Table of Contents

Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross

Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross

by James P. Shelly

CHAPTER NINE

We Walk by Faith - Part II

Every Believer Takes Up Their Cross

It is said of Christ in Hebrews 12:2, “Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Christ endured the cross with a view to the future glory of all that would be accomplished thereby. Likewise, we are told, in Luke 14:27, that His followers must endure their own cross, overcoming the world, for the joy set before them, that they might also sit down with Christ at the right hand of the throne of God (Rev. 3:21). He says “whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:38). In other words, we must be so thoroughly convinced of the truth claims of Christ, that we are willing to endure whatever is asked of us, for His sake, if we are to be found worthy of the title “Christian.” Albert Barnes writes,

The meaning of this is clear. Christ must be loved supremely, or he is not loved at all. If we are not willing to give up all earthly possessions, and forsake all earthly friends, and if we do not obey him rather than all others, we have no true attachment to him. Is not worthy of me - Is not appropriate to be regarded as a follower of me, or is not a Christian. When persons were condemned to be crucified, a part of the sentence was that they should carry the cross on which they were to die to the place of execution. Thus, Christ carried his, until he fainted from fatigue and exhaustion. …It was an instrument of death. To carry it was burdensome, was disgraceful, was trying to the feelings, was an addition to the punishment. So ‘to carry the cross’ is a figurative expression, denoting that we must endure whatever is burdensome, or is trying, or is considered disgraceful, in following Christ. It consists simply in doing our duty, let the people of the world think of it or speak of it as they may. It does not consist in making trouble for ourselves, or doing things merely ‘to be opposed;’ it is doing just what is required of us in the Scriptures, let it produce whatever shame, disgrace, or pain it may. This every follower of Jesus is required to do.1

So then, to take up our cross is to take up an “instrument of death.” Our faith in Christ must be such that we are willing, not only to die for Him, but also to make whatever sacrifices are necessary that we might live for Him. Even as Paul says, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom. 12:1). Moreover, it must be taken up with the motivation of love even as Christ took up His or nothing will be gained by it. As Paul says, “If I have all faith…but have not love, I am nothing…if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Cor. 13:2, 3). Christ endured the cross with the joy set before Him in that He would have an opportunity for God’s love and justice to express itself; A revealing of God’s nature and character to the whole world (1 Jn. 3:16, Rom. 5:8). Love always finds joy in every occasion whereby it can manifest itself. “It never can, in any sense, be said of Jesus that he endured the cross…in the prospect of gaining an everlasting glory; when he had the fullness of that glory with the Father before the world began; John 17:5.”2 No, His joy would be in that, by a profound display of sacrificial love, He would make a way, for all those who would believe in Him, to share in the glory which He had prior to His descension. God so loved the world that He would send His Son who for the joy of expressing that love, in doing the will of His father, was willing to endure the shame of the cross with a view to “bringing many sons to glory” (Heb. 2:10). “Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:17). Therefore, we too are to take up our cross with the motive of love to God and our fellow man. A love that paradoxically denies self that it might be eternally preserved. It is a love which is directed and moving toward heaven and has as its primary concern the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). Whereas prior to this it was directed toward the kingdom of this world and of sin, it is now engrossed with that which is pleasing to God — truth, law, justice, righteousness, mercy, compassion, etc. It is a love that finds joy in every opportunity granted to us whereby God’s love can be manifest; a love that fulfills the law (Rom. 8:4, 13:8-10). It is a love that now finds its temporal happiness, comfort, pleasure, etc., in the pursuit of pleasures and fullness of joy forevermore at God’s right hand (Ps. 16:11). A love that walks “by faith and not by sight.” We take up our cross with the understanding that our earthly life is but a vapor, a stepping stone to that which is eternal and far more glorious. A life as God intended before the foundation of the world. Life in a world wherein all the ugliness of the consequence of man’s sin against God, which has so profoundly marred all the beauty of His creation, is restored in all its magnificence and glory. The consummation of a new heaven and earth wherein righteousness dwells and thus death, sorrow, weeping and pain is no more. In light of that which is set before us, we willingly endure whatever trials, hardships, tribulations, and persecutions we might encounter for Christ’s sake. We are able to do so with joy (James 1:2), believing in Christ and His words;

Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matt. 5:11-13).

In contrast we have the “stony ground hearer” who immediately receives the gospel with gladness, but when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, they immediately stumble (Mark 4:17). They have a desire to receive the promised blessings of God, but they have not that faith which is so thoroughly convinced of them that they are willing to stake their life on it. They are rather theoretical suppositions than spiritual realities and thus they are unwilling to take up their cross and they fall away. Similarly, we have the seed that fell among thorns, “as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature” (Luke 8:14, see Chapter 11).These, likewise, have not the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Their chief hope and assurance is in the things of the here and now and their only conviction is of that which they can see, feel, touch, and experience in this temporal sphere. The cares, riches, and pleasures of life in this world is their primary motivation and therefore the spiritual life is choked out and the necessary fruit to holiness never comes to harvest (Rom. 6:22). They walk by sight and not by faith and thus it can never be said of them, “they have conquered him (Satan, the god of this world, 2 Cor. 4:4) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death” (Rev. 12:11, emphasis added). Charles John Ellicott writes,

Theoretical religion relaxes the energy of faith, even though it may brace the intellect; practical religion invigorates faith, gives it its force, and moulds the heroism of those who, in their love of Christ, ‘love not their lives even unto death.’ It is thought that these last words imply that the martyred saints alone are spoken of. This seems to me a mistake. It is true that in the martyr we have the fullest practical token of that spirit of devotion to Christ which loves Him more than life itself; but the spirit of such devotion and such love has breathed in thousands who have never died the martyr’s death, but who have devoted their lives to Him they loved. The martyr spirit needs not death to show itself; many lose their lives for Christ’s sake who have never been called to lay down their lives for Him, and these, as truly as those who have passed away in the shroud of flame, have loved not their lives unto the death. ‘He may bid us die for Him: He does bid us live for Him. If we do not the one — the less — we may be quite sure that we shall never rise to the other — the higher and the more glorious’ (Dr. Vaughan).3

Jesus said, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” This voluntary self-denying of our earthly life is so central for the follower of Christ that the Lord repeated it multiple times, on multiple occasions, and is found in every gospel account; Matthew 10:39, Mark 8:34, Luke 17:33, John 12:25. This mind-set, this eternal perspective in regards to our present life, is set forth by Christ as a condition for our salvation; “whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (Jn. 12:25). The love of our heavenly life, which is hidden in Christ (Col. 3:3), is now far more precious to us than our life in this present world. A world which is at enmity with God and therefore at enmity with His children (1 Jn. 3:13). Thus we are not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewal of our mind, that by testing we may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:1, 2). “That those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised” (2 Cor. 5:15). J. C. Ryle wrote,

He that would be saved must be ready to give up life itself, if necessary, in order to obtain salvation. He must bury his love of the world, with its riches, honors, pleasures, and rewards, with a full belief that in so doing he will reap a better harvest, both here and hereafter. He who loves the life that now is, so much that he cannot deny himself anything for the sake of his soul, will find at length that he has lost everything. He, on the contrary, who is ready to cast away everything most dear to him in this life, if it stands in the way of his soul, and to crucify the flesh with its affections and lusts, will find at length that he is no loser. In a word, his losses will prove nothing in comparison to his gains. Truths such as these should sink deeply into our hearts, and stir up self-inquiry. It is as true of Christians as it is of Christ — there can be no life without death, there can be no sweet without bitter, there can be no crown without a cross. Without Christ’s death there would have been no life for the world. Unless we are willing to die to sin, and crucify all that is most dear to flesh and blood, we cannot expect any benefit from Christ’s death. Let us remember these things, and take up our cross daily, like men. Let us, for the joy set before us, endure the cross and despise the shame, and in the end we shall sit down with our Master at God’s right hand. The way of self-crucifixion and sanctification may seem foolishness and wasteful to the world, just as burying good seed seems wasteful to the child and the fool. But there never lived the man who did not find that, by sowing to the Spirit, he reaped life everlasting.4

It says of Moses that he chose:

Rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward (Heb. 11:26, emphasis added).

It is assumed in this passage that the lot of the people of God in this world is often one of affliction and suffering. To join them requires a conscious decision to be willing to suffer with them and to abstain from the fleeting pleasures of sin (2 Cor. 6:17, 1 Pet. 2:11). Why did Moses choose suffering, affliction, and righteousness over the cares, riches, and pleasures of life in Egypt? “For he was looking to the reward.” It is the power of that faith whereby one walks “according to the Spirit” with “the conviction of things not seen.”

Hebrews 11:35-38 says of Old Testament saints,

Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated — of whom the world was not worthy — wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth” (emphasis added).

And in Heb. 11:13,

These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth (emphasis added).

Did the Old Testament Prophets suffer such rejection because they came to the people with a message of “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life”? A message that nothing was required of them but to believe in some historical facts about God, repeat “the sinner’s prayer” that they might escape His wrath? Were Christ and His Apostles hated and persecuted for a message that gave solace to a people who would remain in their sin? A message of forgiveness without repentance unto holiness, righteousness, and obedience? A message of health, wealth, and prosperity? That one could live like the world, and still reach heaven? This is why they were tortured, mocked, stoned and scourged?! No, the Prophets, Christ and His Apostles were hated and persecuted for bringing a message that exposed the wickedness of men’s hearts and unless they would turn from their sin and walk in the ways of God they would perish. Christ says in John 7:7 the world “hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” John says the world will hate us because our deeds are righteous and theirs evil (1 Jn 3:12). The good news of the gospel is that sinners can be rescued from their sin, not merely from its future consequence, but from its prevalence and consequence in the present. Those who have been thus rescued will often be hated and persecuted because by the righteousness they exhibit, the sins of the wicked are laid bare, their guilt magnified, and are like salt to their wounds. “One who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked” (Prov. 29:27, NASB). They are as “Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous” (1 Jn. 3:12). Such can often be heard making accusations of “self-righteousness” when, in fact, it is they themselves that imagine they can achieve heaven apart from Christ.

Paul referring to the New Testament saints says:

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

We understand here that Paul sums up all of life as “momentary.” Who among us would be so foolish as to exchange “a moment” of the fleeting pleasures of sin for pleasures forevermore at the right hand of the Father? The only plausible answer is those with an unbelieving heart, the death blow of the soul. For there is none other that could exhibit such folly; “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? (Matt. 16:26). Faith speaks in this way,

For in this tent [our temporary bodies] we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened — not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee (2 Cor. 5:2-5).

Paul says that we as Christians are longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, not because we have a desire to die, but rather because death is swallowed up by life eternal, and sin is swallowed up by perfect righteousness. It is when putting off this earthly tent we find deliverance from the various pains and sufferings of our physical bodies, the temptations of our sin prone flesh, and the wickedness of this fallen world at enmity with God, which brings much distress and torment to the soul. This is typified in the deliverance of Lot who was “greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard)” (2 Pet. 2:7-8). How much more so the torment of the regenerate soul seeing and hearing of the lawlessness, not only in the world, but among those professing to be Christ’s? The Lord spoke to the Prophet Ezekiel,

‘Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.’ And to the others he said in my hearing, ‘Pass through the city after him, and strike. Your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity. Kill old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one on whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary’ (Ezek. 9:4-6).

Here God looks with mercy on those who are marked out by grieving and weeping over the abominations and sins committed by those in their midst and says to kill, without pity, all those who are not of such character, saying in essence, save those who have a heartfelt love for God and His righteousness but destroy all those who are apathetic to such abominations. Furthermore, He says “begin at my sanctuary.” “Let those who have sinned against most mercy, and most privileges, be the first victims of justice. Those who know their Lord’s will, and do it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. The unfaithful members of Christ’s church will be first visited and most punished.”5 In other words, it is naturally expected of God’s people to be grieving and weeping over the sinfulness of those in whatever social environment they find themselves in, as they have come to know and understand the surpassing beauty of God’s law. Thus, they are not only diligent in their own walk of obedience to God’s word, but are also deeply troubled and grieved by those around them who rebel against it, knowing the calamitous consequence and misery it brings upon society at large as well as each individual member. Indeed, not from an attitude of self-righteousness, but from a deep and abiding love for God and neighbor. John Gill writes,

The abominations were those abominable idolatries mentioned in the preceding chapter, and those dreadful immoralities hinted at in Ezekiel 9:9; all which were grieving and distressing to godly minds, because they were contrary to the nature and will of God; transgressions, of his righteous law; and on account of which his name was dishonoured, and his ways blasphemed and evil spoken of; for these they sighed and groaned in private, and mourned and lamented in public; bearing their testimony against them with bitter expressions of grief and sorrow, by groans, words, and tears; and such as these are taken notice of by the Lord; he comforts those that mourn in Zion, and preserves them.6

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:19, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” He continues this line of thought in v. 32, “What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’” Paul is not arguing that if there is no resurrection why not go back to a life of sin, as that would bring us even more misery, but rather why not live out our days in comfort and ease? He says why subject myself to unnecessary trials and tribulation if there is nothing to be gained by it? Why walk in the difficult and narrow way if the easy and broad way leads to the same destination? This is not limited to the Apostle, though he was subject to harsher conditions than most, for it is said that “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). Again, it is not the godly life, but the unnecessary hardships it brings with it while living in a world at enmity with Christ and His followers (James 4:4, 1 Jn. 3:13) that would make us more pitiable. Many must sever ties with their own families for the sake of Christ (Luke 14:26, Matt. 10:33-35). Multitudes in all ages even to the present have suffered terribly for their faith often being tortured and maimed, dying horrific deaths. We subject ourselves to ridicule, hatred, persecution and hardship for His sake, presenting our bodies a living sacrifice. We forfeit many of the comforts and pleasures of this world that we might make the best use of our time in service to Him. Our primary happiness and joy in this world is derived from our communion with Him, in pleasing Him, looking to His promises. For the joy set before us we have denied ourselves and taken up our cross to follow Him. How pitiable if Christ were a liar and His promises a fiction and, in the end, we perish. We would be chasing after the wind, even as the rest of the world, and how pitiful to conduct the chase while confined to a difficult and narrow way, weighed down with a cross that turns out to be unnecessary. Storing up our treasure in a kingdom we will never see. It would be as Moses “choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin…looking to the reward” (Heb. 11:25-27) that is never received. Or of Peter when he posed the question in Matthew 19:27 “See, we have left everything and followed You. What then will we have?” and Christ answers, “nothing but death.” How pitiable those who have forsaken all to follow Christ and yet, in the end, there is no gain. Even though it is true that in the absence of a life hereafter we would have no remembrance of our experiences in this life, comfort and ease would nonetheless be preferable. “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’” Matthew Henry writes:

Is it not absurd for one who believes in Christ to admit a principle that involves so absurd an inference? Can that man have faith in Christ who can believe concerning him that he will leave his faithful servants, whether ministers or others, in a worse state than his enemies? Note, It were a gross absurdity in a Christian to admit the supposition of no resurrection or future state. It would leave no hope beyond this world, and would frequently make his condition the worst in the world. Indeed, the Christian is by his religion crucified to this world, and taught to live upon the hope of another. Carnal pleasures are insipid to him in a great degree; and spiritual and heavenly pleasures are those which he affects and pants after. How sad is his case indeed, if he must be dead to worldly pleasures and yet never hope for any better!7

Paul says in v. 20 “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead” and therefore “we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Cor. 5:1). In other words, we know that if tomorrow we die, a better life awaits us. We walk in the assurance that Christ has indeed risen, and are therefore confident that we will rise with Him, and all our hopes and dreams are bound up in Him. For we have died with Him (Rom. 6:8, 2 Tim. 2:11), the “old self” crucified (Rom. 6:6, Gal. 5:24), and we now live in light of our new life which is hidden with Him in God (Col. 3:3).

When we consider the faith of those down through the ages who have been persecuted, some cruelly tortured and martyred for Christ, we come to understand biblical faith as resulting in a predisposition to readily abandon our temporal life in this world when called to lay it down for His sake. To read of the early church martyrs and their tortures is not only a humbling experience, but one that strengthens faith and edifies the soul. Here is just an example as they are recorded in “Foxe’s Annals of Martyrs”:

Nero even refined upon cruelty, and contrived all manner of punishments for the Christians that the most infernal imagination could design. In particular, he had some sewed up in skins of wild beasts, and then worried by dogs until they expired; and others dressed in shirts made stiff with wax, fixed to axletrees, and set on fire in his gardens, in order to illuminate them. This persecution was general throughout the whole Roman Empire, but it rather increased than diminished the spirit of Christianity.... Pliny the Second, a man learned and famous, seeing the lamentable slaughter of Christians, and moved therewith to pity, wrote to Trajan, certifying him that there were many thousands of them daily put to death, of which none did anything contrary to the Roman laws worthy of persecution. ‘The whole account they gave of their crime or error (whichever it is to be called) amounted only to this — that they were accustomed on a stated day to meet before daylight, and to repeat together a form of prayer to Christ as a God, and to bind themselves by an obligation — not indeed to commit wickedness; but, on the contrary — never to commit theft, robbery, or adultery, never to falsify their word, never to defraud any man: after which it was their custom to separate, and reassemble to partake in common of a harmless meal’.... The cruelties used in this persecution were such that many of the spectators shuddered with horror at the sight, and were astonished at the intrepidity of the sufferers. Some of the martyrs were obliged to pass, with their already wounded feet, over thorns, nails, sharp shells, etc. upon their points, others were scourged until their sinews and veins lay bare, and after suffering the most excruciating tortures that could be devised, they were destroyed by the most terrible deaths.... Rhais had boiled pitch poured upon her head and was then burnt, as was Marcella her mother. Potainiena, the sister of Rhais, was executed in the same manner as Rhais had been; but Basilides, an officer belonging to the army, and ordered to attend her execution, became her convert. Basilides being, as an officer, required to take a certain oath, refused, saying, that he could not swear by the Roman idols, as he was a Christian. Struck with surprise, the people could not, at first believe what they heard; but he had no sooner confirmed the same than he was dragged before the judge, committed to prison, and speedily afterward beheaded.... Trypho and Respicius, two eminent men, were seized as Christians, and imprisoned at Nice. Their feet were pierced with nails; they were dragged through the streets, scourged, torn with iron hooks, scorched with lighted torches, and at length beheaded.... Racks, scourges, swords, daggers, crosses, poison, and famine, were made use of in various parts to dispatch the Christians; and invention was exhausted to devise tortures against such as had no crime, but thinking differently from the votaries of superstition...many were respited from execution, but, though they were not put to death, as much as possible was done to render their lives miserable, many of them having their ears cut off, their noses slit, their right eyes put out, their limbs rendered useless by dreadful dislocations, and their flesh seared in conspicuous places with red-hot irons8 (emphasis added).

These are not myths handed down through the ages, but the true experiences of the Christians of that age; Men and women, flesh and blood, with nothing more than a sincere faith in Christ. The message of the Martyr is not that true faith must necessarily result in being tortured or beaten for Christ’s sake, but we do discover a faith of unreserved commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ and a faith held without doubt as to the hope of the eternal kingdom of God. We notice that even the newest of converts were willing to die for their faith in Christ. It reflects the awesome power in the heart of faith wherein the Holy Spirit works by His might.

It is evident throughout Scripture that “Many are the afflictions of the righteous” (Psalm 34:19), and therefore it is said of the followers of Christ, “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Trials and hardships have been the legacy of the people of God from the beginning. Paul writes in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” And in Philippians 1:29, “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.” This theme throughout the Bible communicates to us, in no uncertain terms, that to all who follow Christ, this earthly life is of a secondary concern in light of the eternal.

For Paul, the difficulty was not in dying for Christ, but in living for Him. In 2 Corinthians 11:24-28, he gives us an overview of his Christian life:

Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.

Does not this description of Paul’s life give us a better understanding of the statement, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:19)? The joy this hope brings is irrelevant to earthly circumstances. Paul says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Rom. 15:13). This offer of joy and peace is to all who will believe without exception. It is to the poor, the blind, the deaf, the maimed, the paralyzed, those with various sickness and disease. If the joy and hope of the Christian life were of this world, many would be excluded because of their present condition. May it never be said of our blessed Lord He would exclude those in the greatest of need, the comforts and blessings of the Christian life. Many will never find happiness as the world defines happiness, but the unspeakable joy of the Spirit is available to all no matter their lot in life. For “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh” (Luke 6:21). “Blessed are you that weep now; under afflictions and pressures of life, and mourn for sin, their own, and others: for you shall laugh; be filled with spiritual joy and pleasure, and be comforted with the consolations of the Spirit”9 but, “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep” (Luke 6:25). “Woe unto you that laugh now; at sin, rejoice in iniquity, make a mock at it, instead of mourning for it;”10 For you will find yourselves, in the end, weeping and gnashing your teeth.

If one were to preach in Paul’s day the so-called “prosperity gospel,” the counterfeit gospel of health and wealth, “name it and claim it,” that is so prevalent in “Christian” media, he would consider it a most deplorable and damnable heresy. Those who teach such a gospel are not worthy to unlatch the Apostle’s sandals, yet Paul says,

To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things (1 Cor. 4:11-13, emphasis added).

What would these “faith teachers” say to Paul? “If only you had stronger faith you would not have to be suffering in this way; God wants you to live in the best houses, eat the best foods, and wear the best of clothes, for you are a child of the King?” Would Paul not say of such men, as he does of those in 1 Timothy 6:5-8, that they are,

People who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

Again, Paul says that our focus is to be on the things of the kingdom and not on the things of this world. He tells us that since we can take nothing of this world’s goods with us, we are not to hang on too tight to them, but be charitable with them. Being content with whatever God has given us. Even with the bare necessities of life like food and clothing, if need be, and seek after those things that can be saved up for us in the storeroom of heaven (Matt. 6:19-20) — The fruit of our labor in the building up of God’s kingdom, of holy and godly living, in charity and giving, in those things which are God honoring and pleasing to Him. Chrysostom wrote of our treasure, “What folly to leave it in this place whence you must soon depart, and not to send it before you thither, whither you are to go?”11

We read in James 1:2, 3, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” We count it all joy because it is steadfastness that is necessary that we might finish the fight of faith and receive the crown of life. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Ps. 34:19). The gospel never promises a life of ease, for Christ Himself says the “the way is hard that leads to life” (Matt. 7:14). There is indeed a cost in following the true Christ, and walking in the narrow way, but it leads to the entrance of that “Holy City” wherein God has prepared for us an eternal home. A place of such magnificence and glory that the suffering of the present time is not worthy of consideration. Therefore, “let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9). Let us keep the words of Christ deeply etched in our hearts and minds,

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also (John 14:1-3).

These words, “I go to prepare a place for you” are empowering, life-altering words to the believer. He then follows with, “If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” Saying in essence, you well know I always speak the truth and would never mislead you. You can be fully assured that I would never make such a promise if it were not so. Indeed, only a psychologically deranged man would make such a statement if it were not so. Yet, on all accounts, historically, prophetically, and experientially, all the evidence points to Christ’s integrity and veracity. Even the vast majority of the unbelieving world perceive Jesus as an honest and upright man. If there were any doubt or misunderstanding of His promise that might remain in the disciple’s minds, they were entirely removed after His resurrection. They then fully understood where He was going and that they would afterward be with Him in glory. Thus, they were willing to take up their cross and subject themselves to persecution, whippings, beatings, imprisonments and even death, and had become “like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.” If what Christ said was not so, they would indeed be “of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:19). “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead,” and the promise, “I go to prepare a place for you” is assured. Therefore, we too can, with the utmost confidence, take Him at His word and know that we have a place reserved for us in the Father’s kingdom. This is the great motivator which gives us strength to take up our own cross and follow Him. Walking by faith and not by sight, no longer living for the temporal but the eternal, seeking “first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33). Overcoming the world with its empty promises, we “desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city” (Heb. 11:16). How exceedingly blessed are those who have been granted this mind-set, sealed with the guarantee of the Spirit (2 Cor. 1:22, 5:5, Eph. 1:13, 14, 4:30).

When Christ tells us we must take up our cross it is clear that He expects of us a faith so confident that we are willing to die for Him, leastwise to live for Him in obedience to God’s will; “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised” (Heb. 10:36). Christ warns us beforehand that, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). We find throughout church history, indeed throughout biblical history, these words of Christ confirmed in that it has always been the case that the many, as opposed to the few, profess a faith in God while living contrary to His will. Even so, at the judgment seat of Christ there will be many who chose to listen to wolves in sheep’s clothing rather than the Chief Shepherd and subsequently will be found weeping and gnashing their teeth while clinging to a counterfeit cross.

CHAPTER TEN
The Fallacy of the "Carnal Christian"

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Comments (1)

Thank you for this wonderful book, it has pulled together many things I was not able to express.

Thank you, Jennifer, for taking the time to leave your encouraging comment.

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Footnotes

1. Barnes Notes on the Old and New Testaments, Albert Barnes, Matthew 10:38 (Baker Books; 19th edition 1983)

2. Clarke’s Commentary: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments, Hebrews 12:2, (Abingdon Press 1977)

3. Ellicott’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Charles John Ellicott, 2 Cor. 4:4; (Zondervan, 1982)

4. J. C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, John 12:25, https://www.truthaccordingtoscripture.com/commentaries/ryl/john-12.php

5. Clarke’s Commentary: The Holy Bible Containing the Old and New Testaments, Ezekiel 9:4-6 (Abingdon Press 1977)

6. John Gill’s Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, Ezekiel 9:4-6 (Baker Book House, 1980)

7. Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Matthew Henry, 1 Corinthians 15:19, (Hendrickson Publishers, 2005)

8. John Foxe “Foxe’s Annals of Martyrs” Inspirational Promotions; Ontario, Canada

9. John Gill’s Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, Luke 6:21, (Baker Book House, 1980)

10. John Gill’s Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, Luke 6:26, (Baker Book House, 1980)

11. Catena Aurea: commentary on the four Gospels; collected out of the works of the Fathers. Oxford: Parker, 1874. Thomas Aquinas"

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