THE LIGHT, SELF-DECEIT, AND THE CONDEMNATION

 

 

She told the group, “God is love. He is also omnipotent. To send any of his children to eternal hell, when he could have done otherwise, is eternal cruelty...Jesus is the ultimate love. The idea that he will condemn anyone goes against everything he taught.”

Does it? Jesus taught a parable about a rich man who refused to give the poor and sickly Lazarus even the crumbs from his table. Even the dogs treated him better. They at least licked his open sores.

Both died. Lazarus was escorted to a place of comfort, beside Abraham. The rich man found himself in a place of torment - Hades - where he cried out:

• “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.” (Luke 16:24)

He cried for mercy. However, he didn’t ask to be forgiven or to be reconciled to God so that he too would live in a place of joy. He didn’t even pray to God. God seemed to have no place in his thinking. Instead, he was primarily interested in just a little bit of comfort.

This is reminiscent of the reaction of those who will be excluded from the Kingdom:

• “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out.” (Luke 13:28)

According to Jesus, their suffering wouldn’t be the product of God’s proactive moves to torture them, but their eternal loss of privilege and the blessings of the Kingdom. But how and why did they lose this Kingdom?

The Luke 16 passage helps us to understand this. It seems that their loss is a matter of choice—self-condemnation. The condemned will get the very thing that they have chosen - a comfortable dwelling place in the darkness away from the scrutiny of the Light

• “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.”(John 3:18-20)

How are they already condemned? According to Jesus, they are self-condemned by their refusal to come into the Light to confess their sins. The rich man also seems to have been unwilling to examine himself and confess. Even in Hades, he seems unwilling to surrender his inflated superior status. In two instances, he requested that Abraham send the lowly Lazarus to do his bidding, as if Lazarus would be eternally beneath him. Therefore, Abraham chided him about his obvious guilt so that he might confess and find mercy:

• “But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.’” (Luke 16:25)

It wasn’t that suffering had entitled Lazarus or that the rich man’s comfort and riches had dis-entitled him. After all, Abraham had also been a wealthy man, but he trusted in the Lord and came into His Light.

Instead, confession and repentance weren’t his thing. Perhaps, the invitation might pertain more to his brothers, who might have had something to confess:

• “And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him [Lazarus] to my father's house— for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'" (Luke 16:27-31)

The rich man recognized that his brothers needed to repent. In Jesus’ parable, Abraham answered that a lack of evidence wasn’t the problem. They already had the self-authenticating Hebrew Scriptures. Instead, the problem was an aversion to the Light and a love of the darkness. Their love of the darkness also would condemn them.

We cannot blame the Savior for our condemnation. We chose it for ourselves. Jesus had cried over His people:

• “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37)
  

The self-condemned are unwilling to abide in the Light of truth. The darkness of self-deceit is more comforting, even in a place of torment, than the scrutiny of the Savior. Scripture testifies that the fault is not God’s but ours.

 

ATTAINING WISDOM

Wisdom and knowledge are precious gifts:

·       Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, delivering you from the way of evil, from men of perverted speech. (Proverbs 2:9-12; ESV)

From where does wisdom come? The preceding verses in Proverbs explain:

·       If you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. (Proverbs 2:3-8)

Wisdom and knowledge are truly sweet. Today, I was observing birds flying back-and-forth, against the wind and with it. They soared and dived in what seemed to be an effortless display of ease.

The wind was so fierce that I could hardly ride my bike against it, yet these birds were clearly reveling in its fierceness. Despite their diminutive size, they seemed to navigate the wind without a hitch. What knowledge did they have that I lacked? Whatever this knowledge was, they were able to convert what I had experienced as a major obstacle into a source of pleasure.

The wisdom that comes from God also enables us to fruitfully navigate the winds of life. Why then isn’t everyone pursuing wisdom?

Wisdom comes with a price-tag. Wisdom requires that, in order to receive her, we must step out into the light of self-examination, something that few are willing and able to do. Proverbs informs us that wisdom comes with a rebuke. It tells us what is wrong with ourselves:

·       “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you.” (Proverbs 1:22-23)

I too hated knowledge. I couldn’t bear to see myself as I truly was. Instead, I too was a “scoffer.” I built myself up by subtly putting others down. I caused pain but had convinced myself that I was entitled to do this.

I certainly wasn’t open to wisdom’s “reproof.” Instead, I wanted to be complemented not disparaged. While I wanted wisdom (and even had convinced myself that I had wisdom), it was unattainable as long as I continued to love the darkness and hid from the light.

Why do we have to go through pain to acquire wisdom? If we cannot see ourselves, we cannot see anyone else. If we refuse to understand ourselves, how are we going to understand others? If we are blind to ourselves, then we remain blind to everything else! Why? Because we are the lens through which we see life! If the lens remains dirty, it will obscure everything we attempt to see.

How did my blindness turn into sight? My Savior had to humble me, showing me how pathetic I had been and how He was my only hope:

·       Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace. (Proverbs 3:34-35)

He had to first break me in order to heal me. If we want wisdom, we have to first pray that God will show us how in need we are of His wisdom. I had to be utterly broken in order to see the light and to come to the light:

·       The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor. (Proverbs 15:31-33)

No pain, no gain. King David recognized this fact and confessed:

·       It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (Psalm 119:71-72)

By His precious mercies, I can now say the same thing.

The Dangers of Friendship Evangelism

How I long for the days described by the Prophet Micah:

• Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." (Micah 4:2)

Instead, we find the very opposite thing here in the West – the nations fleeing from any mention of the Lord. This disappointment has led to an assortment of reactions – “mea culpa,” revisioning the church, evangelistic silence, and other ways of trying to be less offensive to the non-believer. Some have adopted a saying falsely ascribed to St. Francis:

• Preach the Gospel wherever, but use words only when necessary.

This often takes the form of the widely popular “friendship evangelism.” However, this inoffensive attempt at evangelism carries its own potential costs, and so before we adopt this practice, we must be aware of them:

EVANGELISM DOES REQUIRE WORDS: In His “great commission,” Jesus required words:

• “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20) 

WE MUST NOT MISREPRESENT OUR INTENTIONS: When we misrepresent ourselves, we delude and lose our moral high-ground, ultimately bringing the Gospel into disrepute. Instead, transparency and honesty are essential:

• So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. (1 Corinthians 4:1)

• Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. (2 Corinthians 4:2)

We must not hide the fact that we are “servants of Christ.” To hide this is to deceive. One dear friend went to a Muslim country as an undercover missionary. She followed the instructions of her missions board and found lodgings with a Muslim family in order to befriend them for the sake of the Gospel. However, she began to feel that they were more righteous than she. She was deceiving them about her true intentions and felt ashamed of herself and eventually dropped out.

Whenever we befriend someone for the sake of the Gospel and fail to make it plain the them who we are, they may feel that they have been deceived. Besides, it will become difficult to transition into the Gospel once the pattern of the friendship had been established around common secular interests.

I manage a group on Facebook for seekers who want to explore Christianity. However, I have received about 50 requests from Mormon missionaries to join. Often, they are not candid about who they are and what are their intentions. Often, they will post Mormon evangelistic material without identifying it as such, or else they will target a seeker and invite them to attend one of their studies. It is offensive that they will secretly use my group for their clandestine purposes. This doesn't produce respect. Nor will misrepresenting our intentions.

WE SHOULD NOT HIDE OUR LIGHT: We are to be the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). When we hide the light, we fail to bear witness to our Savior. Even when we perform acts of love, we need to let others know why we are doing so. When we fail to give this acknowledgement of our Savior, our silence will communicate a different message – that secular motivations/intentions are enough! Besides, the pattern of interaction that we establish at the first will be difficult to break once we decide that we must speak.

WE CAN’T JUST “HANG OUT,” DOING THE THINGS THAT THE WORLD DOES: If we fail to establish from the start who we are and what our intentions are, we become vulnerable to compromise, trying to affirm what our friend affirms so that we can “truly” be a friend. Instead, we must be clear about our boundaries:

• Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John 2:15)

Besides, this form of spiritual passivity will make us more vulnerable to other influences. Instead, it is important to proactively be moving forward.

WE MUST NOT BIND OURSELVES TOGETHER WITH NON-BELIEVERS: If we make vows of friendship, we have committed ourselves in a way that compromises our commitment to our Savior:

• Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. (Ephesians 5:7-8)

• Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14) 

When we associate with non-Christians without speaking the Gospel, we preach another message – “The way you are is perfectly fine!”

WE TOO WILL BE INFLUENCED BY OUR FRIENDS: Paul had warned, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character’" (1 Corinthians 15:33). To think that we are above such influence is naïve.

“DATING EVANGELISM” WILL NOT ONLY PLACE US IN JEOPARDY BUT ALSO OTHER CHRISTIANS WHO MIGHT SEE US: We also have to be concerned about the impact of our behavior on other Christians, as Paul insisted:

• Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall. (1 Corinthians 8:13)

Paul was not only concerned about eating but also about anything that might lead the brethren into what they regard as sin or into something that they cannot handle in a godly manner. We cannot use our freedom in a way that will cause others to violate their conscience.

FRIENDSHIP EVANGELISM TENDS TO FORGET THAT THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL IS GOD’S CONVERSION TOOL:

• I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed. (Romans 1:16-17)

We have grown ashamed of preaching the Gospel. We are embarrassed by others who preach it. However, “it is the power of God for… salvation.” Therefore, ask the Spirit for His guidance and empowerment.

We should not expect to be a blessing unless we are in line with the Lord and His program. We are His ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:19) and not independent friendship gigolos. Faithfulness requires us to sow His seeds and not our own.