A Simply Difficult Faith

This may come as a surprise to you but not everyone likes what I have to say! Yup! They insist that God's message of salvation is very simple and it's people like me who drive people away from God because I make it too difficult. So I'd like to address this particular criticism, if possible, by saying that I have included, at the beginning of this blog, what I believe is God's message to each of us. It's a very loose paraphrase of John 3:16 which I've included specifically as a paraphrase in order to make God's message of salvation as simple as possible. However, in the words of authors Blackaby and Blackaby, "The spiritual leader's task is to move people from where they are to where God wants them to be."[1] And that's the objective of my teachings (cf. 2 Peter 3:15-18). In, contrast, I'm familiar with a church where the pastor is fond of saying that it is his church's mission to create an environment where people can "bump" into Jesus. That's a quaint sentiment and maybe something you'd see in a Hallmark greeting card. But let's not be naïve, what the pastor is saying is: "I'm afraid to take you by the hand and lead you (drag you if necessary) into the presence of Jesus because you may not like what He has to say and then you'll blame me and stop coming to my church." Is an encounter with Jesus supposed to be accidental or intentional? Well it certainly can be accidental but, more often, the Bible is replete with story after story of people who have been called or confronted by Jesus that have been very intentional about bringing others to meet Jesus—Philip brings his brother Nathanael (Jn. 1:45-46), The Samaritan woman brings her whole town (Jn. 4:28-30), and some men tear a hole in the roof of a house to lower their lame friend down into the presence of Jesus (Lk. 5:17:20). The point of my teaching method and objective is that there is an intentionality—a trajectory—to a person's faith. Faith is not some abstract, on-time task that a person does and then they're done and can check it off their "to-do" list. Faith is either active and growing or it’s stagnant and dying. Faith in Jesus is the ongoing process of being in a dynamic relationship with the most important person in your life.

Nevertheless, I can understand why some people might struggle with my methods because at a certain level I sense a kind of faith dichotomy in my own relationship with Jesus. On the one hand Jesus says that all I have to do is believe in him and I will be saved and on the other hand he says I must take up take up my cross and follow him. Or, I can simply call on him and he will be there to give me all I need but then I must be prepared to forsake all to follow him. If you think about it, this dichotomy is the essence of Jesus-the simple faith of a child and the difficulty of faith that may lead to death. Nowhere is this dichotomy more obvious than in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. The sermon spans chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew's gospel. However, for the purposes of this particular teaching, a reading of chapter 5 will serve to make my point with perfect clarity. Let's take a look at what it says there.

Matthew 5

¹ Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ² and he began to teach them, saying:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵ Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ⁷ Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. ⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. ¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

 ¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

¹⁷ “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

¹⁹ Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

²¹ “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ ²² But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. ²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. ²⁵ “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. ²⁶ I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

²⁷ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

³¹ “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ ³² But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery.

³³ “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’ ³⁴ But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; ³⁵ or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. ³⁶ And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. ³⁷ Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

³⁸ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’

³⁹ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. ⁴⁰ And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. ⁴¹ If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. ⁴² Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The chapter can generally be broken down into 4 sections:

Vv. 1-12 -- These verses contain what is commonly described as the "Beatitudes." The verses demonstrate God's heart for justice and mercy. They are the hope of all those who are oppressed, persecuted and faithful. They contain the promise of God's reward. They answer the question: "What's in it for me?" More importantly, "The upshot of the Beatitudes is a complete inversion of the attitude known in our culture as 'machismo.' In fact, this attitude is not limited to a particular culture but characterizes humanity's self-centered, self-arrogating pride which invariably seeks personal security and survival above the good of others. We are enabled to invert these natural, worldly values only when we recognize that God will in turn invert our marginalized status and grant eternal compensation."[2]

Vv. 13-16 -- These verses begin a transition in Jesus teaching in this chapter. Jesus goes from the end reward of perseverance and faith in the previous verses to the purpose of our faith in these verses. God calls us to be salt and light to the world so that others will come to know him through the example of our lives. V. 16 is clear that our faith is intended to be an active faith so that people will see our "good deeds" and thereby praise God. There is certainly a personal component to our faith but it was never intended to be specifically private. Instead, our faith is intended to be lived out in full view of the public as a signpost pointing the way to God. Otherwise, "Just as tasteless salt lacks value to the person who uses it, so does a professed disciple without genuine commitment prove valueless for the work of the kingdom."[3]

Vv. 17-20 -- In these verses, Jesus is making the proclamation that He is the fulfillment of all the things spoken of by the Prophets about the coming Messiah and that he alone is the perfect fulfillment of all the Laws. Jesus makes it clear that he is not abolishing the Law but has fulfilled it. David Turner writes, "Jesus has come to show forth the true, transcendent meaning of the law by reaffirming it without repeating it...Matthew's Jesus is the ultimate goal of the law and the prophets, the one to whom they point. His mission of kingdom word and deed fulfills the ethical standards and eschatological promises of the law and the prophets. Thus he becomes the sole authoritative teacher of the law, and his interpretations take on the character of new law for his disciples. His teachings are not brand new in the sense of having no root in the Hebrew Bible but new in the sense of transcending the traditional understanding of the law promulgated by the religious leaders."[4]

Vv. 21-48 -- Although there are multiple teachings within these verses, taken as a whole, they represent a radical shift in the way people were to practice their faith. These verses create the dichotomy of faith that I have been talking about. Let me demonstrate:

Simple Faith

V. 21 - "Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment."

V. 27 - "Do not commit adultery."

V. 31 - "Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce."

V. 33 - "Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord."

V. 38 - "Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth."

V. 43 - "Love your neighbor and hate your enemy."

Difficult Faith

V. 22 - "But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."

V. 28 - "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

V. 32 - "But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits adultery."

Vv. 34-37 - "But it tell you, Do not swear at all...Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.'"

V. 44 - "But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

"By means of six bold antitheses representing the teaching of Jesus, Matthew now contrasts Jesus' exposition of the true and ultimate meaning of the Torah with the more common, rabbinic understandings of the commandments. In this way the incomparable ethical demands of the kingdom are set forth."[5] Jesus draws a striking and sharp contrast between simple faith and difficult faith. The Bible is clear that there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. That is absolutely true. However, the Bible is also clear that the life of faith doesn't end with the profession of our belief in Jesus. My oldest daughter says that spiritual growth means taking responsibility for your faith. It means taking responsibility for your behavior-to yourself, to others and to God. I think she's right on target. When we are in a love relationship with someone, making a public pronouncement of that relationship and then never or hardly doing anything else is simply not enough to maintain a healthy, nurturing and growing relationship, if it can even be called a relationship at that point. It requires action because "saying" I love you is simple but "doing" I love you can be terribly difficult.

In seminary, we learned that many biblical teachings are of the "both/and" variety as opposed to the "either/or" variety. This would be one of those teachings. So for those who think my teachings are too difficult and a reason some people don't come to faith or grow in their faith, I'll sum up the life of faith succinctly according to the Bible: Jesus died on a cross to pay for our sins. You can be reconciled to God by accepting that Jesus did that for you. If you've already done that then you can be assured that you will have a place in eternity with God! However, until then, there is a cross that awaits each of us as we follow Jesus' instructions and example-all of them! And that leaves us with a simply difficult faith!

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[1] Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby, Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda, (Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2001), p. 20

[2] Craig L. Blomberg, Matthew, The New American Commentary, (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1992), pp. 101-102

[3] Craig S. Keener Matthew, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), p. 109

[4] David L. Turner, Matthew, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), p. 158

[5] Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1-13, Word Biblical Commentary, (Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1993), p. 111