Living the Gospel in a Fallen World: The following thoughts are taken from a chapter in Ian Hamilton’s book “The Gospel-Shaped Life.” Hamilton advises readers how Christians might practise the gospel in a fallen world.
Honor all men
Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. 1Peter 2:17
Hamilton begins by citing Peter. He notes that loving the brotherhood and fearing God are readily understood. But given the circumstances of persecution in Paul’s time, honoring the king and all men would have been unsettling. Would you honor a Nero?
Of course he then compares those times with the modern church. He writes that we live in an increasingly hostile, anti-Christian, anti-Christ society. It would therefore not be fanciful to think that preacher will one day be arrested for “proclaiming the absolute uniqueness of Christ.” Yet we should “honor everyone – honor the emperor.”
Would you find that difficult? I certainly do. In fact even we Christians don’t always get along. Hamilton provides five points to guide us. I summarize them below.
One
Remember the prophet Daniel and remember that God is sovereign. Daniel confessed, “Lord, we have sinned and done that which is evil in your sight.” Yet in all our miseries, God reigns. He has not been caught sleeping by the circumstances this world faces. As Hamilton notes, “God’s sovereignty is a gloriously comforting truth.”
Two
We’re to live with absolute assurance that our Savior will not lose any of the sheep He died for. We are blood-bought. See Romans 8:38-39. Praise God that no matter what circumstances plague our nations and this world, we are safe in the Lord’s arms forever.
Three
We are to see the enemies of God and the gospel as people He loves and holds His arms out to (Ezek 33:11). If God is rich in mercy, so must we be. We are to pray for our enemies and go out of our way to win them to Christ.
Four
We should remember that Christians were once children of wrath (because we were out of Christ). We were once dead in our sins and blinded to the gospel by the god of this world. See Ephesians 2:3-4.
Five
We ought to live remembering that God is the sovereign Lord who raises leaders up and brings them down. The Old Testament is full of examples. In our modern era, God puts in a Donald Trump, a Joe Biden or a Vladimir Putin; and He removes them as He pleases according to His grand plan. See Daniel 4:32.
Ian Hamilton writes that,
History is not ultimately shaped by the wicked deeds of bad men, though they are absolutely culpable for their actions. But behind the wicked deeds of bad men ‘a deeper magic’ is at work (for those of you who know C. S. Lewis).
Maranatha!
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