Category: Personal Development

How to Understand and Apply Philippians 2:1-11

how to understand and apply Philippians 2

            Look busy Jesus is coming. Unfortunately for many Christians this is their worldview whether they are conscious of it or not. It is an expectation to do something, if not anything to occupy their lives until the day when Jesus returns to Earth. However, the writings of the New Testament and especially the Epistle to the Philippians paints a very different picture of how the Christian is to live and behave while they are in this world. One of the chief places to witness how the teachings of Jesus are synthesized into applicable actions and clear-cut expectations are through the writings of the Apostle Paul which are his field manuals to various up and coming Christian congregations.

            The Epistle to the Philippians is one of those letters which is purposed to establish the expectations and responsibilities of the faith. In this letter Paul seeks to address a congregation struggling to learn what it means to be a Christian. What then did Paul expect of the Philippians and subsequent generations of Christians in terms of how they were supposed to live out their beliefs in light of the hope of Christ’s “already but not yet” victory? It is my intention to present how Philippians 2:1-11 demonstrates how the true Christian life is one marked by the same unity, humility and servanthood Jesus demonstrated before he was exalted to the place of authority in Heaven where he awaits the day when all of creation will bow before him in submission.

The Background of the Epistle to the Philippians

The Town of Philippi

            To better understand the words spoken of by Paul to the Philippians we first need to examine the social background of that particular church. The town of Philippi[1] was established in 356 B.C. by King Philip II of Macedon the father of Alexander the Great and remained under Hellenistic control until the early days of the Roman Empire. Known as the site of one of Octavian’s (Augustus) victories against Cassius and Brutus in 42 B.C. it was later renamed Colonia Iulia Augusta Philippensis. The Roman influence went far beyond a memorial or a name change as the Emperor rewarded many of his soldiers with plots of land within the city’s territory. Due to the influx of retired Roman soldiers and government officers cultivating the city Philippi was “legally set up and run as if it were a miniature of Rome, following Roman laws and customs.”[2]

            Latin became the primary language in the region and the people enjoyed the status of citizens of Rome along with all of its benefits such as tax exemption and Pax Romana and its responsibilities such as adherence to the Imperial Cult. Philippi then was a religiously pluralistic place where Greek, Phrygian, and Egyptian temples existed but “the imperial cult was the most prominent in the city.”[3] Given these Imperial influences it is no wonder then that “none of the Christians we know by name who are associated with Philippi have Jewish names—rather they are all Greek and Latin names.”[4]

            This presents Paul’s letter in a light which is steeped in a culture which would have been similar to his upbringing in Tarsus with its Roman overtones. It is no wonder why Paul’s emphasis to the Philippians on unity and service was such an important matter is it would have matched their pre-Christian outlook on life. Although rather than the unity of the empire it would have been the unity of the church. Furthermore, rather than an obligation to offer service to the earthly ruler Caesar they would be now be offering service to the Heavenly ruler Christ.

Paul’s Purpose for Writing Philippians

            It is generally held[5] that the Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians thanks in part to corroboration from early church fathers such as Polycarp in his own letter to the Philippian church.[6] Although there are some such as Ferdinand Christian Baur who  “argued that the letter used Gnostic ideas in 2:6–11” [7] and that the letter was developed out of Paul’s thoughts in the Corinthian letters.  While there is a general consensus on the authorship there are doubts about the formation of the letter as some see a single work, others as two combined letters which separates 3:2-4:1 from the remainder of the letter. Finally, some see Philippines as three letters which further separates 4:10-20 from the remainder of the work.

The epistle to the Philippians stands apart from other letters as it is presented as a friendship letter which fulfills the historical elements of such a letter.[8] In this appeal through friendship Paul was trying to remedy the growing amount of disunity found in the congregation. While Paul himself was imprisoned in Rome around A.D. 49 he appealed to this congregation to overcome the matters of selfish ambition, desire for personal prestige and concentration of self[9] and to better reflect the life and truths of Christ in their midst.

Philippians 2 in Context

            Philippians 2:1-11 stands out from the rest of the book as it appears that Paul may not have written a portion of it, as “the majority of scholars accept Phil 2:6–11 as a pre-Pauline hymn, based on the structure and language of the passage.”[10] The evidence for this stems in part from “when the verses are read aloud, the stress falls in such a way as to give a rhythmical cadence to the lines.”[11] Additionally the hymn appears to have a more Semitic structure to it compared to most of Paul’s more Hellenistic writings along with “the use of words which are not found again in Paul’s writings.”[12] Philippians appears to possess 42 words which are not found in the remainder of the New Testament and 34 words which are not found elsewhere in Paul’s writings.

            Despite these variations between the Christological hymn and the remainder of the book there does remain lexical ties which lead some to reinforce Pauline authorship of the hymn.[13] We can see that Philippians 2 consists of 1:1-4 which is a four-part conditional clause written in a chiastic structure (ABBA) [14] and is followed by a creedal hymn. These sections combine in order to display the responsibilities and expectations which Paul had placed upon the community to ensure their unity amongst themselves and in reinforcing the necessity of their continual service to Christ the true King.

Understanding Philippians 2

Unity

            Paul begins his friendly exhortation by calling on the Philippian Christians to come to the place of unity where they have “one mind” with another. Paul achieves this imagery by using the word φρονέω, a word commonly used by Paul which describes a “single-minded commitment to something and the conditions for such commitment.”[15] For the Philippians they are being challenged to embody and exemplify the same type of φρονεῖν which Jesus demonstrated with the disciples and in his earthly relationship with the Father. This is then a call to “oneness of mind in commitment to the Kyrios, which does not, however, mean uniformity”[16] rather it is unifying not personal characteristics but cooperation in the larger evangelistic mission.

            For this unity to become a reality Paul introduces the need for love to be present and not just any love but “a love that rejoices in what is best for others… This kind of love will not result in selfish behavior that sinfully exploits others.”[17] An exhortation which was needed given the apparent strife among some members of the church and Paul’s earlier appeal in 1:9-10 “that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.”[18]

Paul understood that “unity is a by-product of the great truths on which the gospel rests, but he did not see it as coming about automatically or effortlessly.”[19] In order for this congregation to grow and thrive it needed to address these issues lest they see their strifes morph into schisms and unnecessary ridicule of the church by outsiders. To bring about the necessary unity the people were going to have to live according to the ways of love which could only be confirmed through their actions of humility.

Humility

            In 2:3 Paul speaks of doing “nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” This is a form of humility which is grounded in the example of Christ which Paul later explains. On a technical level Paul chose to employ the word ταπεινοφροσύνη in this instance, a word which has a history in Hellenistic writings as

“the basic meaning to be ‘low,’ ‘flat.’”[20] While this image conveys a lessening of a person it fails to fully grasp the theological idea Paul is presenting. Beyond the idea of self-abasement this concept of humility is based on the understanding that:

            According to Phil 2:3 ταπεινοφροσύνη is the fundamental attitude of Christians in view of the unity of the church. It stands over against any attitude of selfishness and conceit, which disrupts and destroys church life. Humility counts others better than oneself — regardless of social standing. Those who are humble seek not their own advantage but the opportunity to serve others (v. 4).[21] By demonstrating this type of interpersonal humility, the unity and oneness of mind among the people would be brought to light.

            Paul’s chief concern here was that the people’s conduct did not reflect the realities of the Gospel which was a life code that went far beyond the ways the people grew up in. As “true biblical humility was frowned upon in the ancient world as despicable because it was misunderstood as abject cringing before one’s fellow-men.[22] The understanding is that the community itself will benefit the greatest when the people are not attempting to create their own sub-kingdoms. The concept of love returns as through the Holy Spirit believers have their hearts and motivations transformed so they better match those of Jesus.

Servanthood

For Paul the natural ability of the people to demonstrate humility was not the benchmark they were to follow. Rather it was the example of Christ who took on the form of humanity through the miracle of the kenosis which fulfilled the ultimate act of humility. For the Christians at Philippi “this act of kenosis is an act of obedience; obedience unto death, but a death that leads to new life.”[23] Christ was able to step away from his heavenly abode and live among us not as a demi-god but as one who was man but still in the form and likeness of God. For Jesus he maintained the form of God or in Greek he maintained the μορφή the “the essence of a person or thing” [24] yet washed the feet of the disciples and submitted to the power of death for those very same Philippians.

This expectation of humility through servanthood should come as no surprise as throughout the Old Testament obedience is the reciprocal demand of being in covenant with God. No longer is it service to the temple through sacrifices but service to others through our actions of love, humility and servanthood with Christ the ultimate prototype of those actions. “The notion that Jesus became a slave or servant means that he became the Father’s servant to carry out his will, even if that will mean death by crucifixion for the servant.”[25]

The concept of servanthood then is not an undesirable concept but now it becomes a way to imitate Christ, their new Heavenly ruler. The God Jesus took on “the very natureof a servant, being made in human likeness” and in doing so he fulfilled Isaiah 53:12. This presents a challenge and a firm example that the Philippians were also to walk in a similar degree of humility as they practiced and followed Christ’s example of servanthood.

Exaltation

At this point Paul diverges from what he expects from the Philippians and begins to demonstrate the blessings, benefits and glories Jesus received in response to his humility and servanthood. From the grave which Jesus’s humility and servanthood placed him into he later rose and was exalted at the right hand of God. No longer as the second YHWH who walked with Adam, Cain, Abraham, Samuel and Jeremiah, but now as supreme ruler of the cosmos. This term exalted used in Philippians 2 comes from the Greek word ὑπερυψόω which is translated as “super-eminentlyexalted” [26] or “to raise someone to the loftiest height.” [27] This verbal form of this stem is only found in this place in the New Testament, but it is found in Psalm 97:9 (LXX). While the adverb form of this word used in Ephesians 1:21, 4:10, and Hebrews 9:5 is used to speak of things which were “above.”

This exaltation Paul speaks of includes with it the eternal blessings for obedience which benefits both Christ and those who follow him. Through his actions we see that “the obedience of Christ did not force the hand of God… The action of God is but the other side of that obedience, and a vindication of all that the obedience involved.”[28] Jesus was tempted in this world as we are therefore we are able to declare that he could be greatly blessed because of his faithfulness to the commands of God. Exaltation then not only returns Jesus to Heaven but also places him at the right hand of God, not awaiting coronation but now sitting in the courts of Heaven.

Authority

            From the place of exaltation Jesus takes hold of the authority given to him by God, the Ancient of Days has inaugurated the Kingdom of the Son of God. It is an authority which is encapsulated in a single name, the name of Jesus. Yet the letters themselves do not create power but rather they reflect the actions and victory accomplished by Christ. Otherwise there would be nothing separating the heavenly Jesus from others bearing the same name, which would have been a problem in the first century.

            On a technical level the name Jesus originates from the Hebrew name Yeshua (Ye’hoshua) which is properly translated into English as Joshua. This original name carried the meaning of “YWHW saves/delivers” [29] which speaks to the purpose of Christ’s coming. The authority in the name then is seen as the declaration that through the Christ God (YHWH) has provided spiritual deliverance to the people and access to a heavenly promised land. Along with this title of Savior/Deliverer Jesus is referred to as κύριος a word which to the Philippians “denotes rulership based upon competent and authoritative power, the ability to dispose of what one possesses.”[30] Yet for Paul this word branches off from the Hebrew word adonai which was the substitute word used to speak of YHWH.

            While the Philippians would have been comfortable referring to Caesar or even other gods as κύριος the declaration that Jesus was κύριος was dangerous to openly declare. To call Jesus κύριος “meant that he was the Master and the Owner of all life; he was the King of Kings; he was the Lord in a way in which the gods of the old religions and the idols could never be; he was nothing less than divine.”[31] Jesus then is presented in Paul’s writings as the one who rules over all and seeks to expand the territory of his kingdom through those he places his name upon.[32]

Submission

            From this place of authority Jesus awaits the day when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” This eschatological day spoken of in Isaiah 45:23 in which all intelligent created beings in all three planes of existence come before the inaugurated and recognized king so they can bow before him in submission. Some will bow out of love and obedience while others will bow out of fear and condemnation. “Paul is not speaking here of voluntary obedience,”[33] but is rather painting a picture of the conquered submitting to their new king, some people will welcome the deliverance while the rebels will fear its coming.

            Furthermore “it is necessary to understand that the writer is here asserting that homage is to be paid to Jesus as Lord, not through Jesus to God.”[34] This is not an indirect submission by humans, angels and demons[35] to YHWH but a direct recognition of Jesus as the ruling King. This exhortation given to the Philippians once again elevates Christ above Caesar and gives hope for a future day when all things will be made right. The unity, humility and servanthood of Christ has resulted in his exaltation, appointment of authority and requirement for all to submit to him. If Christ can achieve all of this through humble means then the Philippians would be forced to concede that they to must follow in these same footsteps if they wish to flourish as a unified congregation. These people are those who have already bowed before Christ and are to follow Christ’s example and Paul’s teaching so they all together can bring glory to God. “The Father’s glory is not diminished but enhanced by the work of Christ on the cross”[36] and through the expansion of the Son’s territory within the hearts of people.

Applying the Text Today

The Christian’s Responsibility

            In many ways the “values Paul articulates in Philippians is not only at variance with the values of ancient Roman Philippi; it is at variance with the tendencies and inclinations of the fleshly impulses of all humans anytime and everywhere.”[37] This makes the possible applications of Philippians 2:1-11 a universal endeavor as the exhortations towards unity, humility and servanthood are constants of the Christian faith. In our age matters such as strife and selfishness endure and continue to damage the lives of Christian and the well-being of entire congregations. The responsibilities which Paul has assigned to the Philippians then are still in effect in our modern day.

            For this purpose we will combine the ideas of unity and being of “one-mind” and demonstrate how a person and a congregation can fulfill these mandates. When it comes to the concept of unity we must see it as a unity of purpose and mission. Far too often the misguided ideas of unity in the church better resemble science fiction archetypes such as Star Trek’s Borg and their hive consciousness. Christians also unknowingly drawn upon the metaphysical concept of the “overmind” or the failures of the Shepherding movement. In all of the above cases the concept of unity is replaced with the mandate of absolute obedience and strict conformity whereby all people think, dress and act the same. In terms of what Paul is presenting in this text it is rather a unification of purpose and mission which is being addressed. The Philippians were not exhorted to live as Jews, or Antiochians but rather they were to demonstrate allegiance to Christ which was matched up with their actions.

            For us today this can be a reality as believers join together as they follow the guidance of Christ and Paul and seek to work together for the common good of the Kingdom of God. This is why matters such as strife and self-promotion were rejected as in these cases the induvial seeks to elevate themselves above the kingdom community or they seek to live outside of it while maintaining its benefits. This then does not preclude disagreements or debates over secondary doctrines, rather it provides the means to engage in these matters without irreparable harm to the larger community. The unifying goal is to continue the work of Christ on this world and those who follow Christ are to replicate the same unity which Jesus demonstrated with not only the Father but the disciples as well.

            From this place of unity comes the added responsibility of living in a humble manner with other believers and even with the world at large. Yet to benefit from this our worldview must change because,

Jesus viewed us—his church—as a collectivist community. He came to establish a people of God, over which he would reign as king. It is not really “me and Jesus.” He will reign in my heart because he will reign over all creation (Phil 2:10). In the West, it may help if the church started thinking more in terms of we than me.[38]

            This form of humility is not an attitude which says “I have no worth” but instead it is an attitude which says “this other person has just as much or more worth than I do.” The matter is not about self-abasement but of mutual exaltation whereby the community works together not to punish the able but to elevate the weak so all can faithfully serve Christ and not just a select few.

            Paul used language which was “deliberately extreme to shock the audience into following Christ’s example of self-humbling and self-sacrificial service, as a cure for party spirit, rivalry, or tensions in the community.”[39] Matter such as these remain in our day and age which brings about an even greater need for true humility which operates through servanthood to change the hearts of people to seek ways to benefit other people so that the Kingdom as a whole can blossom. Our responsibility then as Christians according to Philippians 2:1-11 is to be an active force which stands together in unity to achieve the communal goal of expanding the kingdom of God through a paradigm of humility which is exemplified by a form of servanthood demonstrated by Christ.

The Christian’s Expectation

We cannot bear the burden of responsibility fully unless we firmly grasp the benefits which come from obeying these commands. To the Philippians and the modern Christians, the eschatological expectation remains the same. While the means and charts vary the common thread remains that we believe in Christ who while seated at the right hand of God in full authority still remains at arm’s length of total rulership of the world. It is the embodiment of the parable of the minas which speak of the ruler who left for a time and appointed his servants to work until he returned.   

            The expectation of Christ’s conquest of the world and of the universal submission to him must bring about greater motivation to live out the responsibilities laid out by Paul. We live humbly yet we are higher than our previous disposition because of what Christ has done for us. We live as servants since we are the disciples and subjects of the greatest servant who is seeking to bring new servants into his household in order that as many people as possible can joyfully bow before him at the end of the age.

The Work of Responsibility Brings with it the Benefits of Expectation

            To process the companionship between the responsibilities and expectations laid out by Paul we could apply a chiastic structure (ABCCBA) to this argument. When we follow the commands to live in Unity as a group of Christians we are working towards the ultimate Submission of the world. Our actions of Humility bring about a greater outpouring of the Authority of Christ which is demonstrated in this world as we follow in these footsteps and pray for his providential intervention. Finally, our Servanthood becomes the greatest witness for Jesus’s Exaltation. His servanthood brought about eternal and unchanging exaltation, but our daily actions of servanthood bring about the continual exaltation of the name of Jesus upon the earth. In short unity brings submission, humility brings authority and servanthood brings exaltation.

The crucifixion in a metaphorical sense established the ocean and our actions act as rivers to bring others to it. All those who through strife, pride and selfish ambitions instead carve out metaphorical rivers that lead the people to stagnant ponds with no life. Through our faithfulness we are given the ability to share in the benefits of Christ as we become co-champions with him.

Conclusion

            Through Paul’s writings and the Christological hymn utilized in Philippians 2 we are witnesses to the fact that the Christian life is one marked by the same unity, humility and servanthood Jesus demonstrated. Paul speaking to a Roman audience laid out their responsibilities in terms they understood to show how they had fallen short in living out lives which lined up with the example of Christ. They were to live out their live in that prescribed manner because Christ was already exalted as the true ruler of not only heaven but the world as well. Jesus is now ruling his kingdom and awaiting the day in which all people, angels and demons will bow before him at the end of the age.

            In light of this expectation we as believers are given a life code to live by to ensure that we and as many people as possible can stand before Christ that day and willfully and joyfully bow before him. While those who rebelled against him, persecuted the church and rejected adhering to lives of unity, humility and servanthood are diminished while those who made themselves low in Christ are exalted.

            The church is to be a unified community who through true humility and a willingness to serve establish the kingdom on earth not out of fear but out of hope of their ultimate expectations. When the responsibilities of unity, humility and servanthood are combined with the expectations of exaltation, Christ’s authority, and universal submission to him then and only then can Christians flourish in this world. The message of Philippians 2:1-11 is not an exhortation to look busy because Jesus is coming, but instead to faithfully work together because of what Christ has already done for us.

     [1] Known as Krenides in modern times.

     [2] Ben Witherington III, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Company, 2011), 5.

     [3] G. Walter Hansen, The Letter to the Philippians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 2–3.

     [4] Ben Witherington III, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Company, 2011), 5.

     [5] G. Walter Hansen, The Letter to the Philippians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 15.

     [6] Joseph Barber Lightfoot and J. R. Harmer, The Apostolic Fathers (London: Macmillan and Co., 1891), 178.

     [7] John T. Fitzgerald, “Philippians, Epistle to the,” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 319.

     [8] G. Walter Hansen, The Letter to the Philippians, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 7.

     [9] William Barclay, The Letters to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 37.

     [10] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Php 2:1–11.

     [11] Ralph P. Martin, Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 11, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 114–115.

     [12] Ibid, 115.

     [13] Harold W. Hoehner, Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon., vol. 16 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008), 171.

     [14] Ben Witherington III, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Company, 2011), 118.

     [15] Horst Robert Balz and Gerhard Schneider, Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1990–), 438.

     [16] Ibid, 439.

     [17] James M. Hamilton Jr., God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 485.

     [18] Scriptures taken from ESV unless otherwise noted.

     [19] J. A. Motyer, The Message of Philippians, The Bible Speaks Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1984), 105.

     [20] Walter Grundmann, “Ταπεινός, Ταπεινόω, Ταπείνωσις, Ταπεινόφρων, Ταπεινοφροσύνη,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), vol. 8, 21.

     [21] Horst Robert Balz and Gerhard Schneider, Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1990–), 334.

     [22] Ralph P. Martin, Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 11, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 101.

     [23] Markus Locker, “Seeing the Unseeable—Speaking the Unspeakable: From a Kenosis of Exegesis toward a Spiritual Biblical Theology,” ed. Paul Elbert, Journal of Biblical and Pneumatological Research 4 (2012): 12.

     [24] Marvin Richardson Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament, vol. 3 (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1887), 430–431.

    [25] Harold W. Hoehner, Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon., vol. 16 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008), 175.

     [26] Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 364.

     [27] Harold W. Hoehner, Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon., vol. 16 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008), 170.

     [28] Moisés Silva, “Philippians,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos, 2007), 837.

     [29] Earle L. Wilson, Alex R. G. Deasley, and Barry L. Callen, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians: A Commentary for Bible Students (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 2007), 189.

     [30] Ralph P. Martin, Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 11, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987), 113.

     [31] William Barclay, The Letters to Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated., The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 46.

     [32] see Revelation 3:12.

     [33] Moisés Silva, “Philippians,” in Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos, 2007), 837.

     [34] Hawthorne, Gerald F., Ralph P. Martin, et. all. Word Biblical Commentary. Volume 43: Philippians (Grand Rapids, MI; Zondervan Academic, 2015), 127.

     [35] See 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, Colossians 1:16.

     [36] Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 2006), 26.

     [37] James M. Hamilton Jr., God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 484.

     [38] E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2012), 110.

     [39] Ben Witherington III, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Company, 2011), 149.

  
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Personal Responsibility and The Judgment Of God

Personal Responsibility and the Judgement of God

One of the common themes which ties the minor and major prophets together is the threat of the judgment of God against His covenant people because of their sins. Repeatedly God used the prophets to warn the people that their current course of action would lead to divinely allowed calamity. We see in the exilic era of Judah the people began to believe that they had been unjustly punished for the sins of their ancestors. Was this accusation against God correct or did the people miss the point of the judgment they had endured. This leads us to the larger question, what is the correlation between personal responsibility and God’s judgment on his people?

A Proverb about the Judgment of God

During the exilic era and even in the years leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem the people had adopted their own parable to explain what had happened to them. “The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” This proverb is understood to mean “Children atone for the misdeeds of their fathers, or the sins of the fathers are visited on their innocent children.”[1] Through this understanding the people believed that in their eyes they were innocent and did not deserve the calamity which they had experienced.

This complaint from the people did not escape the ears of God nor the prophets as both Jeremiah and Ezekiel addressed this complaint. First Jeremiah stated in 31:28-30;

“28 And it shall come to pass that as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, declares the Lord. 29 In those days they shall no longer say: “‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.’ 30 But everyone shall die for his own iniquity. Each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge.” (ESV)

Here we have the image which “depicts a person’s involuntary reaction to an extremely unpleasant taste. Since experience cannot be transferred, the saying implies that the children’s suffering for their parents’ sin is unnatural.” [2] God is attempting to assure the people that it is their actions which will bring the sourness into their own lives.

Years later in another country Ezekiel also faced the same complaint from the people taken in the earlier exile to Babylon, in 18:1-4 the prophet states;

“The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? 3 As I live, declares the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die.” (ESV)

Ezekiel and Personal Responsibility

The effect of time is evident as “Jeremiah looked forward to the day when this proverb would no longer be used; but Ezekiel insists that it should cease forthwith.”[3] On a theological level “Ezekiel was a pioneer in developing the doctrine of individual responsibility”[4] and tried to demonstrate that the people in exile with him were there because of their own participation in their parent’s sins. The covenant people which had been compared to sheep, children and a wife had come to the theological conclusion that they could act in whatever manner they chose and not face judgment because of the presence of YHWH in the temple and the covenant of Moses.

We see then that the judgment of God fell upon Judah not because of the sins of previous generations but because the present generation continued in the sins of their fathers. While there were reprieves under Josiah and Hezekiah the overall atmosphere of the nation had remained spiritually corrupt. The people did not recognize the grace given to them but continued to act in whatever manner they pleased, for they assumed that God would only bring good things upon them as long as they maintained the rituals. This belief also created the acceptance of the prophets which would do nothing more say pleasing words to the people and assured eternal protection of Jerusalem. It is these same prophets which held influence over the priesthood which would go on to reject and assault Jeremiah.

The Judgment of God on His Stubborn Sheep

Those who witnessed the destruction accomplished by Babylon only did so because they like misguided sheep continued in the rutted path their others set out. Despite warnings from the true prophets they did amend their hearts or ways. “The Lord had expected from his people fidelity (honesty/truth), wisdom and the practice of godliness. Instead, graft, power, cheating, greed and perfidy were the order of the day.”[5] Therefore, the judgment of God was just upon them, as they were not innocent of the crimes of their ancestors because they themselves were also committing them. The people had lost sight of living in a real covenantal relationship with God and settled for the routine religiosity they had adopted. The words of Hosea 6:6 were far from their hearts, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

Even with the covenant which they had put their trust in, the people ignored Moses’ warning in Deuteronomy 24:16. “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.” The people also ignored the long line of potential curses in Deuteronomy 28 and the promise of destruction in exchange for covenant unfaithfulness in Deuteronomy 7. Among all of this evidence “here the belief that God had no direct concern with the individual is opposed: the fact that God will restore the innocent descendants of the original exiles affirms the doctrine of individual responsibility for sin.”[6]

Conclusion

Now then what is the correlation between personal responsibility and the judgment of God on his people? It is a correlation that God will not judge a child for the actions of their parents if they do not do as their parents did. Conversely a wicked child would not be spared judgment because of the righteousness of their parents. Each generation is judged upon their own actions, and what we saw with the destruction of Samaria and Jerusalem was God’s intervention against a generation which did not repent but made the deplorable actions of their ancestors look like child’s play. Even when God acted in judgment He always did so as a last resort when the people refused to repent and whenever judgment was passed a remnant was preserved and a hope was given to the few that did not share in the sins of the nation.

[1] Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. 8 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1996), 279–280.

     [2] John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Eze 18:2.

[3] John B. Taylor, Ezekiel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 22, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1969), 148.

[4] Duane A. Garrett, “Ezekiel, Theology Of,” Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996), 231.

[5] William VanGemeren. Interpreting The Prophetic Word (Grand Rapids MI: Zondervan, 1990), 302

[6] B. M. Pickering, “Jeremiah,” in A New Commentary on Holy Scripture: Including the Apocrypha, vol. 1 (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1942), 506.

  
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The Six False Signposts That’ll Derail Your Ministry

The Six False Signposts That’ll Derail Your Ministry

What happens when you finally arrive at the place or calling you have been dreaming about for years? Long ago you received a great promise from God just as David did from Samuel and after years in the wilderness you finally come into your own personal promised land. We assume that just because we finally leave the wilderness that everything will be ok and we can just kick up our feet and enjoy the benefits of finally receiving the manifestation of God’s grand promise in our lives.

However, what most people fail to realize is that exiting the wilderness and coming into your own personal promised land brings with it the opportunity to either succeed or fall into even more trouble than you experienced in the wilderness. We expect a Disney style happily ever after to soar across the sky when we receive our promise, such as when David was made king of Judah. In our minds we expect the story to end there, no more development just the enjoyment of what we have received.

This place is where we tend to get complacent and forget the lessons we learned in the darker moments in the wilderness. This is where we have a choice to either remain diligent and faithful or we allow ourselves to abuse and neglect the great things God has done for us over the years. Just look at the Israelites after they exited the wilderness and began to take the Promised Land. They were delivered from the desert but still had to struggle to claim that territory, and after they took enough of it to be comfortable, they relented and assumed that now it was time to live happily ever after. But that’s not what happened throughout the book of Judges. We see how Israel stood at the crossroads of the two paths of a fulfilled calling and decided to take the dark path which lead them to idolatry, rebellion and oppression.

When we face the culmination of our calling becoming realized the temptation is there and stronger than ever to “forget” the three great keys of 1) Go to church, 2) Read your Bible and 3) Don’t Sin. The entire process of Anointing, Apprenticeship, Activation and Announcement which was supposed to draw you closer to God becomes corrupted and simply makes you a god unto yourself.

This is why we have to take the lessons, experiences and times with God we have lived though during the wilderness and become even more diligent so we can make it to the bottom of the mountain and receive our commission without sacrificing our relationship with God in the process.

Finally Reaching the Place of Announcement

At this point of the story we see the day that David became king in 2 Samuel 1. Despite the setbacks faced by the Amalekites raid in 1 Samuel 30 David proved to his men that he was a faithful leader who would stop at nothing to take back what was stolen from them. He turned a moment of grief and loss into one of victory and it’s no surprise that this is the last major event which happened before the battle between Israel and Philistia which claimed the lives of Saul and Jonathan (1 Samuel 31).

In the aftermath that followed that battle David finally became king of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4), but this was not the end of the story. It was another seven and a half years after this coronation that David became the undisputed king of Israel (2 Samuel 5:4-5), albeit under less than ideal circumstances. Such as the seven-year civil war ((2 Samuel 3:1), Joab’s murder of Abner (2 Samuel 3:26-27) and the murder of king Ishbosheth (2 Samuel 4:5-8). Both of these deaths were not by David’s hand but by overly zealous and selfish individuals trying to force David’s promise into coming to pass. See, no happily ever after guaranteed here for many of those involved.

Even at times when we feel we have a calling and a promise from God we actually might be going against God’s will. It seems that Ishbosheth was fully convinced that he was the true and anointed king of Israel after Saul and Jonathan died. This is something we need to honestly ask ourselves in our own lives and the pursuit of our promised land. In this story are we David or Ishbosheth, Abner or Joab, Peter or Judas? To understand who we actually are in God’s eyes as this story plays out we need to begin to recognize the differences between the signposts of the false path and the true path.

The Six Signposts of the False Path

When you go down the false path there are six things which will begin to manifest in your life and lead you further away from God and deeper into a worship of yourself and other things. Each of these signposts will lead you further down into the darkness which seeks to corrupt and destroy the promise from God in your life. Yet at each step there is still the opportunity for repentance where you can escape this twisted trajectory, but it feels that at each step that window of repentance gets smaller and smaller as our own pride and desires overshadow the light of Christ trying to rescue us from ourselves.

What I’m about to lay out here is not a random process, you will see how each stage is a progression into the other. As people struggle without repentance in each step it is only natural to descend even further down into trouble and a corruption of their spiritual gifts and calling from God. You’ll also notice later that many of these steps will have a counterpart that we’ll see next month in The Seven True Signposts That’ll Supercharge Your Ministry.

Many of the trials are the same but how we react and work in cooperation with God will determine the blessings or curses which come on our heart and life in general. I pray that you take a deep look at yourself as you read through this list and don’t just think about other people when you see each signpost.

1) Admiration: What I am speaking of here is the love and support of those around you, and those who helped you get to where God is calling you. This isn’t a bad thing to feel and experience on the surface, but it can become a stumbling block if you become addicted to the praise of others and base your choices on how the people will admire and praise you for your actions (John 12:43). This is the first test which will determine if your heart becomes entrenched in either pride (1 Timothy 3:6) or humility (1 Peter 5:5) as this process becomes a greater part of your life.

2) Addiction: When we begin to find our identity in the admiration of other people and not in Christ, we begin to get addicted to the sociological high we feel,or even the rush you get in ministry. We begin to fall into the same trap king Saul did where he disobeyed God in order to please the people who had lost patience with Samuel. Or you end up like the false teachers Peter spoke of in 2 Peter 2:12-17 who are referred to as wells without water, those whose true purpose is made hollow.

3) Adultery: From the place of admiration and addiction comes the next phase, adultery. This can run the gambit from physical adultery with a person other than your spouse all the way to spiritual adultery that you commit against God. The natural side of this is the climax of false admiration. Where you as person in ministry finds fulfillment in the arms of another who “appreciates” you or your giftings more than those closest to you. Or you do it just because you wanted to like David did with Bathsheba. The spiritual side of adultery comes in the form of setting other teachings, spirits, or the opinions of others over and above God in your life. Another form of this spiritual adultery comes in the form of grafting in teachings from non-biblical spiritual sources into the gospel and creating a mish-mash of people pleasing doctrines that lead people further away from God (even if they don’t realize it until its too late).

4) Accusation: When addiction to the opinions of people and the darkness of adultery (natural and spiritual) begins to reach their boiling point you often lash out in accusation against others who are making the same mistakes. Or you fight against anyone and everyone who could question your actions or even discover the problems of your own heart. Other times this is the season where the first whispers of your failings begin to escape from the places you prayed no one would discover (1 Timothy 5:24). Here you begin to convince yourself that because of grace or previous season of faithfulness God will overlook this darkness which is overtaking your life (Romans 2:1-6).

5) Adversity: From the place of accusation you move then to the place of adversity where you are either trying to defend the choices that placed you on the false path or you begin to openly attack all those who try to oppose or correct you. This is a terrible time not just for those in ministry but for the entire church (and larger body of Christ as well). A time where the world sees that those Christians are no better off (or are actually worse) than they are. This adversity is the last chance a person in ministry has to rectify their problems and seek help. Unfortunately, most people on this false path instead become more entrenched. This is similar to how Saul after being rejected by God fell into the place of madness, rage and an absence of peace.

6) Abdicate: Eventually once you come to the sudden end of the false path you will be faced with the command to abdicate your calling and purpose in life. Here the failures, sins and stubbornness of your life leads you to the place where you are disqualified from continuing in your ministry/calling/promise. That is not to say a person cannot be restored after years of repair, but this is the point where the needs of the many outweigh the sins of the one, so to speak. For Saul this began when Samuel declared him to be stripped of God’s favor and that judgment came to pass when he was killed in the war against the Philistines. Even in the New Testament we have examples spoken of by Paul such as Hymenaeus and Alexander (1 Timothy 1:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:14-19) who were separated so they couldn’t do more damage to the church.

The Bridge To Nowhere

The end of the false path brings us to the place where all of the good things God has promised to do through our lives gets used against us to drive us further away from Him than we ever were before. Each gift and opportunity was corrupted and used to bring about the opposite intention that God commissioned. Here in this pit of despair you are left alone with the hauntings of your heart which show you all the damage you did to yourself, those around you and the church as a whole. There you are not like Jeremiah looking for help and justification for your faithfulness but rather you are there as a prisoner who can no longer be allowed to inflict damage on others any further.

This pit of darkness is the final realm of repentance where those who sacrificed their hearts and relationships with God little by little are left to wrestle with the implications of living a life or leading a ministry which was more concerned with pleasing people and becoming successful according to the worlds standards

You can compare these people to medieval knights who in the midst of battle began to take off their armor piece by piece so they can be freer to live out their calling as a knight. Yet each time they took off a piece of their armor they left themselves increasingly exposed to the perils of the false signposts. They wanted to be free of the weight and limitations the armor provided so they threw it away piece by piece until they were no longer protected on the battlefield. Eventually those knights were wounded, killed, captured, or they ended up betraying their allegiances and ended up serving the desires of their enemy.

Hope is not lost as next month I’ll show you The Seven True Signposts That’ll Supercharge Your Ministry and show you how to overcome the pitfalls of the false path and become a success in ministry according to God’s standards.

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Reaching The Edge of The Wilderness

Reaching the Edge of the Wilderness

If you take the lessons and introspections of the wilderness seriously you will eventually find yourself at the edge of the wilderness. That place where you can finally see what is waiting for you beyond the horizon, that place you know as your calling and purpose in life. For some it’s ministry, others business, or another type of career. No matter what it is this is the place where you can finally see what you only hoped could be possible one day.

It’s that place where promises get fulfilled where you can finally enjoy the benefits and added responsibilities of becoming who God created you to be. For some this could be a paid position at a church, others a place on the mission field, or a job teaching, or even serving in any other capacity. The years of grief, training, apprenticeship, seeming futility, small victories and painful growth are finally about to bloom into something wonderful. Something that you have hoped for and simultaneously expected to never actually happen.

It’s that place where promises get fulfilled where you can finally enjoy the benefits and added responsibilities of becoming who God created you to be.

With David this was the place he found himself in during the last months of his trek through the wilderness avoiding the persecution of Saul. So many years had gone by since his original anointing and commissioning by Samuel as a teenager. Now the process of Anointing, Apprenticeship, Activation were about to culminate in the season of Announcement.

Finding Comfort in Unexpected Places

The path to ministry, or any calling from God for that matter is never just a clear trajectory from point A to point B. Often God will take us through twists, turns and unexpected detours not to punish us or hold us back but to give us what we need to flourish in our callings.

The path to ministry, or any calling from God for that matter is never just a clear trajectory from point A to point B.

David faced an unexpected turn in his strategic retreat from king Saul, as he found himself serving a Philistine ruler named Achish the king of Gath. This same ruler that David pretended to be insane in front of years ago (1 Samuel 21:12-14), but since seems to have come to an understanding with. David received a home called Ziklag (1 Samuel 27:6) in exchange for him and his forces protecting the Philistines south-eastern territory from the Amalekites and other rogue tribes (1 Samuel 27:8).

On the surface David seemed to have sided with the same people who regularly raided his tribe’s territory and sent the likes of Goliath against his people. Yet by serving this Philistine king as a mercenary he also fulfilled a task which also benefited the tribe of Judah as well (1 Samuel 27:10), by keeping Israel’s ancient enemy the Amalekites (Numbers 14:43-45, Deuteronomy 25:17, Judges 6:3, 1 Samuel 14:48, 15:18) at bay deep in the southern wilderness.

What we see play out here in this story of David is how the path to our destination will sometimes take us to unexpected places. These paths seem to be taking us in the opposite direction from our calling but actually are preparing us in a way we didn’t expect. I had a season like this myself, for about three years I had a second job where I wrote investment articles about Canadian stocks. It wasn’t something I was particularly passionate about and at the time I was more focused on working on the home group curriculum and other sider project at the church I was attending.

These paths seem to be taking us in the opposite direction from our calling but actually are preparing us in a way we didn’t expect.

During this season I was writing four to five 3,000 word articles each week and it taught me how to present otherwise unexciting information in an interesting and concise way. It was an education I probably couldn’t have received anywhere else and it prepared me for what I’m doing now with my books and the regular content on my website. It was the polar opposite of what I wanted to do with my time and ministry but in the long-term it was one of the best things I could’ve done with my time back then.

The experience helped me pay off my mortgage quicker, it gave me the skills to write entire term papers in a day (without sacrificing my GPA), and how to structure information in a way which helped me greatly in writing my books. But that job was only for a season and many of you will face the same unexpected twists and turns in your journey as well. You just have to be willing to accept and recognize these detours and to do the best job possible at them because later on you’ll see how those unexpected places helped you become who God wanted you to transform into.

Typically, you’ll know this season of detouring and unexpected travels comes to an end because you’ll swiftly be kicked out of the nest so to speak. With my stock writing this came in the form of cutbacks which reduced the minimum payments for my articles to the point where it wasn’t worth the effort anymore. With David this came in the form of the other Philistine kings dismissing David and not allowing him to march with their army (1 Samuel 29:4-7).

While on the one hand the other Philistine rulers wanted nothing to do with David, Achish still recognized the faithfulness of David and had nothing bad to say about him (1 Samuel 29:3). Just because you’re in this place that feels nowhere near the place of your eventual ministry it doesn’t give you a license to do a poor job or to not be faithful in doing it. David remained faithful even in serving Achish and ensured his reputation was not eroded by his actions during a less that favorable point in his life.

Facing The Last Ditch Attacks of the Enemy

After being dismissed from the Philistine’s army David and his 600 men returned to their home in Ziklag, but instead of finding their families waiting joyously for them they returned to smoke, ashes and silence (1 Samuel 30:3). In an instant everything was gone their wives, children, flocks and possessions were nowhere to be seen. It was that feeling of abandonment by God and hopelessness which many of us have faced at one point or another. You walk into your place of comfort only to find everything torn down and left in ruin.

Those who followed David went from faithful companions to near mutiny, where they wanted revenge by killing David because of their loss (1 Samuel 30:6). The Amalekites struck knowing that the Philistines and Israelites were too busy fighting each other to protect their southern frontiers. This also could have been done out of revenge for David’s earlier attacks on them (1 Samuel 27:8). Either way David’s enemy had struck leaving him and his followers broken and at the point of despair.

We have to understand that our enemy is also an opportunist who lives at the edges of our own lives, looking for moments to invade and carry away the blessings God has given to us.

We have to understand that our enemy is also an opportunist who lives at the edges of our own lives, looking for moments to invade and carry away the blessings God has given to us. Satan always attacks hardest right before you enter into something new and powerful. He and his forces watch as you reach the summit of the mountain blocking your destiny and they wait just below the peak to stop you from seeing the lush valley of promise and fulfillment below.

They understand that the more successful you are at contributing to the expansion of God’s kingdom in this world the greater risk you pose to their own territory. In reality you are like David and his forces making raids into enemy territory and carrying off the spoils back to their own lands. The forces of the enemy see you as the great invaders who are coming to take their people away from them so they lie in wait for a moment where you are unprepared to resist their retaliations.

In that moment David lost everything, but he didn’t cower or give up but instead rose up and sought out God’s will in that situation (1 Samuel 30:7-8). Upon receiving the green-light from God David lead his forces to take back all that was lost. Days later David and his forces defeated the Amalekites and took back everything which was stolen, plus the riches of the Amalekites. David later shared those spoils with the leaders of Judah who supported him.

We must learn from this experience because we will have trials and times of failure and loss and we have to endure and push through it otherwise we will never recover what was lost and we end up drifting back into the heart of the wilderness and blaming God for our misfortunes. When we face these seasons of loss or spiritual attack, we have to come at it from the perspective of “I’m going to fight back and reclaim what was lost, plus interest.”

When we face these seasons of loss or spiritual attack, we have to come at it from the perspective of “I’m going to fight back and reclaim what was lost, plus interest.”

You cannot use these types of losses or attacks to discourage you from continuing in the path to your calling. Because if you throw in the towel, you’ll just become another beggar along the road or corpse in the ditch serving as a witness to all those who come along this journey after you, that “happily ever after” is not guaranteed.

There are struggles and battles that have to be won, and you can’t do it all alone, what would have happened if David left the six hundred behind and went off to fight the Philistines alone? He would have most likely ended up like the swordsman in Indian Jones, struck down without any real effort. Then all of the promises and anointing David received would have been made meaningless. You need to fight these battles with others as well, you need the support of those who are still in the wilderness and you need help from those who have come out of it.

The End Is In Sight

If you have proven faithful in the seasons of unexpected detours and the surprise attacks of the enemy, you’ll soon find yourself at the edge of the wilderness. The place where you’ve reached the summit of the immoveable mountain of your life, the one which said you could never enter into the fullness of your calling.

All that remains now is to walk down that mountain and enter the valley God has been preparing for you. The place where you are announced as being who God created you to be, the place where the anointing placed on you long ago manifests into an active calling, a visible platform, and the added responsibilities become real. To make it to this place you have to have learned how to benefit from the detours of life and you need to have developed the courage to take back what the enemy has stolen from you.

To make it to this place you have to have learned how to benefit from the detours of life and you need to have developed the courage to take back what the enemy has stolen from you.

Otherwise you still may find your way out of the wilderness, but you will be ill equipped and left with nothing but the proverbial shirt on your back. You’ll soon find out that you weren’t prepared and will have to go through the season of training and refining all over again. When we come to the summit of that mountain we don’t want to be like Moses who only received a glimpse of the promised land (Deuteronomy 34:1-4). Rather we want to be like Caleb who was able to enter into the promised land and take the territory promised to him, with a little help of course (Joshua 14:14, Joshua 15:13-17).

Just like the entire process of surviving the wilderness where you have to cultivate faithfulness, character and your relationship with God, exiting the wilderness takes even greater mastery of those matters. You can’t coast down the mountain so to speak because if you do you will inevitably fall over and impale yourself on a tree or fall off a cliff. This steady march down hill can be the most perilous part of the process because you begin to let your guard down and you try and rush the process because you are so close to the end.

This is where we tend to get lazy and “forget” the three great keys of 1) Go to Church, 2) Read your Bible and 3) Don’t Sin. Or we no longer see one or all of them as being important because we can almost touch the place of our Announcement into our calling. We hear that Saul has been killed and realize that in a matter of days or moments we will be made king so to speak. This is why we have to take the lessons, experiences and times with God we have lived though during the wilderness and become even more diligent so we can make it to the bottom of the mountain and receive our commission.

For those of you who do make it to the bottom of the mountain and are free of the wilderness, receiving your commissioning and having your calling announced to the world is not the end of the story, Next week we will look at the two paths your life can take once you have received the fullness of your long promised anointing.

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Can I Truly Be Happy?

Can I Truly be happy

From a young age, we’re led to believe that success will make us happy. Success will bring us a spouse, money, comfort, a home, stuff to fill that home, and the ability to take nice vacations. How often as a child did we see the phrase “happily ever after” flash across the screen?

The poor orphan goes on an adventure and becomes the king or queen of the land, or becomes a great hero in battle. It’s the idea that if we just sit around and go about our mundane lives, eventually adventure and rewards will come knocking at our door. Only then can we truly be happy, for just beyond where we are is the place of bliss, contentment, and ease.

This idea, which has been embraced by so many people, gets reinforced as we’re indoctrinated to focus on the externals of life. Yet we tend to forget that these external things aren’t always within our control.

We think the reason we’re unhappy is that we don’t have the things we want—the perfect job, the ideal spouse, or more money in the bank.

We think the reason we’re unhappy is that we don’t have the things we want—the perfect job, the ideal spouse, or more money in the bank. Regardless of what our “white whale” might be, we find ourselves thinking, “If only I had ________, my life would be better.” We idealize the perfect life and attribute our own unhappiness to our failure to possess it.

For some, it’s the white picket fence and the nuclear family. For others, it’s a mansion filled with staff to cook and clean for them. There are those who long to live in the forest, by a lake, or up on a mountain. Each person has an ideal of what their perfect happy life would look like, and they engineer their life to reach those dreams.

I watched my wife buy into these ideals as she followed the script of working hard to achieve the things that all earthly standards testify to as success. I marveled as she became a partner in a successful business with a contract to buy it out completely.

I had married my best friend from high school, who was (and still is) a loving, kind, and attentive spouse. Through our combined efforts, we became financially secure at a young age, thanks to our diligence and many sacrifices. We also regularly attended our church as card-carrying members. I was a member of the church financial council and coauthored the church’s weekly home group curriculum. Later I founded Conway Christian Resources and published my first book, Understanding Who You Are: A Survey of 21st Century Beliefs.

We found what many others have discovered: that the hard work put in to achieve our dream rewarded us with only more hard work.

From the outside, life looked great, but deep inside something was missing. Success didn’t equal satisfaction. We found what many others have discovered: that the hard work put in to achieve our dream rewarded us with only more hard work. There wasn’t much more happiness in our lives, but only more responsibility and less time to do the things that actually made us happy.

When Succeeding Isn’t Success

The success we’re taught from a young age to strive toward is something external. And being external, it’s only temporary. That new car will rust out, fall apart, and end up one day in a wrecking yard. That new job title will eventually go to someone else, if the company even survives that long. That nest egg will eventually get spent, and the gains erode as they’re taxed into oblivion.

All these things we work toward either degrade, disappear, or become valueless. But at the same time, all these things tell us (and those around us) that we’re successful, that we’ve achieved and arrived at a higher and better level of existence.

How will I know if I’ve succeeded if I can’t have things others are unable to possess? How will people around me know that I’m superior and successful unless they can recognize it half a mile away?

It’s the idea that “the person with the most stuff wins,” so by definition shouldn’t that person be the happiest of them all? In reality, those with the most stuff can be the most miserable, because they constantly fear losing all they have. They’re unable to enjoy it and be happy, because around every corner is someone looking to become happy at their expense by taking what they have.

On the other hand, there are those who feel that they haven’t succeeded, and they spend their time grumbling and complaining that the grass isn’t as green for them as it is for others. They look at the lush, well-manicured lawns of the successful and believe the lie that they’d be happier if their lawn looked like that. Once again, it’s the externals that are used to tell us and others if we’re happy or not.

“The greener the grass, the happier the life” is the idea accepted by many, but at no point do they question why the grass is greener. Maybe it’s because the successful person hires someone to make it like that, because they’re so busy they could never do it on their own. Or it could be that the other person actually put in the time and effort to make it look that way. Those who grumble and complain about their grass tend to be those who are unwilling to put in the work to make it better.

I remember when I moved into a house with three lilac bushes on the property. They were in rough shape and hadn’t produced flowers for several years. I had three choices. I could leave them as they were and hope for the best, I could cut them down, or I could put in some effort and fix them. It took two years of pruning, fertilizing, watering, and managing, but finally those bushes sprouted their lilacs for the first time in years.

Did this bring a sense of accomplishment? Yes. Did it make the yard look better? Yes. Did it make me happy? No. I was glad that my effort brought about a good result, but it didn’t change how I felt on the inside. To top it off, the summer that the lilacs finally bloomed was also the same summer that we moved across the country. After all the hours of work I put in, the benefits were to be enjoyed by another family.

I was glad that my effort brought about a good result, but it didn’t change how I felt on the inside.

There has to be more to life than houses, cars, and landscaping, but if these aren’t the keys to happiness, what is? Since trying to solve the matters of happiness with the external wasn’t the answer, my wife looked inwardly. She turned to self-help books, having been reading them since she was a teenager.

It wasn’t because something was wrong, but in response to her aching for more. There was something missing, and yet the books couldn’t create inner peace or transform their information into joy. Any fix was only temporary relief, a distraction from the emptiness and the gnawing feeling that in the midst of a fairy tale existence, something was still missing.

Inside, there’s a cry—and not only in myself, because I’ve heard that cry everywhere: “I know I was made for more.” It’s the feeling of unfulfilled purpose. It weighs on my heart and leaves me unsatisfied. Stuff doesn’t satisfy it, information doesn’t satisfy it. Neither do titles, success, or the praises of others.

I know I was made for more.

The Vanity of Vanity

What can you do when you’ve done everything right and found it lacking? This is what we and many other people have found out about life. Even Solomon dedicated the book of Ecclesiastes to this idea. The things we can buy at a store cannot make us happy over the long-term. We see that everything either fades away or forces us to pursue something else.

This is what’s referred to as vanity, where we have a high view of something or ourselves, but in the end it’s useless. It’s like dressing up a salmon in a top hat and a coat while calling it Lord Sebastian the Salmon, Ruler of All in the River. It doesn’t matter; you wasted your money, and no matter how that salmon was dressed up, it still ends up in an oven with some lemon and seasoning sprinkled over it.

Solomon was the richest man in the land, but still felt hollow. He eventually drifted away from God and into idolatry. He had gold, silver, wisdom, and women, but each of those things on their own couldn’t produce happiness, joy, or purpose in life. Instead, these things got in the way of his true purpose and brought about dark consequences which shadowed his nation for generations.

So what then can we do? Should we give up material success and possessions in pursuit of the spiritual? Many have tried this and failed. The idea of shunning everything made of matter was the source of many troubles for the church, and it did nothing to fill the void. If we were all to abandon what we have and hide out in a cave seeking enlightenment, we would actually be ill-equipped to meet the needs of the church and the world around us.

On the other end of the spectrum, what if we gave up the spiritual in pursuit of greater success? Again this leaves us off balance and without any type of lasting joy.

Many things we consider to be the finishing line are nothing more than tools to be used to get us to the actual finishing line. Money can be good if it’s used correctly. Possessions can be helpful and enjoyed if we understand their place in our lives. A career can be good if it’s balanced with the rest of our lives. Vanity comes when these things or anything else takes control of our lives, or we find ourselves in an endless chase for the next big thing to achieve or buy.

Many things we consider to be the finishing line are nothing more than tools to be used to get us to the actual finishing line.

I routinely find myself looking at what I have and wondering if any of it is worth it. All the time and effort that went into earning money so these things can sit on my shelf and get dusty. The same goes for my music hobby. I know spending money on a guitar pedal won’t make me happy, but it sounds good. At other times I think everything’s just a giant waste, and I regret spending the money rather than saving it where it could grow (unless the stock market has something to say about it).

Do I enjoy my hobbies? Yes, most of the time, but they cannot make me truly happy. Instead, they help occupy the time, sometimes to avoid life and other times to just unwind from it. No matter how I feel, all those things will either break down, get sold (or given away), or thrown in the trash. All that expectation, research, and the purchasing and using of those things will eventually bring about a day where it doesn’t matter anymore.

This isn’t meant to be a depressing look at our lives, but what’s being shown here is a picture that most people don’t like to look at. The reality is this: Deep down, what we hold dear and see as valuable will inevitably control our thoughts, desires, and time. If we place more value on money than on people, then our lives will reflect that. If we put more value on achievement than on family, our lives will reflect that. If we put more value on being entertained than on true joy, our lives will follow that course like a sailboat on a river.

Appreciation gets lost when we look for the greenest grass or biggest house. I had a friend who was quite well off financially, and when he encountered new people trying to be his friend, he would test them. It wasn’t something big or grand; he would give them a penny (or a nickel), and see how they reacted. If they were grateful and thankful, he invested time and friendship into them, because they weren’t driven by his bank account. If they tossed the penny aside, or complained or asked for more, he cut them out of his life. He was looking for people who valued him more than his money, or what he could do for them.

Why Am I Still Not Happy?

We see then that being happy doesn’t automatically come from things, position, pride, or gold. It comes from something deeper which cannot be bought. This has to do with what we perceive to be important and whether or not we can be appreciative of whatever we have at the time.

We see that many people turn to the wrong things to try and answer the question, “Can I be happy?” We turn to entertainment, sex, drugs, music, meditation, exercise, isolation, shopping, food, and a host of other things to try and coax some happiness out of this life. Happiness is fleeting and subject to so many variables. It’s also incredibly picky, and thrives on unrealistic expectations.

Wanting to be happy is only part of the equation, along with understanding our purpose and looking for something that goes beyond our natural lives. The truth is that we cannot buy this happiness because we can’t afford the price of it. No one can, because happiness doesn’t overcome life, and the two are most often at odds with each other.

The truth is that we cannot buy this happiness because we can’t afford the price of it. No one can, because happiness doesn’t overcome life, and the two are most often at odds with each other.

Understanding this conflict of expectation versus reality, we can start to come to terms with our lives and what to expect out of them. No longer should we continue to live according to “happily ever after”; rather, we should be hoping that our life can be summed up by the phrase “joy everlasting.” There’s something greater at work here, and how we can get to that place is determined by what kind of person we are.

  
Creative Commons LicenseCan I Truly Be Happy? Cameron Conway is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
 
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