“Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
—1 John 5:5 (TNIV).
There is a game show on Australian broadcast television called, The Price is Right, and it calls for contestants to, ‘[Name of contestant], Come on down.’ It’s a trademark of the show, and I suspect it’s a throwback to the American equivalent where Wheel of Fortune’s, Vanna White almost made her first on-screen appearance.[1]
The salutation, Come on Down, is a grand invitation, perhaps custom made for television. The grandest salutation for the believer is quite different; is it simply to truly believe in the Son of God, the Lord Jesus.
The invitation is actually an invitation to an all-conquering life in his holy name. This is a key persuading premise for anyone to believe, for it is the truth and the power of God to truly live effectively under any circumstance that speaks:
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”
—Romans 8:35, 37 (TNIV).
There are so many very salient passages in the Bible that speak to this stoic sense of holy living. But like so many, the Stoics[2] and many others actually left—and still leave—Christ out of the picture and therefore miss(ed) the point. The truth is watered down, diluted—ineffective. They believe it to be the way, and it is—to bear strongly and faithfully under the powers that oppress. But without a basis of suffering for something like the cross, people are bound to stumble for it’s not our nature to bear painfully yet joyfully of spirit (i.e. in the Spirit).
The truth of God’s Word is this:
If we believe in the Son of God, and no matter what comes, we accept his—at times to us—outlandish will, holding the faith in burgeoning morally-straight wisdom, we are already conquerors.
And this is true. True, living faith holds out and doesn’t let go... and even when it does momentarily—that’s not the final word.
No matter what happens to us, no matter how we feel, in spite of how messed up, confused and chaotic our lives are, have been or ever become, we belong to the Holy of holies, the one and only living God—the Being beyond being and beyond every being. He (and he alone) transposes us through every harrowing muddle into his unimaginable glory.
Come hell or high water we’re invincible in the name of the Lord Jesus. Believers, come on down!
© S. J. Wickham, 2009.
[1] “Vanna White,” Wikipedia. Retrieved 8 November 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanna_White
[2] Considering that Stoicism preceded Christ I am suggesting that their method is correct but it’s inappropriately motivated or resourced, notwithstanding Christ’s example which had not come until the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment