panic attack

Unlimited Liability is a term used in the military.  It refers to the soldier's acceptance that there is no limit to the cost he may pay, in mind and body in the line of duty.

For the Christian man or woman too, unlimited liability is a goal of faith: to aspire to let nothing stop us in the pursuit of our calling to grow closer to God, love our neighbours and in that love to make disciples in Jesus' name, however that calling may manifest itself in work and play.

Fear of death is natural.  The power of God to save is supernatural.  For the Christian the limit of exploitation is beyond the grave.  In an attack, this is the line beyond which a fighting force, for whatever reason may it be casualties or supplies or risk of over-extension, will not advance.  The limit to life is not the end of life as we know it.  But similar to the end of life as the pagan knows it, so too the limit of death as we know it is not simply death.  There is a terror worse than death just as there is a life beyond life–this is part of the meaning of the eternal power of God.

We as Christian people serve a God who is bigger than our natural imaginations and more righteous than our fantasies of righteousness, and more terrifying than anything we could ever dream of.  What He expects from us is the same in eternal power as what He gives us in Christ.  The excuses of the unbeliever will not make the "cut" any more than the life found in Christ ever end.

It is not that there should be no hope or fear, it is a question of where the fear and hope is laid.  Is it laid in the eternal, or the carnal, the natural, the man-made artificial?

Sample the prayer of Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3) found in the Bible and you get a quick picture of a man who was fearing and hoping in the right way.

Put it in perspective in one sentence: Habakkuk is a prophet who is receiving a message that his nation's wickedness is going to be obliterated by a Babylonian invasion.  God, in a word, is irate.  Habakkuk knows Israel needs this judgement for it's evil and it is coming.  So in light of an imminent apocalypse of biblical proportions, Habakkuk does the only reasonable thing; he prays.

So your homeland is about to be raped, pillaged, destroyed and sold into slavery for its evil, what might you say?  I really don't know what I'd say but you can bet it would be something along the lines of "God please don't do this I'd like to continue living in peace with my family, not get torn limb from limb, have my wife raped and my infant tossed against a stone wall."  God has a habit of sparing his children from disaster (check out  Noah & the Flood for but one example), but the thought of a "Chaldean horde", a "fierce, impetuous, dreaded and feared" people (Hab 1:6-7) running through town doesn't exactly inspire great confidence that everything's going to be peachy keen.

right fear
But Habakkuk prays a strange prayer, it actually runs more like a hymn of remembrance; there is no explicit request or supplication through the entire chapter which comprises it.  Who prays a prayer without asking for anything?  Habakkuk says he "heard of your (God's) fame" (v.2) and he recalls God's awesome power in battle, His unstoppable power over the forces of nature, over humankind and the events of human history.  Did somebody forget to mention to Habakkuk that his nation is about to receive the beat down of the millennium?  This isn't a 'panic prayer' over the Chaldean horde.  But make no mistake, Habakkuk is afraid, he is terrified, "I heard and my heart pounded, my lips quivered at the sound, decay crept into my bones, and my legs trembled."

Habakkuk wasn't afraid of the fierce warriors or the incumbent orgy of death and destruction: he was afraid of Almighty God.  The thought of the wrath of the Lord God was enough to make him admit to posterity that he would have wet himself at the sight.  His attention was on the terror of eternal death rather than physical death.  

right hope
There's an antithesis though, another side to the story.  The nation coming against Israel is a natural army, it is a tool of God and nothing more, "They mock kings and scoff at rulers.  They laugh at all fortified cities...Then they sweep past like the wind and go on; guilty people, whose own strength is their god." (1:10-11)  The mounds unbelievers use to bury their fear of judgment and death, these vicious killers come to bring reckoning from the Almighty and demolish these pitiful piles with ease, laying bare the sins of nations.

The Babylonians idolize their own strength, and Habakkuk knows it, "Yet I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come on the nation invading us."  They do not know that there is a terror worse than death, a death deeper than the earth can bury and hide; the awesome and all-consuming power of God in His wrath.

Make no mistake, Habakkuk is in no state of delusion about his unlimited liability; but Habakkuk knows his limit of exploitation is only as far as the natural.  There is, because of God's mercy as Saviour to those who call Him Lord and Master, to those who are not his enemies, peace and absolution from the wrath which is worse than death.

real confidence, boldness,  joy and peace
Habakkuk's bold hope and confidence extends entirely beyond the simple avoidance of natural death,

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.  The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights." (Hab 3:17-19)

Habakkuk's bold trust is reminiscent of Job who said "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." (Job 13:15)  Or the heroes of the faith who looked beyond the grave for their hope in the letter to the Hebrews.  This is real faith, real hope, real joy and real confidence.  Habakkuk did not ask for God to be a powerful Saviour, to rescue him from the worst fate possible (eternal death), to arrange the course of events and planets alike and to annihilate the hordes; Habakkuk knew it.   It was no supplication, it was a proclamation.

The man whose unlimited liability is covered by Christ's unlimited liability, he whose confidence, courage and plans are in God's keeping– this man is a terrible and powerful sight to behold.  His life and strength are endless, his absolution is complete, his avenger is the Almighty, and fears are only his victims on an irrevocable attack to everlasting glory:  For the eternal wrath and love of God have no limit of exploitation.      

Award Winning Towel Tossing

Sometimes I hold off on watching films that the general populace regards as brilliantly done, yesterday I finally sat down and watched "Million Dollar Baby", the Clint Eastwood film about a grizzled trainer who reluctantly takes on a girl to train up as a serious boxer. Hollywood deemed fit to award best director, best actress, best supporting actress and best film academy awards to this work and I thought what the heck, it has to be half decent. Coming from Hollywood, I should have known better. What I ended up watching was a schmaltzy comedy.

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

The film culminates in a celebrated defense of euthanasia, where Clint Eastwood's character is seemingly redeemed through rebellion against the church and is martyred for the cause of his trainee Maggie's wish for a "fight out of life, much as she got into it". The result is a twisted and deluded conception about what is valuable in life, who your life belongs to and about truly fighting to win.

My issue is not primarily here with the larger question of euthanasia, I have issues myself with the difference between killing and letting die, and the gnarly question of when to pull the plug is not really my point of contention. What I will talk about certainly leads into an anti-euthanasia stance, the main point of discussion however, regards a Christian attitude about life.

In the film there were some very clear and sad misconceptions about the value of life and what it means to have a quality of life. In my mind, one short monologue pretty much sums up the entire deluded story,

"I can't be like this frankie,not after what I've done, I've seen the world, people chanted my name, hell, not my name, some damn name you gave me, they were chanting for me, I was in magazines, you think i'd ever dream that happen? I was born pounds / ounces, daddy used to tell me i'd fight to get into this world, and i'd fight my way out, that's all i wanna do frankie, i just dont want to fight you to do it,I got what i needed..."

1. Your Life Isn't Yours.

Somewhere in popular culture we derived the myth, probably from champions of metaphysical free-will, secular existentialism, and generally speaking long before then, human pride and arrogance, that we are the champions of our own destiny, that our souls are ours to barter with, that we are the masters of our own domain. The truth is, the human soul is borrowed capital. Everything we own is borrowed. Our bodies are borrowed. Everything we are as human beings is borrowed,

Ezekiel 18:4 reads, "Behold all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die."

We have been loaned, and are responsible for, everything...including this planet, of which we are supposed to be stewards. Saying, "I don't want to live any longer" is fine, we all feel like that sometimes. Deciding to destroy yourself because you don't like the deal you have been dealt or more likely dealt yourself, is not an option. It is like a laborer complaining about his backhoe not working properly and summarily firebombing it. He's going to be fired. Literally.

Maggie fought to get into the world, certainly. But hypothetically speaking, God let her into it, and it wouldn't have happened any other way. You're here because somewhere down the line, God wants you here and cares about your existence.

2. Life Isn't About You

It's terribly disturbing and downright offensive to us human beings that as part of our subordinate position to God, that life isn't about us. In fact, contrary to the health and wealth gospel you commonly hear from televangelists, God really isn't primarily interested in your happiness. Happiness is a product of circumstance, God is interested in your joy, which is linked to an eternal satisfaction in Him, in His purity and eternal love. Jesus said "My peace I leave with you" I'm tempted to argue that we leave out the last part, "not as the world gives".

God cares about your dreams, but a great many of them that pass through the minds of the human race, He isn't interested in fulfilling. God isn't interested in your vision for a better world, or how you think you would best be of service, or what you seem to think your best talent in life is, or how perfectly situated you are to do this or that. He is interested in His plan. His is best.

Maggie's character recollects the joy of being famous, of having people "chanting my name" and being known as a great boxer. That's nice. Excel in something, great. But if the source of value in life has no derivative value in God, then it has no value at all. It is meaningless, and passes away like everything else. Nothing really changes. Solomon saw this years ago. (see Ecclesiastes).

Worse still, Maggie's despair over having once been famous resonates with the temptation of Christ from the devil. It was Satan who promised the world to Jesus if he would but worship him. Jesus refused, quoting scripture and saying "You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only." Jesus had his priorities straight, he was headed for eternity, and entirely uninterested in the false glitter of a world passing away in sin. Maggie said "I've seen the world" and despaired because as a paralytic she couldn't see it anymore. Jesus saw the world and pitied it.

The truly tragic aspect of the film is that Swank and Eastwood's characters have found a true father and daughter relationship, that could have continued. Many individuals would long for companionship, even from a person unable to walk or care for themselves, and the joy and life so evident in the relationship they had with each other was thrown aside by the callous request of Maggie to throw it away. It mystifies me as to how someone could script such a film based around the value of human relationships and the need for forgiveness and reconciliation, only to suggest in the end that personal fame and power are really what determine quality of life.

3. Perseverance & Fighting is About Adapting Through Defeat and Adversity

You can hear that Kierkegaardian despair in Maggies' voice at the start of the monologue,

"I can't be like this Frankie, not after what I've done, I've seen the world, people chanted my name"

Ah, yes, the despair of not wanting to be oneself. When we see ourselves with spiritual honesty we see a dead thing, an ugly and powerless creature, paralyzed by sin, and we have a decision to make- to despair and look away, living in ignorance, or to boldly approach Christ in humility and repent. Hilary Swank's character Maggie cannot face what she has become. She cannot accept her paralyzed condition, and opts to terminate her own existence. She claims that she will fight to get out of life: yes she is fighting, but out of despair. Her fight is now against the fight itself because she has given up. Her first words are "I can't"; it is the voice of a quitter, not a champion.

Hence what is supposed to be a heroic-tragic character becomes a comical one. The idiotic contradiction of a relentless prizefighter giving up on life is the only thing that really adds anything unique to the film. It's uniqueness is truly born out of stupidity.

How many people, how many films have we rightly praised as worthy of our admiration because a hero or heroine chose to beat the odds, even after grave setbacks? Is it unchained victory that makes the hero a role model, or is it his perseverance of character?

Imagine Arnold Schwartzenegger, at the prime of his powers, winning a thousand wrestling matches with drooling preschoolers; would this be worthy of celebration? Does he possess a heroic character?

Now what about a young shepherd boy, against the advice of his entire nation, faces a huge armoured giant with nothing more than a sling? That takes character. That is, at least at the level of personal character, heroic.

A hallmark of heroic performance is by dutiful necessity facing odds that are impossible with resolute determination. Human history celebrates and remembers better the defeated who stood with courage. The 300 Spartans at Thermopylae are proof of that.

I am not fooled by Maggie's initial heroic start: a girl, discriminated against and mocked for wanted to pursue her dream. The plot is engineered to at first create sympathy and genuine heroic interest for Maggie. But in the end, she proves a mediocre character, no better than any other man or woman.

It is easy to pursue relentlessly a dream when it is in our own interest, when we have a fantasy that is all about us, when we're all about getting our own way, when the knockouts keep coming with our efforts. But what makes a heroic character is what he or she does when things DONT go his or her way. When the battle goes against you, do you surrender? When you fail a test, do you leave the course? When somebody else beats you, do you quit? When you can't do what you want anymore, do you throw in the towel? When you can't work your way out of it, can you rely on grace? When you don't succeed, do you try again?

God is constantly calling us into situations which challenge our conception of who we think we are, who we think we should be and what we think we should be doing. The Christian believer, when rightly grounded, finds his or her meaning, purpose and joy in doing the will of God. These two facts combined make the Christian an impossible enemy to conquer. Islam, for example may conquer a decadent and godless west, that I can conceive. That Islam, or any other force on earth could conquer Christ or a Christian, that I laugh at.

Conclusion

In prison or in freedom, in a hospital bed or at the gym, on his knees or standing upright, the person grounded in God always has a reason for living, and for living joyfully. The pagan may fight for heroism, the heathen religious may fight for his salvation, but the Christian fights for God for the sheer pleasure of doing so; and I'm fighting to win.

"For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity." Proverbs 24:16

"...Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way as not beating the air; but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified." 1 Cor. 9:24-27

What Wolf and Lamb Have in Common

We could probably agree on the idea that Christians are supposed to be Jesus to the world. We could also probably agree that God isn't necessarily or often going to drop solutions from the sky when we ask for his provision, protection etc.

In this respect I think I could probably build a convincing case that would find plenty of Christians agreeing that we are Christ's witnesses, we are Jesus' life incarnate (in the flesh) to the world around us. I'd probably find a lot less agreement arguing that we are also Jesus' death incarnate.

CHRIST PUTTING THE FLESH TO DEATH
In the first sense of death here I mean something controversial to Benny Hinn and the prosperity gospel crowd but not to pretty much any other form of Christianity (though a problem for all of us all the time): carrying with you the dying of Jesus. Suffering. Trading your sorrows and pain for the joy of the Lord is good and not being crushed and all that; but you've also got to carry about "the dying of Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body" 2 Cor 4:10.

If you never got into the suffering of the cross, its likely that you're still contemplating Christianity at the "Can I play Daddy?" level of difficulty and never actually pressed on (the button :P). Or you've just remained at the "Don't hurt me" stage of comfortable lukewarmness. Jesus was no pansy looking for a fancy chariot or Miata to carry him into Jerusalem. (to his unjust but willful death)

OK. Lets get to the more racy bit.

CHRIST PUTTING HIS ENEMIES TO DEATH
Maybe your first thought is, yeah, in the second coming Jesus is going to judge the world and wipe out all those who refused Him and carried on in spite of His Lordship over all. Well I'd say, heck yeah; but I mean it a little differently here, and I'm going to use Psalm 18 to illustrate it. Jesus isn't just destroying his enemies in the future, he's putting them to death through you: right now.

Paul said in the letter to the Romans, that we should never take our own revenge, but to let God do it (Romans 12:19). So far as I know, David, the king of the Old Testament who put to death personally or under his rule, thousands of men, women, children and animals, (under orders from God) was never said to have taken his own revenge. He was tempted: recall the story of Abigail and Nabal. Abigail restrained David's vengeance, God ended up striking that "worthless fellow" Nabal dead.

Taking your own revenge is the attitude of the heart that says "Bring 'em on!" it is a selfishness that does not respect the Lordship of God in justice; vengeance is His.

PSALM 18 - "I AM DEATH INCARNATE"
So what was different about David?
I can't do a big analysis of the entire chapter here but it would be really beneficial. I'm going to present some interesting point-counterpoints to ponder.

a) David crys for help and God hears (v.6) : The enemies of David cry for help and are ignored (v.41)

b) David is terrified and surrounded in darkness and death (v.4-5) : God comes in darkness and terror to bring death to David's enemies (v.7-15)

c) David says he was righteous and thus God saved him and brought him out of darkness (v.20-28) : David says it was God who made him righteous (v.32)

d) David says that God delivered him from and destroyed his enemies, taking vengeance for him (17-19, 39-40, 47-48) : David says that he destroyed those who hated him (39-45)

e) David calls his enemies violent (48) : David brutally beats his enemies to death (42)

Now you can take the route of saying that these are all contradictions and walk away from Jesus real fast. Don't, they aren't, (they disappear in the unity). God hears his children, and is going to destroy and IS destroying his enemies.

True Christians pass through death and bring it to their enemies in justice; all others & fakers create it because their father the devil is a murderer and has been from the beginning. But it is this latter people, mystically speaking, that has been raised up for the sole purpose of making wood for the fire, (Psalm 92:5-7).


David was a master in the art of destroying God's enemies. He was so good at it that he was described, with his mighty men, as a mother bear robbed of her cubs; fierce. He was not allowed to build the temple because he was a 'man of blood'. His forefather Jacob ?cursed? David's tribe (Benjamin) saying "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, And in the evening he divides the spoil." (Genesis 49:27)

But here's the rub: he was "a man after God's own heart", and the greatest king Israel ever had. But he knew he was not the Supreme King of the spiritual people of Israel, he lived under the wing of Jesus Christ, wore the cloak of righteousness Jesus wore by grace through faith, and under His command and lordship David was life and death incarnate.

"...behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades" (Rev 1:18)

Are you a wolf in the sheep's clothing or a sheep in wolf's clothing? Both love and kill. The former is made for death, the latter for life. You cannot live by the sword; it is a weapon wielded only by right authority; but you can live under right authority and wield the sword. (Romans 12:1-6)

If you do not live under the Lamb and live by the sword; expect the sword: across your throat.

You're ministers of life, you've heard that; but I say you're also ministers of death.

Save a lamb: kill a lion.