by Brent Paschall
Synopsis: Before sending His disciples into the world, Jesus warned them what to expect: not a leisurely vacation, but a life-and-death struggle between good and evil, in which they must be equipped with the weapons He alone provides.
For life to flourish, what causes death must die. If our doctor tells us we have a deadly blood infection, do we refuse taking antibiotics for fear of causing harm to the bacteria that is killing us? Do we rebuke the surgeon for the harm he causes when cuts open a patient to remove a malignant tumor? Do we consider a father cruel for shooting the bear that is about to maul his daughter?
To cause death, harm or discomfort unnecessarily is cruel and unjust, but in the struggle between life and death, refusing to strike a blow in the defense of the helpless is cruel and unjust. Thankfully, when God saw that humanity was overpowered and overwhelmed with sin, helpless under the attacks of the prince of this world, He acted. That is why Jesus came, to destroy the power of sin and death, and to bring a sword to be used here on earth to overcome the attacks of Satan and the effects of sin.
Jesus told His twelve apostles before He sent them out to proclaim the message of the kingdom to the nation of Israel in Matthew 10:34, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword."
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12).
The cancer of sin is killing us. Jesus, the great Physician recommends a circumcision made without hands for the removal of the body of the sins of the flesh (Col. 2:11-12). Follow-up procedures will also be required to destroy any reappearance of the deadly affliction (Col. 3:5). All these interventions are disruptive and painful.
Nevertheless, if we seek a peaceful, pain-free alternative, sin will metastasize and become more insidiously ingrained into every aspect of our lives. When our case is even more desperate, killing what is killing us will be even more difficult and painful, and we may not even have the will to fight it.
For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be those of his own household (Matt. 10:35-36).
There is a second opinion about sin. Many have the opinion that sin is normal, natural, good and unobjectionable. It is something that they nourish and cherish like they would their own child. They will fight to protect the sin they love from even an ill word being spoken against it. In their view, those who claim that sin is a deadly evil are troublemakers, hateful and ignorant. Wherever both these opinions exist there is strife, even within a family.
However, what is the alternative? Can those who recognize sin's danger hide their concern in the interest of placating those who love sin? Should we, in the interest of peace, affirm and celebrate those who embrace something that is killing them? Jesus told us to expect and be prepared for this conflict.
He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it (Matt. 10:37-39).
Jesus is not only interested in us being free of sin, He wants us to have eternal life in Him. Eternal life is an inexpressible blessing of which physical health and wellbeing is just a faint foreshadowing. We can only enjoy that eternal life with Him if we seek Him above every other thing. That means family ties, personal convenience and wellbeing, and even life itself may have to be sacrificed to attain our highest and best good.
To seek Jesus above every other thing will require fighting a constant battle, not only against sin and the world, but against our self, and the appeal of some of the greatest goods of "life under the sun." It is a battle we can win. In fact, the only way to lose is to stop fighting. The alternative, to try find a way to be both friends with the world and with God, will only make us an enemy of both (James 4:4).
Remember, you are not in heaven yet. Until you get there, you will be engaged in a life-and-death struggle. There is no way you can gain the victory on your own, "for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand" (Eph. 6:12-13). That armor includes the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (v. 17).
"If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men" (Rom. 12:18), but recognize that there will be conflict between good and evil in our own hearts, in human society, and between the goods we may seek and God's best for us. With that understanding, you will be prepared to "fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses" (1 Tim. 6:12).
Author Bio: Brent has worked with the Blue Ridge church of Christ in Roanoke, VA for ten years. He and his wife, Rachel, have five children. The church website is blueridgecoc.org. He can be reached at brent@brentnrachel.com.
