Tribulation

There was much persecution in the early church. We think of persecution as from those outside the church, but alas, it oftentimes comes from within. Just as the Russians believed that America would be defeated without firing a shot, but would die from within, it appeared that the church would kill the church! (Keep in mind that in the beginning the Christians worshipped with the Jews).

The persecution is obtained piece-meal from several books of the Bible. Others have put it together in detail (https://bible.org/seriespage/49-1-corinthians-troubled-church).  I highly recommend reading this worthy commentary. However, what I write today can be worthwhile without knowing all the details. 

2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; 4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

The church grew because of persecution. When some are mistreated the softhearted oftentimes come to their defense. What better defense against persecution than belief in Christ. Paul taught that! Tribulation is "expensive grace". I have written before on Dietrich Bonnhoeffer's idea of "Cheap Grace" (see the link to that at https://kentuckyherrin.blogspot.com/2017/03/cheap-grace.html?m=0).  In short, "cheap grace" is accepting the sacrificial blood of Jesus, then not using it for the cause of God. What is the cause of God? For righteousness sake. That cause is more than doing good but is also for saving the souls of others. "Expensive grace" is jeopardizing one's own comfort, even life, so that others can have what you have.

In this age of the prosperity gospel and positive Christianity, people are made to feel good. Since "only God is good"  (Mark 10:18), feeling good is just an emotion. Doing good without right reasons is as filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). The best "good" thing one can do is to bring others to the Lord. Christians can't save people but if we lead others to the Word, the Word can! 

In apostolic times, there were two places to provide the Word: to the extant church or to the pagans. The Jews were the church, and the pagans were not. Paul and his fellow apostles started out as Judaists. They tried to teach truth within the church. They were, hence, protected by Roman Law. Unfortunately, the Jews for the most part, didn't want them in the church! 

God was taught rightly in the synagogues. They even taught on the Messiah. While the Messiah was sitting in their midst, the  Jews failed to recognize Him. "Do good" Jews assisted in the crucifixion of their own Messiah! Don't get me wrong - Jews are not responsible for Jesus's death. All mankind was! However, they were instruments in his demise just as Pilate was.

My point is that persecution most often comes from within. In Paul's time, there was much tribulation: "distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Paul and the Christians at Corinth were stressed, not by the world but from their own "church". Some Jews there failed to see the light - that the Messiah had come and was Jesus Christ - God in the flesh. To be honest, "syncretism" was anathema to them. That is having other gods besides God. Jews failed to realize that Jesus was not another God but Emmanuel himself - God with them.

So there existed in the church, two doctrines: (1) that the Messiah was coming, and (2) that the Messiah had come. Can you imagine how this split the church, and the animosity over doctrine? Does that sound familiar? Those of the "Christ has come" faction were persecuted by the established church. It's the same today. The established church is ritualistic Christianity, and the disruptive church are the evangelicals. 

Ritualistic Christianity are those of Christian "nationality"who are "Christians" because they are from a Christian family. That's sort of genetic Christianity. At one time my own belief was genetic. I believed because my parents did. 

Another type of ritualistic "Christianity" are those who are baptized without having been born-again. For instance, the Catholic Church does not teach the doctrine of the new birth, and even baptize infants. There is nothing wrong with spiritually washing infants other than it has no efficacy in saving. 

For Churches of Christ and Christian (denominational) churches, their rebirth is a process culminating in baptism. That is certainly okay if one sees it that way. On the other hand, liberal or careless restoration churches such as those, baptize candidates without them confessing the new birth. As such, their rebirth may be ritualistic washing. However, keep in mind that rebirth is a personal experience, and many are reborn in spite of church doctrine. There are many true Christians in the Catholic and restoration churches.

In liberal Methodist, Episcopalian, Congregational, and Lutheran Churches. the focus is not on experiential Christianity but obedience with love. Many in those churches, as well as the Catholic and restoration churches, exhibit love but loving others without the right reason has no efficacy. The rich young ruler did good things but for wrong reasons (Matthew 19:16-25).

Jesus rattled off a list of things. The young man said, since a youth I have done all these things! The young man did well with the social gospel but what was lacking was sacrifice. He failed to present himself to the Lord. He did quite well with Commandments 5-10 but failed miserably on 1-4. His god was his wealth. People have things which are important to them - more important than God. Things become "other gods" besides God. Churches which preach the social gospel at the expense of the experiential, teach the wrong criteria for salvation. Keep in mind that many people have experiential Christianity even though their churches are not evangelical: "emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual" (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

The key words in this definition are "personal conversion". God deals with the person individually through his conscience, and persuades the non-believer to believe. It matters not whether the person's parents were Christians, that his people are Christians, or even if his church is Christian. It is a personal enlightenment that salvation is only by the propitiated blood of Jesus Christ, and that there is no other way to salvation. (This is the basis of Christianity. Look up the scripture yourself). The person converted to Christianity is one who realizes that since he is not God, there is no way to save himself! With that, the social gospel is not efficacious. It isn't a waste of time but a barrier to conversion.

Churches in America are divided into several categories. Among them are (1) modernistic or liberal churches which focus on the impersonal, (2) careless but well-meaning churches, (3) charismatic churches, and (4) evangelical. Of course, there are some overlaps. Most charismatic churches are evangelical but their doctrine may eliminate some evangelicals.

Because of doctrinal differences, and for some, the laxity in doctrine, churches war with each other. Liberal churches tend to have lax doctrine. Even the once ultra-conservative Catholic Church has become lax in doctrine, going from must be Catholic to universalism - about anything goes. 

On the national scene, liberal churches ridicule and berate evangelical churches, even to the extent that evangelicals are ridiculed for actually believing scripture is the inspired Word of God. They deny God as Creator. They deny the experience of the rebirth. "Christians" ridicule other Christians for merely having faith in Jesus Christ just as the Jews in apostolic times made things tough for the early Christians. If one looks closely, they can see the evidence of ancient Judaism in modernistic churches. They are ritualistic and impersonal. Their way to salvation differs from Jesus's Way, and those who profess the born-again experience are ridiculed as "right-wing fundamentalists".

Paul was a zealot for the persecution of Christians, and by finally seeing the light (the new birth), he had darkness for a spell until the Light became obvious. Then, just as he was a zealot against Christ, he became a zealot for Christ. Paul was one of those "fundamentalists" because he saw the Light.  He went from persecutor to persecuted with that one event.

Our experience may not physically happen the same way Paul's did but it must happen the same way spiritually. That one act is what causes Christians tribulation. Ritualistic religion doesn't buy into personal interaction with Christ. For the Jews, the priests had to make the sacrifice on behalf of the sinners, and now the modern church teaches that individual works is what merits eternal life. Whether by the priest or by the individual "works" is not efficacious for salvation! Those who believe otherwise put stress on believers.