Tags
books, Christ, christian, christianity, cross, death, Easter, Jesus, Jesus Christ, power, religion, resurrection, the cross, Tim Keller, Timothy J. Keller, weakness
God’s thoughts are not ours. For example, we wouldn’t normally link power with suffering–but God does. In fact, His power and wisdom are most clearly displayed in the abject weakness and foolishness of the cross of Christ (1 Cor. 1:18-24).
In Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter, Tim Keller offers a few thoughts on the resurrection of Jesus, and the unlikely connection between resurrection power and suffering, based on Paul’s words in Philippians 3:7-11:
On one hand, the resurrection is a fact to be believed. On the other hand, it is an experience to connect with. If you have one without the other — if you believe in the resurrection as historical fact but never experience the resurrection personally, or if you think of the resurrection as a spiritual experience but don’t believe it was a fact — you come out with a form of religion with no power.
My question is: Do you know them both? Do you believe in the resurrection as a historical event, and have you also had that profound personal experience of spiritual resurrection? Christianity refuses to be stuck in either category. It is not all about rationality, nor is it all about mysticism. It’s both. On one hand, Christianity is about beliefs, proposition, and ethics. But that’s not enough. You have to experience him to know him. There has to be a real connection. And on the other hand, Christianity is not only a mystical religion. It’s not like Eastern religions with no rational content. Christianity has hard edges to it. It says, “This is true, and this is false. This will get you saved. This will get you damned. This actually happened.”
Does your Christianity have “hard edges to it”? If not, it’s counterfeit. Believe in Jesus, know him in his death and resurrection, and you will be saved. Reject him, and you will be damned. There can be no rounding of those sharp edges.
But knowing and experiencing the resurrection power of Christ creates a desire–an intense longing in the human heart–to be like Him, even to the point of sharing in his sufferings. Keller notes:
…There is one more thing Paul says here that he wants: “I want to know the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” Some would say this doesn’t make sense. To know the power of his resurrection and share in his sufferings, what does it mean?
It’s perfectly logical. If you go out into the world resembling Jesus by his resurrection power within you — if you turn the other cheek, if you love people who are unlovable, if you always tell the truth — what will happen? You will find his sufferings reenacted in your life. People are going to be unhappy with you. You’ll be taken advantage of. People will be offended. If they were offended by Jesus, why wouldn’t they be offended by you if you resemble Jesus?
May you and I go out into the world today (and every day) resembling Jesus, gladly embracing both the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings. One glance at the cross of Christ is enough to dispel forever the foolish notion that the two could ever be separated.
Great post Barry!
As I think about it, I wonder if it is Christianity that has the hard edges or me? Is the problem that my own sin makes it hard to fit the cross into the whole in my heart that it was designed by God to fill?
There is definitely abrasion as I walk with my faith, but I cannot blame God for it. Without Christ, there would be only desolation, so I live happily with the abrasion caused by my shortcomings as I rub up against the cross as it seeks to fit snugly and securely into my life.
Andy, good to hear from you! I think it’s both. We certainly have hard edges, as you pointed out. But so does God. “Behold the goodness and severity of God.” (Romans 11:22). God is both good and severe, and we’re warned to take note of that fact. Always remembering that God is both tender and severe is good medicine for our souls, I think.
Barry,
Lots of good balance here. This is really edifying, thanks for posting.
Derek
“…we wouldn’t normally link power with suffering–but God does”. I’ve been having some nightmares about torture lately along with waking imaginations that are hard to eschew. The thoughts that accompany them are troubling, causing me to wonder how I could endure such things for the sake of Christ. And suddenly I’m reminded of Augustine’s prayer: “Give what you command, and command what you will.” And then Jeremiah Burroughs: “…if a man has a burden to bear, and yet can have strength added to him – if the burden is doubled, he can have his strength trebled – the burden will not be heavier but lighter than it was before to his natural strength….Christ’s strength is yours, made over to you, so that you my be able to bear whatever lies upon you.”
And then, of course there are the words of Scripture, that He will not allow us to be tested beyond what we are able to bear, and that we are not to be anxious about tomorrow.
I’m saying all this to affirm your assertion that power is definitely linked to suffering. Never is the power of God more evident than when a person faces tribulation and hardship with joy and confidence because of Christ.
Corrie Ten Boom used to give a lot of powerful illustrations. I shared one of them here. Your comment reminds me of another: