“And Nobody Gets Hurt”

I have to admit, I love a good crime movie. From masked men, gunshots and high-speed chases to strategic planning, pinpoint accuracy, and choreographed movements, it all mesmerizes me. As kids, it seems like an innate tendency to play cops and robbers. There is always the good guy, the bad guy, and sometimes even good cop/bad cop strategies at play. Some kids gain enjoyment in playing the good guy; some prefer to be the bad guy. I confess I am the latter! In real life, I am not much of a bad guy; my conscience doesn’t allow for too much deviation. For those who know me well (i.e. work with me), you might disagree, because I play the part of the “bad guy” so well. Ultimately, this only stems from a desire to do my job to the best of my ability, and occasionally that means stepping on toes. In a way, that’s what I am doing now by writing this, as what I am about to say may step on some toes. From the movies to the playground, there is a line I have observed to be essential in the presentation of any good bad guy. I think it bears repeating, and I will hopefully identify the underlying intention. One of the quintessential lines in any good bank robberies is “Give me the money, and nobody gets hurt!”

What a delightful lie! It must be reassuring to a bank robbery victim, fictional or not, to hear such a direct statement of intention. It’s probably on par with hearing “everything is going to be okay” while you are staring down the barrel of Dick Cheney’s shotgun. It sure might be okay, but the fact is, it’s a violation of context, and everything is already not okay simply by virtue of the situation. It may be true that no one will be shot in the midst of a stick up, but the stick up itself is a violation. Assurance is taken out of context, and the assurance itself becomes a compounded violation. 

As all good games of cops and robbers should, there is a winner and a loser. As imaginary shots are finally fired, someone has to fall in defeat, even if in a dramatic and theatrical way. In recollection of all my childhood games of cops and robbers, I don’t ever recall the robber every falling back on the defense “but nobody got hurt!” If you remove the context, this is true, and a viable defense; however, the context remains, and letting the criminal go on these grounds is again, a compounded violation. What this looks like today is when all the kids get a trophy for “winning” just for playing. Maybe it’s just me, but in the game of cops and robbers, I think there ought to be a winner and a loser, preferably the bad guy. In competition, there ought to be a winner and a loser, because without it there is no context for the game, and you just have a bunch of kids running around kicking a ball. The context is the foundation for the principle, and without it, there is no “winner.” Of course, we don’t want anyone to get hurt, right?

According to the Gallup Research Organization, approximately 118 million Americans report attending some sort of Sunday morning church service. According to church attendance polls, the number of average church attendees is actually somewhere around 63 million. By the way, America, “Don’t Lie” is the ninth commandment. That one’s free. I’m not so much concerned with the number of people who report they attend church, as I am with what they might experience when they actually do attend. I can speak from experience on this one, as I have attended church at probably upward of 100 different churches around the country. I’ve been to Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, Baptist, and several non-denominational churches, and found they all have one thing in common; I walked away feeling good. Everybody “won!” In passing conversations with professed Christians, I’ve been encouraged with platitudes like “God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good!” Congregations are lead in songs about the goodness and greatness of God, triumph, and the power of faith. In worship, we are reminded about the benefits of knowing God. We are encouraged by what He can and will do in our lives. Amen! We sing songs of victory, and faith, and we dance, and raise our hands, and are thankful to God for His goodness. We remind each other of verses like Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Who doesn’t love Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord; plans to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you a hope, and a future.” “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,” according to Romans 8:28. The songs, the sermons, the liturgy, the platitudes all reinforce the benefits of knowing and following Christ.

Of these approximately 63 million who attend church each Sunday, or the 118 million who say they attend, I wonder how many of them know that Paul was in prison when he wrote his letter to the Philippians. I wonder how many of them have heard or read any other verse in Jeremiah. I wonder how many of them are aware of the timing of Romans 8:28. Sunday after Sunday, the theology of so many is formed through worship services across the country. It is a theology of worship. It is a theology of the goodness of God. It is a theology of platitudes and encouragement, where everyone wins. The character of God is put under a microscope to amplify His goodness, His grace, and His love. It is good teaching, and it is bad theology. As difficult as it is for me to admit this, I have to confess that the character of God is misrepresented in our worship.

“Sing the songs and say the prayers, and nobody gets hurt!”

What a delightful lie! How reassuring to know that everything will be alright, because “God is good, ALL THE TIME!” How wonderful it is to believe that God will prosper me, and give me hope, and a future! How encouraging to know that because Christ strengthens me, I can do what I want to, and accomplish anything! Everything might actually be all right right now, but this is an abominable violation of context. Everything will be all right because God is good; “nobody gets hurt.” This is a compounded violation of the character of God, and the context of His word.

In Jeremiah 29, the prophet has written a letter to the people who were taken captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. In this letter, he tells them what the Lord has spoken. To paraphrase it, it sounds something like this, “Get comfortable, you’re going to be there a while! Oh, and don’t listen to the false prophets or your own dreams that tell you otherwise. In about seventy years, ‘I’ll be back,’ and I’ll get you out of there.” So after seventy years of going about their business in captivity in a foreign land, we find the goodness of God to the rescue.

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” –Philippians 4:11-13

Paul is writing from a 1^st century Roman prison. If you’re unfamiliar with the practices of 1^st century Rome, it is different than 21^st century #firstworldproblems. For Paul to speak about contentment in whatever state he is speaks volumes to his endurance and faith. By context, it seems that doing all things through Christ is related more to enduring hardship and struggle than to getting a new job or scoring a touchdown, wouldn’t you say Timmy? “Hey, I’m in prison, but I got this, God is good!”

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” –Romans 8:20-21

First, ‘get comfortable in captivity’, then ‘be content, even in prison’, now we’re talking about creation itself being in ‘bondage of corruption?’ “God is good, all the time; all the time, God is good.” When we pull back the microscope of God’s character, we find that God is not always so good (at least, not for our health). God is not good all the time, but God is God all the time. When we overlook the fullness of the character of God, we miss the big picture. Life in communion with Christ is not about what He can do for us, but what He might do with us. What if our worship included something like this:

“If we had forgotten the name of our God,
Or stretched out our hands to a foreign god,
Would not God search this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
Yet for Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.                                                             Awake! Why do you sleep, O Lord?                                                                            Arise! Do not cast us off forever.                                                                                    Why do You hide Your face,                                                                                           And forget our affliction and our oppression?                                                                   For our soul is bowed down to the dust;                                                                           Our body clings to the ground.                                                                                       Arise for our help,                                                                                                            And redeem us for Your mercies’ sake.                                                                                 -Psalm 44:20-26

In the eternal game of cops and robbers, there will be a winner, and there will be a loser. Not everybody gets a trophy. It was in a beautiful garden the game began, and it was on an ugly cross that God drew a line in the sand. He is not always good, but he is always God, and God is always righteous. There will be a winner, and somebody gets hurt! 

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgment,
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.”
-Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

We are faced with a culture that is obsessed with pleasure, comfort, and acceptance, and the harsh reality of the gospel is offensive. It is a violation of the corrupted will of man. The sinful nature is intrinsically opposed to recognize its subjection to the judgment of God. In an attempt to make the gospel relevant, it is important that we do not water it down, and strip it of its power. The reality is, we will be attacked, rejected, misunderstood, and we will be hated for the sake of the gospel. But there is hope! Let this be a message of hope for the reward that comes from diligent service to the challenge of following Christ. We are promised strength in the midst of struggle, hope in the midst of suffering, and grace in exchange for sin. Walking with God is not always easy, but it is always the right path.