Tension

Today, as I sat in Ethics, I began to ponder something the teacher said. We were discussing capital punishment and our reaction to it as Christians. He said that believers live in a world that does not function as it ought to. As I allowed this thought to seep in and take root, I realized something that had been apparent to me for a long time. Christians will inextricably live lives of constant tension on this earth. Think about it.

Luther said it this way: simul iustus et peccator. We are simultaneously justified and sinner. This is a paradox. How can we be sinner and justified at the same time? In the same way, we are to love and desire justice and equally to love and give forgiveness. For example, a Christian juror should be equally saddened by handing down the verdict of guilty and sentencing to death and joyful about seeing justice accomplished. Almost all of the Christian life should be seen in this way. Think for a moment about the death of a saint (by that I mean simply a believer). We, as finite beings, see death as an end to our relationship with this world and all its entailments. It is a time when we mourn because we will no longer experience the fellowship of this loved one. However, Psalm 116:15 answers the question of the death of a believer in a different way. It says, "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints." There is an obvious tension here. Listen to the words of Paul in his letter to the Philippians: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account." Paul saw the benefits of both living and dying. He really grappled over the benefits of living and dying. We also ought to feel this tension in our lives. We ought to desire to depart and be with Christ, but at the same time, long to remain for the sake of Christ.

Romans 7 and 8 is the highlight of tension in the life of a believer. In Romans 7, we have the old and new man warring against one another. Both striving for victory, one having already conquered. However, the constant battle remains until I am glorified in Heaven with Christ. That old man will continuously knock on the door of my will seeking the smallest crack through which he can gain a foothold. The new man will have to be ever diligent in defending my heart and mind. You can almost hear the despair in Paul's words when he writes in 7:24, "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" Paul sees this struggle very clearly, but he does not despair. He answers with Romans 8. Some would argue that this is the magnum opus of Paul's magnum opus. The tension we feel has been resolved Christ. That is why he can say: "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." All the tension of this life are conquered in Christ.

The whole point of this is to say that we should never be comfortable as Christians. We should be at odds with the world as it is because it is not as it should be. Comfort is the bed in which sin lies waiting. This is something I struggle with daily. I allow myself to be comfortable. Tension is a healthy thing. It causes to be aware and mindful. It ought to cause us to think biblically. It ought to cause us to long for Christ because that is the only place we will find true comfort. He is where all tensions end and where true peace begins.

Just some food for thought.