When we reflect on God’s standards, we recognise the great truth of what Jesus came to show us. There is only one way that salvation for anybody is possible and that is because Christ paid for our sins when he died on the cross, making it possible for God to be both just and forgiving towards us. So what we see being set out throughout the New Testament teaching by Jesus, by St Peter, by St Paul and by all the other New Testament writers are not rules and regulations, but principles. That makes living the Christian life at the same time both easier and much more demanding than living according to the systems that other religions put in place. It is easier because we do not have to put up with the inconvenience of adhering to strict rules on diet, dress and what-have-you. It is more demanding because we need constant work, prayer and reading of Scripture to understand how the principles that God has set down for us in the Bible are to be acted out in our daily lives.
The debate about slavery illustrates this. In his letter to the Colossians, St Paul does not in terms condemn slavery. Instead, he neither condones it nor sanctions revolt against masters, but calls on both slaves and masters to show Christian principles in their relationship and thereby bring about change in the institution of slavery from within. Yet there is absolutely no doubt about what St Paul thinks of slavery and of those who profit from it or perpetuate it. In his first letter to Timothy he lumps slave traders with: “lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; … those who kill their fathers or mothers … murderers … adulterers and perverts … liars and perjurers” (1Timothy 1:10). In addition, St Paul roundly proclaims the common humanity and dignity of all human beings when he tells the Colossians that “there is no Greek or Jew…slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (Colossians 3:11). It was left to later generations of Christians, however, to work out how this and the teachings of Jesus were to be put into practice in their own generation. They did not invent new doctrine, but they did apply what had always been there in a new and better way.[75]
The distinction between rules and principles goes a long way towards explaining why the Muslim world has never produced the equivalent of William Wilberforce and his colleagues in the abolitionist movement. Put simply, the thinking seems to be that the Koran does not condemn slavery, so it must be all right – indeed Mohammed himself condoned slavery on condition that slaves were treated as members of their owner’s family (a condition honoured far more often in the breach than in the observance). In Islam as practised by the majority, there appears little room for principles or working out how God wants us to respond in a given situation: the Muslim’s job is just to submit to the immutable will of Allah as expressed in the Koran. The sad truth is that Muslims were enslaving their fellow men before the British had even thought of the idea and continued to do so long after the British had outlawed it.[76] Slavery still exists in many parts of the Muslim world.
Working out our salvation.
The Christian’s calling is to “…work out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in [us] to will and to act according to his own good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13). In chapter three of his letter to the Colossians St Paul encourages this Christian community to cooperate with God in making themselves holy, in sanctifying themselves and in working out their salvation. In chapter four, he tells them what they should be doing as part of that process of working out their salvation. He does not claim to give them an exhaustive list, but identifies seven things for them to do. It is good advice and holds true for all believers at all times:
• First of all, we should pray – and not just occasionally or in a lukewarm fashion. We should instead “devote [ourselves] to prayer.” (Colossians 4:2). To devote oneself to something means to dedicate oneself to it or give oneself up to it wholeheartedly. It is very typical of St Paul that he should put prayer first and give it such emphasis. He does this because he is so conscious of the spiritual and cosmic significance of prayer: he knows that it is through prayer “that God may open a door” (Colossians 4:3). Prayer is the mechanism by which we invite God to engage with us and with our world, and the means by which we release his power in us and through us. When that door is open, amazing things happen. In the book of Revelation, St John sees “a door standing open in heaven” (Revelation 4:1) and is ushered into the very throne-room of God.
• Secondly, St Paul tells us to be “watchful and thankful.” (Colossians 4:2). It is intriguing how much Jesus had to say about watchfulness. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” (Matthew 26:41). “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch’” (Mark 13:37). “It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watchful when he comes.” (Luke 12:37). The message is repeated again and again throughout both the Old and New Testaments: we are not to sleepwalk through life, but to be on our guard against danger and alert to opportunities. We should also be thankful for all that is done for us, all the wonders that God works day by day that are so often ignored because we are not watching properly and are tuned into the earthly rather than the spiritual.
• Thirdly, the apostle exhorts us to “proclaim the mystery of Christ [and to] proclaim it clearly” (Colossians 4:3-4). It is interesting that St Paul should use the word ‘mystery’ here, for a mystery is something beyond human understanding, a divine truth partially revealed. We get a better idea of what St Paul means elsewhere in his writing. He talks about “the mystery of godliness” in his first letter to Timothy and there he describes what that mystery is by using what may be a quotation from an early hymn: “He [that is, Jesus] appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16). In his first letter to the church at Corinth, St Paul stresses what he has also emphasised to the Colossians – the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ: “I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2). This is the mystery that we need to proclaim: the crucifixion of Jesus, his resurrection from the dead, primacy and sovereignty over “all things … in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” (Colossians 1:6) and his sufficiency for our salvation.
• Fourthly, we are to “be wise in the way [we] act towards outsiders” (Colossians 4:5). The Bible has a very particular slant on the concept of wisdom. In Proverbs, the Psalms and elsewhere in the Old Testament, wisdom is often equated with godliness, with the way of thinking and acting that comes from being in tune with God, and it is contrasted with what the world considers to be wisdom: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate” (Isaiah 29:14) and “Has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20). It is this godly wisdom that we are called on to show, the wisdom that comes from knowing God’s Word and adhering to it.
• Fifthly, St Paul advises us to “make the most of every opportunity” (Colossians 4:5). We are, after all, called to fullness of life. Jesus says that he has “come that you may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10). We are not to be shrinking violets, but people who know how to seize the moment, and who do so with joy and courage and assurance. Easily said and less easily done, but this is what St Paul encourages us to do.
• Sixthly, he admonishes us to “Let [our] conversations always be full of grace, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). Salt is something that gives flavour, something that preserves and is precious.[77] We are called to be salt and light: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” (Matthew 5:13) and “let your light shine before men” (Matthew 5:16). The Spirit should shine out from us.
• Lastly, we should “know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6). We should naturally prepare ourselves as best we can, but not fret unduly about it. Jesus told his disciples: “do not worry about how
you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” (Luke 12:12).
Seven things: pray, keep alert, proclaim the message, be wise, seize the moment, let the Spirit shine and let the Spirit speak.
Conclusion.
The example of the slave trade shows how, long after the New Testament writers lived, later generations of Christians were able to take their teachings and give them a force and direction that their forebears had not foreseen. This shows us the way forward: not necessarily to become giants like Wilberforce, but in our own small, quiet ways to make a difference in the lives of those around us. There is no reason for us to imagine that we cannot do it. St Paul tells us how. If we were to apply this to the life of our country, we would see a tremendous difference in a very short space. We have a job to do: to “proclaim the mystery of Christ ... [and to] proclaim it clearly, as [we] should.” (Colossians 4:3-4). We need to roll up our sleeves and set to work.
32. New power
Ephesians 6:10-20.
Key word: equipping.
As a young boy, Richard Trevithick (1771-1833) was told by a schoolteacher that he would never amount to anything. The Cornishman proved him wrong. Developing work that had already been carried out by William Murdoch, the budding engineer made a model steam engine so successfully that he took it to London and put it on show. He proceeded to construct the world’s first railway engine, which pulled ten tons of iron along primitive tracks in south Wales. In the event, two difficulties scuppered the project: rails kept breaking under the weight and workers refused to let his machine run, fearing for the jobs of those who minded the horses which hitherto had been used. Discouraged, Trevithick left to try his luck in America, but left behind a foundation on which others built to great effect.
The explosion of engineering activity in Britain during the latter part of the eighteenth century and throughout the nineteenth was wholly unprecedented. It was not just that men of energy and invention abounded, but that there was for the first time a sufficiently wide canvas for all to display their prodigious talents. Men like canal builder James Brindley (1716-1772), bridge and harbour designer John Rennie (1761-1821), bridge and aqueduct builder Thomas Telford (1757-1834), railway pioneers George (1781-1848) and Robert Stephenson (1803-1859) and polymath Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859)[78] reshaped the nation and the world. They provided machines and infrastructure to drive the nascent industrial revolution to new heights. Many were entirely self-taught and from humble backgrounds: George Stephenson, for example, worked as a shepherd and colliery fireman before building his first locomotive in 1817.
Nor was experiment and exploration restricted to industry. Charles Babbage (1791-1871) compiled the first actuarial tables and planned a mechanical calculating machine that is widely regarded as the fore-runner of the modern computer – only lack of funding prevented its full construction.[79] In 1808 John Dalton outlined atomic theory in his New System of Chemical Philosophy and in 1843 James Joule established the First Law of Thermodynamics. [80] It was a time when new discoveries were made and new power was harnessed: power from water and steam, power to drive machinery and run locomotives, power for new industrial processes, together enabling a rapid equipping of the nation for the industrial age.
Power for good.
In his letter to the church at Ephesus, St Paul tells his readers how they can best equip themselves for the age of the Spirit. He, too, is interested in the harnessing of power: “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” (Ephesians 6:10). This power is to be used not for human activity but for the spiritual battles ahead: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12).
We live at a time when many in the western world do all they can to deny a spiritual dimension to life. Physical events are seen as proceeding from physical causes in a chain of causation that starts and ends with what is physically manifest. Much scientific advancement and much good for mankind have come from application of the scientific method in this way. It has enabled us to explore and to understand better the workings of Creation and the mechanisms and laws that God has put in place. Without it, the great engineering achievements of the nineteenth century and beyond would not have been possible. To acknowledge the importance of this approach and the benefits that have come from it, however, does not mean that we have to be its slaves, nor that we must perforce deny a dimension above and beyond the physical. If we do, we will hand victory on a plate to “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12).
Instead, we need to be realistic about what confronts us and to: “Put on the full armour of God so that [we] can take [our] stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:11). So important is the message that St Paul repeats it just two sentences later: “Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then ...” (Ephesians 6:13-14). The Lord’s aim is that we should not give way to the enemy nor flee the battlefield, neither that we should bury our heads in the sand and pretend that no fighting is taking place, but that we should occupy the position in the line of battle that he has ascribed to us. This is not intended to be a suicide mission: if we make proper use of the equipment we are given, then “after [we] have done everything, [we will] stand.” (Ephesians 6:13). The equipment has been bestowed for a purpose and it is intended to be used. We should not leave it gathering dust, but put it on and employ its power for good.
Power for ill.
It is of the utmost importance that we take part in this battle, for there are plenty who use their power for ill. We do not need to look to the relations between nations to see how human beings misuse the power they have. Examples are all around us, in homes, workplaces and schools, through media and the institutions of public life. The fact that evil of this kind might start on a small scale does not make it any less damaging in the long run. One blighted life affects another and another, spreading the effects far and wide. The experience that Richard Trevithick had at school is a common one. To be told that we are worthless, that we will never achieve anything of value or that we are useless can crush us and break our spirit. It is no less an attack for being delivered through words than by blows. It is a form of spiritual warfare and a type of curse. Many labour under curses of this kind for years, their lives crimped and misshapen and their potential unfulfilled.
To be cursed robs us of power. The Lord does not want to curse us, but to bless. In the eyes of God, no-one is on the scrap-heap. No-one is without value. No-one lacks inner beauty and worth. The Lord longs to free us from the curses which have been placed on us. He wishes to break the cycle that results in those abused so often becoming abusers themselves. He wants to ensure that we bless others instead of cursing them. By contrast, the devil is delighted if we continue to allow such things to exercise power over us. His desire is for us to be enslaved by things that harm us and rob us of power. He rejoices when we misuse the power we have so that it hurts rather than bringing pleasure and so that it tears down rather than building.
We cannot break the stranglehold of a curse on our own. Nor can we alone undo the effects of generations of harm and neglect. If we want proof of this, we need look no further than the shortcomings of our own society: sixty years of the Welfare State and the expenditure of countless billions have made little discernible impact on child abuse, educational under-achievement and any number of other ills. If it were otherwise, we would hardly be awash with charities and government initiatives designed to tackle such things. For decades we have been akin to a giant laboratory, a showcase of man’s ability to better himself through changing his environment. The experiment has failed: we have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that we do not have power to deal with the root cause of o
ur problems on our own and that, without God, we are adrift and helpless.
If we are to make progress, we need to access the power of God through his Spirit. This we do through prayer. St Paul therefore tells his readers: “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18). To be alert is especially necessary: alert to where the enemy seeks to do harm, alert to the support that our fellows need in the fight, alert to the need to counter the work of evil and alert to the part that we can play in doing so.
Power to advance.
In the battles to come there is no reason for us to fear defeat, for we have been given all that we need to prevail. We need to take hold of this equipment and use it. There are six items listed by St Paul. They all have a defensive capability, but can equally be used to attack:
Redeeming a Nation (Timeless Teaching) Page 23
