Chapter
Four
A Christian Is a "Dead Man on Furlough"
When Karl Marx wrote his Das Capital, there were just a few hundred communists
in the world. In 1903 he convened the Third Communist Internationale in London.
They had a discussion as to "Who is worthy to join us?" Some said, "We need
everybody we can get, because we are small, we have no money, and we are persona
non grata from everywhere. Let's accept anyone." In that discussion a well-spoken
man stood up with a different vision. He stared at the crowd and said:
"Are you out of your mind? We will never conquer the world with the partial
loyalty of anybody. We are interested in total dedication or nothing. A Communist
is not one who gives a little part of his substance to the cause. A Communist
is not even one who is willing to die for Communism. A Communist is one who
has already died, and who lives the balance of his life on borrowed time. A
Communist is a dead man on furlough. If you believe that, come with us, and
if you don't, get out!"
That's what Karl Marx said. Most of the group got out, leaving only about seventeen
or eighteen followers. He spoke to that little group and said, "Gentlemen, you
are people of destiny. You can conquer the world. History has laid its hand
of destiny upon your shoulders. We will move out in ever-widening circles. We
will capture nation after nation, and finally the world, and a transformed future
will be ours."
Karl Marx missed the mark on Communism as being the great panacea for all human
ills. He was wrong in believing that all evil was embodied in Capitalism. Evil
is a human trait, generously spread among all men. It infects communists as
well as capitalists and everyone in between. As long as imperfection exists,
men will only succeed in replacing one evil with another, albeit some evils
are more tolerable than others.
Karl Marx was not wrong in his singular vision. He rightly dismissed all the
partial believers. Who needs partial loyalty? If Karl Marx did not want it,
much less does Jesus. He said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For
what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
(Matt. 16:24-26) Jesus taught, "No man can serve two masters." He was recruiting
only worthy disciples. "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not
worthy of me: and he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not
worthy of me" (Matt. 10:37, 38). Remember the question asked by the angel of
Revelation 5-"Who is worthy?" God wanted the answer Jesus gave in Matthew 10.
It might be equally true to use Karl Marx's analogy by changing the word "Communist"
to "Christian." "A Christian is not one who gives a little part of his substance
to the cause of Christ. A Christian is not even one who is willing to die for
Christ. A Christian is a dead man on furlough." We might add, a true Christian
is one who not only sees unseen great realities, but is also governed by them,
possessed by them, lives by them, and is wholly given over to them.
Religious But Not Holy
People may wish for heaven as an escape from a preconceived concept of hell.
The question that must be addressed is, do most people really desire to draw
near to God? It is easy to imagine that people would flock to be in God's presence.
However, facts do not warrant this conclusion. We have an incident in history
that indicates otherwise. When Moses gathered Israel before Mt. Sinai to receive
God's law, the assembled nation found that being in God's presence was terrifying.
They heard God's voice speaking. In Exodus 20:22, we are told: "Ye have seen
that I have talked with you from heaven."
Contrary to what many might think, the people did not enjoy this experience
and drew back from the mountain. "And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with
us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (Ex. 20:19).
The Israelites were so terrified in hearing the Lord's voice, that they could
not endure it. They pleaded with Moses to act as an intercessor between God
and themselves. They felt that they would die if God continued to speak to them
directly. Strangely, they could not endure being within hearing range of God's
voice. Yet today, people think they can easily enter heaven without any concern
of standing in the awesome presence of God. What say the Scriptures? "The Lord
shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God" (Heb. 10: 30, 31). Most people would prefer to have a Mediator stand
between God and themselves. This is what God's kingdom will bring to earth.
"Holiness" is not a popular Christian virtue, nor does it count for much in
today's society. Holiness is one of the most under valued graces in the world-sadly,
sometimes within churches. What does holiness count for today? It counts for
little. Yet God's dealings with his people are that they "Might be partakers
of his holiness" (Heb. 12:10). How is it that something so central to having
a relationship with God is so grossly overlooked and dismissed almost everywhere?
The Israelites who heard the "voice of the Lord" immediately asked Moses to
mediate between God and themselves. To this day, religion is most popular when
leaders stand between God and men. That is how clergy and laity concepts were
formed. The desire to see God's glory with an open face is lacking. Moses had
to wear a veil after God spoke to him because his face shone. The people couldn't
bear to look upon him (2 Cor. 3:13). People love to worship God-it is innate
in the human heart. At the same time, people are reticent to be overly religious.
It hasn't changed since Moses' time. Religion is most popular when God is a
safe distance from the believer.
Evangelized But Not Converted
In Christianity Today,* (*Christianity Today, by David F. Wells, January 14,
1991, p. 28.) David F. Wells, speaking of evangelistic revivals, said "They
prove hollow, and when a mere ten percent of the professed converts in a crusade
are still faithful after a year, evangelists and pastors pronounce it a great
success. What happens to the substantial number of people who 'decide' for Christ
but find their decision was apparently empty of spiritual reality?" The vaccination
against sin does not take with the vast majority. What do you do with those
allegedly "saved" whose lives are devoid of "spiritual reality?" People motivated
to accept Christ for a day, week, or a month, respond like fish caught in a
revival net-they wriggle out of the net back into the same environment they
were in before. No one likes to talk about this, but Mr. Wells found it very
troubling. This is a theological conundrum for those who believe that once "saved,"
one cannot be "unsaved." Some who confessed Christ and were allegedly "saved,"
later reverted to a previous lifestyle. Is this the kind of "disciples" Jesus
was seeking?
Some may have been led to accept Christ while on an emotional high without wishing
to become a true disciple. Jesus never engaged in this kind of activity. He
discouraged the nobleman from becoming his disciple by making the cost very
high. Never would Jesus sweet-talk anyone into following him. If they loved
houses or lands or mother and father or anything more than they did the Master,
they were not worthy to be his disciples. Some churches confuse this matter.
They have switched from making disciples from among all nations (Matt. 28:19)
to "saving" souls from a burning hell.
Lowering the Standard
Facing the fact that some "born again" converts do not live any differently
from those not "born again" is embarrassing to evangelical Christians. They
have tried to overcome their discomfort by saying "saved people aren't good
people, they're just forgiven." Isn't that remarkable? When Paul wrote to the
brethren at Rome he said, "To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to
be saints" (Rom. 1:7). The epistles of the New Testament are addressed to "saints,"
not just people in general. So if some who are "born again" make no claim to
being good or saintly, that should disqualify them from considering themselves
as foot-step followers of the Master.
"Forgiveness of sins" is offered to enable a disciple to be transformed into
the image of Christ. Paul speaks of this in Romans 8:29: "For whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might
be the firstborn among many brethren." To be thus developed into the character
likeness of the Savior is a chief desire and work of the Christian in this life
and it is a progressive process. It must be acknowledged that the Lord's true
disciples have fleshly imperfections that mar their performance. Paul said,
"For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I
do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth
in me" (Rom. 7:19, 20). The point Paul makes is that "to will is present with
me; but how to perform that which is good I find not" (Rom. 7:18). The Christian's
desire to do God's will is hindered by human weakness, but, thankfully, the
Father has promised grace for every trial and the needed strength to overcome.
In the following chapters we wish to understand the meaning of "saved" as it
is used in the New Testament. While the word "saved" (Greek., sozo) appears
one hundred and nine times, it often (less than half) means to be healed or
saved from physical disabilities or harm. More frequently, it is used to denote
a spiritual connotation, and it will be these usages in which we will be especially
interested.
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