Maybe It's Time to Question Your Faith, Part 2
If you don't understand the bargain that you've made with God, you're bound to be disappointed and frustrated.
This is Part 2 of a series. If you haven’t yet read through Part 1, please do so and then come back here.
Ready? Let’s go…
In Part 1, we looked at two two questions:
Does God exist?
Is God the God of the Bible?
Today, we’ll look at Question 3.
Question 3: Do You Understand the Christian Bargain?
“Wait, what?” I hear you ask. “What do you mean by ‘bargain?’”
It’s important to understand that Christianity is a bargain. Sometimes, that puts people off. They expect that Christianity is going to be “spiritual,” by which they typically mean “mystical.” They want something that sounds like a fantasy story, with magic and mystery. They want secret rituals performed at midnight.
But that’s not the way Christianity works.
In Matthew 13:44-46, the Bible compares becoming a Christian to buying a pearl of great price and finding a treasure hidden in a field:
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.
In Matthew, Christ says that the Kingdom of Heaven is a “treasure” or a valuable “pearl.” It’s something so valuable that those who find it sell all they have to raise the money to buy it and possess it.
In short, becoming part of the Kingdom of Heaven an extremely expensive bargain, but one that everybody can afford. It simply costs you everything that you have.
Effectively, God says, “If you choose me, you will be purchasing the most valuable thing imaginable. I’ll make you part of my eternal Kingdom and adopt you into my royal family. But you have to be all in. You have to give me all of yourself. You can’t hold anything back. You must surrender everything: your devotion, your time, your money, your possessions, and most importantly your trust and your will. From the time you say, ‘I’m in,’ all those things are mine to with as I want.”
God is also very specific about what Christians can expect when they become part of the Kingdom of God. He wants you to make this bargain with full knowledge of what you’re doing, eyes wide open.
So, what can you expect as a Christian? On the negative side of the ledger:
That people will hate you (John 15:18, John 15 overall)
That people will want to kill you (John 16)
Suffering (Rev 2:10-11)
Persecution (Matt 5:10-12, 2 Tim 3:12)
“Weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
Afflictions (1 Thessalonians 3:3–4)
Fiery trials (1 Peter 4:12–14)
Death (Acts 7, Revelation 6:9-11, Revelation 20:4)
Hm. That doesn’t sound great. If I go all-in on God, He promises me trouble? Yep. That’s the way it works. But it should be noted that trouble doesn’t come from God. Rather, trouble comes from the world because you have identified yourself as being with Jesus, and the world hates Jesus. So, this isn’t God saying that he’s going to bring you calamity, but rather that when you stand with him and his Kingdom, the world will go after you.
So, why would anybody become a Christian? One the surface, it sounds like a bad deal, hardly a “treasure” or valuable “pearl.”
Well, because God also promises a lot of blessings.
Forgiveness of your sins (1 John 1:9, Acts 10:43)
Eternal life (John 3:16, John 10:28-30, 1 John 2:17, 1 John 5:13)
True, lasting, ultimate satisfaction (2 Corinthians 4:17)
A deep understanding of what it means to love and be loved (John 16:27, Psalms 36:7, Romans 5:5-8)
Adoption into God’s family (Ephesians 1:5, Romans 8, Galatians 4:7)
Treasures in heaven (Matthew 19:21, Luke 12:33)
Replacement of all that you have lost on Earth (Matthew 19:29, Matthew 6:33)
Living with God forever (Revelation 21)
While the trials and tribulations are temporary, the blessings are eternal. And even in the middle of the trials and tribulations, God promises to stand with his people and never give them more than they can bear. So, the bargain is really about choosing the long game.
So, knowing all that, you need to choose to be in. You have freewill. God won’t force you, and he wants you to understand the entirety of the bargain. But he’s calling you to commit. In or out? What have you chosen?
Christian Struggles: Converts vs. Disciples
Many Christians struggle in their faith and I think a lot of it is because they don’t fundamentally understand the Christian bargain. They may have prayed the sinner’s prayer, but they don’t yet fully understand the nature of the deal. They expect blessings and suddenly Satan puts them on blast and they’re surprised by it and wondering why Christianity wasn’t the easy, feel-good religious experience that they thought it was supposed to be.
To understand this disconnect, I think it’s important to highlight the difference between converts and disciples.
A convert is a new believer. We all start our Christian life as converts. At some point, God called out to us and we responded and said, “OK, I’m in.” A convert is immature; they’re still finding their feet and don’t have any experiences that help them understand what “normal” means in the context of the Christian life.
A disciple is somebody who will give it all for Jesus, even up to death. A disciple is mature and understands the full nature of the bargain. They’ve experienced both the blessings and hardships associated with being part of the Kingdom. They know what to expect and how to deal with it.
In today’s churches (particularly in the first world; in the third world people tend to get it), there are many converts but a lot fewer disciples. In some modern, first-world churches, there may be zero true disciples (sometimes even including the pastor!).
Unfortunately, because they don’t understand the nature of the bargain, many Christians want the benefits of being in the Kingdom but are unwilling to pay the full cost. They want blessings but are unwilling to accept persecution. It may never have been explained to them that the Kingdom of God is a package deal. You don’t get one without accepting at least the possibility of the other. Or, perhaps it was explained but they never thought God would choose them for persecution.
Consequently, when the trouble comes, converts react in various ways:
They get confused. They ask, “Why is God letting this happen to me?”
They question their faith. They ask, “Wasn’t I devoted enough? Was there something I didn’t do?”
They get bitter. They cry out, “How can God be so unfair?”
And if the tribulation goes on long enough or gets serious enough, they fold. They say, “The heat is too much. I wasn’t expecting this. I don’t like it. I’m out.” And then they go looking for another spiritual system to try to fill the hole in their souls.
Does that mean that if you are a Christian that you will be persecuted or even martyred? No, God may not require that of you. But you need to know that at any point he could. Are you so all-in on Jesus that he could request your life of you and you would give it? If not, you’re not yet a full disciple.
When tribulation comes, disciples react very differently:
They recognize that it is a part of the Christian life. They say, “God is teaching me something.”
They pray and give thanks. They say, “Thank you God for all the things that are going right in my life. And even thank you for this trial. May I grow stronger in my faith.”
They praise God. They say, “I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises” (Psalm 34:1).
They come closer to Him. They say things like, “You, Lord, are my refuge and my fortress” (Psalm 91).
They love people even in the middle of their persecution. They say, “I know that God loves this person who is persecuting me and that ultimately God wants them to be part of His Kingdom. I need to show them love like Jesus did to those who nailed him to the cross.” They ask for God to show them the way to the Kingdom.
Those are very different reactions and signs that a Christian is very mature. Somebody needs to be secure in their Christianity, know what to expect, and have great trust in God’s promises in order to weather that adversity with a Christ-like attitude.
If you are reading this and you feel that you’re closer to a full disciple than a convert, which converts in your sphere of influence can you disciple and mentor such that they become strong and mature, too? If nobody is there for them to answer those questions (e.g., “Why is God letting this happen to me?”), they may fold too quickly and leave the Kingdom.
Or maybe these questions have been a wake-up call for you. Maybe you said, “Hm. I didn’t realize God was demanding so much of me. I didn’t realize what this might cost me.” Maybe you realize that you’re an immature convert and not yet a disciple. If so, seek out a strong, godly person to help you grow your faith. Learn from that person. Seek them out during times of trouble. Let them show you how they deal with their own struggles.
Ultimately, by questioning your faith and coming back with strong answers, you’ll develop a strong faith. Ultimately, you’ll progress from an inch-deep convert to a strong disciple. You’ll be ready to fully participate in the Kingdom of God and there will be little danger that you’ll fall away in the face of persecution.
A Prayer
Holy Father, thank you that you have opened your Kingdom up to sinners like us. Thank you that you made a way through Jesus for us to come to you and be part of your family. Thank you for not keeping any of your bargain hidden from us, for being up front and for plainly telling us both the blessings and trials that we can expect when we join your Kingdom. Help us to grow as Christians, to become strong disciples, sure that you will take care of us in all circumstances, even when you ask us for the ultimate sacrifice. Amen
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Thank you David. I heard somewhere once that this was the "choosing place", so true. You are right, many people think that they are disciples but when faced with persecution, they fold. Maybe we need to test ourselves more to strengthen our faith. So many Christians say the right words instead of really living them out. Action does speak louder than words.