The Destructive Power of An Equal Faith
Digging into the subversive message revealed in Peter's introduction to his second letter.
Like many in my generation, I grew up watching Sesame Street. I loved Big Bird, Elmo, the Count, and their friends. One of my favorite recurring segments was "One of These Things." If you know, then you know, but if you don't, check out this sample:
The idea was to help kids understand how to classify things: compare and contrast, reason and make inferences, and discern differences and similarities. Unfortunately, we may have learned too well.
Differentiation is a valuable skill, but it shouldn't be applied equally in all areas. This fact is especially true when it comes to our faith. Christians have a rich heritage and a long history filled with people who show us what it means to follow Jesus. However, we tend to distinguish their faith from our faith. We imagine that those following Christ in the first century were somehow better than we are, more connected to the source. Or we suppose that there is little connection between their faith lived, we think, in simpler times, and our faith, living as we do in a complex and increasingly chaotic world.
But what Peter says in 2 Peter 1:1 indicates no distinction between their faith and ours. In his introduction, Peter writes:
"To those who have received a faith equal to ours through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ."
That statement catches us off guard. "Wait a second," we exclaim, "Peter, you walked with Jesus. You ate with Him. You saw Him die and saw Him breathing again. Surely your faith is better than what we have based on second and third-hand testimony."
But, it is we who are mistaken, not Peter. The value and worth of Peter's faith, and that of other first-century believers, is not found in their closeness to the events of the New Testament but in the source of that faith: Jesus. Grasping that we have received an equal faith does much for our pursuit of Christ.
And much of what it does is destructive (but in a good way).
An equal faith destroys pride
Pride is the archnemesis of faith, taking on both egregious and insidious forms in its attempt to derail discipleship. On the blatant side, it puffs up our chests and elevates our noses, causing us to compare our best moments to others' worst and conclude that we really are as impressive as we think. On the sly side, it weighs down our shoulders and drags at our feet, causing us to despair over our every failure as we observe others' success, and we believe that we really are as horrible as we imagine.
The high and low versions of pride die when we realize that our faith equals Peter's and those first-century saints'. God wants neither self-idolization nor self-immolation from us; He wants Christ's transformation for us. So, He gives us an equal faith, based on His righteousness instead of our own, on His performance, not ours. He frees us from the comparison game at the heart of prideful self-focus by putting us all on a level field, from which we may all look up to an empty cross and an occupied throne.
An equal faith eliminates excuses
Peter died for his faith; I hesitate to mention mine lest someone make fun of me. That's acceptable if Peter's faith is better than mine. But it's not; therefore, my cowardice is not excused. If a first-century believer's access to eyewitnesses of the resurrection grants them a greater faith, then surely I can't be held to the same standard 2000 years later. But I am. I don't get to make excuses.
That's because the equality of a received faith means that what Peter could do for Christ is the same as what I can do for Christ: be a bold steward of the resources and opportunities given to me for the sake of the Kingdom. I can respond to a crazy culture with faithfulness like those first-century believers because we have been given the same faith. Instead of being a prisoner of space and time, unable to change or influence either, we are given genuine freedom through a faith that transcends both. The early church received the faith and "turned the world upside down," and they didn't have anything more than we do, faith-wise, and had a lot less than we do, resource-wise. Where are our excuses now?
An equal faith obliterates idols
Peter and his church didn't have an incredible worship team. They didn't have Bible study resources written by world-renowned scholars (in fact, they didn't even have what we usually consider the most crucial part of the Bible yet: the New Testament). They didn't have podcasts, radio stations, or the Internet. But, somehow, they saw the Kingdom grow, lives changed, and good done.
That's because they weren't distracted by good things as they pursued the greatest thing: Jesus.
Too often, our contemporary, consumer-culture-reflecting Christianity presents stirring praise songs, in-depth Bible study, or engaging personalities as the (hashtag) goals for our discipleship when they were only ever meant to be means.
We make tools into idols, and then the power of an equal faith comes in with a hammer.
Worshipper, your faith is not meaningful because you get goosebumps when the worship team plays that one song; it is meaningful because Jesus is its source.
Student, your faith is not strong because you have armed yourself with arguments and facts; it is strong because Jesus is its origin.
Preacher, your faith is not remarkable because you were handed a microphone and a platform; it is remarkable because Jesus is high and lifted up.
Once we recognize that we share a common faith from a common source, we find our focus redirected to where it should have been all along: to Jesus. When that happens, we are able to enjoy worshipful songs, insightful commentaries, and engaging speakers as servants, not saviors. These things only help us see (but are not required for us to see) Jesusโ splendor, which an equal faith has already revealed.
Praise God, we have received an equal faith that destroys our pride, excuses, and distractions!
Sobering!๐๐๐
And I'm reminded of Apostles Paul's warning to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 10:5) verse 5 "....and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness. These things took place as examples to.. " to us as in Numbers chapter 14, and Numbers 26:65.
Specifically, God not well pleased with them (even after all He had done for them!) - they missed the mark โผ๏ธ
May God help us ๐๐๐๐