We’ve heard of persecution. When the general public disagrees with or even derides our views on various issues we may even think we experience persecution. Imagine, however, that God sends a prophet to you to tell you everything will be stripped away from you. The prophet tells you—on God’s authority!—that your people will be taken away from their ancestral homeland and forced to live and work in a strange and foreign land where none of your people’s values and cultural expressions are appreciated or even tolerated. This was the message Isaiah gave to king Hezekiah in Judah (see Isaiah 39:1–8). Even some of Hezekiah’s sons will be carried off to Babylon.

Even though the prophetic word was dire, there was the promise that it will not always be this way. A better day is coming, one in which God’s people will dwell in safety and security. Despite the troubles that will soon come, all suffering has an expiration date, even if that date is known only to God. The reason God’s people can have confidence in their future, while recognizing the suffering that will come, is God’s word stands forever. God’s word cannot fail. As he said through Isaiah,

A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?”

All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the LORD blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Isaiah 40:6–8 ESV

How can the people know their suffering will end in victory? He is unlike his people, for his word is eternal and cannot fail. It is no surprise, then, that Peter uses this language when writing to Christians who are suffering. In his first letter he uses similar language to describe the people of God. They are exiles (1 Peter 1:1). They have been chosen in Christ (also 1:1). It is because of God’s great mercy—his covenantal love—that they can be assured of their salvation (1 Peter 1:3). He is the one who has caused them to be born again. This is God’s active work to save his people. For this reason there is an inheritance waiting for them in heaven, though soon to come to earth.

When we read Scripture we cannot help but read it through our own cultural lens, our innate understanding of the world, and this often obfuscates the meaning in the text. This can blind us to the very real weight of what the author is claiming. Consider this text from Peter.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

1 Peter 1:22–25 ESV

Peter points his reader to the gospel of Jesus. Having told them God caused them to be born again, here he emphasizes they have purified their souls by their obedience to the truth. He does not mean they have saved themselves. God is the one who has caused this to happen. He emphasizes this when he says they have been born again of imperishable seed. God is their Father through his own actions. Just as a child exists through the actions of his or her father (and mother), so, too, we are God’s children because of what God has done. We cannot bring about our new birth any more than we brought about our physical birth.

Here is where our cultural lens can obscure Peter’s point. We live in a culture that is highly independent. We don’t like to admit our need for help. We don’t like to rely on others. In this text, however, Peter points us to the purpose of God causing his people to be born again, resulting in the purification of their souls through obedient faith: “for a sincere brotherly love”.

Writing to a largely Gentile audience, Peter uses covenantal language, showing these believers they are not merely saved from something, but to something, namely, Christian community. An intended outcome of their salvation, of having their souls purified, is a sincere brotherly love. They must, therefore, love one another earnestly. Again he ties this command to their salvation: “since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable”. There are no natural-born children of God; all are adopted into God’s family. This is an irrevocable adoption, but not because of anything we have done.

Because God has adopted us into his family, and because he does so that we might participate in his family’s life, our understanding of who we are needs to be transformed. We need to change how we interact with one another by being more intentional about it. As New Testament scholar Karen Jobes put it,

…they need to have their self-understanding transformed as people who, by virtue of their new birth, are now a part of the people to whom God has been faithful for long ages past.

Karen Jobes

Because they are part of the people of God, God’s covenantal promises remain. Peter cites the passage in Isaiah 40 for their comfort and encouragement to remain faithful in the midst of hostile persecution. He says all flesh is like grass. Though Rome was unstoppable on the battlefield and seemed to be able to expand its empire at will, which included the ability to slaughter any who appeared to challenge its right to do so, as God said to his people through Isaiah, all flesh is like grass. Grass withers. Before the Lord even the mightiest of the mighty are like dried and withered blades of grass. However, in contrast to the “mighty” Roman empire, the word of the Lord remains forever.

Peter ends this paragraph with these words:

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

1 Peter 1:25b ESV

Did you catch what Peter calls the promise that the word of the Lord remains forever? He says it is the good news that was preached to you. The gospel was proclaimed, and this gospel is the promise that while nations and armies come and go, God’s word remains forever. Only one kingdom will remain. Only one kingdom will last forever. Those who are inhabitants in God’s household will also remain forever. This is good news. It is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, the one who reigns forever and ever.

It is good news because it means no matter what this life brings, whether armies and conquering or just general suffering and harm, God’s promise of salvation remains. It cannot fail. The might of Rome has already failed. The might of those who pretended to wear Caesar’s crown has failed. It can only fail, no matter how glorious it may appear at the time. Peter offers hope to those who are struggling by reminding them of what is to come. It is the surety of what is to come that enables them to get through whatever difficulty lay in their path.

Hope for the end of time is not the only hope they possess, however. None of them is to walk alone through whatever life throws at them. None of us is to walk alone through life’s difficulties. God has caused to us to born again into something. In the midst of pain and hardship there is the promise of resurrection, and as DA Carson puts it, “I’m not suffering from anything a good resurrection can’t fix.” Until that day comes, however, we have Peter’s instruction. God has purified our souls through our obedient faith in Jesus, and has caused us to be born again of imperishable seed, so let us love one another earnestly.

In the midst of pain and suffering, difficulty and hardship, as they await resurrection which will end all suffering, God’s people continue to suffer, but God has given them something to hold them over until the day of resurrection: each other. Until resurrection removes every tear from our eye and until resurrection causes everything sad to come untrue, we have one another. God has saved us that we might love one another with a sincere brotherly love.

Recently I was asked whether a person can miss his or her “calling” from the Lord. The idea is that God has one specific will for your life—a calling—and if you miss it, you’ve messed up everything. If you follow Jesus, the simple answer is, “No.” Let’s dig a little deeper, however.

The idea of a calling is ancient. The prophet Isaiah seems to have been minding his own business when the Lord appears to him in a vision in order to call him as a prophet. Jeremiah was a priest in Israel when the Lord appeared to him and supernaturally called him to be a prophet, to speak on behalf of the Lord. We have less detail but this is how Ezekiel was called to be a prophet. Amos was busy shepherding sheep in Tekoa when the Lord appeared to him and called him. Sometimes a prophet was unwilling to respond to his call. This was the case with Jonah. He hated Nineveh and its people and the last thing he wanted to do was proclaim God’s mercy to them. In his case, it was impossible for him to avoid his calling, even if it meant God sending a great fish!

In the New Testament Jesus is clear how his disciples became his disciples. In John 15 he tells them quite directly, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you” (John 15:16). In his letters Paul either claims directly to have been called to be an apostle or he is an apostle “by the will of God”. The apostles and prophets were, of course, appointed to these roles by the Lord himself. What about the rest of us?

There are those who claim there is no “calling” to vocational ministry, claiming that every time the New Testament Scriptures speak of being “called” (other than the apostles), the calling is to salvation and not vocational ministry. Paul’s second letter to Timothy suggests otherwise, however. Given its highly personal nature and its use of the singular “you” throughout (with the exception of the church-wide greeting at the end: “Grace be with y’all”, 2 Timothy 4:22), Paul is writing directly to Timothy and refers to their mutual calling.

He says in verse 8 of chapter 1, God has “saved us and called us to a holy calling”. It is possible that he means the general call to salvation but given the context this is quite unlikely. Paul knows his execution draws nearer. He’s giving his instructions the weight of holy Scripture, that timid Timothy might be emboldened to fulfill his office in Ephesus. He directly mentions his specific calling as an apostle in verse 11 (“for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher”). Timothy must not be ashamed of the Lord’s testimony but must “share in suffering for the gospel” with the apostle (1:8). Timothy must “follow the pattern of the sound words” he has heard from the apostle. In verse 6 Timothy is told to “fan into flame” the gift he has received, and this gift came through “the laying of [Paul’s] hands”, along with those of the council of elders in Ephesus, who ordained Timothy (1 Timothy 4:14). Both First and Second Timothy are about Timothy fulfilling his office as an overseer / elder in Christ’s church. It rather clear that the “holy calling” Paul refers to is that of being set apart to serve the Lord with his entire life.

Most followers of Jesus will never serve him in this manner. Few will be lay elders in churches, let alone vocational elders. Those apostles and prophets on whom the church is built (Ephesians 2:20) received extraordinary callings to ministry. Those who are ordained by a church are called to vocational ministry. This is a special calling to a special role in the church. What about the rest of us, though?

If you are in Christ, you have a calling! A simple word search on “called” or “calling” in the New Testament reveals a remarkable calling on each of our lives. In Romans 1:6 those believers in Rome “are called to belong to Jesus Christ”. This calling is to salvation. In Romans 8 the elect are those who are foreknown by God and predestined, and “those whom he predestined he also called” (Romans 8:30). The Corinthians “were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9). There are numerous references that clearly refer to a calling to salvation, but the calling all followers of Jesus receive is greater than this. In his letter to the Ephesian church Paul wrote:

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

Ephesians 4:1–7 ESV

Here Paul speaks of a calling each believer has received that goes beyond what is commonly understood to be salvation (assuming a very limited view of what salvation actually is). Believers are to live in such a way that comports to their calling, and this calling is seen in received gifts of grace. Paul then goes on to describe five types of spiritually gifted individuals given to the church. These spiritually gifted apostles and prophets and evangelists and shepherds and teachers—not to be confused with the Apostles and the Prophets, mind you—are given to the church to help the church grow into mature adulthood. Then he says this:

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Ephesians 4:15–16 ESV

This “extra” calling that goes beyond the call to salvation is direct involvement in the life of the local church. It is when each part, each gifted person given to the church, works as it should that the body grows. This is the calling each and every follower of Christ has on his or her life. In 2 Thessalonians Paul tells them he prays for them.

To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1:11–12 ESV

Notice the calling here is for “good and every work of faith”. Peter says something similar. After listing a number of character qualities—think “fruit of the Spirit”—he adds this:

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

2 Peter 1:8–10 ESV

Notice again the connection between a believer’s calling and fruitfulness in ministry. We are all called to serve the Lord and to serve one another. To get back to the original question, then, are we called to serve in a particular way? Does each one of us have a particular calling that is unique and specific to us, and if so, can we so completely miss God’s will for our life that we mess up everything?

The closest we get to this idea is in 1 Corinthians 7. There Paul is answering their questions about marriage. He first addressed the act of marriage, insisting that it rightly belongs to marriage and should be engaged in by a married couple. He gives some instructions regarding those who are currently unmarried and/or widowed, as well as how to handle an unbelieving spouse desiring out of the marriage. Then he adds this:

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches. Was anyone at the time of his call already circumcised? Let him not seek to remove the marks of circumcision. Was anyone at the time of his call uncircumcised? Let him not seek circumcision. For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God. Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.

1 Corinthians 7:17–24 ESV

Here we see each person has a life assigned to him or her by the Lord. That assignment is that person’s “calling”. And what, exactly, is that calling? It is the calling to remain faithful to the Lord. His entire point is that one’s circumstances do not determine one’s purpose. What matters is “keeping the commandments of God”. This doesn’t preclude improving one’s circumstances, as Paul indicates. What is of even more importance to God is that one is faithful right now. This is God’s call on your life. God called you to faith and repentance and God continually calls you to faithfulness. Is it possible to mess up this calling? Yes? I suppose if you do not live faithfully you are messing up his call on your life but as soon as you confess your sins and are cleansed from all unrighteousness and begin following him faithfully again, you’re right back on track, fulfilling your calling in life. This doesn’t mean you won’t have to live with any consequences of your sin, but as soon as you begin following him faithfully, you’re fulfilling your calling.

Too often some become obsessed with finding “God’s perfect will” for your life, as if there is a specific thing you must do or everything else that comes after that missed opportunity will be God’s second best, at best, for your life. Barring a call to vocational ministry, which comes through others, by the way, each one of us is called to a regular life of faithfulness to the Lord Jesus. You do not have to go out and be extraordinary in order to fulfill your calling. God may do extraordinary things through you, but for every Paul, there were dozens and perhaps hundreds or even thousands of Timothys who serve in very ordinary ways. For every Timothy there are hundreds and thousands of very ordinary church members who fulfill their calling by being faithful to serve the Lord and his body. New City, don’t miss your calling! Even if you serve in rather ordinary ways, in doing so we experience an extraordinary Savior who is delighted when we serve him and his people. Now that is a high calling!

Last Sunday we had our fifth and final excursus in our sermon series through 1–2 Timothy. We had a more focused study on just one verse. Paul wrote he endured everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ (2 Timothy 2:10). Paul often used the word “elect” or “election”. He wrote frequently of God in Christ choosing some for salvation “before the foundation of the world”. He “predestined” the elect for adoption as sons of God. It is clear that Paul writes of a specific group of people. We saw in that sermon that Peter did as well, and both of these apostles got this idea from Jesus himself.

In the Gospel of John, chapter 10, Jesus spoke of being the Good Shepherd who knows each one of his sheep by name. They—his sheep who are known by name—hear his voice and follow him because they belong to him. He said he had other sheep in addition to his sheep from within the people of Israel. His purpose was to call them to himself as well, that all his sheep, Jew or Gentile, would be in one flock under one Shepherd.

This is the language Scripture uses repeatedly to describe salvation and God’s people. In John 10 Jesus told those trying to trap him in his words that the reason they do not believe is because they are not among his sheep (John 10:22–30). There are just two groups of people: those who are God’s sheep and those who are not. What distinguishes them is the response to the voice of God. Those who follow reveal they are his elect and were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world and those who refuse reveal they are not his elect.

This language may be challenging for some for it places the emphasis on God and his actions rather than on people and our actions. It is important to use the language Scripture uses. If you find using words like “elect” or “election” or “predestination” or even phrases like “chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world” to be difficult, you should ask yourself why that is. Jesus used this language. The apostles Peter and Paul used this language. If we cannot use the very words of Scripture, I suspect the problem is in us and not in the words of Scripture.

Sometimes saying what Scripture says is not the same as meaning what Scripture means. We saw this in Joshua, where the people of Israel are said to have “devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old” with the edge of the sword (Joshua 6:28). Scripture says they killed every man, woman, and child, and we rightly find this idea horrific, but as we saw when we went through Joshua, saying what Scripture says here is not the same as meaning what Scripture means. They were simply doing what God commanded in Deuteronomy 7:1–5 when he told them to devote the people “to complete destruction” and to “show no mercy to them” and finally, they were to not intermarry with them. This is an example of Ancient Near Eastern warfare rhetoric that speaks of victory in terms of absolute destruction. They did not slaughter women and children and relatively few men died. Only those who were kings and who persisted in fighting Israel were killed. As I’ve shared a number of times this rhetoric was similar to a coach urging his team “rip their hearts out” after a timeout. That’s how the Ancient Near East spoke of warfare.

When it comes to election, it is important to mean what Scripture means and to say what Scripture says. It is clear from Jesus’ own words that he had a specific group of people in mind—known only to him! All the Father has given him, he said in John 6, would come to him. Not a single one of them would be snatched out of his hand. Jesus will be successful in his mission of saving his people!

Whether it’s raised as a genuine question or raised as an objection to the clear language of Scripture, the question that frequently comes up is this: what about those who have never heard the gospel? For those who would raise this question as an objection to using the language of Scripture, of Paul enduring all things for the sake of the elect, that they may obtain salvation, the question doesn’t work as an objection at all. All it does is move the question: if God has not determined to save the elect, what happens to those who never hear the gospel? We have the same question; only the point of emphasis is moved. By holding to the language Scripture uses, an answer becomes clear:

“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:37–40 ESV

Scripture is clear: there is no salvation apart from Jesus, whether you embrace the language of Scripture by using words like “elect” or “predestination” or not. The question, then, is more of a practical question and can come from a perspective of love and compassion and genuine concern for the lost. As Paul himself said in Romans 10, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, but how are they to call on him in whom they have never heard?

Christians have been taking the gospel to the nations from the beginning. Countless men and women have given their lives for the sake of the elect—endured everything—including the loss of comfort and ease, all the way up to literally dying for the gospel. In the world today there are Christians in every single country on earth. Not every people group has heard the gospel, mind you. It is important that we embrace the call of Christ by supporting those men and women who will go into these people groups with the good news of the Lord Jesus.

Even in those groups, however, it is also important to recognize that God has not left himself without a witness. God has been revealing himself to humans from the very beginning. From the time he entered the garden and called out to Adam and Eve, knowing full well what they had done, to raising up Noah, to appearing to Abraham and making a covenant with him, to demonstrating to the Pharaoh and all Egypt that he is God and God alone, God has been actively revealing himself. Romans 1 is very instructive here.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Romans 1:18–23 ESV

Paul writes of “all ungodliness and unrighteousness”. The distinction here is between actions toward God and actions toward one another. Ungodliness refers to idolatry, the willful rejection of the one true God and the worship of idols. Unrighteousness refers to wickedness against fellow human beings. Paul says through their actions, humans “suppress the truth” that God has been revealing among them. What Paul is saying here is God himself is the first Missionary. Whether a person is living in a tiny apartment in Tokyo or in a hut somewhere in the Amazon jungle, God has shown to that person his “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature”. Paul says these have been “clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world”. God has been actively revealing himself to people throughout the entirety of human history.

This is not the same as hearing the gospel of Jesus. We must never become complacent, relying on God to speak for himself. God uses means. Just as strongly as Scripture declares God in Christ has chosen to save many from their sins, so it declares our responsibility to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, for people from every tribe and language and people and nation will worship Jesus.

God, in his sovereign providence, works in the world to draw men and women to himself. There are many stories of Muslims in countries closed to evangelistic work by Christians who have dreams in which the Lord tells them, for example, to “ask the man in the blue shirt at the coffee shop who orders a latte” who is appearing to him in the dream. That person then tells the Muslim about the gospel of Jesus and the Lord Jesus draws another of his elect to himself. These stories abound, and are a large part of the reason there are more Muslim converts to Christ in the last twenty years than in the previous 1,400!

We see a similar story in Acts 10. Cornelius was a Gentile who rejected the idols of the culture and prayed to the one true God, whom he did not really know. Similar to the Muslim who dreams of a man in a coffee shop, in a vision Cornelius is told of a man named Peter who is staying with a man named Simon, who happens to be a tanner, the very one who lives by the sea. This language is akin to “who is ordering a latte while wearing a blue shirt”.

What we see here is that in God’s sovereignty and in his providence, as men and women are being drawn to him, he is able to orchestrate events in such a way they are able to hear the gospel of Jesus and respond to the work of God in faith. Salvation is through faith. Without faith in Jesus there is no salvation. We must never forget how incredible our God is. He has people everywhere! In Acts 8 when the Ethiopian eunuch is in his chariot, minding his own business as he seeks the Lord, God sends Philip to him to explain the gospel.

The bottom line is this: the same God who orchestrated human history to bring it to the exact point necessary for a virgin to conceive and bring forth a child who was both God and Man, then God can ensure the gospel of Jesus is preached to every one of those whom the Father has given Jesus, that each one would trust in Jesus and be saved. We must remember God uses means! You and I must be ready with the gospel. Some of us must be prepared to go to the lost, whether they live in a mud hut in the Amazon or a tiny apartment in Tokyo. All of us must be prepared to give an answer for the hope that is within us.

What is really staggering to me is how many in our own city have never heard the gospel of Jesus explained to them. We live in a city filled with Christian schools, colleges, and seminaries. We have Christian radio stations and Christian churches. We have Christian doughnut shops, yet there are many who do not know why Jesus died on the cross.

What about those who have never heard the gospel? There are many in this world who have not, yet God himself reveals his nature to every single human on the planet. He may not reveal the details, but he reveals enough of himself that every single person is responsible for what he or she has either embraced or suppressed (see Romans 1:18–23!). Our responsibility is to work to make sure all do hear the gospel of Jesus. We must always be available to the Lord, that he might raise up those who proclaim the gospel to all who respond to the voice of the Good Shepherd calling them to faith and repentance.

Yesterday, April 24, marked twelve years for New City Church! God saw fit to raise up a new church in northeast Grand Rapids, and we’ve seen him do incredible things in our midst. Over these twelve years I’ve come to understand my role as the church’s lead elder as one of helping people die well. That doesn’t sound all that exciting and may even seem rather dark. Barring the Lord’s return, each one of us will die. We should die well, however. The only way to die well is to first live well, and to live well is to live by faith in Christ. To say this another way, my role and the role of my fellow elders is to help the church live by faith in Christ, that each one of us may die well when the time comes.

The short letter of Jude points us in the right direction for such a life. Jude began his letter by acknowledging he wanted to write a different letter yet found it necessary to write a letter of warning instead. He heard of false teachers infiltrating various churches and wrote to urge the believers to resist false teaching and to remain faithful to the apostolic faith they had received. Near the end of this brief letter he summed up his primary point.

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Jude 1:17–23 ESV

Jude gives three instructions here. First, we must remember the warning of the apostles: false teachers will try to destroy the work of God. In every age of church history heretics have risen up to tempt God’s people away from the gospel of Jesus. We must hold fast to the faith once delivered. As Paul warned, if even an angel were to preach a different gospel from the one he preached, may that angel be eternally damned!

Second, we must secure our own faith in that truth we received. We must build up ourselves in our most holy faith—the very faith delivered to the apostles and from the apostles to us. Jude says to “keep yourselves in the love of God”. Jude is alluding to something his own brother said to his disciples: they must abide in him. We must root ourselves in Jesus and Jesus alone.

Third, we must rescue those in danger. Jude says to have mercy on those who doubt and even to snatch out of the fire those in significant danger of falling away entirely. Whatever the source of temptation, be it false teachers who directly contradict the truth of God in Christ or the things of this world that tempt us to wander from Christ, we must have mercy on those who struggle. We must leave the 99 in order to rescue those who have wandered quite far and are at risk of being lost.

We see these three instructions written in the first century are quite applicable to us today. We must remember the warning of the apostles as temptations to wander away from the gospel of Jesus abound. Sometimes it is in the form of direct false teaching. That is, often the temptation may come through some new teaching that directly contradicts the faith that has been believed everywhere, always, by all Christians. Oftentimes, however, the temptation is more subtle. We can tempted less by direct, overt teaching and more by the very subtle pull of unbelief. The truth is we can be our own worst false teachers! This unbelief can manifest itself in focusing on our circumstances rather than our union with Christ. Our present struggles can become the thing that identifies us rather than who we are in Christ. I suspect it would be much harder for New City folk to hear teaching that denies the deity of Christ, for example, than for us to begin to wonder if perhaps God has forgotten us, or is punishing us on account of present struggles. We would quickly recognize the error of someone who denies the coming resurrection whereas we might begin to wonder if we’re actually good enough to be followers of Jesus, for our struggle with sin is very real!

This brings us to Jude’s second injunction: we must build ourselves up in our most holy faith and we must pray in the Spirit! This is a communal activity. Jude is not calling us to engage in our personal quiet time, though that is a great idea! The pronouns are plural: build yourselves up in your—y’alls—most holy faith. We must build ourselves up together, in our most holy faith. Following Jesus is not something individuals do, but something we do together. This requires that we use our spiritual gifts to serve the church. We encourage one another and love one another and serve one another and teach one another and strengthen one another and correct one another. We participate together in following Jesus together by serving together and worshiping together and experiencing joys and sorrows together. In this way we build ourselves up in our most holy faith.

Finally, we must be on the look out for those who are struggling. Jude says to respond to those who doubt with mercy. When a brother or sister struggles to root his or her identity in Christ, we don’t respond with disgust or anger. We don’t respond with ridicule. In mercy we point one another to Christ, whether through exhortation or encouragement or teaching or simply walking alongside the one who struggles in faithful gospel friendship. Sometimes what we need is someone to just be there in the midst of the difficulty.

Part of having mercy is hating the garment stai

ned by the flesh. In this paragraph Jude has been alluding to Zechariah 3. There the prophet has a vision of the high priest Joshua, who was standing before the Lord being accused by Satan. The Lord rebukes Satan, pointing out that Joshua was a like a coal rescued from the fire. The high priest, however, was standing before the Lord in filthy clothing. The accusations were true! God acts to correct this by commanding that his filthy garments be removed and replaced with pure vestments. Only the Lord can make the unclean clean with just a word.

When Jude says to have mercy on those who struggle, this doesn’t preclude calling out sin! He says we are to hate the garment stained by the flesh. Love is not shown by overlooking sin. It is not mercy to ignore sin. Mercy is demonstrated by calling the struggling sinner to faithful repentance and by walking alongside him or her in the midst of the struggle! Nowhere does Jude suggest condemnation! Because his allusion is to Zechariah 3 and because in Zechariah 3 the Lord purifies the filthy garments, we must approach one another with the same mindset. In other words, we must contend for the faith once delivered even as we walk alongside the wayward sinner by clinging to the gospel of Jesus. The gospel is good news for the one struggling. The gospel is not a word of condemnation. While we must hate the garment stained by the flesh, we must not hate the one wearing it.

As I reflect back on the twelve years that New City Church has existed, it is readily obvious to me that this has been a work of the Lord. One of my “favorite” sins is pride (for that’s one I struggle with!). In my pride I would love to take credit for the genuine openness and vulnerability our people have together. Whether it’s a couple whose marriage is struggling or the man who is fearful of his medical condition or the concerns of a young couple seeking affordable housing or a man’s on-going struggle with lust or yet another parent’s angst for her children’s salvation or the painful loss of parents or grandchildren, New City folk share life together and while another person’s struggle may not be your particular struggle, we share these burdens together, doing exactly what Jude implores us to do. I wish I could claim that I planned this all along but the truth is I’ve never been a part of a church quite like this. I’ve had big dreams for New City but I never imagined this sort of community.

As I’ve shared before, like Timothy, when this church ordained me it claimed me. My life is not my own. I will continue to serve this church as long as I am able. As I look back over these last twelve years I sincerely hope the next twelve are like them—full of God’s faithfulness. I pray that God would enable this church to continue to remember the warning of the apostles, for each one of us can be—will be, at some point!—tempted by unbelief, whether in the form of false doctrine or by taking our eyes off Jesus. I pray that God would enable this church to continue to build ourselves up in our most holy faith by living together in genuine Christian community, serving God and his church with the gifts we’ve been given. I pray that God would enable this church to continue to show mercy to those who doubt, to save others by snatching them out of the fire of unbelief, to hate the garment stained by sin while loving those who wear them. I pray that God would raise up new leaders from among our men and women, to serve as elders and deacons, to lead the church in outreach and discipleship.

If God will continue to work among us, and if we will continue to heed Jude’s instructions, each one of us will die well, for we will have lived by faith until that day. This is the work God in Christ through his Spirit is doing in our midst. Happy Birthday, New City!

A couple weeks ago I wrote an article about self-defense, seeking to answer the question whether Christians could defend themselves from violent, physical attack. This was in response to a question I received from a member of New City. I was expecting a follow-up question, but I was surprised when it came from the Council of Elders! They asked me to write another article about the use of guns. Let me say at the outset this article is about a very specific and narrow point concerning a particular verse and in no way is intended to answer every question about guns.

Let me also say at the outset that like Paul and the Philippians, our citizenship is in heaven. Paul wrote this shocking statement to the Christians in Philippi—a Roman colony. They thought of themselves as Romans, though they were far from the city of Rome. The culture was Roman. The laws were Roman. Everything about the Philippians was Roman. Most of the inscriptions we’ve found there from the first and second centuries are in Latin, indicating just how Roman the city was—even its language was Roman! Philippian residents were exempt from poll and property taxes and were protected by Roman laws. When the city had been re-founded as a Roman colony by Octavian in 31BC, hundreds of army veterans moved there in retirement, resulting in the city having an extraordinarily high percentage of citizenship. Scholars estimate just 5-10% of those living in the empire were Roman citizens; as many as 40% of those living in Philippi were! It was to the church in Philippi Paul wrote:

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…

Philippians 3:20 ESV

To a church in a city that took great pride in its Roman citizenship, this would have been shocking. He is reminding them their fundamental identity is not Roman, but Christian—CHRISTian. It is not who Rome thinks they are that matters ultimately but who they are in Christ. Earlier in the letter he told them this:

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel…

Philippians 1:27 ESV

The phrase “manner of life” translates a single Greek word. It has the same root as “citizenship”. Our English word “politics” comes from this same root. It means to live as a citizen or to conduct one’s life in a way that reflects that citizenship. Paul tells the Christians in Philippi they are to live in such a way that rightly reflects their citizenship, then he tells them their true citizenship is in heaven—not Rome. Following Jesus is what determines their values and their behavior, not the demands of Roman citizenship. It is their allegiance to Jesus Christ who is Lord of all that ought to determine their values and ethics. How they conduct themselves, their “manner of life”, ought to be worthy of the gospel of Christ, not worthy of Caesar.

This means our politics must be determined by the Lord Jesus and not our American citizenship. Christians in North Korea must have their politics determined by the Lord Jesus and not by their status as North Korean citizens. Believers in China and Saudi Arabia and the Congo must value that which reflects their true citizenship in heaven rather than what the political ethos of their nation values. What you and I value ought to be determined by the Lord Jesus and not by the American flag. What motivates us to live ought to be the Lord Jesus and his glory and not “Old Glory”. Following Jesus may cause us to be good citizens of this nation, but following Jesus may well come to the choice between being a good Christian and being a good American. If Jesus is Lord, as we commonly confess, then our decision must always be to follow Jesus and Jesus alone, even if this means being a bad American.

With this in mind, let’s get to the Elders’ follow-up question. You may have seen the bumper sticker: “If Jesus had a gun, he’d still be alive today.” On its face this is untrue. It is blatantly false. Jesus declared he could have called twelve legions of angels to protect him. Given one angel killed 185,000 Assyrian troops in one night during Hezekiah’s reign, surely 72,000 angels would be far more potent than a gun. Jesus would not have had a gun, let alone use it!

One verse that is commonly cited on the issue of gun rights and gun ownership is Luke 22:36. One of the Elders pointed out that he read some folk who claimed this verse compels Christians to arm themselves. Let’s look at it. The context is the night Jesus was betrayed. He shared his final meal with the disciples. He told Simon Peter his faith would fail him and he would deny Jesus three times. Then he said this:

And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

Luke 22:35–38 ESV

Here Jesus instructs them to get a sword. If they don’t have one they must sell something in order to buy one. Before we look at their response, we need to understand Jesus’ point here. Prior to this when Jesus sent them on mission, they were forbidden from taking a moneybag and knapsack, etc, but were to rely on his provision for them (Luke 10:1–4). Here, however, he tells them to make sure they have these things and adds a sword. As one scholar noted, when Jesus speaks metaphorically they understand him literally and when Jesus speaks literally they understand him metaphorically. They misunderstand his metaphorical point here.

He knows his time is short. He will not be with them much longer. In a sense they will have to provide for themselves. Ministry was about to change quite significantly for them. We see they misunderstood in Jesus’ rebuke. When they tell Jesus they already have two swords he declares, “It is enough.” Some take this to mean the two swords are enough, but for what? Against a large contingent of armed soldiers? Notice he does not say, “They are enough”, but “It is enough”. Jesus is frustrated with their lack of understanding and tells them, essentially, to zip it. Imagine a frustrated parent reaching the end of his rope with the back-talking pre-teen and snaps at her, “That’s enough!” That’s what Jesus means. He speaks metaphorically of providing for themselves on the mission and they still think he’s preparing to fight all of Rome.

Jesus allows them to keep the swords, however, and notice why: the Scripture must be fulfilled. One of the many prophecies Jesus fulfilled was this one: “And he was numbered with the transgressors.” It’s clear Jesus had no intention for them to wield a sword in defense for in verses 49–51 he rebukes Peter for his criminal activity in assaulting the servant of the high priest. Thus Jesus was counted among lawbreakers.

To cite Luke 22:36 as a justification for purchasing a weapon such as a gun is a twisting of the meaning of Scripture. Jesus is not commanding his disciples to employ violence to defend either him or themselves. This is why we see non-violent reactions to persecution throughout the book of Acts. They understood the way of Jesus eschews violence. To try to interpret Jesus’ command given to the disciples in a literal way so as to justify gun ownership when Jesus rebuked them for this same misunderstanding is to repeat their mistake and miss his very purpose. It is to think from an earthly perspective, rather than from the perspective of those whose citizenship is in heaven.

Often those who would cite Luke 22:36 as a justification for owning guns also speak of their rights as citizens of this nation. To those same Philippians Paul wrote,

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:3–8 ESV

Paul says Jesus did not insist on his own rights but gave them up for the good of others. This is the mindset we are to have. The apostle commands them to think this way, to have the mind of Christ. Just before this, in chapter 1, he told them to let their manner of life—their behavior that reflects their true citizenship—be worthy of the gospel of Christ. He tells them in chapter 3 their true citizenship is in heaven and from heaven we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s easy to gloss over these words. In first-century Rome Caesar was hailed as a savior. Caesar was called lord. When offering a pinch of incense to Caesar as part of the imperial cult, the worshiper would utter the words “Caesar is lord”. Christians were persecuted because they could not offer a pinch of incense and certainly could not make this same confession. At the risk of death Christians would only confess, “Jesus is Lord”. They recognized their citizenship is in heaven, whether they had earthly citizenship in Rome or not. Their priority was living as citizens of God’s kingdom, not man’s.

Going back to the “if Jesus had a gun” bumper sticker, what if he did? And what if he used it? We would be lost. If Jesus had wielded the sword and fought off the Roman soldiers or if he had called twelve legions of angels, we would be lost! There would be no salvation! Why would anyone ever seek to use that same argument to justify owning guns? The consequences of Jesus owning and using a weapon would have been disastrous; on what basis are we, who must have the mind of Christ, willing to do differently than he would?

The issue comes down to this: when we speak of guns and the right to own guns, do we sound like citizens of heaven or do we sound like citizens of this nation? You might be tempted to say both but remember Jesus declared no one can serve two masters, for either he will love one and hate the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. Do we strive to live out the values of God the Father or the Founding Fathers?

The point here is not really about owning guns but about the thinking that ought to be behind the conversation itself. We cannot use Luke 22:36 to defend the use of guns, for to do so is to twist Scripture and to be as dense as the apostles themselves were dense. We ought to ask ourselves whether we truly have the mind of Christ. Do we think as citizens of his kingdom or as citizens of an earthly kingdom? As Paul instructed the Colossian church:

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Colossians 3:2 ESV

Only by doing this can we think and act as those whose citizenship is in heaven. Only by setting our minds on Jesus and his glory can we hope to ever think rightly about guns or money or power or even earthly citizenship. Only by living as citizens of his kingdom and embracing the values of his kingdom can we ever hope to be a true prophetic witness in this world.

It all comes down to this: the true King of the only everlasting kingdom displays this characteristic: in love he laid down his life for the good of others. As citizens of his kingdom, in order to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus, we must live lives characterized by love—not guns. We must live lives characterized by self-sacrifice and giving—not the assertion of our rights. To be good citizens we must live and act like the King.