Articles
Expectation and Reality
Every so often, I will read about a police department's sting operation, where a call is made to criminal offenders, promising free tickets to a sports event or something similar, and some of the individuals actually show up to the designated pickup area, only to find out they would be getting time in jail or a monetary fine and not free tickets. Their expectations were misplaced, and they were sorely disappointed, to say the least.
When Jesus came to this earth and revealed Himself as the Messiah, He was, for the most part, rejected by the Jews. Some expected the Messiah to restore the kingdom as it had been in the time of David and Solomon (cf. Acts 1:6), but even though Jesus demonstrated He had the power of God through signs, wonders, and miracles, there was still some indecision about whether or not He was the Christ (cf. John 7:25-31). For various reasons, Jesus was rejected as the Messiah simply because He did not meet their expectations — even some of the very ones who witnessed the miracles; to them, the clear evidence could not overcome their expectations.
The same unwillingness to allow the evidence to speak for itself is what keeps many from believing Jesus today, or believing in what God's word [the Bible] actually teaches. For many people, there is an expectation that what they have been taught and have believed all their lives is true, and when a study of the Scriptures reveals contradictions, the truth cannot overcome the expectations. The problem is, many end up clinging to their baseless expectations and are not actually following Jesus at all, but rather the false ideas and doctrines of men that have been handed down for generations.
Let us consider a few common expectations about Jesus, God, and God's word that may prevent us from believing the truth; maybe it is something about Christ, or maybe it is something He taught, but let us be willing to hold up our expectations next to what is actually stated and revealed in God's word and see if what we want to believe matches with what we should believe.
Expectation: Jesus Never Condemns Sin. Depending on the sin discussed, some believe Jesus would never condemn anyone of sin, and just loves us all too much to judge anyone. Some will point to the story of the woman caught in adultery and point out Jesus, when He saw that her accusers abandoned her and were unwilling to stone her to death, as the law demanded, then said, “Neither do I condemn you” (John 8:2-11). They might also point out that Jesus said, “I did not come to judge the world but to save the world” (John 12:47). With these expectations of no condemnation, some reject the idea that Jesus demands anyone cease sinning, or would even be bothered that we sin. But is that true?
Reality: He Demands We Cease Sinning. Some who love to quote Jesus telling the adulterous woman He didn't condemn her stop short of saying all He had to say. He also told her, “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). Jesus also said, “if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). The gospel message was based on the fact Jesus “died for our sins” (1 Cor. 15:3), and His apostles taught that disciples were to be “no longer be slaves of sin” (Rom. 6:6), and God “now commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). While some have a misconception that Jesus would never condemn sin, such is misguided and not based on the entirety of Scripture. The very fact He died for our sins tells us that the life of sin is unacceptable. The fact that dying in our sins renders us condemned, in the end, should tell us that expectation of no condemnation is erroneous.
Expectation: God Doesn't Care What You Believe. A popular idea amongst many religious people is that it really doesn't matter what you believe "as long as you're sincere." They expect that their beliefs are just as good as anyone else's belief, and sometimes say, "There are many roads to heaven." We might even hear someone say, "Join the church of your choice because one is as good as another." But is that true?
Reality: God Cares What We Believe. Jesus spoke of establishing only one church (cf. Matt. 16:18). Notice the singular form of the word “church”? The fact that there are literally thousands of churches with varying and even contradictory doctrines should tell any honest seeker that something is terribly wrong.
Paul said if anyone brought anything other than the gospel message already delivered, he was to be accursed (Gal. 1:6-9), and John warned against false prophets (1 John 4:1). So, yes, it does matter what we believe. Believing a lie will not lead us to eternal life!
Expectation: Salvation Without Action on My Part. Some have the mistaken idea that God is going to ultimately save everyone, while others believe God has predestined certain individuals to salvation without them having to do anything towards obedience. Still others believe that as long as I call myself a Christian I will be saved, even if I never obey the words of Jesus, or never do anything once I become a Christian. In all cases, there is some sort of expectation that I can receive eternal life in heaven without doing much of anything at all! But is that true?
Reality: Salvation Demands Action On My Part. Without a doubt, we are saved by grace (cf. Eph. 2:8), but that gift of God [eternal life, Rom. 6:23] does not mean He has done it all, or that I cannot or should not do anything. Jesus commanded the gospel message of salvation be preached to all, and then said, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:15, 16). Belief and baptism is a response to the message of that grace! If I reject the message that tells of how Jesus is the Christ and Son of God, and that He died for my sins, then I have refused the gift and will not be rewarded. Inaction on my part will not bring salvation!
And as Christians, we have no less responsibility to be active in our faith once we have been converted; our faith must move us to prove our faith by our deeds. James reminds us, “faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:26), and a dead faith is not saving faith. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have been “created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10); in other words, we should demonstrate our faith by what we do.
There are many ways our expectations may not match with the reality of what God's word teaches us. Let us examine our expectations in light of Scripture, to ensure we are not clinging to some false hope. —— Steven Harper
