Contemporary Thinking
Have you ever had a time in your life where you were having
a conversation with somebody that said something so unbiblical that it left you
discouraged and heartbroken? For example, I was talking with a man one day who
professed to be a believer and he uttered these striking words, “I do not
understand why it is such a big deal that God had his only Son crucified; if I
could raise my kid from the dead I wouldn’t mind killing him either.” That is a
statement that leaves you shocked right? That is unbiblical in every aspect!
Now, the remark by the man mentioned above is the first and
last time I ever heard such a statement made by a professing believer in
Christ. However, I have heard one statement, time and time again, by professing
believers that is so unbiblical that it leaves me shocked and discouraged. I
have heard this specific thing uttered by laymen in the church as well as
seminarians training to be pastors. The statement goes somewhat like this:
“I want my kids to grow up before Christ returns so I can
see them graduate, marry, and have kids.”
Or like this,
“I want to experience marriage before the Lord returns.”
Or,
“I hope the Lord comes back later so I can finish college
and have a career and a family.”
These types of comments leave me discouraged and
heartbroken. The reason for this discouragement and heartbrokenness is because
these comments are unbiblical. They are not unbiblical because such comments
exalt marriage or having kids too much. The Bible talks about marriage in a much
more beautiful way than any man could. The Bible also talks about the great
gift a child is to his mother in father. So that is not the problem. The
problem with such comments are that they reveal that the people speaking them
have little to no understanding of who Jesus Christ truly is and what he has
accomplished. But before we go further, lets look at the Bible.
What the Word of God Says
Titus 2:11-14
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for
all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to
live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God
and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all
lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are
zealous for good words.”
Philippians 3:20-21
“But our citizenship is in heaven and from it we await a Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, who
will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that
enables him even to subject all things to himself.”
Romans 8:19-23
“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing
of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly,
but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be
set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of
the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning
together in pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we
ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the adoption as sons,
the redemption of our bodies.”
And lastly (there are more biblical passages supporting
this, but we will end on this one) 2 Peter 3:11-13
“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort
of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the
day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved,
and heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new
earth in which righteousness dwells.”
In Light Of What Has Been Said
The idea of hoping Christ delays his second coming so that
we can enjoy a little more of the pleasure of this world is completely foreign
to what has been stated in Scripture. Believers in the early church were
eagerly awaiting the return of Christ. They longed to see the Lord of glory
coming down in his entire splendor. They yearned to see the beloved Son of God
finally coming to take them to be with him. They desired to be in a place where
righteousness dwells and evil is shut up forever. They wanted to know Christ,
yes they wanted to behold the slain Lamb of God that suffered unto death so that
they could have a hope that is beyond the grave. They wanted to see the blessed
Savior that paid such an incredibly high price to redeem them from their sin.
Do you not also want to behold him? Do you not also desire
to see Christ and worship Him without any temptation to sin? Do you not also want
to behold the only begotten Son of God that humbled himself to the point of
death on a cross so that you could no longer be an enemy of God, but rather
have peace with God. This is what we ought to long for.
Heart Diagnosis
There are a few heart problems that are the direct cause of
thinking the unbiblical way that I mentioned earlier.
One diagnoses is that you are simply speaking without
thinking about all that what your saying entails. If this is you, confess to
God that you have often spoke quickly without thinking. Also, plead with God
that he will grant you grace to refrain from even thinking about Christ in such
a minimal way.
Another diagnoses, which is dangerous, is that you have a
small (very small) view of Christ Jesus. There is great danger in wanting to
enjoy marriage, see your kids grow up, or whatever else, rather than enjoying
Christ’s return and seeing him in His entire splendor. If this is you, then I
urge you to confess to God that you have sinned by not acknowledging the
supremacy of Christ above all things (husband, kids, sports, career, etc.).
Also plead with God to grant you wisdom that you may increase in your knowledge
of Christ Jesus and the great work that he has accomplished through his life,
death, and resurrection.
The last diagnosis, which is the most dangerous, is that you
do not know Christ. You feel all to at home in this world and would like to
stay in it rather than go to be with Christ where righteousness dwells. If this
is you, plead that God would save you from your sin. Repent of having never
worshiped Christ throughout the entirety of your life, and place your faith in this
glorious Christ that was crucified, buried, and resurrected so that the worst
of sinners could have a peaceful/beautiful relationship with God.
Reflection
Hebrews 9:28 "So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly awaiting for him."
Just ponder on what is being said in that powerful verse. Look at who Christ will save when he appears a second time. Is it not those who are eagerly awaiting for him?
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