Let Your Light Shine

Let me begin by saying that I do not believe Christianity is a silent faith.  God wants us to talk about Him with other people and show the world that Jesus has changed us.  Changed us in ways that 'rub off' on others.  Changed us in ways that we could not accomplish on our own steam.  Indeed, the Bible isn't just another self-help book, like some fad diet where we need to just try really hard to focus our will power, and then we lose some weight.  No, it is much more than that.  It is a religion that does something, that moves inside of us in a way that translates out from the overflow in our hearts to those around us.  

With this idea firmly in view, I want to discuss two Scriptures today.  The first comes to us as part of the famous Sermon on the Mount section of the Gospel of Matthew.  Chapter 5, verses 14-16 says, "You are the light of the world.  A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put  it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Similarly, in Luke 11:33, we get the curious statement: "No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light."

I believe that it can be plainly said, that the light of this world we inhabit comes from Jesus Christ.  But what about the darkness?  What about all of the sin that transpires on our planet every day?  This is a more difficult question to think about.

In order for sin to exist and thrive, it must be kept in the dark.  You may have noticed in your own life, that keeping secrets is a great way to build up animosity.  Nothing deflates trust between two people more than finding out that you have been lied to, or that someone withheld information from you longer than they should have.  It makes it that much harder to trust again.

Keeping sin a secret can erode a marriage, harm a friendship, and destroy your personal integrity.  But knowing all this, why is it still so hard to come clean sometimes?  I believe that when it comes to these difficult situations, there is an almost irresistible temptation to keep sin hidden.  It is embarrassing for others to know about our weaknesses.  We want them to just go away ... to fade into time, and then vanish on their own.  Less fuss that way, or so we think.

The catch, however, comes from the fact that in order to purge ourselves of sin and begin our journey down the path of righteousness - we must bring that thing we regret into the light.  Evil cannot stand or survive in the light, much less the light of Christ.  In this glow, there is only room for confession, repentance, and healing.  Secret keeping goes out the window.  You will note that in this way, the light of Jesus will edge out sin (both yours and mine).   It's painful at first - I'm not saying it isn't - but ultimately it is the only way to permanently kick a bad habit.  There is something about illumination and confession that resets the spirit I think.

In this same way, I am imploring the reader not to hide away your faith.  Resist the urge to shelve away your personal belief system into the darkness.  Do not buy into the way of the nominal Christian, which says you can praise God one day a week at church, and then act like nothing is different Monday through Saturday.  Instead, let others see your faith in plain sight.  Let the light of Jesus shine through you, and because of that, into others as well.  This same light that quenches sin and offers salvation will hold you up when the need arises.   

If we look at the sentence immediately preceding Matthew 5:14, it says "You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot."

There are a handful of different interpretations when it comes to this passage.  One of my favorites is the notion that salt both enhances flavor and preserves food.  In other words, trust in the very spirit of God to enhance the faith which God has given you, and trust also in His ability to uphold and preserve you in times of trouble.  Times where it may seem embarrassing to admit that you go to church, or that you are part of a small group, etc.  Times where it may be downright detrimental to admit your faith publicly.  God will often give you the right words to say.

The Bible tells us to be salt and light.  Allow your faith to shine ... it will be okay.  Don't treat your religion as a forty-hour-per-week job, where you act one way at the office and another way at home.  Christianity asks more than that from us (and we should be grateful for that I think).  Otherwise it would be just another social club or mundane organization.  

Unfortunately, I have been to a number of funerals in my time.  I have been to funerals for both family members and friends.  And I think we can all relate to attending a funeral now and then, where we simply cannot be certain of the deceased person's eternal state.  We hope always that the person is in heaven of course, but we know from the Bible that the 'narrow gate to salvation' is difficult to enter, and there are many who don't make it.  I realize that this idea is very unpopular - maybe even more so today than in the past.  Popular culture tells us that it is okay to do whatever we feel like doing, and okay to live however we see fit.  And so we have to wonder: is this person we loved with God or not?  They never mentioned their faith when they were living; never talked about Jesus.  It's hard to say ... very uncertain.

By grace of God, the funeral for the true believer is an entirely different thing.  Oh there is grieving that occurs, don't get me wrong.  But there is also hope, faith, and a certainty that this person is now with God forever.  We can have assurance of this because they were a light in the world while they were living.  They talked about Jesus, they went to church, and they glorified their Father in heaven on a regular basis.  My grandmother was like this.  No doubt about it - everyone knows that lady is in heaven today.  We miss her of course, but there is an assurance.  She was salt and light.  Anyone she talked to could tell she loved God within the first five minutes of the conversation.  It was never in question.

Jesus is ultimately the judge, and we must be careful also that we don't become arrogant in our spiritual assessment of others.  Someone's eternal salvation isn't secured by what we think of them, but rather by whether or not they are born again.  So often it is human nature to forget that fact, I think. 

And so much more comes from the way in which we live, not just how we die.  Are we living for God now?  Do others around us sense and see our faith?  Does the Spirit preserve us and enhance us like salt?  Do we reflect the light of Christ with our actions, our language, and our hearts?

Christianity is not a silent faith; it is too important for that.  If you are loved by God, and you love God back, then good luck containing the light that abides inside of you!  It will spill out.  If others don't see this light, then it's time to take stock and examine your walk with God.  Don't keep the things that God has done in your life quiet.  And if you boast about it, then boast for His glory, not your own.  For it is Jesus that saves each of us, and who lights the flame which can never be extinguished.



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Cheap Grace

Any one of us could benefit by reading the life and history of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  It is one of those accounts that often draws forth the gamut of emotions.  Joy, sorrow, envy, frustration; all of these things can result from learning about what he went through.  Bonhoeffer (as some of you may know) was a renowned Christian scholar and philosopher.  His writings still permeate the mindset of many Christians today, in both the academic realm, as well as the secular world.

It must have been difficult not to like him.  At the age of twenty he wrote a book about the Christian faith that impressed even influential theologian Karl Barth.  In 1935 he helped establish an underground church in the middle of Hitler's rise to power in Germany.  In 1941 he become part of a Jewish rescue operation, smuggling people to safety.  And in 1945, he is eventually executed at the hands of the Nazi party in a concentration camp.  

You get the idea ... he did not believe in soft soaking Christianity.

And this leads us to next discuss one of his most famous books.  'The Cost of Discipleship' was first published by Bonhoeffer in 1937, after his seminary was closed by the Gestapo.  In this book, he writes, "That is what we mean by cheap grace, the grace which amounts to the justification of sin without the justification of the repentant sinner who departs from sin and from whom sin departs.  Cheap grace is not the kind of forgiveness of sin which frees us from the toils of sin.  Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves."

Remember that he was writing these words while watching some of the other churches in Germany sell out and follow Hitler.  A godless sort of national socialism was at hand, and many were too afraid (or apathetic) to stand up against it.  Bonhoeffer was not one of those people.

Cheap grace, in this sense, represents  what we often do to comfort ourselves in the midst of sinning.  "Just a few more times disobeying God," we might think, "God will be okay with it, after all, I'm covered under His grace."

It is true, the born again soul is indeed saved by grace through faith.  But let's look at what Jesus has to say about lukewarm living in the book of Revelation.  Rev 3:15-16 says, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."  

Here, Jesus reminds us not to waste his grace.  Not to accept the gift of salvation, only to turn around and keep it to ourselves ... never taking a chance, never taking a stand for the God we say we love.  

The stakes were real for Bonhoeffer.  His generation saw one of the most powerful political and military forces of our time search out and destroy people who held God sacred.  Repentance was always the work at hand for the true believer, at least in his opinion.  And repentance is the work of you and I also, even now.  It means simply to turn from sin, and choose what God has to offer us instead.  Easy to write about, difficult to do.  

But there is good news.  We need not repent perfectly all the time.  Hopefully your church teaches this truth alongside the others as well.  When it comes to eliminating sin from our lives, we will need God's help.  Even then, we will drop the ball sometimes (okay, maybe a lot of the time)!  I prefer to think of success through repentance as long term trajectory, rather than perfection.  Sanctification is often a painful and imperfect process as well, as opposed to an impressive dossier to look back at with pride or arrogance.  I hope that understanding the difference between being called to a more perfect life versus being perfect helps you.  I know it has for me.

Faithful living is so much more than an academic adherence to a particular set of doctrines or beliefs.  It's a 'heart thing', not just a head thing.  It is more than the place where good works meet up against solid faith; but rather, it is the place between where those two pillars join together.  It is the ability to trust that God will catch you when you fall, and that no one else can possibly love you the way He does.  The born again believer has this special assurance because of Jesus.  

I pray that we do not take God's grace for granted.  I pray that we don't think or say things like, "I can do whatever I want, and then just ask for forgiveness at the very end."  This is salvation as fire insurance I think.  And if you are living that way, ask God to show you those areas you need to change, and then He can help you going forward.  

We are not all meant to be a Bonhoeffer, or to stand up for our beliefs in a way that gets us martyred.  But we are all called to stand up.  If you belong to God, then you are stamped with His image and likeness.  And that image is not to be trifled with or shelved away.  Instead, allow His goodness to overflow from your heart and out into the world.  Live in such a way that other people talk about you (good or bad), and that they can see the light which is in Christ also resides in you.

We will conclude with a rather famous Scripture from 2 Corinthians 5:17.  It says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"   Be a new creation.  Live up to it, own it.  God's grace is sufficient for you and I; it always has been.  Live into your new freedom in Christ, things go better that way.  It will not always be easy, but it will not be 'cheap.'  Costly grace feels different - and it looks different also.

But don't catch yourself trying to be the perfect penitent, as there was only one of those.  Jesus shows us how to live, we follow Him through the Spirit, and God works it out in the end.  Cheap grace is a waste of time.  God's crucified Son died for so much more than that.  Now go embrace your life as a new creation ... there is nothing "cheap" about you. 




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