed the proper perspective for events like 9/11. 

When we sit as judge, we are then led to demand an answer to the "Why?" question. Some will even question God's very existence. In his best selling book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, Rabbi Kushner went so far as to conclude that God is weak and lacks the power to prevent suffering.*

His conclusion runs completely contrary to the clear theology of God's Word that holds our God to be the almighty Creator who is sovereign over all of history and all of mankind. 

But if God is omnipotent, we are still left to wonder why He wouldn't intervene. How are we to make sense of the sufferings and tragedies of our world? How are we to deal with events like 9/11?

Philip Yancey's exposition on the book of Job which I've already cited provides biblical principles we can rely on as we work through these things.The following is a summary of his points:**

1. Satan is responsible. Job 1-2 demonstrate that Satan, not God, caused Job's suffering. God permitted it to answer Satan's challenge, i.e., that Job was only faithful because of the good things God gave him. Likewise, we still live in a world where evil exists and Satan seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. We can't know for sure what's going on behind the scenes, but we should realize there are evil forces at work in our world.
2. God is not weak or powerless. Job 38-42 highlight his great power and control over all of creation. When he appears at the end of the story of Job, Job is left trembling while acknowledging God's great power (42:1-3).
3. Suffering is not always a punishment for our sin. Some claimed this was the reason God let 9/11 happen. God was punishing our country for our sins. Is it possible they were right? Yes. Is it possible they were wrong? YES! Job wasn't being punished for his sin, he was being tested. He was being used as an example to defeat Satan. Like the blind man in John 9:1-7, Job had to endure difficulty so that God's glory would ultimately be magnified.
4. True 'fairness' and 'justice' is not limited to this life. As Yancey states, "the pleasure that Job enjoyed in his old age is a mere foretaste of what is to come".  Earthly rewards and blessings may come to God's faithful servants. But whether they do or do not, they cannot be compared to the eternal rewards God has in store for His faithful servants in heaven.
5. God allows us to question and protest His plan. David did it in the Psalms and Job openly questions God as well. Yet God is not threatened by our questions or our outbursts. He invites it. It is ok to struggle with trials. It is ok to struggle to seek God's plan during difficulty. It is far worse to offer cliches or simplistic theology as if God needed our protection. Job's friends tried to 'defend' God by offering trite theological explanations but at the end of the book, they were the one's  reprimanded by God, not the overtly distressed Job.
6. Sometimes neither side of the argument is correct. Chapters 1-2 disclose the reality of the situation that was hidden from Job and his friends. It is in those early chapters that the reader is given the reason 'why' this happened to Job. And the truth is not even close to what Job and his friends had asserted. Like them, we lack all of the information when dealing with suffering in our day. So we should be cautious when making bold pronouncements and speaking for God in present times.
7. Suffering can be redemptive and serve a greater good. Job's painful suffering was used to win a decisive victory over Satan, foreshadowing in many ways Christ and the Cross.
8. How we respond to suffering matters. God never told Job why He let tragedies destroy his life. He did not tell him about the cosmic drama that went on behind the scenes (Job 1-2). God was concerned with how Job would respond. For that matter, so was Satan. Would Job reject God after all God's blessings were taken from him? Would he curse God as his wife suggests (2:9)? Or would he trust God despite being completely disoriented by the chaos of death and loss? God ignores the question of why suffering happens. Instead, He puts all His confidence in Job would respond in faithfulness to the suffering he would encounter. As Yancey says, "Job convinces me that God cares more about our faith than our pleasure."***

*Philip Yancey The Bible Jesus Read. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids MI. pg.69
**Ibid. pg. 69-72
***Ibid. pg.63.