Hope Of Life To Come

Jun 18, 06:38 PM

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” ~Philippians 3:10-11

Paul pointed to the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the single most important validation of the faith. “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 15:17) It was testimony to the resurrection of Christ that constituted the first Christian witness. The Christian faith was originally based on sharing in the life of Jesus Christ, becoming like Him in His life and death, and the hope of life to come. It was gratitude for what Christ had done and hope in the resurrection that motivated these believers. Because of this, they were willing and even desirous to share in His sufferings. “And they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.” (Acts 5:41) Paul wrote that we rejoice in our sufferings because suffering produces a hope which will not disappoint us. (Romans 5:3) In other words, the Christian faith was based on the notion that we endure now for what we might receive then.

The early fathers like St. Augustine give us a glimpse of how they saw the faith in the centuries following the establishment of the early church. They appear to have given little heed to life as it is now, at least in terms of any expectation of what life might bring. They gave little regard to personal needs and were adamant not to give liberty to the carnal desires of the flesh. Their faith seemed to focus on the reward – the inheritance – which was to be theirs through faithful endurance and identification with Christ.

How antiquated their words seem when seen through the eyes of contemporary culture. Today, the church gives little or no attention to the life that is to come. When is the last time you heard teaching about the “inheritance?” Yet, it is a theme that runs throughout the Bible and one of the foremost promises of God. How much have you heard recently about life after death? Today, everything is about the here and now, how to live the most productive and fruitful life today, how God is going to meet your needs today. Even the resurrection is not preached as a hope that is to come but is more attuned to the theme of “power for living today.” One of the biggest errors of contemporary culture, especially in the affluence of the West, is the basic expectation that life is supposed to make you happy.

This shift in Christian perspective was brought about by a number of factors. There was a reaction against Christianity’s repressive focus on certain personal behaviors that seemed to miss the mark of the core of Christ’s teaching. Everything from music to make-up was condemned while the weightier matters of faith and justice went virtually ignored. In the 60’s, Western culture cast off all restraints to human expression and consumption. Commercialism’s mantra is now all about “have it now.” The affluence of our society has enabled us to insulate ourselves from virtually all suffering which has characterized other societies in other times. The church, in its desire to become relevant and attract and maintain a constituency has all but abandoned the notion of hope and sacrifice. All of this has occurred in an environment of scientific rationalism which questions the pillars upon which our hope rests.

What should be our response to this? Some have simply railed at the trend and cast stones at the society and the church. Others have withdrawn and organized their own religious societies. Christians cannot withdraw from the world and still be agents through which the redemptive work of Christ continues. Sacrificial living must once again find itself into the mindset of the contemporary Christian. We must once again come to realize that while our ministry and our love is intrinsically tied to this world, our hope is not.

“Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross.” ~Hebrews 12:1-2

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