“Wisdom comes to no one by chance.” -Seneca

Like most valuable things in this life, wisdom is something that must be desired and sought after. The Bible reiterates this principle in several places, by several different writers:

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” -Proverbs 4:7

“I [Wisdom] love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.” -Proverbs 8:17

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” -James 1:5

“O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.” -Psalm 119:97-100

“Who falls for love of God, shall rise a star.” -Ben Jonson

God has a special place for His martyrs. He has a special glory stored up for them in heaven: the Bible calls it a “Crown of Life.”

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” -Revelation 2:10

And not only that, but as the quote at the top of the page indicates, we will shine as stars in heaven forever!

The Evening Star, Frederick Edwin Church (1859)

“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” -Daniel 12:3

“And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;” -1 Samuel 12:20

In Scripture we see an example of a people who’ve  just made a terrible and lasting mistake. In this case, it is the fact that they’ve caved in to the pressures of the world around them, and have asked that a king reign over them. Their very structure of government and leadership was about to permanently change, and they were committing to a lifelong decision that they couldn’t undo–that is, the life not only of an individual, but an entire nation.

©iStockphoto.com/dsteller
God offers hope in the midst of mistakes

God’s comfort

Yet what is God’s response to their terrible mistake? First, He convicts them, gives them a clarity of vision to see the far-reaching consequences of their bad choices, and makes sure that they are sorry for what they have done.

“So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.” -1 Samuel 12:18-19

After the people have—in hindsight—seen the evil in their ways, and expressed sorrow, God sends them comfort. He tells them that although they’ve made a decision that will permanently effect them for the rest of their lives (and the lives of their children, and for the life of the entire nation), God can still work in the midst of their mistakes; this is not to condone their mistake, but simply to say that despite this limitation, God can still bring glory and joy to them, and be glorified in them in their situation.

“And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.” -1 Samuel 12:20-22

The key thing to remember is that they were God’s people. This was first and foremost in their lives—this was their identity. Though they had made mistakes in the past, and sinned greatly, it did not define who they were, nor did it prevent God from having a future relationship with them. God loved them, and did not forsake them. It was up to the people to draw near to God, and not to let their guilt or shame keep them from God’s blessings.

“The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite [sorrowful] spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. . . . The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” -Psalm 34:18-20, 22

“Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.” -Isaiah 49:4

Here we see a measure of true success. For the prophet Isaiah, speaking of the coming Messiah, has said of His ministry “I have labored in vain…” That is to say, in outward terms, leading just up to His crucifixion, it appeared as though He had labored in vain, and many of the people indeed hardened their hearts against Christ’s message.

Yet the prophet continues, and shows how even though things may appear to be a failure outwardly, if we’ve obeyed God, we have done all we can, and are successful in our endeavors. For Isaiah continues, describing the glory that is to come, despite the outward discouragement:

“Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.” -Isaiah 49:5b

The main focus is not on final results, but on doing the right thing for God, and staying in His will. As it has been said so many times in the past: “it’s not if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.” Yet in all of God’s work, there’s always a balance.

Working for the Lord

Let’s take a closer look at the verse once more, this time trying to see the other side of the coin:

“Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.” -Isaiah 49:4

You’ll noticed two things that the Lord’s servant did in this passage:

1) He labored

2) Spent his strength

Far too often, I believe that Christians today only give a half-hearted effort, and then use the excuse that they can only attempt the Lord’s work, and it is up to Him to prosper it. While this is technically true, God always demands of us to work hard. He wants us to give Him our all.

“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?” -Deuteronomy 10:12-13

God commands us to serve Him with all our hearts. While it is very much true that the ultimate spiritual success is in God’s hands, we are also under the obligation to labor for our Master diligently. Only then can we approach Him, and rest from our labors, and say that we’ve done all that we can. Only when we’ve taken ourselves to the very limits of our endurance and patience, and worked our hardest for His kingdom, can we say that it’s truly in the Lord’s hands.

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” -Colossians 3:23-24

“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.” -Song of Solomon 8:7

It’s a good thing that God has created love to be so strong and enduring—because at many times we tend to be very unlovable creatures. Yet despite our many flaws, love has a tremendous capacity to forgive, endure, and flourish.

“[Love] beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” -1 Corinthians 13:7

Love Among the Ruins, Edward Burne-Jones (1894)

Perhaps the most marvelous example of the enduring power of love is shown in God’s love toward us. After we had fallen hopelessly into sin and corruption, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die in our place, so that we might be reconciled unto Him.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8

And while He was upon this earth, He endured such insults and shame for our behalf. The very ones whom Jesus came to save mocked and scorned Him, and even put Him to death. “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds” (Hebrews 12:3).

Surely in Christ’s heart there must have been burning the unquenchable fire of God’s love, else He would not have endured. Yet, as it is written, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.”

Thank God for this amazing gift called love.

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” -1 John 4:9-10

“And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.” -Luke 23:12

Here in Scripture we see an almost universal principle: that one of the greatest bonding forces between humans is a common enemy. And in this case, between Pontius Pilate and King Herod, the common enemy was Jesus Christ.

A recipe for unity

Yet putting aside the example of two wicked men, we as God’s people can use this principle to our own advantage. We ought to use our hatred for sin and wickedness as a means of unity and peace within the church body.

Perhaps there are members of our local church that we don’t particularly get along with very well; yet if we recognize our common enemy, and find ways to team up against the deception of sin, and strive toward a common goal, we’ll be surprised at how quickly and willingly our ill-feelings towards others in the church disappear.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” -Ephesians 6:12

An unfortunate misuse

Yet far too often, it seems that we as Christians use this principle of unity against a common enemy for the worse. That is, we don’t actually use it for unity, but for division in the church.

When we are around our friends, or people that we’re trying to get to know better, our natural inclination is for us to want them to like us. Deep down inside, though we may not be consciously aware of this principle, we use it almost everyday in our interactions with people.

We start up a conversation with someone, perhaps another member of the church body: and since we have a natural desire to bond with the person, and find common ground, what we inadvertently do is make another person in the church our enemy. And with a common enemy, it becomes easier to get along with the one that we’re talking to.

Let me give you an example:

Parishioner A: “Have you noticed how brother such-and-such always acts in this certain rude way?”

Parishioner B: “Yes, I have seen it, he can be kind of a jerk at times…”

Parishioner A: “Or how about sister so-and-so, have you heard how she does this certain annoying thing?”

Parishioner B: “I know exactly what you’re talking about! She can be so irritating.”

Yet these sorts of words are only destructive. While they seem to be bringing the other person closer to us, we are doing it at the expense of the others in the church body, and the ultimate effect is disintegration. Instead of being knit together in love, the church body is being pulled apart in malice.

Ten minutes later, here’s the next conversation:

Parishioner A: “Have you seen what Parishioner B is wearing? Hideous!”

Parishioner C: “My thoughts exactly!”

And in time, everyone is found to be at odds with everyone else, simply because in the back of our minds, we know that we can get someone to like us simply by making a common enemy of someone else—so before long, we’ve made “enemies” out of each and every person in the body of Christ!

Gossips In The Roman Campagna, Faldi Arturo (1856-1911)

Yet the Lord truly hates this sort of activity. In the Proverbs, it is called by many names, and all of them have negative connotations: gossip, slander, tale-bearing, backbiting, and perhaps the most accurate assessment of them all: sowing discord among brothers.

“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: . . . he that soweth discord among brethren.” -Proverbs 6:16, 19

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” -Galatians 1:8-9

In Paul’s epistle to the Galatians we see a very blunt yet truthful statement. He states quite plainly that there is only one true gospel, and one true way to heaven, and to help them remember this, they ought to keep in mind one simple rule: if anyone, whether man or angel, tells them any other way to get to heaven, they are not only to be disregarded, but even accursed.

The reason that the apostle Paul used such forceful language was on account of the Galatians’ wandering astray. They had lost the very simple message that Jesus Saves, and had adopted a convoluted and false gospel. After Paul’s opening greeting to the church, he immediately launches into his concerns: “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (Galatians 1:6).

And he follows this opening statement by reinforcing the teaching that there really truly is no “other gospel.” He tells them that even if an angel were to come down from heaven and give them a new teaching, if it is different from the gospel of Jesus Christ, they ought to account the new teaching as being accursed.

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” -2 Corinthians 11:14

There’s only one way to heaven

At the heart of all false gospels, there must be one truth that is always perverted. It all relates to the answering of one simple question: Who is Jesus Christ?

In one way or another, all false gospels will answer this question by saying that Jesus Christ was a man, or a great teacher, or a great prophet, or an apparition or spirit, or any number of other excuses.

Yet the gospel of Jesus Christ is so simple: Jesus Christ is both Lord and Savior. He is God in the flesh, and He came to make a payment for the sins of mankind.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16

Yet in nearly all false gospels, you’ll notice a disturbing trend: they deny that mankind is inherently sinful. And if we are not sinful, why would God ever send us to hell? And if we are not going to hell, then why would we have any need of a savior? And if we need no savior, then surely Jesus will become nothing more than a wise teacher, or a righteous person, at best.

“They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” -Psalm 14:3

Yet at the heart of the Christian gospel of salvation, is the concept that we are all sinners, and that we deserve to go to hell. We are hopelessly lost in sin, and without a savior, we cannot make it to heaven.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” -Romans 6:23

So if this is true, then it becomes very easy to see why there can be no two ways to get to heaven. You’ll either trust in God’s provision for mankind through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, or you’ll look to some other thing to help you get to heaven.

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” -Matthew 7:13-14

Yet in the Bible, it is clear that there is only one way to heaven, and that God has chosen only one path to be reconciled to Himself. The name of that man is Jesus Christ.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” -Acts 4:12