February 2009

I have Declared War

I have worked all over this great state of ours. I have worked on farms, on sheep stations, in the mining industry and on a pearl farm. During all my experiences, I have come into contact with all sorts of creatures both large and small. Some were harmless and some were dangerous. I have wrestled wild red eyes (male sheep with attitude) and rams with big curly horns. I have tackled wild goats, tracked and shot wild dogs and even handled poisonous snakes. I have been swimming in crocodile infested waters where sharks and irukanji jellyfish are not the only things that will kill you. I have been bitten by ants, bees, lizards and even a feral cat... but today, for the first time ever, I was stung by a wasp! On the back of my neck! In my back yard! Ouch!

So I just wanted to tell the world that I have declared war...

Christianity is Just a Crutch

Have you ever had someone say that to you, “Christianity is just a crutch.”? I have. My answer is a very simple one… YES. Does that offend you? Let me show you why it shouldn’t.

If you broke your leg and required a plaster cast for several weeks, would you consider it a bad thing to have a set of crutches to help you walk? It might be an inconvenience.. but it would not be a bad thing. In fact, the opposite is true. A crutch is a good thing because it would help you to get around.

So let me ask you this question… Why does a crutch become a bad thing when it's Christianity? I think the answer that most critics would give is this: If Christianity is a crutch, then it's only good for cripples. Now that’s an offensive statement because most of the time, we don’t like to consider ourselves as cripples. We don’t like the idea that we are, in and of ourselves, helpless. But recall what Jesus said,

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." - Mark 2:17

The truth about human nature is that we long to be self-reliant. The suggestion that we need help to make it in this world goes against our inner nature… a nature that the Bible describes as sinful and corrupt. And so, to our dismay, along comes Jesus. The cross of Christ is an offence to all, because it takes the disease that we hate most, our helplessness, and instead of curing it, makes it the doorway to heaven. That’s why Jesus says…

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 5:3

But what does this mean? What does it mean to be poor in spirit? The word blessed literally means fully satisfied. In the New testament, this phrase is used to describe the joy that comes from salvation. The implication is that true satisfaction only comes as a result of salvation through Jesus Christ. In other words, one is only fully satisfied, in the deepest corners of the heart, when Jesus Christ is reigning as Lord in ones life.

But what does Jesus mean by poor? There are two Greek words for poor. One is penēs… which means poor but able to help oneself. The other is ptōchoi… which means helpless. Can you guess which one Jesus uses here? It is the second one… ptōchoi. Quite literally, what Jesus is saying is this… You will only ever be fully satisfied when you understand that you are, in and of yourself, spiritually helpless.

Now I don’t know about you… but that sounds to me like a person who needs a crutch.