Blog on the Lillypad
Friday, October 29, 2004
More on "Second Class Christians"
Somebody over on the FFF mentioned Ian Paisley to me recently. While I disagree with Mr. Paisley on several issues, I recall an excellent sermon illustration I heard from him once, and I want to use it here.
I get e-mails from survivors of Fundamentalist-X abuses. Most of my e-mail comes from people who attended Hyles-Anderson College, although I also get e-mail from survivors of other wacko-theology IFBx schools as well.
One term that comes up often is "second class Christian," which forms part of their lament. Having been manipulated and exploited, they now accept as a given that God is vindictive even against His own blood bought children, And they have been trained to think that, because He has a right to be angry with them for their failings, He will wreak havoc in their lives. They are, they tell me, second class Christians, and they worry about what God will do to them for their failures.
I still remember, when I was 26, a dear old saint of God telling me that because I had earned my black belt and was trusting in that for my strength, God would no longer protect me. She told me this on the night that a senior brown belt decided to "initiate" me in free sparring, and I was very afraid that God wouldn't hear my prayers, because this guy was really going to humiliate me. As it turned out, I kicked the bully about 15 feet across the training hall floor with a kick that---to this day—I have never equaled for speed and focus. It quite literally knocked him off his feet, and he crashed between two other sets of fighters before the floor stopped him. That was God's answer to my worried prayers, and His assurance that He remains my protection, and it was certainly a good enough answer for me!
God does not subject His children to wrath, because God is faithful to His promises, not because we are so faithful. We are all depraved sinners, and in our flesh it is impossible for us to please God. Jesus Christ pleases God, and we are covered by His rightouesness.
Ian Paisley reminded fearful believers of Exodus 12, when God gave the awful decree that He would destroy the firstborn throughout Egypt, but He would spare those who had the blood of the lamb on the lintels of their doors:
Certainly, in the houses of the Israelites, there were those firstborn people haunted by guilt and fear, even though in obedient faith they applied the blood of the lamb to their door posts. They knew they had committed sin with the Egyptians before the Lord raised Moses to deliver them. Could the blood on the door post be sufficient to divert His wrath? After all, His wrath was just. And others, living in that culture of gods and magic, had been the recipients of curses from the Egyptians by their gods. When death walked abroad, what if the many demons of the Egyptian gods diverted death to them? Could the one true God protect against the wicked craftiness of demons and sprites? Would the blood on the door posts guarantee His protection? And still others worried that such a mighty God might not exercise minute care and miss that they had the blood on their lintels, and the rage of His wrath might overflow and kill them along with the firstborn of the Egyptians. Perhaps others worried that because their racial lineage was not purely of Israel, that God would ignore the blood on the lintel and kill them too.
And yet, there were others among the firstborn, having seen God at work on behalf of His people in the previous plagues, who went to bed without a second thought, for they were assured that God would see the blood and spare them.
In the morning, those who trembled and worried, as well as those who were confident and sure, awoke, for they had been spared. When God saw the blood, He passed over all of them. The darkest fears and trembling among those who had the blood on the door posts did not bring them to destruction. Similarly, among the Egyptians, the brightest hopes and stoutest courage could not save their firstborn.
Christians tremble and fear the wrath of God, and we have excellent reason to do so, for we believe in Him and have a clearer idea than most of how holy God is. Let's not take Him lightly or excuse our behaviors with glib reasons.
But God is faithful to His Word, and He is faithful to the atoning work of His Son. When God sees the Blood of Christ, His wrath does not come through our doors. We may cling to that Cross in joyful and humbled confidence, perceiving His excellent good will to us because of Christ. Or we may cling to the Cross and hide our eyes against it because we know how terrible the wrath of God is, and we deeply feel our sin. Yet either way, we cling to that Cross and are spared.
Keep your confidence in Christ and recognize that there are no second class Christians. God is a river to His people. Plunge in and be clean; drink and be strengthened. Put your confidence in Christ, and soon you'll see that the flesh will never be pure in this life, but it can be brought under the power of the Resurrection so that the life of Jesus Christ is lived in you.
Somebody over on the FFF mentioned Ian Paisley to me recently. While I disagree with Mr. Paisley on several issues, I recall an excellent sermon illustration I heard from him once, and I want to use it here.
I get e-mails from survivors of Fundamentalist-X abuses. Most of my e-mail comes from people who attended Hyles-Anderson College, although I also get e-mail from survivors of other wacko-theology IFBx schools as well.
One term that comes up often is "second class Christian," which forms part of their lament. Having been manipulated and exploited, they now accept as a given that God is vindictive even against His own blood bought children, And they have been trained to think that, because He has a right to be angry with them for their failings, He will wreak havoc in their lives. They are, they tell me, second class Christians, and they worry about what God will do to them for their failures.
I still remember, when I was 26, a dear old saint of God telling me that because I had earned my black belt and was trusting in that for my strength, God would no longer protect me. She told me this on the night that a senior brown belt decided to "initiate" me in free sparring, and I was very afraid that God wouldn't hear my prayers, because this guy was really going to humiliate me. As it turned out, I kicked the bully about 15 feet across the training hall floor with a kick that---to this day—I have never equaled for speed and focus. It quite literally knocked him off his feet, and he crashed between two other sets of fighters before the floor stopped him. That was God's answer to my worried prayers, and His assurance that He remains my protection, and it was certainly a good enough answer for me!
God does not subject His children to wrath, because God is faithful to His promises, not because we are so faithful. We are all depraved sinners, and in our flesh it is impossible for us to please God. Jesus Christ pleases God, and we are covered by His rightouesness.
Ian Paisley reminded fearful believers of Exodus 12, when God gave the awful decree that He would destroy the firstborn throughout Egypt, but He would spare those who had the blood of the lamb on the lintels of their doors:
For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I [am] the LORD.
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye [are]: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy [you], when I smite the land of Egypt.
Certainly, in the houses of the Israelites, there were those firstborn people haunted by guilt and fear, even though in obedient faith they applied the blood of the lamb to their door posts. They knew they had committed sin with the Egyptians before the Lord raised Moses to deliver them. Could the blood on the door post be sufficient to divert His wrath? After all, His wrath was just. And others, living in that culture of gods and magic, had been the recipients of curses from the Egyptians by their gods. When death walked abroad, what if the many demons of the Egyptian gods diverted death to them? Could the one true God protect against the wicked craftiness of demons and sprites? Would the blood on the door posts guarantee His protection? And still others worried that such a mighty God might not exercise minute care and miss that they had the blood on their lintels, and the rage of His wrath might overflow and kill them along with the firstborn of the Egyptians. Perhaps others worried that because their racial lineage was not purely of Israel, that God would ignore the blood on the lintel and kill them too.
And yet, there were others among the firstborn, having seen God at work on behalf of His people in the previous plagues, who went to bed without a second thought, for they were assured that God would see the blood and spare them.
In the morning, those who trembled and worried, as well as those who were confident and sure, awoke, for they had been spared. When God saw the blood, He passed over all of them. The darkest fears and trembling among those who had the blood on the door posts did not bring them to destruction. Similarly, among the Egyptians, the brightest hopes and stoutest courage could not save their firstborn.
Christians tremble and fear the wrath of God, and we have excellent reason to do so, for we believe in Him and have a clearer idea than most of how holy God is. Let's not take Him lightly or excuse our behaviors with glib reasons.
But God is faithful to His Word, and He is faithful to the atoning work of His Son. When God sees the Blood of Christ, His wrath does not come through our doors. We may cling to that Cross in joyful and humbled confidence, perceiving His excellent good will to us because of Christ. Or we may cling to the Cross and hide our eyes against it because we know how terrible the wrath of God is, and we deeply feel our sin. Yet either way, we cling to that Cross and are spared.
Keep your confidence in Christ and recognize that there are no second class Christians. God is a river to His people. Plunge in and be clean; drink and be strengthened. Put your confidence in Christ, and soon you'll see that the flesh will never be pure in this life, but it can be brought under the power of the Resurrection so that the life of Jesus Christ is lived in you.
