When it comes to Christianity we must know what lies at the core of the gospel, the very elemental essence that undergirds and facilitates our proper understanding. I know it is presumptuous of me to say that this or any one thing is the core of all that we believe, because it is true that there are many things that need be understood. Nevertheless, I do believe that the understanding of a first thing makes understanding of a second thing possible.
In a conversation with a friend the other day I was provoked in these thoughts. My friend is having it hard with “religion” because it seems to him that he is not receiving the “benefits” or experiencing the “blessings” that other Christians are. He feels he has done his part by “trusting God” and praying about what to do next. Though, whenever he hears of a story where God is showering unexpected blessings onto other people, be it favor in work or monetary blessing from an anonymous giver, he gets furious because it simply doesn’t happen for him in the same manner and he wants to quit. This no doubt can bring some frustration to a person who is believing in a God that is there to meet their worldly needs, supply them with career success, or keep them from suffering. If that be the case, it truly isn’t fair.
But this is where proper thoughts on Christianity is crucial. This is a case of misguided worship and he, along with so many others, has believed a false Christianity.
The focal point of my friends Christianity is himself; in keeping the teachings of the Bible, this cannot be. Christianity is not the fulfillment of all our desires nor is it to keep us from suffering. It is not to grant us supernatural favor in career success, make our lives happy, or to magically pay our bills. That is more the task of a genie, a god under our own control who must grant our every desire. Christ would not have had to die a sinners death had this been the goal.
Christ died to set us free from self-worship. Pride is opposed to grace and grace opposed to pride; the two can never live in harmony. As long as we determine to need or desire anything but God himself and the grace he provides we will never experience the joy he has set aside for those who love him.
As we earnestly pray for and seek the presence of God, we must humble ourselves and know that what God has for us in the present is what God wills. Faith is powered on humility, giving us the ability to trust God with our lives, for God opposes the proud. Paramount to our trust in God is the unwavering belief that God is good in ALL His ways. This gives way for peace in that the course of action God takes with our lives is whats best for us, no matter what it may look like in this world. And at this, the blessing bestowed on another in need will not bring frustration but joy, and it will give appropriate glory to God.
This perspective and proper understanding of what truly constitutes the Christian life allows for the homeless/single/jobless person with next to nothing in worldly possessions to have the same joy as the wealthy/successful/married person. Because in the Christian who humbles himself, he knows that it is not this world and its things, romance or success that bring him joy and satisfaction in life. It is the very presence and love of God that we have been given chance to experience. It is by grace we are saved through faith, and not from anything that we have done, but it is the gift of God!
