To be grateful for an unanswered prayer, to give thanks in a state of interior desolation, to trust in the love of God in the face of the marvels, cruel circumstances, obscenities, and commonplaces of life is to whisper a doxology in darkness.
-Brennan Manning
A few days ago I retweeted this:
If your theology doesn't make you love people more, it's wrong.
— Tullian Tchividjian (@TullianT) March 7, 2014
For my friends who are involved in Christian apologetics, I would rephrase this to say that “if your apologetic doesn’t make you love people more, it’s wrong.”
There are two reasons that I say this. The first reason is that love of neighbor is the second great command (Matt. 22:39) and our defense of the faith must be done in a way that fulfills this command.
The second reason can be found in the familiar verse, 1 Peter 3:15. At the end of that verse, Peter encourages us to give our defense with gentleness and respect. The word translated respect is phobos, which has the literal meaning of fear. Perhaps the idea is that we should have some fear of giving an offense. In other words, the message might be offensive, but the messenger should never be.
Most of the apologists I know (and read) seek to do their apologetics in a loving way, being courteous with those who disagree . There are a few who are rather brash and belittle the arguments of those who they oppose.
But all of us, through impatience or pride, sometimes fall short of the command to love the one with whom we disagree. If love of God and love of neighbor is not our motivation for engaging in the discussion, then we are better off remaining silent.
Moses said to the Israelites:
“You shall not be in dread of them, for the Lord your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God.” (Deuteronomy 7:21, ESV)
Yet being in dread of the Canaanites is exactly what the Israelites had experienced. They allowed their fear to overwhelm their faith. They had ample evidence that their fear was unfounded and ample evidence that faith in God was a logical response, but they were still plagued by fear.
We might like to think that if we were in that desert and had seen the things that God had done through Moses that we would have responded differently. I can’t speak for everyone, but if I am typical of Christendom, then I think that we would have responded the same way the Israelites responded. Two thousand years of church history seems to back me up on this.
For example, too much of the political speech within Christian circles seems driven by fear that if a certain party comes to power or a certain person gets elected, that life as we know it will end. Which party is vilified is dependent upon the philosophical underpinnings of that particular group within Christendom. But at times it seems that fear bordering on panic sets in. It is almost like we think that God is control of the world on every day other than the first Tuesday in November (election day in the United States).
We can give in to fear about the economic stability of our country. We can worry about healthcare and retirement and . . .” The list of things that can cause fear is seemingly inexhaustible. As a result of the fall, the world is indeed a dangerous place.
We have to operate with the knowledge that God remains in control at all times and he is good and he is fair.
That being said, there is one difficulty I should acknowledge. Sometimes God allows people to suffer and this scares me. I suppose that only a madman would look forward to suffering with anything other than dread. But I also have to suppose that if God calls me to suffer, he will give me the grace to suffer well. Yet just thinking about suffering can be a source of fear. Our culture is becoming less tolerant of anyone who claims allegiance to Jesus Christ. Given the current trajectory of sentiment against Christianity, it is not hard to imagine that real persecution might take place.
Like the Israelites with the Canaanites, I can be in dread of what my circumstances will bring to me. The dread can come despite the testimony of many that God is faithful and will not cease to uphold those who rely on him.
I should be comforted by Paul’s words at the end of Romans 8:
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39, ESV)
Jesus also promised to be with me “to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).
Let us not forget that “you shall not be in dread of them” is a command. The command demands a choice to obey or disobey. Fear may come, but I have to choose to give in to it or to trust God.
But sometimes I choose badly and respond in fear. This always goes wrong and the only proper response is to repent and choose to trust.
“Jesus is the answer to the dreams of men. It is true that so often men do not see it so. They see the answer to their dreams in power, in wealth, in material plenty, and in the realization of the ambitions which they cherish. But if ever men’s dreams of peace and loveliness, and greatness and satisfaction, are to be realized, they can find their realization only in Jesus Christ.”
We have ample evidence that power, wealth and ambition do not bring lasting satisfaction, but yet we seem to be continually drawn to them. Our dreams are too small if that is what we think will satisfy.
On the flip side, we see evidence of those who find their satisfaction in Jesus Christ who are able to withstand persecution and deprivation with grace and, at times, joy.
I am encouraged to shape my dreams with Jesus Christ at the center of them.
