American Salvation

We don’t need Jesus as much as our ancient forbears did.

That’s not to say that we don’t need the forgiveness of our sins.  Absolutely, we desperately need that.  And we need a relationship with God.  It is a wonderful feeling to know that, if we ever need God, we can pray to him and He’s there for us.  It’s good to have that security blanket, if we ever need Him.  And, of course, we need Him everyday.  That’s why we need to pray daily.  Because we need Him.

                So why don’t we pray?

                Well, sure, we prayed for Aunt Marge just last week.  She was going into surgery.  But she’s okay, because the doctors fixed her right up.  And we prayed for Tim, from our church, because he was going to Africa to visit some people who needed help.  We prayed for his protection.  He got back okay.  Of course, we knew that air travel is the safest way to go.  And there weren’t any wars where he was going.  But we’re glad we prayed, just in case. 

                And, of course, we worship God.  Some of us do it just on Sundays, and some every day.  But we recognize that its our responsibility to worship Him because He gave us life and created the world and provided us with the basics of every living thing.  So we thank him for our food, although we know that it came from stores after being processed after being grown in farms.  But somewhere back there, God did something to get us the food, so we thank Him.  It’s only respectful.

                It’s not like we believe that God doesn’t work today.  We certainly recognize God’s power in our lives.  It’s not like God is just some clockworker who put in the rechargeable battery and let it go. So why do we often practically act like deists?  Why does it seem as if our lives wouldn’t really be any different if we were just trying to be “good people”? 

                 Isn’t Christianity supposed to be something more intense?  What are we missing?

                Honestly, what we are missing is salvation.

                “No, no,” you interrupt, “you don’t understand.  We HAVE salvation.  We have it in Jesus.  Jesus died on the cross.  We believe.  So we have forgiveness and a relationship with God.  We already have it.”

                The problem is that forgiveness is only one part of salvation.  It’s important, that’s true, but its not the whole ball of wax.  Jesus offered us a lot more than just forgiveness.  He offers us the kingdom of God.  That’s quite a package.  It’s just that so few people really know what it all entails.

When Jesus offered us the kingdom, he offered us a nation of justice.  He offered us a nation that acts on the principle of caring for everyone, without exception, so that everyone will be cared for.  Justice is in Jesus’ hands, and he offers it to us. All we have to do is

                But we already have justice, don’t we?  That’s what we are told.  We live in a great nation of equality, where no one receives special treatment because of who they are.  Everyone is treated the same, no matter what their sex or their race or their social class or their wealth.  Everyone receives the same justice, the same opportunities… or, at least, that’s how it is supposed to work.

                I guess perhaps we don’t all have justice.  I guess there is still people of color who don’t receive equal treatment.  There are still women and even men who are refused jobs because of their sex.  There are immigrants and the homeless who aren’t treated with fairness.  There are still the mentally ill who are not given a fair shake.  So maybe we still need Jesus’ offer of justice after all.

When Jesus offered the kingdom of God, he was offering the outcast and lowly the opportunity to be rulers over the world.  He proclaimed good news to the poor, freedom to the prisoners and a new start to sinners.  Anyone could have the opportunity to lead in Jesus’ kingdom—they didn’t have to be rich or popular or part of a ruling class or a certain educational level.  Anyone could be powerful or have authority through the Holy Spirit, and rule with Jesus.

                But in our society, we already have that, don’t we.  After all, any kid in America could be whatever they want to be.  If a kid wants to be part of the police or an astronaut or even President of the whole country all they have to do is work hard and nothing will stop them from achieving their goal, right?

                But, actually, I wanted to be an astronaut until I found out that very few people could be in the few slots available for the position.  And I wasn’t good enough at science anyway.  Maybe, they said, I could be a social worker.  And as far as president?  When was the last time a homeless person became president?  Or a woman?   When was the last time an uneducated person become president?  No, the presidency is for a very few.  I guess we need Jesus’ salvation for the outcast after all.

               

                When Jesus offered us the kingdom of God, he offered us God’s knowledge and wisdom in all things.  He offered us the opportunity to know God’s righteousness and to know the hidden things of God.  We can have the Holy Spirit who will guide us in our lives and give us wisdom in every circumstance.

                But maybe we don’t need that knowledge anymore.  After all, we have great colleges and universities where we can learn anything of importance.  We have the internet to pick up any other kind of fact that we need.  And we have counselors and psychologists to offer us wisdom and counsel in our lives. Heck, we have search engines that will tell us whatever we know. 

                On the other hand, I never really learned that much in college.  I mean it was helpful, but it really only pointed the way.  And the ethics courses were pretty sketchy.  And though I can get a lot of facts in our society, I can’t tell the difference between Truth and the various forms of untruth that are floating around out there.  It’s so hard to tell the difference.  And I’ve got a friend, who is at least as sane as me, and the counselor keeps telling her that she’s got multiple personality disorder.  How many of those counselors and psychiatrists really understand us, who we really are, as individuals?  Perhaps we need Jesus’ salvation for wisdom after all.

When Jesus offered us the kingdom of God, he said that God would provide everything we need.  He said that we wouldn’t need to worry about food and clothing—God has got us covered (so to speak).  He said that he would heal our diseases and care for our wounds.  All of our basic needs would be provided for.

                But we don’t need God for that anymore.  I’m sure that the ancients needed God for their daily bread and health, but, frankly, us Americans are doing pretty well.  After all, I’ve never missed a meal in my life.  And I’ve eaten pretty well, if I can judge by my waistline.  We’ve got clean water and hot water and running water and sanitary water—that’s something!  And we have a better health system than ever seen in history.  More people are healed in a city hospital in one day than Jesus did in a year of ministry.

                Of course, people are mostly healed.  There is very little joy in healing, like with Jesus.  People sometimes seem sicker after their “healing” than before.  And I eat well and live well, it is true.  But why do I feel so guilty?  Why is there no satisfaction, not even any contentment, with my prosperity?  And why are there so many in the U.S. that don’t experience that prosperity?  Why are there children who are hungry, families who are homeless and strong men crippled by work?  Perhaps we need Jesus’ salvation of prosperity after all.

When Jesus offered us the kingdom of God, he promised us a society of God.  He said that we would have a society which would be our family, and we would have tight-knit bonds.  If any person was in need, the others would help them out.  Everyone would be supported and helped.

                But our society seems fine.  It offers a lot of variety, a lot of opportunity.  There are support groups everywhere, for every kind of issue.  There are churches and clubs and societies.  And if anyone is really in need, they could ask for it.  Or get welfare.

                On the other hand, our society seems full of violence.  And full of hatreds.  And there isn’t much forgiveness.  And I don’t know if I remember the name of anyone in my support group.  And I think I lied.  There’s no one who will really help us in need.  And welfare is humiliating.

When Jesus offered us the kingdom of God, he promised us a secure future.  We would be resurrected from the dead, and we would have eternal life.  We would be completely defended by God and there would be no more sorrows.  All the future would be ours, if only we would trust in Him.

                But our future seems fine.  We have the possibility of a comfortable retirement.  We have insurance to cover the worst of disasters—fire, flood, death, disease.  And we are secure in the hands of the U.S. military and the local police.  They keep things pretty secure.

                But, actually, we are pretty nervous.  We depended on Social Security, and we aren’t confident in it anymore.  We depended on insurance, and they said they wouldn’t pay for our disaster.  We had to take them to court to get the money we were promised.  And I would feel secure with the military and police, if only I could trust them.  If only I wasn’t afraid of what they would do.  As well as all the criminals and terrorists they miss.  I suppose that we still need Jesus salvation for the future.

When Jesus offered the kingdom of God, he was speaking about God’s rule.  God would be our Lord and Master and King.  No one would take us from his hand.  No one would rule over us, only God through Jesus.

                But, frankly, we don’t really want to be ruled by anyone.  I am the master of my own destiny, and I don’t really want anyone telling me what to do.  I have my own principles to live by.  I have my own ambitions.  It is enough for me to make my own decisions.  It is enough that I am in charge of my own life and I am independent of all rule.  Even God’s.   I think I understand now why we are practical deists.  Because we are content with what we already have.  We have made our own decisions and we have obtained the salvation the world offers, and why do we need any thing else?

 

                Except… that I made a mess of my life already.  I am depressed, sometimes forsaken, often sick.  My life is miserable, and I can’t blame anyone but myself.  I don’t know if I want to be independent.  I’m just not strong enough, not wise enough, not secure enough, not happy enough.  Maybe—just maybe—I really need Jesus to take over my life.

There is a salvation that America offers us.  It is often called the American dream.  We could fit into our society and live out this dream.  We could be consumers, and have whatever material things we want.  We could gain a high position socially.  We could live in a society of mutual respect and opportunity.  We could have security for our family and our children’s children.

                That’s the promise.  There’s only two problems with this promise.

                First of all, it’s a lie.  America cannot deliver it to us.  It never has, and it never will.  The government and society is inadequate for what the American dream promises.

                Also, Jesus’ offer is much better.  The kingdom of God is a more complete version of the salvation America offers. 

                Some of our greatest heroes, we have been told, offered us salvation.  George Washington.  Thomas Jefferson.  Abraham Lincoln.  Franklin Roosevelt.  Martin Luther King, Jr.  They offered us equality.  They offered us prosperity.  They offered us a glorious destiny.  It was an empty promise.  It was an offer without any substance.

            Only Jesus’ promise is the real thing.  The real salvation.

The Second Chance

Jesus responded to this news by saying, “It is time.  It is time for the Messiah to be honored.  Listen carefully: A kernel of corn has to be torn from it’s life, thrown to the ground and allowed to die, or it will always be by itself.  But if it dies, then it will be transformed into many more.  Even so, whoever grasps onto his own life will lose it.  But whoever hates his life in this age will find that it is preserved by God for the next age, which is eternal.  The one who wants to be to be in my government, must follow me through death and beyond.  Wherever I am my follower will be as well.  The faithful servant will be honored by God.  So now I am in anguish, because of the difficulty I must face.  But should I ask God to save me from this fate?  But because it is my fate, it is my purpose.  Father, in my death, glorify Your name.”  John 12:23-27

He sat them down and began to lecture them about the doctrinal necessity of the suffering of the Son of Man of Daniel.  That the Son of Man would be declared guilty by the judges and bishops and the seminary professors and he would be sentenced to death, killed and after a three day appeal would be resurrected.  He spoke to them without metaphor, but straightforwardly.  After he was done, Peter gently took him aside and told him that such things could not happen to him, the Messiah.  Jesus turned toward all his disciples and raised his voice for all to hear, “Get away from me! You are not Peter, but Satan!  Stop tempting me to take the easy route!  You are speaking of God’s plan, but of human achievement!”

Then Jesus called the crowd to gather around him, beside his disciples, then he addressed them all: “Do you think that I have the way to life, the way to enter into God’s kingdom?  Then listen here: If you want to be a part of my school, you must give up on all the things that make up your life, accept that you will be killed as a revolutionary and go where I go. Since I am going to die, you must accept that for yourself as well.  If you want to preserve your life, then you will lose it.  If you lose your life for Me and my school, then you will retain your life.  If you surrender your life, you will obtain resurrection. Sure, you could gain everything in the world you want—happiness, security, wealth, fame—but what good is any of that if you lose your life in the long run?  Suppose someone had a gun to your head and wanted all you had for your life?  Isn’t it better to give all of that up, so you could live and obtain your stuff and happiness another day?  If anyone is fearful of speaking about Me before this sinning and faithless people, then the Messiah will dare not speak his name on the final day when he comes to rule the Father’s kingdom with all of God’s power behind him.  Mark 8:31-38

Eternal Life

Jesus’ goal was not to die, although it may seem like it in the above passages.  Rather, Jesus’ goal was what is called “eternal life”.  This eternal life is not life in heaven, as spirits floating around singing.  It is a second chance on life.

                In our current life, we are compromised from doing all we could for God.  We live in a corrupted world which strives to encourage us to do evil, to disobey God.  We have corrupted bodies which have corrupted desires and illnesses and weaknesses that the body encourages us to sidestep by doing more evil.  We live in a context of temptation and injustice and weakness.

                God is offering resurrection.  This means that we will come back after death into bodies that are uncorrupted and incorruptible.  We will be living in a context without injustice, and temptation is kept to a minimum.  We will be given an opportunity to live for God without weakness, in full strength and spiritual authority. 

And some will be chosen to rule over this utopia.  The Messiah will be chosen among people to rule over God’s kingdom and He will chose many to rule with Him.  The ones whom He will chose will create justice for all, provide the context of life for everyone.  This is the dream of the New Testament.  It is the goal of Jesus.

God’s Justice

But God doesn’t give this kind of resurrection, this opportunity to everyone.  Not everyone deserves to rule, not everyone can handle the power that will be given to people to rule.  Not everyone is prepared to deal with people as they are.  God is careful to choose the people who will create His utopia, and these will be given a second chance on life.

                Who are these people that God chooses?  God’s selection process begins first of all with those who didn’t really have a life to begin with.  This doesn’t mean that they didn’t have a chance of a good life.  Perhaps they surrendered the chance of a good life.  But God is looking for those who suffered injustice in their lives.  They did good for themselves, for their neighbors, for God’s kingdom, but they received shame and punishment for the good they did.  God will not look for the rich and powerful, the famous and lauded.  They have already had their life.  God will be looking for those who gave up their life and give them another chance.

Jesus’ Example

Jesus is the one who surrendered his chance at life for others.  He could have lived a quiet, but happy existence as a carpenter in Nazareth.  But he chose to give up on the good life so that a better life could be granted to everyone.  Jesus gave up on life, on happiness, on a good retirement, on hope of a peaceful death.  Jesus surrendered all the great possibilities to live in shalom.  He did this, not because he couldn’t have lived in peace, but because he saw so many who didn’t have the chance.  So he gave up on life to give others a chance.

                And this is exactly what Jesus is calling us to.  If we want to have a better life, we have to give up on the one the world offers us.  Yes, for some of us, perhaps we could have a solid job, a quiet existence, a good family, the American dream.  But for many, this life is out of reach.  Jesus is asking us to give up the good life, so we could give an opportunity for a better life for others. 

·                Just like Jesus, we are called to give up the pursuit of the “good life”, the American Dream.

·                Just like Jesus, we are called to live in rebellion against the world political system which denies peace and justice for so many.

·                Just like Jesus, we are to allow ourselves to be persecuted, to be punished for doing good.

·                Just like Jesus, we are called to even die in our innocence, to die because of our life in God’s compassion.

                These who give up their shots at the good life to live and die for others, they will be given the second chance.  They will be God’s rulers in the coming revolution.

As It Was Prophecied

This is also nothing new.  There are only a few places in the Old Testament that talks about the resurrection of God’s people, and every passage speaks of God giving a second chance to those who didn’t have a life to begin with:

• Psalm 22—The author of this Psalm is surrounded by enemies and killed, but he relies on God for deliverance.  God then gives him a second chance at life, which is happy and good.
• Psalm 37—The people of God suffer under oppression because the wealthy wicked are causing them to live in poverty.  The point of the psalm is that God will give the poor who wait for God a second chance at life without such oppression.
• Daniel 12—The people of God are under a terrible trial and oppression.  They are surrounded and destroyed and killed by their enemies.  God destroys their enemies and resurrects the killed, giving them a second chance to live under God’s rule.

Jesus sees the fulfillment of these prophecies, but he adds one more factor.  There are some who will choose to suffer, who will chose to die for the sake of God’s kingdom and righteousness.  These will also gain resurrection with those who had no choice to suffer.  And some of them will rule in God’s kingdom.

Who get resurrected?  The rejected by the world.