CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
August 24, 2008
25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 77373
www.geocities.com/adon77373/cypresswoodbulletin.htm
www.cypresswoodchurchofchrist.com
PRAYERS AND PETITIONS:
Our congregation and God’s will for us Various friends, relatives and co-workers
Our nation, military, and co-workers The persecuted church
COME JOIN US SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7.
WE ASK THAT YOU BRING SOMEONE WITH YOU.
WE WILL HAVE A LUNCH AFTER OUR ASSEMBLY.
CONFIDENT EXPECTATION OR WISHFUL THINKING
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).
When a Christian dies, what do we think? Here is a person who has lived a fine, Christian life. They had been a great example to young and old. What would we say about this person? How would we express it?
Ray Hawk brought something to mind that I knew was part of our theology but that I hadn’t thought about for a long time (1). He mentioned two people, one who had died and another who was dying of cancer. He states that some in his church would be hesitant to say that either of these people went to heaven even though all considered them faithful. Why is this?
First, this idea comes up because of our view of salvation which says that we must do something in the process of salvation. In essence, we must gain credits or merits that are added up against the demerits that we have during our life, and at the end we hope that we have enough on the positive side to go to heaven. The word “hope” in this context is used as wishful thinking. In the end, on this view, few can really know if they will enter heaven.
This comes from a reaction to idea of some who say that once a person is saved, it doesn’t matter what one does, he is automatically saved. We understand that scripture teaches us that one can fall from grace, or to say it another way, walk away from God and loose or reject what God has offered (2). That has led us to have little or no confidence in eternity.
Along with this is how we view the Christian life. Is it a means to salvation or is it a response to salvation? Paul clearly teaches us that it is a response (see Titus 3:3-8). We could not and cannot save ourselves. Jesus Christ came to die for us and to save us, and was raised to give us hope. This “hope” is confident expectation and not wishful thinking.
Much of this is affected by how we see God. Is He the Judge just waiting to pronounce sentence on us for any infraction or is He the loving Father who continues to forgive our sins as we continue to walk in the light (3)? Let me illustrate this by what one preacher stated. He said that if one was driving down the highway and his tire blew out, his car headed to a concrete pillar at a high rate of speed, and the driver said a curse phrase and then crashed and died; if he had not repented of that statement, he was lost. This is a legalism fought against both by Jesus and by Paul in Galatians, yet some are very comfortable with such legalism. Of course, they make everyone else uncomfortable and question their eternity unless they have lived the law perfectly. The hope seen here is wishful thinking.
Second, there is a misunderstanding of scripture. In 1 John 5:13, John writes that we can know that we have eternal life. The word “know” means settled conviction. That is confident expectation. How do we know this? We know it because we are in Jesus Christ. Once in Christ, we begin our walk in eternal life. We are not perfect in this because we still sin, but it is not our master and when we confess our sins, we are continually cleansed by the blood of Jesus. We will have our ups and downs in our walk and we will be tempted in many ways. If we are focused on Jesus, then our confident expectation remains in tack.
Some interpret 1 John 5:13 as having eternal life is a promise and a prospect, but that we do not have it now. However, scripture speaks differently. It often speaks of the “now” and the “not yet.” What does this mean? There are teachings that we currently have and yet there is an aspect of that teaching that is still future. For instance, scripture speaks of salvation as the now and the not yet. We are saved in Christ but there is an aspect of salvation that is still in the future. We would say that it would be the new body (4) and heaven (5). The same could be said about the kingdom. There is an aspect of God’s rule that is present and yet there is an aspect that is future (6). So to for eternal life. We now have eternal life as we walk with Christ and yet there is a future aspect of it; being in the presence of God in the Garden of God.
Not seeing this has caused people to have a false view of our salvation in Christ. “You see, we must be perfect in doctrine and practice or we will never enjoy eternal life. Since we realize we can’t or don’t reach that perfection, we have devised the idea that our only hope is to die while praying for forgiveness. A sudden heart attack, an explosion, a battle death, or any sudden demise where there is no possibility of a last prayer, sinks all hopes. This position has caused some to give up the faith because they felt they were going to hell anyway” (7). That is what is so frustrating when we depend on ourselves. What I see here is that some do not think that Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient enough to save, but rather God needs our help. That is not what scripture teaches. Paul states we “know that a person is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law, no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16). We are justified by faith in Christ.
This faith or trust leads us to do what is good (Titus 3:8). We live our lives in response to what God has done in Christ. It isn’t to gain salvation; that has already happened through the cross. Rather it is to bring glory to God, to cause others to see that our salvation has indeed changed us, and to be pleasing to God. We will not live a perfect live, that is, flawless and without sin. Now this is not to say that we continue to sin. Paul deals with that attitude in Romans 6:1-14. Rather by God’s grace, we realize that our Redeemer is Christ and that in Him we are made right. This is the beginning of our eternal life, our hope which is confident expectation that we will complete our walk to eternity.
What view of hope do you have? Confident expectation or wishful thinking?
George B. Mearns
(1) Ray Hawk, http://monter.wordpress.com under the title of Lost Assurance
(2) see Galatians 5:4; Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-29
(3) see 1 John 1:7, 9
(4) see 1 Corinthians 15:35-58
(5) see the new heavens and the new earth texts
(6) see 1 Corinthians 15:20-25
(7) Hawk, ibid.