He expects a spiritually rich body – part 2

I’m not sure there is a better place to start than with the state of our love for God, for it is how we feel about him and what we think about him that truly says so much about who we are as individuals. Now I’m not seeking to strictly emotionalize our faith, but in the context of richness our love for God should be abundant and deep.

Martyrs don’t sacrifice their lives because they feel indecisive about Christ or because they see him as some sort of cosmic soul insurance plan. On the contrary, I’m convinced they see things much the way Paul saw them. Consider his words in Philippians:

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— ¹⁰ that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Phil 3:7-11).

Paul was a proud Jew, and in his own words a Hebrew of the Hebrews and blameless according to the law (Phil 3:1-6). Yet, here he confesses his decision to count all of it as loss. His pedigree no longer meant anything to him, it was rubbish. He no longer wanted to live for himself or his family or the notoriety of being a Pharisee.

After being humbled by Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) he wanted to let it all go “because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus”. This is the beauty of God’s grace. It had been poured out upon Paul and this once persecutor of the church was now in love with Christ and desired to sacrifice everything because of this great love.

He challenged the Philippians: “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14).

We all need a richness of love for God which was characterized by Paul here and the church in Smyrna later. Our hearts need to be overflowing with a sense of longing for the presence of God. As we develop this richness of love for him we will be able to stand for him regardless of life circumstance and speak as Polycarp did:

“O Lord God Almighty…I bless Thee for that Thou hast granted me this day and hour, that I might receive a portion amongst the number of martyrs in the cup of [Thy] Christ unto resurrection of eternal life, both of soul and of body, in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit. May I be received among these in Thy presence this day, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, as Thou didst prepare and reveal it beforehand, and hast accomplished it, Thou that art the faithful and true God.”[i] Superficiality doesn’t foster this depth of faith; however, a deep rooted love for God does.

Rich in Love for People

Along with a rich love for God our lives should be characterized by a rich love for our fellow man. I think of those in Smyrna who lived each day surrounded by people who hated them and the God they loved and served. Why did they stay? Could they not have left and sought refuge in a safer land?

For that matter, can we not ask the same question of modern Christians who choose to live in danger every day of their lives? Why do they stay? Although I cannot answer for every one of them, I believe there are two fundamental answers to this question. One, they have a rich love for their Savior and two; they have a rich love for people. They know what the Smyrneans knew. They know what Paul knew, that it is through the gospel of Jesus Christ that people are redeemed. But how will they hear if no one tells them? They won’t; therefore, they stay.

Paul captured this beautifully in one of his letters to the Corinthian church. He wrote: “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them” (1 Cor 9:19). When evangelizing the Jews he behaved as a Jew so that he might win them to Christ. When evangelizing those under the law he voluntarily placed himself under the law that he might win them to Christ.

Like Paul before them, the believers in Smyrna sacrificed their own liberty and safety for the sake of others. Jesus confessed to the church in Smyrna that he knew of their tribulation and poverty, but went on to praise them for their richness. I believe he saw a depth in their faith that drove them to love others as they loved themselves (Gal 5:14).

[i]Polycarp 14:2